How to Secure a Singapore EP for a New Company with Zero Revenue:A Founder’s Guide

Hello everyone! This is the first post in my series, Joe’s SG Overseas Notebook. To kick things off, I want to talk about something almost everyone is interested in: the process of applying for an Employment Pass (EP).

If you search for “Singapore EP application” online, 90% of the content is from the perspective of a job seeker. The logic is usually the same: how they got an offer from a big tech firm and how HR helped them secure the pass.

However, for pioneers leading Chinese companies overseas, the “exam paper” looks completely different. You are dealing with a newly registered company in Singapore with zero local revenue, zero clients, and only one initial employee. In this “bare-bones” situation, how do you get an EP? And how long does it take?

This article will share the EP application process from the business owner/employer’s perspective.

Before we dive into the details, I want to clarify:

Who is this for?

🚀 Founders/Key Stakeholders of Expanding Companies: Decision-makers planning to establish a Singapore entity who need to solve residency issues for themselves or their first batch of expatriate staff.

📂 Ops/HR for Overseas Chinese Enterprises: Execution staff facing a “new company, zero revenue, no local employees” start who need a practical, compliant solution.

💡 Investors Planning to Start a Business in SG: Action-takers who want to look past agency sales pitches and deeply understand the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) logic and COMPASS framework strategies.

🔍 Job Seekers: Those who want to understand the approval mechanism from the “employer’s side” to assess an employer’s sponsorship strength and the risk of rejection.

At the start, I used search engines to look up application materials and compared them with information on the MOM website. Once I had a basic understanding, I started contacting service providers. I spoke with over 20 agencies. From the time we decided to cooperate until I had the physical EP card in hand, the process took about 4 months.

The whole process went more smoothly than I expected, though there were some detours along the way. Everything I’m about to tell you is based on real-world experience—the practical details that neither the MOM website nor service providers will actively tell you.

Salaries: The Numbers on the MOM Website Can Be Deceiving

Like most people, I initially thought the EP was just about meeting a salary threshold—if you hit the number on the MOM website, you’d get approved.

In reality, there is a trick to it.

Since September 2023, MOM introduced the COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) scoring system. Applicants must score at least 40 points to qualify for an EP. The salary component needs to be viewed in two layers:

The first layer is the EP Qualifying Salary. This is the entry threshold, which increases with the applicant’s age and differs between the financial and non-financial sectors. This is the first hurdle; if you are below this, the application stops right there.

The second layer is the COMPASS C1 criterion. This compares your salary against local Singaporean Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians (PMETs) in the same age group and industry. Being in the 90th percentile gets you 20 points, while the 65th percentile gets you 10 points. You must earn more than most locals in your age and industry to get points.

In practice, the numbers on the MOM website are only for reference. Early on, when running the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), I found that even if the website said $8,300$, the actual requirement was $8,500$—a $200$ SGD difference.

Therefore, if you design your salary package based strictly on the website’s numbers, you might fall short by that $200$. You should always rely on the SAT results.

Additionally, I noticed an interesting point: the COMPASS C1 salary is not necessarily higher than the EP Qualifying Salary. They are completely independent.

For example: If an applicant is 35 years old in a non-financial sector, the EP Qualifying Salary might be $5,000$. If you set the salary at $5,500$, you pass the threshold. However, if the 65th percentile for local PMETs in that age/industry is $6,000$, you get zero points for C1. These two sets of numbers are unrelated; passing the EP threshold doesn’t guarantee C1 points.

Conversely, there are cases where the EP Qualifying Salary is significantly higher than the COMPASS C1 requirement.

This is a detail I only noticed after finishing my first application and going through a renewal.

In short, for salary matters, always trust the results of the SAT tool.

COMPASS Scoring: New Companies Actually Have an Advantage

The COMPASS assessment modules are as follows:

Salary C1 (Individual): As mentioned, the applicant’s salary is compared against local Singaporean PMETs of the same age and industry to determine points.

Qualifications C2 (Individual): MOM has a list of top-tier universities. If the applicant’s school is on the list, they get 20 points. Any other accredited degree gets 10 points. There isn’t much room for adjustment here.

Diversity C3 (Company): Singapore emphasizes multiculturalism, so there are requirements for the diversity of employee nationalities. Higher diversity equals more points. However, if a company has fewer than 25 PMETs, it defaults to 10 points.

