Moving to Singapore: the complete guide

Singapore is an easy place to live once you're in, and a particular one to get into. The paperwork is fast and mostly online. The catch is the order. Almost everything downstream of your arrival is gated by one thing you have to sort out before you book a flight. A Singapore employer has to apply for your Employment Pass, so the job offer comes first.

This is the map of the whole move, in the order things actually block each other. Job, then pass, then lease, then address, then the rest. Each stage here is the short version, enough to plan around and know what you're walking into. We'll say plainly where a figure moves, because several of these move often.

Who this guide is for, and the one rule that changes everything

This is for people who are not Singaporean or permanent residents and are thinking seriously about the move. Most of you will be arriving for work, either with an offer in hand or hunting for one. Some of you will be following a partner. The route is different depending on which, but the sequence below is the same.

Here's the rule that catches people out. In much of Europe you can arrive on a visa you applied for yourself, then find work. Singapore mostly doesn't work that way. The Employment Pass is applied for by a Singapore employer on your behalf, and the approval is issued to them. Without a company willing to sponsor and to run the process, there's no general residence route for a working-age professional.

There are two narrow exceptions worth knowing about, both from the Ministry of Manpower. The Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass is for people earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000, or with standout achievements in certain fields. The EntrePass is for founders and experienced investors building a business here, and it comes with its own conditions, including holding at least 30% of a Singapore-registered company. Neither is a fallback for an ordinary job search.

So plan the move backwards from the offer. Everything else in this guide sits downstream of it.

Landing a job that will sponsor you

Hiring you is usually a slower decision here than it is elsewhere, and it helps to know why. Before an employer submits a new Employment Pass application, they normally have to advertise the role on the government jobs portal, MyCareersFuture, for at least 14 consecutive days and fairly consider everyone who applies. That's the Fair Consideration Framework. Two common exemptions matter to job hunters: companies with fewer than 10 employees don't have to advertise, and neither do jobs paying a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500. Where it does apply, it isn't a formality. Firms that go through the motions can be barred from hiring foreign employees for a year or more.

The second thing shaping your odds isn't about you at all. Part of the points check that follows looks at the employer: how diverse their professional workforce is, and how well they support local hiring compared with others in their sector. A small firm already heavy on your nationality is a harder yes than a large, mixed one, even for the identical candidate.

What that means in practice is simple. Ask early and directly whether the company sponsors passes and whether they have hired from abroad before. Ask whether the role has been advertised yet, because unless the company is exempt, that clock has to run before anything is filed. A small startup may be able to go straight to the application. And expect a longer gap between "we want you" and "you can start" than you're used to. Build that into your notice period and your budget.

The Employment Pass and the other work passes

The Employment Pass has two stages and you have to clear both. Failing the first means the second doesn't matter.

Stage one is the qualifying salary, benchmarked to the top third of local professional salaries and rising with your age. Outside financial services it currently starts at S$5,600 a month for candidates aged 23 and under, and climbs to S$10,700 at age 45 and above. Financial services sits higher, starting at S$6,200 and climbing to S$11,800. The Ministry of Manpower has already published a higher set of figures that takes over for later applications and renewals, so check the current table before you negotiate a number.

Stage two is COMPASS, a points system where your application needs 40 points to pass. Points come from four main areas: your salary against the sector benchmark, your qualifications, the nationality mix of the firm's professionals, and the firm's support for local employment. Each is worth up to 20. There are bonus points on top for roles on the shortage occupation list, and for firms in certain government programmes. You're exempt from COMPASS entirely if your fixed monthly salary is at least S$22,500, if you're an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or if the role lasts a month or less.

A first pass runs up to two years, renewals up to three, and some experienced tech professionals with skills in short supply can get five. Applications from a Singapore-registered company are processed, or given an update, within 10 business days. If the hiring company has no registered office here, budget up to six weeks. Approval comes as an in-principle approval letter that doubles as a single-entry visa and gives you six months to arrive and collect the pass. The rules here shift more often than most countries, so it's worth having someone who tracks them: you can compare English-speaking immigration and administrative help in Singapore before you file.

Bringing your family

Family passes hang off your pass and your salary alone. Not your household income, not your partner's. That surprises dual-income couples, so check it early.

The Dependant's Pass covers a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted children. To sponsor one you need a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000. Note that this bar sits above the entry-level Employment Pass salary, so a younger pass holder can qualify for their own pass and still not be able to bring anyone.

The Long Term Visit Pass covers the relatives who fall outside that definition. On the same S$6,000 salary you can sponsor a common-law spouse, unmarried step-children under 21, or unmarried handicapped children aged 21 and above. Parents are a different bracket and need a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000. All of it is assessed case by case, and your employer has to sponsor the application.

