Employment Pass CV

How to write a CV for an Employment Pass job in Singapore

What Singapore employers expect on a CV from a candidate who needs an Employment Pass, the qualifying salary for your age, and how COMPASS scores the application.

How it works

Two stages, and where your CV fits

An Employment Pass application is made by the employer. MOM first checks the offered salary against the qualifying salary for your age and sector. Below S$22,500 a month, it then scores the application under COMPASS, which needs 40 points to succeed. Salary and qualifications are about you; the other criteria depend on the employer.

Your CV is what the employer uses to decide whether to hire you and then to fill in the application, so it should make your qualifications, level and status easy to read.

Check yourself against MOM's own tool

MOM's Employment Pass self-assessment tool gives an indicative result from your salary, age and qualifications before anyone applies. To see what an offer pays after CPF and tax, and whether it clears the floor under the 2026 and 2027 rules, use the Singapore offer checker.

Verified against mom.gov.sg on 12 October 2026.

CV norms

What a Singapore employer expects on the page

State your status and what you need

One line under your name: "Requires Employment Pass sponsorship", or "Employment Pass holder" if you are moving within Singapore. Employers have to plan for the application, so saying it up front saves an interview that ends at the pass question.

Leave off NRIC, photo, age and marital status

The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices ask employers not to consider them, so they add nothing and invite bias. Give an ID number only when an offer asks for it.

Name the institution and the degree in full

Qualifications are one of the COMPASS criteria, and MOM looks at the institution as well as the award. Write the full name of the university, the degree and the year, so the employer can complete the application from your CV without asking.

Make the job titles and scope easy to match

An EP is for professional, managerial and executive roles. Show the level of each role plainly: the title, who you reported to, the size of the team or budget, and what you were responsible for.

Keep it to two pages, in English

One to two pages is the Singapore norm for experienced hires. English is the working language; list other languages in a skills line when the role uses them.

Leave your salary off the CV

Your expected salary matters for the pass, but it belongs in the conversation with the employer, not on the CV. Know the qualifying salary for your age before that conversation.

MOM age table

The qualifying salary for your age

The floor rises with age, from S$5,600 a month at the youngest age in most sectors today, and higher in financial services. It rises again for new applications from 1 January 2027.

Employment Pass qualifying monthly salary by age
Age	Most sectors, now	Most sectors, 2027	Financial services, now	Financial services, 2027
23 or below	S$5,600	S$6,000	S$6,200	S$6,600
24	S$5,832	S$6,250	S$6,455	S$6,877
25	S$6,064	S$6,500	S$6,709	S$7,155
26	S$6,295	S$6,750	S$6,964	S$7,432
27	S$6,527	S$7,000	S$7,218	S$7,709
28	S$6,759	S$7,250	S$7,473	S$7,986
29	S$6,991	S$7,500	S$7,727	S$8,264
30	S$7,223	S$7,750	S$7,982	S$8,541
31	S$7,455	S$8,000	S$8,236	S$8,818
32	S$7,686	S$8,250	S$8,491	S$9,095
33	S$7,918	S$8,500	S$8,745	S$9,373
34	S$8,150	S$8,750	S$9,000	S$9,650
35	S$8,382	S$9,000	S$9,255	S$9,927
36	S$8,614	S$9,250	S$9,509	S$10,205
37	S$8,845	S$9,500	S$9,764	S$10,482
38	S$9,077	S$9,750	S$10,018	S$10,759
39	S$9,309	S$10,000	S$10,273	S$11,036
40	S$9,541	S$10,250	S$10,527	S$11,314
41	S$9,773	S$10,500	S$10,782	S$11,591
42	S$10,005	S$10,750	S$11,036	S$11,868
43	S$10,236	S$11,000	S$11,291	S$12,145
44	S$10,468	S$11,250	S$11,545	S$12,423
45 or above	S$10,700	S$11,500	S$11,800	S$12,700

Now: New applications before 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 Jan 2028. 2027: New applications from 1 Jan 2027, and renewals of passes expiring from 1 Jan 2028.

Verified against mom.gov.sg on 12 October 2026.

Questions

Questions about an Employment Pass CV

Does my CV decide the Employment Pass?

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No. MOM decides on the application your employer submits. It checks the salary against the qualifying salary for your age and sector, and then, below the COMPASS salary exemption, scores the application, which must reach 40 points. Your CV matters because the employer builds the application from it, and because it is how you get the offer in the first place.

Should I write my expected salary on the CV?

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No. Keep salary for the conversation with the employer. Do check the qualifying salary for your age first, so you know the lowest offer that can support an application.

Do I need a photo on a Singapore CV?

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No. Under the fair employment guidelines most employers do not want one, and leaving it off is the safe choice unless an advertisement asks for it.

How do I know if I am likely to qualify?

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MOM runs a self-assessment tool that takes your salary, age, qualifications and the employer’s details and gives an indicative result. It is not a decision, but it is MOM’s own view before an application.

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