Support for Local Employment C4 (Company): This assesses how many locals (Citizens/Permanent Residents) the company employs. Similarly, if the company has fewer than 25 PMETs, it defaults to 10 points.

For a newly registered company, the headcount will likely be below these numbers during the startup phase, so you automatically secure 20 points from C3 and C4. If the salary is high enough for 10 points and you have a recognized degree for another 10 points, you hit the 40-point threshold. Getting an EP for a new company is actually quite straightforward; it’s only when the company grows larger that EP quotas become a hurdle.

There are also two bonus categories: the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) and Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) (partnerships with specific agencies). These don’t apply to most companies, so just knowing they exist is enough.

Regarding the EP quota system (the requirement to hire foreign workers based on a ratio of local workers): MOM’s official stance on whether EPs count toward a foreign worker quota is vague. However, based on discussions with multiple service providers, the “unwritten rule” is that it is evaluated. That said, for startups with fewer than 25 people, you basically don’t need to worry about it.

Document Preparation: Education and Witnessing are the Most Tedious

Once you finish the SAT assessment and confirm a salary figure, you can start preparing the formal application materials.

The EP application process involves filling out an online form and uploading supporting documents. You can view the application form here.

The form consists of the following sections:

• Personal Information
• Work Experience
• Education History
• Organizational Memberships (religious backgrounds, etc.)

It looks simple enough, but the real hassle lies in the “translation and witnessing” of the attachments. These primarily include 4 types:

• Proof of Employment: Copy of the employment contract.
• Identity Documents: Scan of the personal passport.
• Proof of Address: A bank statement with the address is best.

The documents above usually need to be witnessed by a third-party authoritative institution to guarantee authenticity.

For document witnessing, you can find a law firm in China to handle it. The requirements for the law firm’s international qualifications are quite relaxed, but there are two hard requirements: first, the firm must be searchable on Google (to verify it actually exists); second, the witness document must include the lawyer’s license number and signature.

Here is a small detail worth mentioning: if you use a Chinese witness template provided by a law firm, Singapore authorities may reject it, leading to wasted time. I created my own all-English template. I will write a separate guide later on how to issue common overseas identity/address proofs, as there are many pitfalls.

• Original Education Certificates and Verification: You need the original certificates and an English verification (MOM only accepts verification from approved institutions).

If the applicant graduated from a Chinese institution, they can use CHSI (Xuexin) to get verification without needing additional witnessing. Log into CHSI, go to the “International Reports - English Translation” portal, and apply for two documents: the “Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate” and the “Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate.” These cost $30$ RMB each.

There is a specific pitfall in China: the “Education” (Graduation) and “Degree” systems are separate, which can confuse Singaporean service providers.

Item	Concept	MOM Official English Term	CHSI Chinese Equivalent
Diploma (学历)	Represents the learning experience; awarded upon finishing the curriculum.	Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate	教育部学历证书电子注册备案表翻译件
Degree (学位)	Represents academic level; awarded upon meeting GPA and thesis requirements.	Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate	中国高等教育学位在线验证报告翻译件

If your service provider isn’t familiar with this, I suggest providing both documents together and adding a short English explanation to avoid back-and-forth clarifications.

In my case, this stage took nearly two months. The documents themselves weren’t hard to handle, but I was caught in the Chinese New Year period and was simultaneously drafting employment contracts, so the rhythm was interrupted.

Results in 5 Days: Who are the Service Providers Scaring with “3 to 6 Months”?

On March 8, the service provider submitted the online application. On March 13, the MOM IPA (In-Principle Approval) was issued.

It took only 5 working days from application to issuance. The materials were accepted on the first try with no requests for additional information.

Initially, because we wanted to launch the business quickly, we asked various providers about the EP application timeline. Agency A said 3 months, and Agency B said at least six months. But the actual time was only two weeks—a tenfold difference.

Why was it so fast? There are a few possibilities:

1. It might have been the first application for a new company, which the department might prioritize.
2. The materials were prepared meticulously, and potential questions were addressed in advance.

At the very least, this proves that the timelines quoted by service providers are highly inflated. They are either leaving a huge margin for errors or just trying to create anxiety.

Entering Singapore: Issuing the Physical Card at MOM

Once you have the IPA, your visa is essentially approved. The applicant must enter Singapore to process the physical pass before the expiry date listed on the IPA. This date is usually 6 months after issuance; if it expires, the IPA becomes void.

