Senior tech workers can apply for Singapore’s Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass on a new AI and Tech track from 28 January 2027, and up to S$7,500 of the pass’s S$30,000 monthly salary bar may come from vested equity rather than cash. The Ministry of Manpower set out the criteria on its ONE Pass eligibility page, last updated on 14 September 2026.
The same date closes the door on Tech.Pass. From 28 January 2027, MOM and the Economic Development Board will no longer accept new or renewal Tech.Pass applications. Existing holders keep their pass until it expires, and EDB says eligible holders can consider the new track.
MOM first announced the track at its Committee of Supply debate on 3 March 2026, saying it would replace Tech.Pass and “better recognise key industry leaders and innovators”.
The salary test
Applicants must have earned at least S$30,000 a month, or the foreign-currency equivalent, for the 12 consecutive months before they apply. At least S$22,500 of that must be fixed monthly salary. The rest may be vested non-cash pay, such as employee stock options or employee share ownership plans, subject to MOM’s assessment.
That is the real change for this group. The standard ONE Pass route asks for a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 on its own. On the new track, a founder or engineer paid S$22,500 in cash and S$7,500 a month in vested equity reaches the same S$30,000. MOM’s wording covers vested components only.
Experience and employer
Applicants need at least five cumulative years, within the 10 years before the application, as a founder or C-suite executive in a tech firm, in a technical role such as senior software engineer, or across both.
Their current or last employer must be a tech company, a tech division within a company or a tech venture capital firm. That company must meet at least one of four size tests: a valuation or market capitalisation of at least US$500 million, annual revenue of at least US$200 million, at least US$500 million in assets under management, or, for tech start-ups only, at least US$30 million in funds raised.
What the pass gives, and who it leaves out
A first ONE Pass runs for up to five years, and each renewal for up to five more. Holders may start, operate and work for several companies at the same time. Tech.Pass, by comparison, is valid for two years in the first instance and can be renewed for another two years if its renewal criteria are met.
The track does not cover anyone whose fixed pay is below S$22,500 a month, however large their equity. Experience older than 10 years does not count towards the five, and an employer below every one of the four size tests rules an applicant out. People already on a Singapore work pass need to have worked here for at least a year before applying.
