Registration, banking and utilities in Singapore

The pass, and the IPA

Employment Passes and S Passes are applied for by the employer through the Ministry of Manpower's online system, against a framework that scores the role, the salary and the firm's workforce profile. What you receive first is an In-Principle Approval letter, and that letter matters practically: it is what you travel on and what many landlords and banks will accept while the card is produced. After arrival you complete registration — photograph and fingerprints — and the pass card follows.

• The IPA letter is issued before the card and is accepted by many landlords and banks.
• Registration at MOM Services Centre for biometrics, then the card is delivered.
• Dependant's Passes and Long Term Visit Passes are applied for by the employer alongside.
• Eligibility criteria and salary levels change regularly; confirm with MOM rather than relying on secondhand figures.

Singpass is the master key

Singpass is the national digital identity and pass holders can register for it. Once you have it, an enormous amount of administration collapses into a phone app: stamping your tenancy with IRAS, filing tax, accessing health records, applying for services and logging in to banks. Set it up in your first week; almost everything else gets easier afterwards.

• Register for Singpass as soon as your pass is issued.
• Used for IRAS e-stamping, tax filing, HealthHub and most government transactions.
• Myinfo pre-fills your details into bank and service applications.

Tax, and tax clearance

Income tax is administered by IRAS and filed annually in the spring. Rates are low, the process is short, and residence status for tax depends on days present in Singapore rather than on your pass. The part to plan for is the end: when a foreign employee leaves Singapore or changes employer, the employer files a tax clearance and is expected to withhold the final salary until the liability is settled.

• Annual filing in April, largely pre-filled through Singpass.
• Tax residence turns on days present; a short first year is taxed differently.
• Tax clearance on departure or change of employer, with final salary withheld.
• Confirm your own position with IRAS or an accountant.

Banking, driving and family

The main local banks open accounts against a pass card or IPA, a passport and proof of address, and much of it can be done in an app. A foreign driving licence can be used for a limited period after arrival, after which conversion requires passing the Basic Theory Test. Dependant's Pass holders generally need their own work pass to take a job, which is a change from how it once worked and catches trailing spouses out.

• Bank account: pass card or IPA, passport, proof of address; Singpass smooths it.
• Foreign licence valid for a limited window; then the Basic Theory Test and conversion.
• A Dependant's Pass by itself no longer permits employment in most cases — confirm with MOM.
• Utilities through SP Group, with a deposit that varies by pass type.

In order

1. 1Let the employer file the pass application and send you the IPA letter.
2. 2Travel on the IPA and use it to open a bank account and view flats.
3. 3Complete pass registration and biometrics at MOM.
4. 4Register for Singpass.
5. 5Sign and stamp the tenancy agreement through IRAS.
6. 6Open the SP Group account and set up GIRO payments.
7. 7Apply for dependants' passes and school places.
8. 8Convert the driving licence before the initial period expires.
9. 9Plan tax clearance well ahead of any departure or job change.