Live-in help is common here, and the monthly levy is worth knowing up front. It's S$300 for a first helper and S$450 for a subsequent one. Families with a young child, an elderly member or a person with a disability pay a concessionary S$60. Employers don't pay retirement contributions for a helper, but the levy runs for as long as the work permit does.

What it costs to live in Singapore

Two things distort every budget people bring with them, and they pull in opposite directions.

The first is that nothing is deducted from your pay for a state pension. Retirement contributions here are payable for citizens and permanent residents, not for work pass holders. Your take-home looks generous next to the same salary in Europe. The flip side is that you are saving for retirement entirely on your own, and it's easy to spend the difference without noticing.

The second is rent, which is the line that swallows the gain. HDB publishes median rents for its flats quarterly, by town and flat type. Recent tables run from roughly S$2,500 a month for a smaller flat in an outer town, to comfortably over S$4,000 for a bigger flat somewhere central. Private condominiums sit above that. School fees are the other heavy line if you have children. A car is close to a luxury purchase, because you have to win a certificate at auction just for the right to run one for ten years. Most people don't own one, and don't miss it.

Everything in between is more reasonable than the headlines suggest. Eating out at hawker centres and public transport are genuinely cheap. Healthcare is good, but as a pass holder you pay the unsubsidised rate, so budget for cover rather than assuming it. Income tax is genuinely low, which we'll come to. Rents and school places are where the shock lands, so anchor your budget there first.

Finding somewhere to live: HDB flat or condo

Your first real choice is between an HDB flat, the public housing where most Singaporeans live, and a private condominium with a pool and a gym. Flats are bigger for the money and put you in a real neighbourhood. Condos cost more and come with the facilities and, usually, a shorter walk to an expat social circle.

Renting an HDB flat as a foreigner has rules, and they're worth knowing before you fall in love with one. You can rent if you hold an Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependant Pass or Long Term Social Visit Pass. The pass also has to have at least six months left to run when the owner applies for approval. Tourists cannot rent one at all.

The owner has conditions too. Only Singapore citizens may rent out a whole flat, and only after living in it for the five-year minimum occupation period. There is also a non-citizen quota, set at 8% for a neighbourhood and 11% for a block, which applies when a whole flat goes to a non-Malaysian non-citizen. If a block is full, you simply cannot rent there. The quota doesn't apply if you're renting a single bedroom.

The minimum rental period is six months. The maximum per approval is two years where any tenant is a non-Malaysian non-citizen, against three years where everyone is Singaporean or Malaysian. Ask to see the owner's approval letter, and check that you're listed as an authorised tenant. Then get the tenancy agreement stamped with the tax authority, where lease duty is charged at 0.4% of the rent over the lease. You have 14 days from signing to do that if you signed in Singapore, and 30 days from receiving it here if you signed abroad. Late stamping carries a penalty, so don't let it drift. If you'd rather have someone local read the contract with you, there are English-speaking property and accommodation people in Singapore who do exactly this.

Where to live: a quick map of the neighbourhoods

The island is small, but rush hour is real and the commute is what people regret. Here's the rough shape of it, and a spoke guide will go deeper on each.

Central and near the river, places like River Valley, Tiong Bahru and Tanjong Pagar put you within a walk or a stop of the business district. Flats are smaller, rents are the highest on the island, and you trade space for time.

The east, around Katong, Joo Chiat, Siglap and the East Coast, is the one people fall for. Older shophouses, the best casual food, the beach and a quick run to the airport. It feels more like a neighbourhood and less like a development.

The central-west belt of Bukit Timah, Holland Village and Clementi is green and family-heavy, and sits near a cluster of international schools. If school run times are going to shape your week, start your search here.

Newer towns like Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines and Jurong give you the most space for your money in modern flats, with a longer commute as the price. Woodlands, up north, is the practical pick if you'll be crossing to Malaysia often.

Most people who've done it say the same thing: rent for a year before you commit to anywhere. Your commute will teach you more than any guide.

Tax: the 183-day rule and IRAS

Singapore's tax authority is IRAS, and the first question is whether you count as a tax resident, because it changes the rate.

You're treated as a resident for a year of assessment if you stayed or worked here for at least 183 days in the previous calendar year, or continuously for three consecutive years. There's also a concession where your employment straddles two calendar years and your total stay across them reaches 183 days. Separately, foreigners issued a work pass valid for at least a year are treated as residents up front, with the position reviewed at tax clearance when the job ends.

Residents pay progressive rates from 0% to 24%, and the first S$20,000 of chargeable income is taxed at nothing. Foreign-sourced income brought into Singapore is exempt for residents, with an exception for income received through partnerships here. Non-residents are treated less kindly: employment income is taxed at the higher of a flat 15% or the resident rates, and directors' fees and most other income at 24%.

