If you are preparing to leave Singapore for an extended or permanent period, the official matters to check fall into three tracks: Dependant’s Pass (DP) matters are governed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM); identity and immigration matters by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA); and National Service (NS) obligations are set out in the Enlistment Act 1970. The conditions for CPF withdrawal and the application steps for renouncing permanent resident (PR) status are outside the pages this article relies on, and are explained separately in the final section.
Dependant’s Pass: S$6,000 and S$12,000 are two hard lines
Eligibility to bring family depends on salary. A fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 qualifies you to apply for a spouse and young children; the next threshold is S$12,000, above which parents fall within the eligible range.
To apply for a Dependant’s Pass (DP), all three conditions must be met: you hold an Employment Pass (EP) or an S Pass; your fixed monthly salary is at least S$6,000, assessed on your own salary only and not on combined household income; and you are sponsored by an established company registered in Singapore, typically your employer.
The DP covers two categories: a lawful spouse; and unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted children.
Other family members use the Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP): a common-law spouse, unmarried disabled children aged 21 or above, and unmarried stepchildren under 21. Parents also fall into this category, but require a monthly salary of at least S$12,000.
Applications are submitted by the employer or a nominated employment agent, separately for each family member. They can be filed together with your pass application or separately. An LTVP is valid for no longer than the shorter of the main work pass validity or the application period, can be renewed, and is not subject to a levy or quota. Eligible LTVP holders may be able to work in Singapore.
One exception: if your EP was applied for under a WTO GATS or applicable free trade agreement (FTA) Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) arrangement, your family members cannot apply for a DP or LTVP unless explicitly covered by the applicable FTA and meeting current criteria.
Two mandatory requirements directly tied to departure
The first is the Re-Entry Permit. A PR who leaves Singapore and wishes to return as a PR must hold a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP). Under the PR fee schedule, a five-year REP costs S$50.
The second is National Service. Under the Enlistment Act 1970, male Singapore citizens and PRs must serve National Service (NS) unless exempted — officers until age 50, other ranks until age 40. The consequences stated on the ICA page are directly relevant to those preparing to leave: renouncing or losing PR or citizenship before completing, or while still serving, full-time NS will seriously affect your ability to work, study or apply for any long-term pass in Singapore in future, and will also affect your family members’ corresponding applications, REP renewals, and their PR or citizenship applications. Breach of the Act is punishable by a fine of up to S$10,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both. All male applicants must first visit the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) website to learn about NS — the correct address is www.cmpb.gov.sg.
Foreign students, or males who obtained citizenship or PR sponsored by a parent, must register at age 16 and a half and enlist from age 18 at the earliest; the Ministry of Defence does not approve deferral for university studies.
If you eventually stay: official PR and citizenship requirements
For PR applications, EP or S Pass holders can log in to ICA’s e-Service using their own Singpass to submit. The factors ICA publishes include family ties with Singapore citizens, economic contribution, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency; the weightings of each factor and the quotas are not published. The fee is S$100 per application at submission, with a further S$20 entry permit, S$50 five-year REP and S$50 identity card payable on completion — all non-refundable. Complete and properly documented applications are processed within six months, though some take longer.
Common routes to citizenship are: holding PR for at least two years and being aged 21 or above, applying together with a spouse and unmarried children under 21 born within a legal marriage or legally adopted; or holding PR for at least two years and being married to a Singapore citizen for at least two years. Other routes include unmarried children under 21 of a Singapore citizen, PR students who have lived in Singapore for more than three years (at least one as a PR) and passed at least one national exam, and aged parents of a Singapore citizen. The fee is S$100 at submission, with a further S$70 citizenship certificate and S$10 identity card on completion (for new citizens aged 15 and above); a child born overseas to citizen parents pays S$18 at submission (including the certificate), with a further S$10 identity card on completion for those aged 15 and above. Processing takes 12 months; for citizen children born overseas, one month. Applicants aged 16 to 60 must complete the Singapore Citizenship Journey.
Singpass account approval may take two to five working days. It is advisable to wait until everyone who needs to log in and complete the forms has successfully registered before starting the application.
Documents and agents
Uploaded documents must be certified true copies of the originals and official translations. ICA accepts translations by the embassy of the issuing country, by a notary public in Singapore or the issuing country, and private translations that are notarised or certified by an embassy; ICA does not recognise any private translation company. Incomplete documents may result in the application not being accepted. The documents required for PR are listed in the official checklist (PDF).
ICA has no affiliation with, and does not endorse the services of, any external commercial entity that presents itself as a Singapore immigration specialist. These are the exact words on the official page — read them before engaging any agent.
CPF withdrawal and renouncing PR: not covered by the source pages
The MOM and ICA pages this article relies on do not set out the conditions for CPF withdrawal, the rules for each account, or the application steps for renouncing PR. For both, verify directly with the Central Provident Fund Board and ICA’s official channels. This article does not restate any figures or processes outside these pages.