Tech@SG
Programme

Tech@SG aims to help fast-growing companies access the critical talent they need to grow and scale their business in Singapore and the region. The programme is jointly administered by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Enterprise Singapore.

Apply for Tech@SG

Key Features

For eligible companies, the Tech@SG Programme provides company-level endorsement to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), reducing the risks of rejections for their Employment Pass (EP) applications to MOM.

If your company is eligible, you can expect to receive:

Up to 10 new EPs over two years for foreign employees who will be hired as part of your company’s core team in Singapore; and thereafter,
Coverage for the first renewal of each new EP obtained under the programme (each renewal will be valid for up to three years)

View more information about renewal of EPs

Eligibility

Your company must meet all of the following criteria to qualify for the Tech@SG Programme:

Incorporated a business entity in Singapore with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Have a digital or technology offering as your core business product or service

This includes instances where the company has a business model built on proprietary hardware and/or software technologies, such as big data and analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Examples of such companies include software-as-a-service, e-commerce, digital media, digital gaming, medtech, biotech, cleantech and fintech companies.

Business activities under these categories will not qualify for support: coffee shops, hawker centres, food courts. bars, night clubs, karaoke lounges; foot reflexology, massage parlours; acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal dispensing businesses; employment agencies; geomancy businesses.
Secured more than US$10 million (cumulative) in investment funding in the past 36 months
Received funding (no minimum amount) from a programme-recognised investment firm in the past 36 months
View the list of recognised firms

For companies with 30% or more local shareholding, applications should be submitted to Startup SG, an entity under Enterprise Singapore.

EPs will be issued by MOM. After ensuring your company qualifies for Tech@SG, you must also ensure that the individuals whom you are applying EPs for meet all of the following requirements:

Applicant’s fixed monthly salary meets MOM’s minimum prevailing EP salary criteria (i.e. S$5,000*, effective 1 September 2022)
Applicant is considered a core team member whose functional role and seniority are in line with the conditions outlined below:
Functional role: Applicants should be in roles that fall into one of the following categories:
- Core business functions, e.g. business development, human resources, finance, partnerships, strategy, general management
- Technical functions, e.g. product management, product development, software engineering, solution architecting, product design, data science
Seniority: Applicants should be in roles that are Manager-level and above
Applicants in Analyst-, Associate-, Executive-, and Representative-level roles will not be considered as core team members.
Please note that MOM will be the final approving authority for all EP applications,

*Information correct as of 01 September 2022. Visit the MOM website for the latest EP salary criteria

How to Apply

Pre-application

Before applying for the Tech@SG Programme, you should ensure you have done the following:

Incorporated a business entity with ACRA
Obtained a CorpPass account from ACRA
Checked that your company meets the programme’s eligibility criteria and has prepared the relevant information for the application form

Apply for Tech@SG endorsement

If less than 30% of your company is owned by local shareholder(s), you can submit your Tech@SG application to EDB from January 2020. EDB will review your application and advise you of the outcome within 10 to 15 working days*.

For companies with 30% or more local shareholding, applications should be submitted to Startup SG, an entity under Enterprise Singapore.

Consider setting up an EP Online (EPOL) account at this stage, if you do not already have one. It will take five working days to process and is needed to submit EP applications to MOM. Register for EPOL account

*Upon submission of complete and accurate documentation for application. Processing time will be affected for submissions requiring additional verification.

Apply for individual EP(s)

After you have received EDB’s endorsement under the Tech@SG Programme, you can proceed to submit EP application(s) for your employee(s)^. MOM will review your application(s) and advise you of the outcome within 21 working days.

Apply via MOM’s EP Online system

^EP applications must be made within two years of the company being accepted into the programme.

Updates & more resources

After 10 successful EP applications or two years of support, whichever occurs earlier, EDB/Enterprise Singapore will notify you on the end of support.

EDB and Enterprise Singapore also provide a suite of services to assist businesses with setting up and expanding their operations in Singapore.

Get an overview of EDB and Enterprise Singapore services (178KB PDF)

Check out how other companies have used Tech@SG

Tech@SG: How Zenyum and Padlet Secure Critical Global Tech Talent in Singapore

Ready to Apply?

If you are eligible for and interested in the Tech@SG Programme,
submit your application below.

Apply for Tech@SG

If you intend to relocate larger teams to Singapore, please contact EDB directly here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tech@SG is intended for companies to build up your core team, and thus only supports EP applications for new employees.

For all new EPs supported under the Tech@SG Programme, the support extends to cover the first renewal (i.e. additional coverage of up to 3 years). Applicants will still have to apply for renewals through MOM. Support for the renewal will be based on the Tech@SG Programme eligibility criteria for individuals.

In total, an EP can be supported by the Tech@SG Programme for up to 5 years. After 5 years, the EP will be renewable under standard EP guidelines.

For full details on the validity of EPs, please refer to the MOM guidelines.

To apply for the Tech@SG Programme, applicants would need to log in with a CorpPass account that has been configured to access the EDB Form SG e-service. Learn how to set up EDB Form SG access (2.4MB PDF)

The application form must also be completed in one session as there is no save to draft feature. It is estimated to take 15-20 minutes and the following information would be required:

Company information:
- Parent company name
- Local entity name
- Company website
- Company headquarters location and city
- Description of primary business activity
200-word Singapore company business plan description
Details on up to 10 core team members, including:
- Designation
- Years of experience, and
- Expected annual salary (including benefits)
Supporting documents uploaded (not more than 7MB in PDF, PNG or JPEG formats) to prove company meets both total funds raised and investment from programme-recognised investment firm criteria

The Tech@SG Programme is targeted at companies in the growth stage, and in the phase of rapidly building up their core team.

For companies that have raised less than US$10 million of funding, EDB and Enterprise Singapore can provide other forms of assistance to help you set up and grow your business in Singapore. Get an overview of EDB and Enterprise Singapore services (178KB PDF)

For foreign companies setting up in Singapore, learn how EDB can support you.

For local companies that have received investments from one of the programme-recognised investment firms, you may consult with them for further assistance on other support programmes available.

While there are no conditions tied to the Tech@SG Programme, the objective of the programme is for companies to build competitive teams that can grow the business.

Employers are encouraged to build up their local teams through training and capability transfer efforts.

Companies should also engage in fair hiring practices set out under the Fair Consideration Framework. View details on the MOM website

View all FAQs