For many families it starts on a video call. Your child asks when they can come to Singapore, and your spouse asks the harder question: should I resign and start packing? Whether your family can join you depends on two things: the pass you hold, and the salary on it.
This guide covers who can sponsor, who counts as family, the papers, the steps, the fees and the wait. Every Singapore rule here comes from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), as its pages read in September 2026.
Who can sponsor: the Employment Pass or S Pass holder's requirements
Eligible Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders can bring certain family members on a Dependant's Pass (DP) if they meet all three of MOM's requirements:
- Hold an EP or S Pass.
- Earn a minimum fixed monthly salary of S$6,000, based on your own salary, not your combined household income.
- Be sponsored by an established, Singapore-registered company, usually your employer.
That salary is your basic pay plus fixed monthly allowances, such as fixed food or housing allowances. Overtime, bonuses, commission, annual wage supplements and variable allowances do not count, so a heavy overtime month does not carry you over the line.
One exception, for EP holders: if you chose to apply as an overseas intra-corporate transferee under WTO GATS or a free trade agreement, your family is not eligible for a DP or a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) unless that agreement specifically covers them and they meet the prevailing criteria. EntrePass and ONE Pass holders have their own requirements. The S$6,000 figure is the criterion as MOM's eligibility page reads in September 2026; check the page before your employer applies. Still choosing between passes? Our guide to working in Singapore from the Philippines explains each one.
If you hold a Work Permit
Can a Work Permit holder bring family over? MOM's key facts for the Work Permit for migrant workers answer in five words: "Passes for family: Not available."
A migrant domestic worker holds a Work Permit too, which MOM names the Work Permit for migrant domestic worker. The Work Permit is not among the passes that can sponsor the DP or the LTVP, so neither is open to her family while she holds that permit. The rule is written around the permit, not the worth of the work or the person doing it.
For an employee's family, a DP is applied for by the employer or its appointed employment agent, through the ministry's own eService, at its published fees. Anyone offering to "arrange" one for a Work Permit holder is selling something the rules do not provide. Walk away. MOM also warns that its officers will never ask you to transfer money or disclose bank log-in details over a phone call or email; if something feels off, call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.
Who counts as family: the DP and the LTVP
Under MOM's rules, a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old, including legally adopted children, are eligible for a DP. Other relatives may qualify for an LTVP, under the same S$6,000 sponsor requirement:
- a common-law spouse;
- unmarried step-children under 21;
- unmarried handicapped children aged 21 and above;
- parents, but only if you earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000.
For a common-law spouse, MOM wants proof of a relationship "recognised under the laws of their home country/region": a common-law marriage certificate, an affidavit notarised at home, or a letter from your home country's embassy. Living together is not, by itself, the proof asked for.
The documents MOM asks for, and where yours come from
What many people search for as a "dependent visa" is, in Singapore, the DP. Beyond the sponsor criteria, the application needs copies of:
- the personal particulars page of each family member's passport (for a child on a parent's passport, the parent's page too);
- for a spouse, the marriage certificate;
- for a child, the official birth certificate stating the parents' names, or the adoption order;
- for foreign-born children aged 12 and below applying for a new DP, a Verification of Vaccination Requirements (for entry to Singapore) document from the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA); existing DP, LTVP and Student's Pass holders do not need it;
- for any document not in English, the original plus an English translation, uploaded as one file.
MOM may also ask for other documents during its review.
At home, the certificates usually come from the Philippine Statistics Authority; our guide to PSA documents for working abroad covers ordering them. For a marriage or birth abroad, the Philippine record is a Report of Marriage or a Report of Birth; neither is on the list above.
How to apply for a Dependant's Pass, step by step
For an EP or S Pass holder's family, the employer or its appointed employment agent applies online through MOM's EP eService on the myMOM Portal. It can be filed at the same time as your own application or later, with a separate application for each family member.
- The employer applies and pays the application fee. Your spouse and children need not be in Singapore: bring them in only once the DP is approved, because a visit pass will not be extended while you wait.
- On approval, the employer receives an in-principle approval (IPA) letter, and the family member's copy carries a pre-approved single-entry visa.
- They must arrive and get the DP issued within the IPA's window: 6 months for a dependant of an EP holder, 2 months for a dependant of an S Pass holder.
- Once they arrive, the employer gets the DP issued and may need to upload a medical examination form or medical declaration form. A notification letter says whether registration is needed.
