If your organisation has never applied for a Work Permit or S Pass before, you must declare your business activity before submitting any Work Permit or S Pass application.
Based on your declaration, we will assign your organisation to the most relevant sector. Your sector will determine the number of Work Permit and S Pass holders you can hire.
Once the sector is assigned, you can proceed to submit the Work Permit and S Pass applications.
Note: Only business employers need to declare their business activity. Employers of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) do not have to do so.
You will need to meet the following requirements:
- Have a CPF account. If you do not have one, open an account with CPF Board and you will be issued a CPF Submission Number (CSN), e.g. 12345678A-PTE-01.
- Contribute CPF for your local employees for at least 1 month before you declare your business activity.
- For manufacturing sector, have a valid Factory Notification or Registration with a Workplace Number.
- If required, submit copies of licences, e.g. Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licence for food businesses or food manufacturers, etc.
If you’re opening a new food establishment and don’t have the foodshop licence from SFA yet, you can submit a copy of the “Application for Foodshop Licence” letter issued to you by SFA.
To declare your business activity:
- Log in to Work Pass Account Registration (WPAR) and complete the process online.
- After 2 working days, log in to WPAR to check the outcome.
- If we ask you for additional documents, you need to send them to us. After sending us the documents, wait another 7 working days, log in to WPAR to check the outcome.
You may have already employed foreign workers for a business activity under an existing CPF account.
You will need to send us a request if:
- You want to employ Work Permit or S Pass holders under a separate business activity.
- There is a change in your business activity and you want to continue hiring your foreign workers.
If approved, you can get a new CPF account to hire the workers.
How to request
To change or add a business activity, submit a request and upload the relevant supporting documents of the new business activity:
| Business activity |
Documents required |
| Construction |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Ongoing projects and contracts
- Purchase order and invoices
- BCA Builder Licence or SCAL SLOTS certificate, if any
|
| Services |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Additional documents:
For food business
For childcare centre
|
| Harbour craft |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Harbour craft licence
|
| Manufacturing |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Factory notification or registration
- Additional documents:
For food processing companies
For non-food processing companies
- Rental or lease agreement on company's workplace
- Write up of the company's business activities
- Flowchart of the production process illustrated with photographs
|
| Marine shipyard |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Additional documents:
If applying to be classified as shipyard
- Certificate of registration (shipyard)
- Waterfront lease for shipbuilding or ship repair works
If applying to be classified as shipyard-sponsored contractor
- Support letter from an eligible shipyard
- Proof of contracts or work orders issued by the eligible shipyard.
|
| Process |
- Request letter on company letterhead
- Association of the Process Industry (ASPRI) Corporate Membership
|
| Others |
- Request letter on company letterhead
|
We will email you the outcome within 3 weeks.