Bringing a helper from overseas to Singapore takes about seven steps, from the Employers’ Orientation Programme to the Work Permit card. MOM sets time limits for several of them, listed below. No one can promise the total time: it depends on MOM, on her country’s paperwork and on flights.
An agency does the submissions for you. Knowing the steps tells you what you are authorising and what you must do yourself.
The steps in order
1. Employers’ Orientation Programme (first-time employers only). Complete it at least 2 working days before the application is submitted. See EOP and SIP explained.
2. Choose her and interview her. Biodata, video, a video call. This is the step that most decides whether the placement works.
3. Apply for the Work Permit. You (with Singpass) or your agency submit it through MOM’s FDW eService. The fee is $35. MOM’s stated processing time is within 1 week through the eService (up to 3 weeks on the paper form), and can take longer if it needs more information. You then receive the in-principle approval (IPA) letter and declaration forms for you and her to sign.
4. Before she flies: bond, insurance, registration.
- Buy the $5,000 security bond and the medical and personal accident insurance. The bond must be in effect on the day she arrives, and your bank or insurer needs up to 3 working days to tell MOM. See the levy and bond and maid insurance.
- Register a first-time helper for the Settling-In Programme.
- She prints the IPA letter to show at immigration. Her particulars on the IPA must match her passport, or she may be refused entry. She must be outside Singapore when you apply, and may only come in once you hold the IPA and the bond. If she needs more time to arrive, the IPA can be extended in the eService.
5. After she arrives.
- First-time helpers go to the Settling-In Programme within 7 days of arrival, not counting Sundays and public holidays, and cannot attend on the day she lands. She may start work only after completing it.
- Every helper has a medical examination within 14 days.
- For a first-time helper, the three-way safety agreement (you, the agency, her) is signed after the programme and before she starts work.
6. Get the Work Permit issued. Within 2 weeks of her arrival. The fee is $35. You print the Temporary Work Permit and give it to her; it is valid for one month. If the permit says she must register fingerprints and a photo, she does this within 1 week at the MOM Services Centre, by appointment.
7. The card. After registration or document verification, the card is delivered within 5 working days. She can also see her digital pass in the SGWorkPass app with a Singpass account.
Time limits at a glance
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| EOP before the application | At least 2 working days before |
| Decision on the application | Within 1 week via the eService (3 weeks on the form) |
| Bond | In effect on the day she arrives |
| Settling-In Programme (first-time helper) | Within 7 days of arrival, excluding Sundays and public holidays |
| Medical examination | Within 14 days of arrival |
| Work Permit issued | Within 2 weeks of arrival |
| Fingerprints and photo, if required | Within 1 week of issue |
| Card delivery | Within 5 working days of registration |
What costs money along the way
The levy starts on the 5th day after a first-time helper arrives. The government fees are $35 to apply and $35 when it is issued. The programmes, the medical examination, insurance and bond are in the full cost of hiring a helper.
Where things go wrong
- A name that does not match. The names and ID numbers on the EOP registration and the application must match exactly.
- A bond or insurance bought too late. If the bond is not in effect when she lands, she cannot enter.
- A passport that does not match the IPA.
- Booking the Settling-In Programme late. Slots in the 7-day window go.
If you want the steps handled for you, see what our packages include or talk to us. A shorter, employer-side list is in the first-time employer checklist.
Source: MOM, apply for a Work Permit and security bond.
General information as of the date above. MOM's current rules and your own service agreement are what apply.