Employers must secure a Work Permit or Temporary Permit before work begins.
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will require foreign workers under its migrant-worker Work Permit scheme to hold an issued Work Permit or a Temporary Permit (TP) before starting work from 29 November 2026. Through the Work Permit eService on the myMOM Portal, employers can apply for a TP when a worker needs to start before the full permit is issued.
What changes from 29 November?
Before 29 November, a non-Malaysian worker could start work from the second day after arriving in Singapore with an in-principle approval (IPA) letter. Malaysian employers could apply for a TP through WP Online if they needed a worker to begin before the Work Permit was issued.
From 29 November, workers under the scheme may start only after the Work Permit has been issued or their employer has obtained a TP letter. MOM specifies that the new application arrangements apply to non-Malaysian workers whose Work Permit applications or appeals are submitted from that date.
Employers may apply for a TP on the day the worker needs to start work. They may also apply before a non-Malaysian worker arrives in Singapore, but the TP will only be granted from the worker’s second day after arrival. For Malaysian workers, employers may apply after receiving the IPA and once the worker is in Singapore.
MOM says eligible TP applications will be granted instantly. Employers must download the TP letter and share it with the worker. The foreign worker levy will start on the date the TP is granted, including during the Onboard Programme where the employer applies before the worker completes it and the levy is applicable.
What Indonesian workers should know
For Indonesians working in Singapore, the relevant distinction is the type of Work Permit held. MOM’s Work Permit for migrant workers covers eligible workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, process and services sectors. Workers must also meet the source-country and sector-specific requirements.
Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) follow a separate Work Permit process. Indonesia is among the source countries approved by MOM for MDWs, according to its eligibility requirements.
MOM’s MDW Work Permit guidance says that, when the Work Permit is issued after the worker arrives, the employer receives a “Temporary Work Permit” stating whether registration is required. This is a separately named document within the MDW process and should not be confused with the TP in the November Work Permit eService announcement.
Other changes for employers
The portal will also let employers view workers’ particulars, occupation, employment history and security bond status, as well as view and update employment details. However, employers must continue using WP Online to update workers’ particulars and occupation. MOM says it is working to make those functions available on myMOM Portal in 2027.
Employers may also use the portal to extend an IPA if they cannot bring the worker into Singapore before it expires. If the worker is already in Singapore and needs more time before the Work Permit can be issued, MOM says the employer should request a Special Pass instead.
Source: Singapore Ministry of Manpower
