Singapore Dependant's Pass (2026) Bringing Your Family When You Relocate as a Founder

To bring family on a Dependant's Pass, you (the main pass holder) must meet all of the following:

• Hold an Employment Pass or S Pass.
• Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000. This is based on your own salary, not your combined household income.
• Be sponsored by an established, Singapore-registered company, usually your employer.

The S$6,000 figure is the floor specifically for sponsoring dependants, and it is higher than the minimum salary to simply hold an Employment Pass. A founder paying themselves the bare EP minimum may hold their own pass but still fall short of the threshold to bring family, so plan your salary with this in mind.

If you hold a ONE Pass or an EntrePass rather than an EP or S Pass, the dependant rules are set separately for those passes. See our Singapore ONE Pass guide for the ONE Pass family provisions, which include a Letter of Consent route for spouses.

A Dependant's Pass can be granted to:

• Your legally married spouse.
• Your unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted children.

That is the full list for a Dependant's Pass. A common-law partner is not eligible for a DP but may qualify for a Long-Term Visit Pass, and adult children aged 21 or over are not eligible as dependants.

The parent question

Parents are a common point of confusion. Parents are not eligible for a Dependant's Pass. An eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holder may instead sponsor parents for a Long-Term Visit Pass, but only if the sponsor earns a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000. That is double the S$6,000 floor for a spouse or child, and as with the lower threshold it is based on your own fixed salary, excluding bonuses and variable pay.

This is the question that trips up relocating couples most often, because the rules changed.

A Dependant's Pass does not give an automatic right to work, and the rules split into two cases.

To work for an employer, the route changed in 2021. Since 1 May 2021, a DP holder who is the spouse or child of an Employment Pass or S Pass holder can no longer work on a general Letter of Consent. To take a job with an organisation, they must now obtain their own work pass: an Employment Pass, S Pass, or DP-Work Permit applied for by the employer.

To run their own business, a separate route survives. A DP holder who owns and operates an ACRA-registered business can apply for a Letter of Consent for DP Business Owners, provided they are a sole proprietor, a partner, or a company director holding at least 30% of the shares. Renewing that LOC requires having hired at least one Singapore citizen or permanent resident, earning at least the Local Qualifying Salary with CPF contributions for at least three months. This is the route a founding spouse uses to legally operate the family company.

There is an important nuance for founder couples here. A DP holder who is purely a passive shareholder of a Singapore company does not need a pass for the shareholding itself. But any active role, whether as sole proprietor, partner, or director with at least 30% shareholding, requires the Letter of Consent for DP Business Owners described above, whether or not a salary or director's fee is drawn. Couples who set up a company together trip over this often, assuming a directorship is free of pass requirements; treat any operating role as the line that requires the LOC.

1. Confirm you meet the sponsor criteria. EP or S Pass, S$6,000 fixed monthly salary, established Singapore company.
2. Prepare documents. Marriage certificate for a spouse, birth certificates for children, passports, and the sponsor's pass details. Non-English documents need official translations.
3. Apply online. The application is submitted through MOM's online services, usually by your employer.
4. Receive the in-principle approval and complete issuance. On approval, the family member can enter Singapore and complete the pass formalities.

Most online applications are processed within three weeks when the sponsor is an Employment Pass or S Pass holder, and within six weeks under an EP (Sponsorship), Personalised Employment Pass, or EntrePass sponsor. Some cases take longer if additional checks are needed. Each pass costs S$105 at submission and S$225 on issuance, a total of S$330 per dependant, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa if required. All fees are non-refundable.

Advantages

• Lets you bring your spouse and young children when you relocate.
• Children on a Dependant's Pass can study in Singapore.
• A DP holder can hold a passive shareholding in your company without a pass, and can actively run their own business via a Letter of Consent for DP Business Owners.

Limitations

• The S$6,000 sponsor salary floor is higher than the bare EP minimum, so paying yourself too little to bring family is a real risk.
• A DP spouse can no longer work for an employer on a general Letter of Consent and needs their own work pass; running their own business is possible via a separate LOC for DP Business Owners.
• Parents cannot get a Dependant's Pass and require a Long-Term Visit Pass, for which you must earn at least S$12,000 a month.
• The pass is tied to your own work pass, so it ends if your pass ends.

The Dependant's Pass depends on your own pass, so start there. Our Singapore Work Visa Guide for Foreign Founders (2026) compares every route, and if you sponsor your own Employment Pass, see the Employment Pass for your own company guide. When you are ready to apply and want a licensed provider to manage the family applications alongside your own, see our comparison of Singapore work pass providers.

This guide is for general information and is not immigration or legal advice. Eligibility and salary thresholds are set by the Ministry of Manpower and revised periodically. Figures were verified against MOM in June 2026. Always confirm current requirements at mom.gov.sg before applying.