The ONE Pass (Overseas Networks & Expertise) is the summit of Singapore’s visa line, launched in 2023 to chase world-class talent. Its key difference from a regular Employment Pass: the status attaches to the person, not the employer — you can work for several employers, run your own ventures and switch projects without re-papering.
Its technology-sector counterpart, the Tech.Pass issued by the Economic Development Board, accepts applications until 27 January 2027 and is then replaced by a ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track (EDB).
Key parameters of the status (MOM):
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Salary route | fixed income from S$30,000 a month over the last 12 months, or an offer at that level from a Singapore employer |
| Requirement for the overseas employer | market capitalisation from US$500m or revenue from US$200m |
| Route without a salary bar | outstanding achievements in science, the arts, sports or academia |
| Term | 5 years, renewable |
| Spouse | may work on a Letter of Consent |
| Obligation | annual notification to MOM of professional activities and income, by 31 January |
| PR | not granted automatically |
| AI and Tech track | from 28 January 2027, replaces the Tech.Pass |
Entry Criteria
The base path is salary: a fixed income of S$30,000+ per month over the last 12 months, or an offer at that level from a Singapore employer. Applicants coming from overseas employers face an extra employer test: market capitalisation of US$500m+ or revenue of US$200m+. The parallel path skips the salary bar entirely: outstanding achievements in science, the arts, sports or academia.
What the Status Gives
The pass is issued for 5 years outright (regular passes run 1–2 years) and renews. The spouse works on a simplified Letter of Consent — rare generosity among Asian hubs. The one obligation is an annual activity report to MOM. The pass does not lead to PR automatically, but in practice it is the strongest base for a PR application built on real activity in Singapore.
The ONE Pass (AI and Tech) Track from 28 January 2027
On 3 March 2026, at its Committee of Supply debate, the Ministry of Manpower announced a third door into the ONE Pass — the AI and Tech track. MOM accepts applications under it from 28 January 2027, and it replaces the Tech.Pass, which had run through the EDB since January 2021; the old two-year status with a single renewal gives way to the ONE Pass's usual five years with unlimited renewals.
The conditions are two-sided. On the company side: a technology company, technology division or tech-focused venture capital firm clearing at least one threshold — a valuation or market capitalisation of at least US$500m, or annual revenue of at least US$200m, or assets under management of at least US$500m, or, for a tech start-up, at least US$30m raised in funding. On the applicant's side: total pay of S$30,000 a month across 12 consecutive months before the application, of which at least S$22,500 must be fixed salary, plus five cumulative years within the past ten in a founder, C-suite or senior technical role.
The headline innovation is that vested equity-based remuneration counts. The gap between the fixed S$22,500 and the total S$30,000 may be closed with vested stock options or share ownership, subject to MOM's assessment. No such rule has been announced for the base salary track, where fixed pay is still required. The comparison with talent routes in other jurisdictions is in models of talent routes.
EDB Tech.Pass: Criteria, Holder Rights and Closure on 27 January 2027
The Tech.Pass is issued by the Economic Development Board rather than MOM and needs no Singapore job offer or employer sponsor: the applicant is assessed on a record of leading teams or building tech products. EDB's published criteria are cumulative:
- a last-drawn fixed monthly salary, within the past year, of at least S$22,500 — other income, including non-cash components, is considered case by case; and
- at least five cumulative years, within the past ten, in a leading role at a tech company valued at US$500m or more or one that has raised at least US$30m, or at a tech venture capital firm with at least US$500m under management.
A holder can run several activities at once without changing pass: start and operate one or more companies, work as an employee of one or more Singapore companies, act as a consultant, mentor or lecturer at local institutions of higher learning, and sit as a director. A legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive a Dependant's Pass; a common-law spouse, stepchildren and parents receive a Long-Term Visit Pass.
The pass runs for two years and can be renewed once, for two more, on one of three tests: at least S$270,000 of assessable income on the latest IRAS Notice of Assessment; business spending of at least S$100,000 a year through a Singapore private limited company in which the holder owns at least 30%, together with at least one local PME or three local qualifying staff; or a Singapore company with a digital or technology core product that has raised more than US$10m over the past 36 months, including money from programme-recognised investors. The renewal is filed between six months and twelve weeks before expiry.
Intake closes by the calendar. New applications are accepted until 27 January 2027, 23:59 Singapore time, and those filed by then are processed under the existing rules; from 28 January 2027 neither new nor renewal Tech.Pass applications are accepted. Existing passes remain valid until expiry, after which the holder moves to the AI and Tech track, the mainstream ONE Pass, an Employment Pass, a Personalised Employment Pass or an EntrePass, each on its own criteria — there is no automatic transfer.
ONE Pass Against the Alternatives
It differs from Tech.Pass in audience and administrator: ONE Pass is broader by profession and runs through MOM; Tech.Pass is tech-specific and runs through EDB. Against the UK Global Talent the filter differs: there — a dossier of recognition, here — first of all the price of your contract. If the salary history misses S$30,000, the workable alternatives are a regular Employment Pass (from S$5,600, S$6,000 for new applications from 1 January 2027, higher with age) or, for a founder, the Tech.Pass while intake lasts: the filing deadline is 27 January 2027.