Tax is assessed on the previous year's income. You file at the myTax Portal using Singpass or a Singpass Foreign user Account, by 18 April each year. You have to file if your total income was more than S$22,000, or if IRAS writes to you asking you to, whatever you earned. If your situation spans two countries in your first year, this is worth an hour with an English-speaking accountant or tax adviser in Singapore rather than a guess.

Getting permanent residence later

Permanent residence is the step most people start thinking about in year two or three. As an Employment Pass or S Pass holder you can apply yourself, online through the immigration authority's e-service, using Singpass. Spouses and children of citizens or permanent residents, aged parents of citizens, students who have passed a national exam, and investors under the Global Investor Programme all have their own routes.

Be honest with yourself about the odds, because nobody publishes them. There is no points score to work towards and no minimum time on a pass that guarantees anything. The authority says it weighs family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, along with your commitment to putting down roots. That is deliberately broad, and it means a strong salary alone is not the whole answer.

Applications are processed within six months where the paperwork is complete, though some take longer. If you're approved you get a blue identity card, and you'll need a valid re-entry permit to leave and return as a permanent resident.

One thing to think through as a family, before you apply rather than after. Male citizens and permanent residents are liable for National Service under the Enlistment Act, and that includes sons granted residence under a parent's sponsorship. It's a real commitment, not a footnote, and it's the thing families most often wish they had discussed before applying, not after.

Your first 90 days: a checklist

In the order that actually works:

1. Before you fly. Get the pass holder's copy of your in-principle approval from your employer. It works as a single-entry visa and gives you six months to arrive and get the pass issued.
2. Week one. Get the pass issued, and register fingerprints and a photo if you're asked to. The card follows within five working days of that.
3. Week one. Set up Singpass, the national login. Almost every government service you'll need runs through it, and a Singpass Foreign user Account covers you if you're not eligible for the main one.
4. Weeks one to two. Open a bank account and get a local mobile number. Most other sign-ups want both.
5. Weeks two to six. Find a place. If it's an HDB flat, ask to see the owner's approval letter and check you're named as an authorised tenant. Get the tenancy stamped within 14 days of signing, because late stamping carries a penalty.
6. Weeks two to eight. Start family passes and school places in parallel, not in sequence. Both are slower than you expect and school places are the tighter constraint.
7. Month two. Check whether your employer provides health cover at all, and where it stops. Nothing requires them to for an Employment Pass, and you won't get the subsidies citizens and permanent residents do.
8. Diary it. The tax filing date is 18 April each year. Put it in your calendar the week you land.

If you'd rather not do the shipping, the flat hunt and the paperwork all at once, there are English-speaking movers and relocation help in Singapore who handle the first month for you.

How Locallista helps

The hard part of moving here isn't that the rules are unclear. They're published, in English, and mostly accurate. The hard part is that you're making a dozen decisions at once, in a system you've never used, with money on the line each time.

Locallista is a directory of English-speaking local service providers in Singapore. Every business is screened before it's listed and reviews are phone-verified, so the ranking reflects real expat experience rather than who paid the most. It's free to browse and free to get in touch. Start with the Singapore directory if you're not sure who you need yet.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move to Singapore first and look for a job once I'm there?

For most people, no. The Employment Pass is applied for by a Singapore employer, not by you, so the job offer has to come first. There are narrow routes for very high earners and for founders backed by investors, but they are exceptions rather than a plan B.

How long does an Employment Pass application take?

The Ministry of Manpower says applications from a Singapore-registered company are processed or updated within 10 business days. If the hiring company has no Singapore-registered office, most cases take up to six weeks. Once approved, the in-principle approval letter gives you six months to enter and get the pass issued.

Can I bring a partner I'm not married to?

Possibly. A common-law spouse can be sponsored on a Long Term Visit Pass rather than a Dependant's Pass, as long as you meet the salary bar and your employer sponsors it. These are assessed case by case, so treat approval as possible rather than certain.

Am I a Singapore tax resident if I arrive halfway through the year?

You may still be. Besides the usual test of 183 days or more in a calendar year, there is a concession for people whose work straddles two calendar years and whose total stay reaches 183 days across them. A work pass valid for at least a year also gets you treated as a resident up front, with the position reviewed when you leave the job.

Can foreigners rent an HDB flat?

Yes, if you hold a qualifying pass such as an Employment Pass, S Pass, Student Pass, Dependant Pass or Long Term Social Visit Pass. It also has to have at least six months left to run when the owner applies. Tourists cannot rent one at all, and some blocks are closed to foreign tenants because of the non-citizen quota.

Does an Employment Pass lead to permanent residence?

Not automatically. Employment Pass and S Pass holders may apply, but there is no published score and no minimum time on a pass that guarantees anything. The immigration authority says it weighs things like your economic contribution, qualifications, age, family profile and how long you have lived here.