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 migrant domestic workers 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 avoid delays in your application, ensure that the details in the SFA licence match the information declared in the application form. Key areas to pay attention to are:
- Licensee name
- Validity (must be valid at time of application)
- Address of the establishment
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
|
| 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.