- If it is, the dependant registers fingerprints and photo: EP dependants at the EP Services Centre within 2 weeks, S Pass dependants at the MOM Services Centre (Hall C) within 1 week.
- The card arrives within 5 working days of registration or document verification.
If a child will fly from the Philippines to join you, read our guide to the DSWD travel clearance before booking.
How long it takes and what it costs
For dependants of EP and S Pass holders, MOM gives the processing time as within 3 weeks for most cases, and some take more time. The employer can check the application status on the eService after 3 weeks.
The fees are S$105 for each application, S$225 for each DP issued, and S$30 for each Multiple Journey Visa where one applies, as MOM's application page reads in September 2026 (last updated 9 July 2026). Check it before your employer applies.
Can a Dependant's Pass holder work in Singapore?
Yes, with a work pass of their own. Under MOM's current rules, a prospective employer can apply for an EP, an S Pass or a DP-Work Permit for a DP holder.
The first two must meet their own prevailing criteria, and the DP is cancelled before either is issued, so your spouse no longer depends on you to stay. A DP-Work Permit has no minimum qualifying salary and its validity is tied to the DP, but the employer's Work Permit quota and levy apply.
A DP holder who sets up or runs their own business can apply for a Letter of Consent as a sole proprietor, a partner, or a company director with at least 30% shareholding in an ACRA-registered business. Volunteering needs none of this, as long as it is unpaid and for a charitable purpose. If your spouse plans to work, pack an updated CV and the certificates behind it.
Renewal, cancellation, and the long view
A DP's validity is tied to the validity of your own pass, or the duration requested, whichever is shorter. Your employer can apply to renew it up to 6 months before expiry, and renewals are judged against current eligibility criteria; in MOM's words, "Renewals are not guaranteed." If yours is cancelled, your family's DPs are cancelled at the same time.
The DP is not a prize you win once; it is carried by your own pass and salary, checked again at every renewal. So the most protective thing you can do for the family plan is steady work on your own career: the skills that make you harder to replace, a record your employer can point to, the next responsibility you are ready for. Of the families we watch plan this, the steadiest treat it as a career question, not a paperwork one. The S$6,000 line is a salary a career can climb to, not a promise that it will.
Before your employer applies: a checklist
Things you can do this week:
- Check your salary against MOM's eligibility page: basic pay plus fixed allowances only.
- Ask HR whether the company or its appointed agent will file, and when.
- Order PSA copies of your marriage certificate and each child's birth certificate showing both parents' names.
- For children 12 and below born outside Singapore, gather vaccination records for the CDA document.
- Book flights only after the IPA letter arrives, inside its window.
- Check any agent on MOM's EA Directory, and never pay someone who calls claiming to be MOM.
The Questions Filipinos Ask Us Most
Can an S Pass holder bring their family?
Yes, on the same terms as an EP holder: a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 and sponsorship by an established, Singapore-registered company.
Does my spouse's income count toward the S$6,000?
No. The S$6,000 is based on your own salary, not combined household income, and overtime, bonuses and commission do not count.
Can I bring my parents?
Possibly, on an LTVP, if you hold an EP or S Pass, are sponsored by an established, Singapore-registered company, and earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000. Below that salary, parents are not on MOM's list for this route.
Can my partner come if we are not legally married?
Not on a DP, which is for a legally married spouse. A common-law spouse may qualify for an LTVP if the relationship is one "recognised under the laws of their home country/region", proved by a common-law marriage certificate, a notarised affidavit or an embassy letter.
Our baby was born in Singapore. What now?
MOM says the parent will get a Special Pass from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), valid for 6 weeks, during which you can apply for the baby's DP. For the Philippine record, see our guide to the Report of Birth.
Sources
DP eligibility, Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM): https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/eligibility
Salary definition, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/faq/employment-pass/what-is-a-fixed-monthly-salary
LTVP eligibility, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/long-term-visit-pass/eligibility
LTVP documents, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/long-term-visit-pass/documents-required
Work Permit key facts, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/key-facts
Domestic worker permit, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker
DP documents, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/documents-required
Applying, fees and timing, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/apply-for-a-pass
Working as a DP holder, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/working-in-singapore
Letter of Consent, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/loc-for-dependants-pass-business-owners/eligibility
Renewal and cancellation, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/renew-a-pass and https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/dependants-pass/cancel-a-pass
EA Directory and scam warning, same site: https://www.mom.gov.sg/eservices/services/employment-agencies-and-personnel-search