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Singapore's Dependant's Pass: bringing your family, and what it takes for a spouse to work

Updated 2026-11-07 · 8 min read

Drawing for the Dependant's Pass and working as a trailing spouse: the word FAMILY, two suitcases, a laptop and a house key.
The Dependant's Pass: two suitcases, one key and a laptop that still needs a work pass.

Your spouse and kids can come along easily if the main paycheck is big enough. Your spouse taking a job is a separate application, and it's the part that catches American couples off guard.

The short version

  • A Dependant's Pass (DP) covers a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an Employment Pass or S Pass holder who earns at least SGD 6,000 a month (about USD 4,700) in fixed salary [1].
  • Common-law partners, stepchildren and parents come on a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) instead. Parents need the main holder to earn at least SGD 12,000 (about USD 9,390) [5].
  • Since May 1, 2021, a DP no longer lets a spouse work on a simple Letter of Consent. They need an EP, S Pass or a Dependant's Pass Work Permit, filed by an employer [2][4].
  • Spouses who own a business can still get a Letter of Consent, but only with at least a 30% stake and at least one local employee on CPF [3].
  • Spouses of ONE Pass holders are the exception: they can work on a free Letter of Consent [6].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = SGD 1.2776).

Who goes on which pass

The family passes are tied to the main pass holder, their employer and their salary. MOM is explicit that the bar is "based on your salary, and not based on your combined household income" [1]. If you and your spouse both earned SGD 4,000 back in the States and only one of you has a Singapore offer, only that offer counts.

Family member Pass Main holder's minimum fixed monthly salary
Legally married spouse Dependant's Pass SGD 6,000 (about USD 4,700) [1]
Unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted Dependant's Pass SGD 6,000 [1]
Common-law spouse Long-Term Visit Pass SGD 6,000 [5]
Unmarried stepchildren under 21 Long-Term Visit Pass SGD 6,000 [5]
Unmarried children 21 and over with a disability Long-Term Visit Pass SGD 6,000 [5]
Parents Long-Term Visit Pass SGD 12,000 (about USD 9,390) [5]

A few points worth knowing before you book the movers:

  • The employer files. The sponsor must be an established, Singapore-registered company, usually the main pass holder's employer [1]. You don't apply on your own.
  • Intra-company transfers can be a trap. Family members of EP holders who came in as overseas intra-corporate transferees under WTO or free trade agreement commitments generally can't get a DP or LTVP, unless the agreement covers them [1][5]. Ask HR which basis they're using.
  • ONE Pass and EntrePass families follow separate rules on MOM's pages for those passes [1][5].
  • Kids aging out. A DP ends with the "under 21" line. A college-age kid who wants to stay usually needs a Student's Pass or a work pass of their own, so plan that birthday like you'd plan a FAFSA deadline.

If you're in a same-sex marriage, raise it with your employer and MOM early. Singapore doesn't recognize same-sex marriages, and MOM's DP page speaks of a "legally married spouse" [1], so get a clear answer on which pass, if any, your spouse can hold before anyone resigns a job back home.

The 2021 change: why a DP isn't a work permit anymore

Before May 2021, a DP-holding spouse who landed a job could work on a Letter of Consent (LOC), a light-touch approval with no salary bar. That's gone. MOM's 2021 factsheet says DP holders who want to work "will need to obtain an applicable work pass," like any other foreigner, with an exception for business owners [4].

Here's what that means today [2]:

  1. Employment Pass or S Pass. Your spouse's new employer applies, and the job has to meet the same salary floors and, for an EP, the COMPASS points test as any other hire. Once the new pass is issued, the DP is canceled and your spouse holds a pass in their own right.
  2. Dependant's Pass Work Permit (DP-WP). Any nationality, no minimum qualifying salary, and validity tied to the DP. The catch: the employer's Work Permit quota and levy apply, which makes some firms reluctant.
  3. Letter of Consent for business owners. See below.

There's no "part-time on a DP" shortcut either. Even a few hours a week for a Singapore employer needs one of these.

A lot of American spouses ask about remote work for a US employer. MOM's DP pages don't carve out remote work for an overseas company, so we'd treat it as a gray area and get your employer's or MOM's view in writing before relying on it.

Working on an EP of your own

If your spouse has a professional career, a separate EP is often the cleanest route. It doesn't depend on your job, it survives a change in your pass, and it gives your spouse their own work rights. The downside is the bar: an EP for a mid-career hire starts well above the DP threshold, and the floors rise again on January 1, 2027. Our guide to the Employment Pass and COMPASS has the full tables.

