Entrepass and Singapore. Try it. It's worth it!

Photo by Yeo Khee on Unsplash

As I think many Entrepreneurs are thinking about to incorporate in Singapore or is already incorporated and want to gain traction in Singapore, this is why I am writing this medium blogpost. I have dedicated quite some time on research what would fit my lifestyle with regards to permanent and tax residency. I have applied in Switzerland first in February 2019 but due to an Admin issue, I was not able to obtain the residency in Switzerland and the reason why not was rather ridiculous. So I went all-in @ Singapore first with the idea to create an Employment Pass through an agency called sleek.sg but somehow my gut feeling was telling me that this might not be the right partner to establish my introduction to Singapore as the first application for seeking official residence and employment — before that, the value creation was done from overseas.

Why Entrepass and not Employment Pass

So after requesting the refund of 1000 SGD from the agency, I was thinking about if I should apply for the Entrepass as from an Entrepreneur point of view its the most flexible visa for Singapore. Other visas and permits are usually tied to certain minimum monthly payouts. With all the persons I have been talking to they always suggested that the Employment Pass should have a minimum of 6k SGD as monthly salary — and this was just a bit too much of an obligation just to make it easier to entry Singapore over the lovely Changi Airport.

As after a certain period of time and especially if you wish to stay longer in Singapore e.g 30–60 or 90 days in Singapore (without working in Singapore) you might get a harder time to entry Singapore (even when you have all the needed documentation, sufficient funds, accommodation, flight back) so that you have to understand when you want to enter you are most likely 99% subject to deeper screening via the friendly ICA officers. But I think it's good, so if it happens to you stay calm and just stay friendly as everyone is there so safe the borders of Singapore.

The application itself

Its rather straight forward and well explained at the Ministry of Manpower https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/entrepass. A very good hint, thanks to my girlfriend she told me that you can actually track the application itself once you submitted it. Some things, which helped me maybe obtaining my Entrepass in Singapore.

Some hints

1. Just make sure that you have all documentation available in English. If you need translations from German to English you can rely on Norbert Tüllmann he is a machine with regards to time and price — I would always use the services of Norbert again at any given time. If you need more contact details just drop me an email to marcel.fuessinger@me.com and I will provide it.
2. Start with a cover letter, stating why and how you want to contribute value to the Singaporean ecosystem.
3. Print everything on high-quality paper — It just feels very good to have a copy of certificates in thicker paper than the standard 80gr paper. Big thanks to the staff at servcorp.com.sg — but make sure you know your printing prices. Otherwise, it can end in a higher investment than using a local copyshop near the CBD area.
4. Take the time and split the application form itself into several days — so you can take the time the application need and deliver a great result. I invested roughly 5–8 hours into the application itself
5. Use a proofreader — I mean it. Invest a few more bucks to make sure that there is no spelling error and that you have used proper grammatic any given time. Big thank you to Shannon.
6. Stay patient. It took nearly the full 8 weeks until my application got approved.
7. Get a tax number prior to your application (especially when you are an Entrepreneur) please note that this works only with CorpPass.

Obtaining a tax number is always beneficial

Once you are finished with the Entrepass Application — go to Singpost and pay the fee.

Bring your Entrepass application to the next Singpost

Make sure to regularly check your application

And, after you have been patiently waiting and if Singapore thinks that you could be a value add to the Singaporean economy, you will receive this message and have up to 2 years to prove it.

Conclusion

So give it a try, apply and create value!

text me via Instagram https://instagram.com/marchello_f/