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If you are an Employment pass holder in Singapore, then obviously you would like to bring your family with yourself. The Dependant Pass (DP) allows you to bring a family member (mostly your immediate family) to Singapore. A DP holder can live in Singapore and with certain approvals can study or work in Singapore as well. This article is aimed to be a detailed guide that would cover all aspects related to the Dependant Pass (DP), from its acquisition to its benefits renewal and actions associated with it.
A Singapore Dependant Pass (DP) is a relocation visa that is issued to the selected family members of the Singapore Work Pass holders, including Employment pass (EP), EntrePass, S Pass and Personalized Employment Pass Holders.
There is a minimum salary requirement for the main pass holder to be able to qualify for dependant pass (DP) for his family members.
If you are a well-settled executive in your work line, and if you are relocating to Singapore then it is obvious that you would want your family (spouse, kids) to relocate with you. This is what exactly the dependant pass provides.
Bringing in dependants in Singapore on a dependant pass is not allowed to worker work pass or a domestic maid work pass holder.
Following a family member of the Work pass holder including Employment Pass (EP), EntrePass, S Pass and Personalized Employment Pass Holders can apply for Dependant Pass (DP):
Note: A common-law spouse (Live in relationship) of a Singapore work pass holder is not eligible to get a Dependant Pass (DP). However, they are eligible to get a Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP), subject to certain terms and conditions.
In case a baby is born in Singapore, the hospital gives a live birth notification and also an advisory note from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (IMA). These documents are then used to register the birth certificate. It also acts as a special pass that allows the newborn baby a stay of six weeks in Singapore. During this time, the passport of the baby should be acquired from the embassy or high commission. Normally the child will get the citizenship of the country to which the parents belong. There is no concept of citizenship by birth in Singapore. To get Singapore citizenship at least one of the parents must be a Singapore citizen.
You must be earning at least S$6,000 per month, to be eligible to bring your spouse and children to Singapore on a Dependant Pass (DP).
As an EntrePass holder, you can only bring your family in if you meet the requirements for total annual business spending and local employment:
To bring your |
Your total annual business spending must be at least |
You must employ at least |
$100,000 |
3 Local Employees OR 1 Employee in Professional Cadre |
|
$200,000 |
6 Local Employees OR 2 Employee in Professional Cadre |
As such Dependant pass is not available for EntrePass holders, for the first year of stay in Singapore.
The PEP requirements already cover all the requirements for Dependant pass. So there are no additional requirements to be satisfied for Dependant pass (DP) application.
To get the Dependant Pass (DP), Your employment agent or company sponsor will be required to submit required documents along with the application for Singapore Dependant Pass (DP). These include:
The employer or the licensed application agent carries out the following actions:
After receiving the IPA about approval of the Dependant Pass (DP), you will travel to Singapore. Once you arrive here, the employer or employment agent of the Work pass holder is required to do the following:
An appointment will be fixed for the dependant pass holder to visit Pass processing department, to process the Dependant Pass (DP) card. On the time and date decided for the appointment, dependent is required to bring the following:
At the employment pass processing department, your photo will be taken and thumbprinting process will be done.
After the above requirements are fulfilled, the Ministry of Manpower will need at least four working days to process the information and deliver the Dependant Pass (DP) card to the address that has been designated for delivery.
Normally, medical examination is not a mandatory part of the process for obtaining the Dependant Pass (DP). However, in some cases, authorities may ask an applicant to undergo a medical test. The Dependant Pass (DP) approval letter will indicate if there is a need to undergo a medical examination or not.
Generally, the medical test includes a physical examination, certain blood tests, and HIV test. The medical examination can be done in Singapore or the dependent’s home country. In later cases, the dependent is required to choose a reputable hospital and bring the report along. It must be noted that the medical report must be in English.
Generally once an employment pass / or PEP is approved, there is no issue about the dependant pass (DP) application. So long as the main work pass holder satisfy the minimum income condition, the dependent pass (DP) will be approved.
The only time, a dependant pass (DP) may be rejected is if the required documents like the birth certificate of children, or marriage certificate are not available. Or the person applying for dependant pass has some criminal convictions in his / her current country of residence.
As mentioned above, dependant passes are rarely rejected. The only two reasons that come to mind are 1) not fulfilling the minimum salary requirement or 2) not having proper documents for the marriage certificate of birth certificate.
In case the required documents are not available then you will need to obtain it from your home country. Some of the documents can be obtained from your Country’s high commission (Embassy) in Singapore by way of an affidavit.
The whole process of appeal and review can take up to three to six weeks after submission of an appeal.
The renewal of the Dependant Pass (DP) is a straightforward process.
Below table summarises the key differences between a dependant pass and a long term visit pass (LTVP).
Characteristics | Dependant Pass (DP) | Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) |
Issuing Authority | Ministry of Manpower (MOM) | Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) |
Eligible Family Members |
Dependents of an EP, EntrePass, and PEP holder are allowed to work in Singapore, provided they get a letter of consent from MOM. The company offering the job is required to apply for LOC from MOM by completing LOC application form. Normally the LOC applications are processed within a week. It must be noted that the LOC expires with Dependant Pass and needs to be renewed after expiration.
A Dependant Pass (DP) holder can obtain a permanent residency in Singapore through the main work pas holder. If the main work pass holder is applying for permanent residency, he/she can apply for the permanent residency of her dependents as well. But needless to say, it is a long and challenging process and can take up to 12 months. However, the benefits that you get with Singapore Permanent Residence are worth giving it a try.
The benefits of SPR include:
With Singapore surfacing at the international podium as one of the most lucrative cities for foreigner’s businesses and employment, Government has placed several restrictions on the number and quality of the foreign professionals to protect the interests of the native Singaporeans at the PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) level. In doing so, the Singapore Government also wants to increase the quality of incoming foreign workers so as to create a more productive workforce. As a result of this, securing an Employment pass and related passes has become much more complex and more difficult.
Aforesaid in view, you need the help of professionals to walk you through the intricacies of getting Dependant Pass (DP). Also, many visas like Dependant Pass (DP) require several actions to be taken by main pass holder’s employer or a licensed consultant on the applicant’s behalf. But the sponsor company or employer may be new and may not have the experience to navigate through the whole system. Therefore, it is always better to hire professional consultants who specialize in immigration to Singapore along with allied requirements like Dependant Pass (DP) and other work permits.
You can apply for the Dependant Pass (DP) at the same time when you are applying for your main work / employment or right after its approval. However, the following must be considered in this regard:
Generally, for the established companies, who already have few employees on an employment pass, the dependant pass can be applied along with the main EP. However, if your company is new and if it is applying for its first employment pass then it is recommended to do a two-step process as explained above.
Yes. Dependant Pass (DP) holder children can enroll in both public and private institutions of Singapore. However, admission is dependent upon the availability of vacancies. Singapore schools give admissions as per the following priority list. Dependant Pass (DP) holders are given the last priority.
Replacement card applications can be submitted via the EP online on the MOM website. An applicant will have to pay S$60 fee for a damaged card and S$100 fee for a first lost card or S$300 for any lost cards after that. These fees are non-refundable.
Yes. However, the following things must be kept in mind in this regard:
The Dependant Pass (DP) remains valid as long as the main sponsoring work pass remains valid.
Yes, that is possible. A Dependant Pass (DP) holder will have to act as a director of the company. In order to do that, a Dependant Pass (DP) holder must apply for an Employment Pass (EP) after incorporation of the company. Once the EP is issued, the person can act as the company director, and at that time the Dependant Pass (DP) is canceled.