MOM still issues an LOC to DP holders who run their own business [3]. To qualify, the DP holder must be a sole proprietor, a partner, or a company director with at least 30% shareholding, or a member of a company limited by guarantee [3].

There's a local hiring condition. The business must employ at least one Singaporean or PR earning at least the Local Qualifying Salary, with CPF contributions for at least three consecutive months [3][4]. MOM's page lists this for renewals; the 2021 factsheet framed it as a condition for new businesses too [3][4]. Ask MOM which applies to your case. When the rule was announced, the Local Qualifying Salary was SGD 1,400 (about USD 1,100) a month [4]; MOM revises it, so check the current figure.

On timing: a first LOC lasts one year or until the DP expires, whichever comes first; renewals run to the DP's expiry. The LOC lapses if the DP is canceled or the business goes dormant [3].

A heads-up on Uncle Sam: if your spouse is a US citizen running a business, US self-employment tax still applies on net earnings of USD 400 or more, even if the income is excluded from income tax under the foreign earned income exclusion [8]. There's no US–Singapore totalization agreement to switch that off [9]. A US expat tax preparer can check your situation.

Spouses of ONE Pass holders

If the main earner holds a ONE Pass, the rules are friendlier. A spouse can work or run a business on a Letter of Consent that's free, usually processed in about four weeks, and valid until the DP expires [6]. An employer applies for a job; for a business, the spouse can apply directly. Other dependants still need a regular work pass [6].

If you're married to a Singaporean or PR instead

Different story. Foreign spouses of Singapore citizens and PRs usually hold an ICA-issued LTVP or LTVP+, and they can work on a Letter of Consent once they find a job. They can also ask for a Pre-approved Letter of Consent when applying for or renewing the pass, which lets them work without lining up a job first, outside restricted occupations such as journalism and religious work [7]. Don't assume those rules carry over to the MOM-issued LTVP that a common-law partner of an EP holder gets; those holders should plan on the regular work pass routes.

Life as a trailing spouse

The pass paperwork is the easy part. The career pause, the loss of your own income and the "what do you do?" question at every party are harder. Some practical moves:

  • Start the job search before you land. Employers will need to sponsor you, so target companies with a track record of hiring foreigners and roles that clear EP or S Pass bars.
  • Keep your US credentials alive. Licenses, certifications and a US address for renewals matter if you move back.
  • Track the money on the US side. If your spouse stops earning, your filing status, IRA contributions and the household's foreign earned income exclusion math all shift. The 2026 exclusion is USD 132,900 per qualifying person, up from USD 130,000 for 2025 [10]. Each spouse claims their own.
  • Find your people. The American Women's Association of Singapore runs a volunteer-run social club open to women of all nationalities, and the American Association of Singapore hosts holiday events and sports. You'll also find spouses swapping job leads in our community group for Americans in Singapore.
  • Register with STEP at the US Embassy Singapore, and if a baby arrives while you're here, apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

A family-move checklist

  1. Confirm the main salary clears SGD 6,000 (or SGD 12,000 if parents are coming) in fixed monthly pay.
  2. Ask HR how they're filing the main pass, especially for intra-company transfers.
  3. Gather documents: marriage certificate, kids' birth certificates and adoption papers, with English translations if needed.
  4. Decide on your spouse's work route now: their own EP or S Pass, a DP-WP, or a business LOC.
  5. Note every expiry date. Family passes generally run alongside the main pass, so a job loss or pass change affects everyone.

Sources

  1. Ministry of Manpower: Eligibility for Dependant's Pass
  2. Ministry of Manpower: Working in Singapore for Dependant's Pass holders
  3. Ministry of Manpower: Eligibility for Letter of Consent for Dependant's Pass business owners
  4. Ministry of Manpower: Factsheet on work arrangements of Dependant's Pass holders (2021)
  5. Ministry of Manpower: Eligibility for Long-Term Visit Pass
  6. Ministry of Manpower: Working in Singapore for Dependant's Pass holders of ONE Pass holders
  7. Ministry of Manpower: Work passes for holders of Long-Term Visit Passes issued by ICA
  8. IRS: Self-employment tax for businesses abroad
  9. Social Security Administration: US international Social Security agreements
  10. IRS: Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion

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