How can your family join you in Singapore?
If you hold an Employment Pass or S Pass, earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 and are sponsored by an established company registered in Singapore, MOM lets you bring your lawfully married spouse and unmarried children below 21 on a Dependant's Pass. A common-law spouse, unmarried stepchildren below 21 and unmarried children aged 21 or over with a handicap can come on a Long-Term Visit Pass, and your parents can too if you earn S$12,000 or more. Your employer or its appointed employment agent applies; EntrePass and Personalised Employment Pass holders apply themselves, and an EP (Sponsorship) holder's local sponsor applies for theirs. Dependants of EntrePass and ONE Pass holders follow other requirements, and certain intra-corporate transferees cannot use these passes for family unless an applicable trade agreement specifically covers them. If you are a Singapore citizen or PR, your relatives apply to ICA instead.
Dependant's Pass: who qualifies
MOM sets three conditions, and you must meet all three. You hold an Employment Pass or S Pass. You earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000. You are sponsored by an established company registered in Singapore, usually your employer. The S$6,000 is your own pay, not your household's combined income.
If you meet them, you can bring your lawfully married spouse and your unmarried children below 21, adopted children included. If you took the overseas intra-corporate transferee route under WTO GATS or a free trade agreement, your relatives cannot have either family pass, unless an applicable agreement specifically covers them and they meet the prevailing criteria. Dependants of EntrePass and ONE Pass holders have separate requirements, MOM says.
Long-Term Visit Pass: other relatives
MOM applies the same three conditions to the Long-Term Visit Pass, which covers other relatives: a common-law spouse, unmarried stepchildren below 21, and unmarried children aged 21 or over who have a handicap. You can bring your parents only if your fixed monthly salary is S$12,000 or more.
Applying: who, how much, how long
Who files depends on your pass, according to MOM. For an Employment Pass or S Pass holder, the employer or an employment agent it has appointed applies. Personalised Employment Pass and EntrePass holders apply themselves. For an EP (Sponsorship) holder, the local sponsor applies. Each relative needs a separate application, which can go in with your work pass application or later.
MOM charges the same for both passes. You pay S$105 per application, S$225 per pass when it is issued, and S$30 per Multiple Journey Visa if one is needed. Most applications for the families of Employment Pass and S Pass holders are decided within 3 weeks. For the families of Personalised Employment Pass and EntrePass holders, most Dependant's Pass cases are decided within 6 weeks and most Long-Term Visit Pass cases within 8 weeks.
If MOM approves, you receive an in-principle approval (IPA) letter, which doubles as a single-entry visa. Your relative then has 6 months to arrive and collect the issued pass if you hold an Employment Pass, or 2 months if you hold an S Pass. MOM advises bringing your relative in only after approval. It cannot extend a visit pass that runs out before the pass is issued, with one exception MOM gives: if your relative is waiting for medical results, you can extend the short-term visit pass by asking 7 to 14 days before it expires and uploading the doctor's memo with the date the results will be collected.
Validity and renewal
Both passes are tied to your work pass, MOM says. Each lasts until your pass expires, or for the period requested if that is shorter. Your employer can renew a Dependant's Pass from 6 months before it expires; for dependants of EntrePass and EP Sponsorship holders, renewal opens 3 months before. The application must be made before the expiry date. After that, only a new application is possible. MOM judges renewals against the criteria current at the time, and they are not guaranteed.
Taking a job
If your relative on a Dependant's Pass wants to work, an employer must get them a work pass, MOM says. One option is an Employment Pass or S Pass. They must meet its criteria, and it replaces the Dependant's Pass. The other is a DP-Work Permit. It has no minimum qualifying salary, but the employer's Work Permit quota and levy apply.
MOM says a Dependant's Pass holder who owns an ACRA-registered business can apply for a Letter of Consent. The holder must be its sole proprietor, a partner, a company director with 30% of the shares or more, or a member of a company limited by guarantee.
A Long-Term Visit Pass holder needs a job offer first, according to MOM. The employer then applies for an Employment Pass, S Pass or Work Permit, and the holder must meet all of that pass's criteria.
If you are a citizen or PR
ICA, not MOM, handles the Long-Term Visit Pass for the relatives of Singapore citizens and PRs. It covers your spouse, your unmarried children below 21 born to you within a lawful marriage or legally adopted, and your parents. Parents-in-law do not qualify, ICA says.
You sponsor the application through ICA's e-Service with Singpass. If your parent is applying and you are below 21, another citizen or PR aged 21 or above must sponsor instead. ICA charges S$45 per application, S$60 on issue, and S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa where needed.
ICA processes most applications within 6 weeks once the papers are complete. A Singapore citizen's foreign spouse may wait up to 6 months. The wait is 6 weeks if the couple took the free Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment before marrying.
Where outside help fits
ICA says it is connected with no outside migration agency and backs no consultant's services. It says it "carefully assesses all applications" and is not answerable for losses from hiring a consultant. A firm from the ranked list on this site can help you understand the rules and gather papers and translations. It cannot change the salary levels or the decision.