Yes, US citizens can work in Singapore, but only with a valid work pass issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) before employment begins. Almost always, a Singapore employer sponsors and files the application on your behalf, and the pass you qualify for depends on your salary, qualifications, and role.1Ministry of Manpower. Work Passes – MOM There is no self-sponsored work visa for ordinary employment, so the job offer comes first.
Which Work Pass Fits Your Situation
For US professionals, four passes matter in practice: the Employment Pass, the S Pass, the Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass, and the Tech.Pass. Which one applies depends mostly on what you’ll earn and what you’ll do.
One option is off the table for Americans regardless of the job. Singapore’s Work Permit, used for semi-skilled labor in construction, manufacturing, and marine shipyards, restricts hiring to a defined list of approved source countries, and the United States is not on it.2Ministry of Manpower. Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) Occupation List If you’re looking at that kind of role, the route doesn’t exist.
Employment Pass: The Usual Route
The Employment Pass (EP) covers foreign professionals, managers, executives, and technicians. To qualify you generally need a recognized university degree or strong professional qualifications, plus a job offer that clears the salary floor.1Ministry of Manpower. Work Passes – MOM
For 2026, new EP applicants in most sectors must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$5,600. In financial services the floor is S$6,200. Both thresholds rise with age; a candidate in their mid-40s, for example, needs up to S$10,700 (or S$11,800 in financial services). Starting January 2027, the baseline moves to S$6,000 in most sectors and S$6,600 in financial services.3Ministry of Manpower. Employment Pass Eligibility
Meeting the salary floor doesn’t guarantee approval. Since 2023, every EP application also has to clear a points-based evaluation called COMPASS. You need at least 40 points, drawn from four foundational criteria (your salary compared to local peers, your qualifications, your nationality’s share of your employer’s professional workforce, and your employer’s share of local professionals) plus two bonus categories (jobs on MOM’s Shortage Occupation List, and employers taking part in qualifying government economic programs).3Ministry of Manpower. Employment Pass Eligibility
The practical implication is worth understanding before you accept an offer. Your employer’s workforce composition affects your score. A company that already employs many Americans, or that has a low share of local professionals compared to peers in its sector, can drag your application down regardless of your own credentials. Ask a prospective sponsor whether they’ve mapped your application against COMPASS before you sign anything.
S Pass: Mid-Level Skilled Roles
The S Pass is for mid-level skilled workers such as technicians and associate professionals. If the role doesn’t require the qualifications typical of an EP, this is the more likely fit. You generally need at least a diploma or technical certificate plus relevant experience.4Ministry of Manpower. S Pass Eligibility
For new applications in 2026, the minimum fixed monthly salary is S$3,300 in most sectors and S$3,800 in financial services. Older candidates need more; someone aged 45 or above must earn at least S$4,800, or S$5,650 in financial services. The floor rises again in January 2027 to S$3,600 and S$4,000, respectively.4Ministry of Manpower. S Pass Eligibility
Two employer-side constraints make the S Pass harder to sponsor than an EP. Companies are capped on how many S Pass holders they can hire (10% of the workforce in services; 15% in construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, and process sectors) and pay a monthly levy of S$650 per S Pass holder.5Ministry of Manpower. S Pass Quota and Levy Requirements If an employer seems hesitant, quota pressure is often the reason.
Top-Tier Options: ONE Pass and Tech.Pass
Two specialized passes offer more flexibility than a standard EP if you qualify.
Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass
The ONE Pass targets high earners and people with outstanding accomplishments. The salary route requires a fixed monthly pay of at least S$30,000, either from your current or most recent employer over 12 consecutive months, or offered by a prospective Singapore employer. If you don’t meet the salary threshold, you can still qualify through outstanding achievements in sports, arts and culture, or academia and research, which MOM assesses case by case.6Ministry of Manpower. Eligibility for Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass
The pass is valid for five years. You can hold multiple jobs at once, start and run businesses, and switch employers without reapplying.7Singapore EDB. Niche Work Passes Such as Singapore’s ONE Pass Are Evolving Your spouse gets a Letter of Consent to work, avoiding a separate application.
Tech.Pass
The Tech.Pass is aimed at experienced tech leaders. To qualify you must have earned a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 in the past year and have at least five cumulative years of leadership experience within the last decade at a tech company valued at US$500 million or more, or a tech venture capital firm with at least US$500 million in assets under management.8Singapore EDB. Tech.Pass Holders can work for multiple Singapore-based companies and start their own tech businesses. The pass runs two years and can be renewed.