I flew from Shanghai Hongqiao to Changi. Changi Airport definitely lives up to its reputation as the world’s best airport. From immigration to picking up luggage and heading to the city, everything was so smooth I almost forgot I was there for “business.”

My first impression of living here for a week: the urban planning is excellent, the environment is clean, and the streets are surprisingly quiet with lots of greenery. It truly is a garden city.

After entering Singapore, you need to contact your service provider to help submit the application for “Card Issuance.” This requires two pieces of information:

• Proof of Arrival: You can provide a screenshot of your e-Arrival Card; this is generated whenever you enter the country.

• A Legal Residential Address in Singapore: This could be a rental stamp duty notice, a government public search result, or a tenancy agreement. Note that it must be a residential address; commercial addresses are not accepted.

Therefore, you need to secure housing quickly to get a legal residential address. Generally, once a lease is completed, tenant information can be found on the government website, which serves as legal proof of residence. I’ll share more about the renting experience in a later post.

Once these two pieces of info are ready, your service provider can push the card issuance application. You’ll receive a Notification Letter (NL) on the same day, which contains details for your appointment.

You then need to make an appointment online before the deadline stated in the Notification Letter.

Once everything is set, you go to the MOM Services Centre on your appointment date. Bring the following:

• IPA (In-Principle Approval)
• Notification Letter (NL)
• Appointment Letter (AL)
• Passport
• Local Singapore phone number
• Email address

Basically, bring everything relevant.

The MOM building was quite surprising. You have to walk a bit from the MRT exit, and the building itself is quite low-key. It looks ordinary enough that I almost walked past it. Fortunately, the directions on the appointment letter were clear.

The onsite process was very fast: check-in, queue, and processing took about an hour. They record your fingerprints and facial data and register you for Singpass. There are Mandarin-speaking staff at the counters, so you can use Chinese if you need to.

It’s important to distinguish between two things: Singpass is Singapore’s digital identity. The fingerprint and facial data you provide are mainly for this digital identity app, which you will use for almost everything later on. It’s very important. MOM also has an app called SGWorkPass, but it is used less frequently.

On April 24, the physical card was delivered to the service provider, and I went to pick it up. It arrived just two days after registration. Singapore’s efficiency is truly high.

Recap: Avoid These Pitfalls and You Could Speed Up Your Application 10x

I first filled out the SAT on January 3 and received the card on April 24. The whole process took about three months. If you cut out the Chinese New Year break, it could have been even faster.

Here is an overview of the timeline:

Step	Handled By	Estimated Time	Tips / Key Points
Policy & Agency Research	Applicant / Founder	2 weeks	Choose an agency that handles both registration and visas to save time.
Document Preparation	Applicant / Founder	~1 month	Mostly for contract drafting and witnessing. Prepare early to save time.
Submit Visa Application	Service Provider	IPA in 5 working days	Complete the SAT assessment beforehand.
Enter Singapore	Applicant / Founder	/	/
Renting in SG	Applicant / Founder	1–2 weeks	Find listings and schedule viewings in advance; renting is very efficient.
Apply for Card Issuance	Service Provider	Same day	/
Book Card Appointment	Applicant / Founder	Same day	/
Go to MOM for Card	Applicant / Founder	Same day	Bring all possible documents.
Receive Physical Card	/	Within 5 working days	/

Looking back, the biggest shock was the time difference. Excluding the initial research and prep time, I got the IPA in 5 days and finished the whole process in two weeks—a far cry from the “3 to 6 months” agencies quoted. The “padding” service providers use is huge, either to cover themselves or to create anxiety.

If you want to avoid detours, don’t rush to talk to service providers about a plan. Do these two things yourself first:

First, run the SAT assessment as early as possible to get your specific salary requirement—not just the general number on the MOM website.

Second, prepare your personal documents and lawyer witnessing early. If these are ready and compliant, the process will move much faster.

Once these two steps are done, you hold the leverage when talking to agencies.

As for how to screen service providers and spot their “scare tactics,” I’ll write about that in a separate post. If you have other questions, feel free to leave a comment!

I hope this helps!

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The information above is based on my personal experience. EP policies change frequently, especially regarding the COMPASS framework and salary thresholds. Check the MOM website for the latest requirements before applying.