Four statuses sit in the same decision, and the useful comparison is across five things: what gets you in, who administers it, how long it runs, what the family gets and what renewal turns on.
| Status | Entry condition | Administrator | Term | Family and renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONE Pass | Fixed pay of S$30,000 a month, or outstanding achievement with no salary bar | MOM | 5 years, renewable without limit | Spouse on a Dependant's Pass plus a Letter of Consent; renewal on the five-year salary average or a Singapore company employing five locals |
| Tech.Pass | Fixed pay from S$22,500 plus five years leading at a tech company valued at US$500m or funded with US$30m, or at a tech VC managing US$500m | EDB | 2 years plus one further 2-year renewal | Spouse and children on a Dependant's Pass, parents on a Long-Term Visit Pass; intake closes 27 January 2027, no automatic transfer to the AI and Tech track |
| Employment Pass | From S$5,600 a month (S$6,000 for new applications from 1 January 2027), rising with age and sector | MOM | 1–2 years, tied to the employer | A Dependant's Pass only above MOM's separate salary threshold; renewal follows the job |
| UK Global Talent | Endorsement by one of six bodies, or a prestigious prize — no salary test at all | Home Office with the endorsing body | Up to 5 years, the applicant chooses | The dependent partner works without separate permission; ILR after 3 or 5 years |
The axis that actually separates them is what is being measured. Singapore prices the contract, Britain assesses the record, and the Employment Pass prices the job rather than the person. That is why MOM decides most ONE Pass applications within four weeks with no expert panel (MOM), while a Global Talent applicant in digital technology usually waits five to eight weeks for the endorsement decision alone (GOV.UK) — and why a candidate with real standing but no Singapore salary history fails here and passes there. The full set of talent routes, with fees, timelines, approval odds and the partner's work rights, is in the comparison of talent routes.
Q/A
Is the EDB Tech.Pass still open to new applicants?
Yes, until 27 January 2027 at 23:59 Singapore time; applications filed by then are processed under the existing rules. From 28 January 2027 EDB and MOM stop accepting both new and renewal Tech.Pass applications, and technology candidates apply under the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track instead, on its S$30,000 pay and company-size tests.
What are the Tech.Pass requirements in 2026?
Two cumulative conditions: a last-drawn fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 within the past year, and at least five years within the past ten in a leading role at a tech company valued at US$500m or more or funded with at least US$30m, or at a tech venture capital firm managing at least US$500m. No Singapore job offer is needed, and non-cash income is considered case by case.
What can a Tech.Pass holder do that an Employment Pass holder cannot?
Hold several roles at once without a new pass: found and run companies, be employed by one or more Singapore companies, consult, mentor, lecture at local universities and serve as a director. An Employment Pass is tied to one employer, and a change of job means a new application. The Tech.Pass holder's spouse and children come on a Dependant's Pass and parents on a Long-Term Visit Pass.
Can a Tech.Pass be renewed after January 2027?
Only if the renewal is filed by 27 January 2027. The Tech.Pass renews once, for two years, on S$270,000 of assessable income, S$100,000 of annual business spending with local hires, or a Singapore tech company that has raised over US$10m in 36 months, and the application goes in between six months and twelve weeks before expiry. A pass expiring more than six months after 27 January 2027 cannot be renewed; its holder needs the AI and Tech track, a ONE Pass, an Employment Pass, a Personalised Employment Pass or an EntrePass.
Is a fixed monthly salary of SGD 30,000 mandatory for every ONE Pass applicant?
No. It is the main salary route: the amount must come from one employer for the 12 consecutive months before application or be offered by an established Singapore employer. MOM also has a separate route for outstanding achievement in sports, arts and culture, academia or research, under which the salary threshold is not mandatory.
Can a ONE Pass holder work for several companies and start a business at the same time?
Yes. MOM permits holders to start, operate and work for multiple companies concurrently and not to reapply when changing jobs, subject to any employment contract. The holder must still notify MOM of professional activities and annual income by 31 January of the following year, and a regulated profession or business may require its own authorisation.
Does the spouse of a ONE Pass holder have an automatic right to work?
No. A legally married spouse may obtain a Dependant’s Pass, but must separately obtain a Letter of Consent from MOM to work or operate a business; a recognised common-law spouse normally uses a Long-Term Visit Pass and also applies for an LOC. Other dependants need their own work pass. Family eligibility opens an application route, not automatic work permission.
Is a ONE Pass automatically renewed for another five years?
No. For renewal, the holder must either have averaged at least SGD 30,000 in fixed monthly salary over the preceding five years in Singapore, or have started and be operating a Singapore company employing at least five locals, each paid at least the prevailing Employment Pass minimum qualifying salary. MOM tests the criterion at renewal.
Can someone apply for the new ONE Pass AI and Tech track now?
No. MOM accepts applications under the track from 28 January 2027, when it replaces Tech.Pass; until then the current ONE Pass categories apply. Published criteria allow SGD 30,000 total monthly remuneration, including at least SGD 22,500 fixed pay and assessed vested equity, but MOM has said that further details, including renewal criteria, will be published separately.