Two published facts shape what you do next with a Tech.Pass. Eligibility is a two-part test joined by “and”, not a menu of alternatives: a last drawn fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 in the last year, plus at least five cumulative years of experience in a leading role at a qualifying tech company or tech venture capital firm. And the scheme now has a closing date. From 28 January 2027, MOM and EDB will no longer accept new or renewal Tech.Pass applications, because a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track starts in January 2027.
Everything below comes from the EDB Tech.Pass page and ICA’s published PR pages. Where those pages are silent, this article says so instead of filling the gap.
What the pass allows
EDB describes Tech.Pass as a visa for established global tech talent — entrepreneurs, leaders and technical experts — and as an individualised pass. It lets the holder run several economic activities at once:
- start and operate one or more tech companies;
- be an employee in one or more Singapore-based companies at any time;
- work as a consultant or mentor, or lecture at local institutions of higher learning;
- be a director in one or more Singapore-based companies.
Holders do not need to apply for a different pass when they move between those activities. That is the structural difference from a pass tied to a single employer.
Validity is two years in the first instance, renewable for another two years if the renewal criteria are met.
Eligibility: both requirements, not one
Requirement one — salary. The applicant must have a last drawn fixed monthly salary, in the last one year, of at least S$22,500, or its equivalent in a foreign currency. EDB adds that candidates or business owners with other sources of income, including non-cash components, will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. How that case-by-case assessment is weighed is not published.
Requirement two — leadership experience. The applicant must have at least five cumulative years of experience in a leading role, in either:
- a tech company with a valuation or market capitalisation of at least US$500 million, or at least US$30 million in funding raised; or
- a tech venture capital firm with at least US$500 million in assets under management (AUM).
The experience must fall within the past 10 years from the application date.
Read the two criteria together. Meeting the salary bar does not cover the experience test, and a strong track record does not cover the salary bar.
Renewal: three routes, and one is enough
Renewal is assessed on a different test from first-time eligibility, and here the routes are alternatives.
Route one — income. At least S$270,000 in assessable income based on the latest Notice of Assessment from IRAS. It can be made up of salaries, business income, or both.
Route two — business spending and local employment. Total annual business spending of at least S$100,000, plus at least one local PME or three LQS.
- A local PME is a professional, manager or executive who is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, earns a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,900, and receives CPF contributions for at least three months.
- An LQS is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident who earns a monthly salary of at least S$1,600 and receives CPF contributions for at least three months.
Route three — funding. A business entity incorporated in Singapore, with a digital or technology offering as its core product, that has secured more than US$10 million in cumulative investment funding in the past 36 months, and has received funding — no minimum amount — from a programme-recognised investment firm.
Where the local-employment condition is assessed against a business owner or founder, EDB’s footnote sets three conditions: the company must be registered with ACRA as a private limited company, the applicant must own at least 30% shareholding, and the applicant must be able to show ongoing business activity.
Family members: DP or LTVP
A Tech.Pass holder can sponsor stay in Singapore for a spouse, children and parents, on either a Dependant’s Pass (DP) or a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) issued by MOM.
- DP covers the legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, including those legally adopted.
- LTVP covers a common-law spouse, unmarried handicapped children aged 21 and above, unmarried stepchildren under 21, and parents.
The EDB page states which pass each family member may hold. Whether a dependant may work is governed by MOM’s rules for that pass, not by the Tech.Pass eligibility criteria.
The 28 January 2027 cut-off
At the MOM Committee of Supply in March 2026, the ministry announced a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track from January 2027. EDB says it will replace Tech.Pass and offer more attractive terms. From 28 January 2027, MOM and EDB will stop accepting both new and renewal Tech.Pass applications.
Existing Tech.Pass holders can remain on their pass until it expires. EDB says eligible holders can then consider the new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track or other alternative work pass options. EDB also points experienced founders building a next venture to its Global Founder Programme.
One operational consequence, and this is our reading rather than an EDB rule: because renewals fall under the same cut-off as new applications, a renewal has to be submitted before 28 January 2027 to be accepted.
Does a Tech.Pass lead to PR?
Not by itself, and not as a listed category. ICA publishes its own eligibility categories for permanent residence (PR). You may be eligible if you are:
- the spouse of a Singapore citizen or PR;
- an unmarried child aged below 21, born within a legal marriage to, or legally adopted by, a Singapore citizen or PR;
- the aged parent of a Singapore citizen who is at least 21;
- a holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass;
- a student studying in Singapore who has passed at least one national exam (PSLE, GCE N/O/A levels) or is in the Integrated Programme (IP);
- a foreign investor, for which ICA directs applicants to EDB for the Global Investor Programme (GIP) assessment criteria and application process.
Tech.Pass is not on that list. ICA states that it assesses applications on factors including family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency. It does not publish how those factors are weighted.
ICA also states that it has no affiliation with any external migration agency or commercial entity claiming to be a Singapore immigration specialist, consultant or partner, and does not support or endorse services by self-proclaimed professional immigration consultancy providers for PR applications.
One legal point sits outside the assessment criteria. Under the Enlistment Act 1970, all male Singapore citizens and permanent residents, unless exempted, must serve National Service, and male applicants granted PR as a foreign student or under a parent’s sponsorship are liable.