What Your Employer Has to Do Before Applying
Under the Fair Consideration Framework, most employers must advertise the position on the government’s MyCareersFuture portal for at least 14 consecutive days before submitting an EP application, and they cannot make you a formal offer during that window. Exemptions apply to companies with fewer than 10 employees, roles paying S$22,500 or more per month, positions of no more than one month, and internal transfers of existing local employees.9Ministry of Manpower. Consider All Candidates Fairly Before You Apply for an Employment Pass
Once the advertising period closes or an exemption applies, the employer (or an appointed employment agent) submits the application through MOM’s EP eService portal.10Ministry of Manpower. Employment Pass (EP) eService – MOM You’ll need to supply your passport biodata page, educational certificates, and the company’s registration details.11Ministry of Manpower. Documents Required for Employment Pass
Verify Your Degree Early
MOM requires verification of your educational qualifications. If your university has an online verification portal MOM can check directly, that may be enough. Otherwise you’ll need to use one of MOM’s selected background screening companies, and the verification must carry an MOM verification reference number.11Ministry of Manpower. Documents Required for Employment Pass Sources MOM cannot independently confirm, including some well-known platforms like the National Student Clearinghouse, will not be accepted. This is a common cause of delay, so sort it out early.
Processing and In-Principle Approval
EP and S Pass applications are typically processed, or given an update, within 10 business days. If approved, MOM issues an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter that functions as a single-entry visa. You have six months from the IPA date to enter Singapore and get your pass issued. The IPA also states whether you need a medical exam after arrival.12Ministry of Manpower. Apply for an Employment Pass
After You Arrive
EP holders with passes valid for six months or longer are generally required to complete a medical examination screening for tuberculosis and HIV.12Ministry of Manpower. Apply for an Employment Pass Failing the screening means the pass will not be issued. Once you’ve cleared the medical and submitted any remaining documents, you register and collect your physical pass card, either online through MOM’s portal or in person at the Employment Pass Services Centre. The card is your official proof of legal employment and residence.
Set up Singpass as soon as you can. Singpass is Singapore’s national digital identity system, used for government services, tax filing, banking, and healthcare. As a work pass holder you can register online through the Singpass website or at a Singpass counter.13Ministry of Manpower. As a Work Pass Holder, How Do I Get a Singpass Most routine tasks assume you have one.
Bringing Your Family
If you hold an EP or S Pass and earn at least S$6,000 per month, you can sponsor a Dependant’s Pass (DP) for your spouse or unmarried children under 21. The salary requirement looks at your income alone, not combined household income.14Ministry of Manpower. Eligibility for Dependant’s Pass
One rule change often catches families off guard. Since May 2021, a DP holder who wants to work as an employee can no longer do so through a simple Letter of Consent. The employer must apply for a full work pass with all the usual salary and quota requirements. The Letter of Consent route now exists only for DP holders who want to start and run their own business.15Ministry of Manpower. Letter of Consent for Dependant’s Pass Holders Who Are Business Owners Plan around this if your spouse expects to work.
Short Business Visits Without a Work Pass
Not every professional trip requires a work pass. US citizens can enter on a Short-Term Visit Pass and carry out certain business activities for up to 90 days in a calendar year without work authorization: attending company meetings, corporate retreats, conferences, seminars, and training workshops, or visiting exhibitions as a trade visitor.16Ministry of Manpower. Eligible Activities for a Work Pass Exemption The line MOM draws is between observing and doing. Hands-on technical work, direct customer-facing sales, or anything that looks like productive employment requires a work pass.17Ministry of Manpower. Work Pass Exempt Activities – MOM
Taxes on Both Sides
Working in Singapore means dealing with two tax systems at once. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live, and Singapore taxes employment income earned within its borders. There is no comprehensive income tax treaty between the two countries, so understanding both regimes matters.
Singapore Income Tax
If you spend at least 183 days in Singapore in a calendar year, you are a tax resident and pay progressive rates starting at 0% on the first S$20,000 of chargeable income and topping out at 24% on income above S$1 million. Most EP and S Pass holders earning between S$80,000 and S$160,000 fall in the 11.5% to 15% brackets, a meaningful discount compared to comparable US federal rates. Stay fewer than 183 days and Singapore taxes your employment income at a flat 15% or the progressive resident rates, whichever produces the higher amount.18IRAS. Individual Income Tax Rates Singapore also has no capital gains tax and does not tax dividends received by individuals.19IRAS. Working Out My Tax Residency
US Filing While Abroad
As a US citizen you must keep filing a federal return every year, reporting worldwide income. Two tools prevent double taxation. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) lets you exclude up to $132,900 of qualifying foreign earned income for tax year 2026.20Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 To claim it you must meet either the physical presence test (being physically present in a foreign country for at least 330 full days during any 12 consecutive months) or the bona fide residence test (genuine residency for an uninterrupted tax year).21Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Earned Income Exclusion – Physical Presence Test
The Foreign Tax Credit, claimed on IRS Form 1116, offsets Singapore income taxes you’ve paid against your US liability dollar for dollar. For many earners above the FEIE threshold, the credit is the more valuable tool. You can use one or both in the same year, but you cannot apply the credit to income you’ve already excluded under the FEIE. Given the absence of a US-Singapore tax treaty, this is worth a conversation with a tax advisor who handles expatriate returns.