With travelling starting to slowly come back, people have started to plan their visits to SG – but with many different types of visa in Singapore, choosing the right one can be a daunting task.
Singapore is an absolute gem for travellers. The country has many beautiful sights, amazing landscapes, marvellous skyscrapers, and beautiful historical sites. From the dazzling Marina Bay Sands to the iconic Gardens by the Bay, this city is a place that keeps on giving. If you’re a fan of food, Singaporean cuisine is a tantalising medley of flavours that brings together the best of Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Western influences that will surely take you on a gastronomic adventure!
But, before you can enjoy all those fantastic things, first things first — getting your visa.
Types of Singapore Visa Applications
A visitor visa to Singapore comes in two types, either a tourist or work visa.
If you decide to visit Singapore for leisure purposes, a tourist visa will suffice. Luckily, Singapore has lenient visa requirements as they have diplomatic relations with over 100 nations. Someone from the ASEAN region, for instance, does not need to apply for a Singapore visa before departure. The period of stay granted may vary from 30 days (ASEAN countries) to 90 days (European Union countries).
If you are interested in living and working in the city state, what are the Singapore work visa types?
Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass
This type of Singapore visa is suitable for professionals, managers, and executives that command a fixed monthly salary income of SGD 3,000 (for S Pass) or SGD 5,000 (for EP). You must firstly be employed, and your employer will be the one to apply for your work visa for you.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)
This type of visa frees the applicant from any employer, meaning that you can apply for it yourself. This pass is for those who can show excellent merit in their work with an existing EP pass and a fixed monthly income of $12,000. Meanwhile, overseas workers need to show a fixed-monthly income of $18,000. The pass is only valid for three years.
Entrepreneur Pass (EntrePass)
This Singapore work visa is designed for foreign entrepreneurs setting up new businesses in Singapore. The business must be registered as a private limited company with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority less than six months from the time of the application. The applicant must at least meet one of the seven criteria, such as sufficient funding from venture capitalists or government, holding intellectual property, or having a good track record of investing or business experience/networking.
Ultimately, obtaining a Singapore visa, either for work or leisure purposes, is relatively simple. You need to submit the required documents and meet the criteria given. Due to its strategic location and well-kept infrastructure, Singapore remains one of the most attractive countries to visit and in which to work, and it looks to remain that way for the time to come.
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