A Dependant’s Pass lets a foreign spouse or child live in Singapore alongside a work pass holder, but it has never automatically conferred the right to work. Many families arriving in Singapore, particularly those coming from jurisdictions where a spousal visa carries open work rights, are surprised to learn that a DP holder who wants to earn an income here generally needs a separate authorisation. For years, the Letter of Consent (LOC) was that authorisation for a wide range of DP holders. Since May 2021, the rules have narrowed considerably, and the 2026 position is more specific still. This guide sets out exactly who can still use an LOC, who now needs a full work pass instead, and the one notable exception that has emerged for a small group of DP holders.

The Current LOC Rule: Own Business Only

For the ordinary Dependant’s Pass holder, sponsored by a spouse on an Employment Pass or S Pass, the Letter of Consent route is now confined to one situation: operating your own ACRA-registered business in Singapore. To qualify, the DP holder generally needs to be a sole proprietor, a partner in a registered partnership, or a director and shareholder holding at least 30% of the shares in a private limited company. This is meaningfully different from being hired as an employee of someone else’s business, even a business the DP holder helped set up informally, and MOM’s assessment of the application will look closely at the actual shareholding and role, not just the job title on paper.

This means a DP holder who wants to start a Singapore company, incorporate it, and run it themselves can generally still do so under an LOC, subject to MOM approval, and this is one of the more common reasons trailing spouses in Singapore end up incorporating their own consultancy or small trading company rather than seeking employment elsewhere. Anyone going down this path should also be comfortable with the ordinary corporate secretarial obligations that come with running a Singapore company, since an LOC does not remove any of the usual compliance requirements.

What Changed in May 2021, and Why It Still Matters in 2026

Before May 2021, a broader group of DP holders could obtain an LOC to work as an employee for a Singapore company, subject to the employer’s own quota and levy position. That route was closed to new applicants from May 2021 onward. A DP holder who wants to work as an employee today, for a Singapore company that is not their own, generally needs to be sponsored for a proper work pass in their own right, most commonly an Employment Pass or an S Pass, on exactly the same footing as any other foreign hire. That means meeting the relevant salary threshold, and for S Pass applications, the employer’s quota and levy position, rather than simply being waved through on the strength of the spouse’s existing pass.

The ONE Pass Exception

There is one narrower and more generous exception. Spouses of ONE Pass holders, Singapore’s top-tier pass for high earners and eminent individuals across a range of fields, can apply for an LOC to work as an employee, not only to run their own business. This is a deliberate policy carve-out intended to make Singapore more attractive to the very top of the global talent pool by removing one of the practical frictions, a spouse’s own career, that often complicates a senior relocation decision. If you are the spouse of a ONE Pass holder and want to explore this route, it is worth reviewing the wider comparison of the ONE Pass against the Employment Pass and Personalised Employment Pass to understand how the household’s overall immigration position fits together.

How to Apply

An LOC application is made online through MOM’s system, generally by the DP holder or their appointed representative, and requires details of the business (for the own-business route) or the sponsoring employer and role (for the ONE Pass spouse route), along with the usual supporting documents on the underlying marriage and the principal pass holder’s own pass validity. Processing is typically faster than a full Employment Pass application, though MOM can still request additional information, and an LOC is generally tied to the validity of the underlying Dependant’s Pass, so it needs to be renewed in step with the DP itself.

Common Mistakes We See

The most frequent error is a DP holder assuming their situation still qualifies for employee-route LOC because an older friend or colleague obtained one before May 2021, without realising the rules have since narrowed. The second is understating or overstating the shareholding in a new company, which then does not match the 30% director-shareholder threshold MOM expects for the own-business route. The third is timing: starting to work before the LOC is actually approved, which exposes both the DP holder and, potentially, the business itself to enforcement risk under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

What Happens if the Own-Business LOC Is Refused

MOM does not approve every own-business LOC application automatically. Applications can be refused where the proposed business looks like a vehicle set up mainly to secure work authorisation rather than a genuine commercial venture, where the DP holder cannot demonstrate the claimed shareholding and directorship on paper, or where supporting documents are incomplete. A refused LOC application does not necessarily end the DP holder’s options. Depending on the underlying qualifications and the nature of the intended role, it may still be possible to be sponsored for an Employment Pass or S Pass by a genuine third-party employer, or to revisit the business plan and shareholding structure before reapplying. Families in this position often benefit from reviewing the wider Singapore Permanent Residence pathway at the same time, since PR status, once obtained, removes the need to rely on a pass-linked work authorisation altogether.

How This Fits Into the Household’s Wider Immigration Picture

An LOC decision rarely sits in isolation from the rest of a relocating family’s plans. Households should think about the DP holder’s LOC status alongside the principal pass holder’s own renewal timeline, since an LOC is generally tied to the validity of the underlying DP, and any lapse or change in the principal’s pass can flow through to disrupt the LOC. Families who are also weighing whether to eventually apply for Singapore Permanent Residence should note that a period of stable employment or business ownership under an LOC can itself be a positive factor in a subsequent PR application, which is one more reason to get the initial application right rather than treating it as a formality.

Getting Professional Help

Because the LOC rules turn on specific facts about shareholding, role, and the underlying pass held by the principal applicant, it is worth having the application assessed properly before it is lodged rather than relying on a general summary of the rules. For end-to-end assistance with LOC and other work pass applications, our associated licensed employment agency handles the full submission process with MOM, and can also advise on the S Pass application route where that turns out to be the better fit than an LOC.

To speak with the team at Raffles Corporate Services, you can email [email protected] or call, SMS, or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. We are happy to assist with any queries.

The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services