Hired overseas for Singapore Company but stay in Singapore

[kevin_gray]

Hello,

I hired by a Singapore company, to work remotely outside Singapore. They transfer my salary to my bank account in my home country.

But this company asking me to attend to the office in Singapore, 5 days for each month and work in the office like another employee.

And the other days, I'm free to work remotely from anywhere except in the office. Mostly I go to other countries and work from there, sometimes I just stay and work from my hotel room in Singapore.

I don't have an EP or Work Permit, and i'm not a Singapore resident. Is this legal? and why?

Thanks.

[PNGMK]

Hello,

I hired by a Singapore company, to work remotely outside Singapore. They transfer my salary to my bank account in my home country.

But this company asking me to attend to the office in Singapore, 5 days for each month and work in the office like another employee.

And the other days, I'm free to work remotely from anywhere except in the office. Mostly I go to other countries and work from there, sometimes I just stay and work from my hotel room in Singapore.

I don't have an EP or Work Permit, and i'm not a Singapore resident. Is this legal? and why?

Thanks.

QFP

Extremely on the edge. What are you doing in those five days? Creating reports? Analysis? Coding? All of that is work and you should have an EP. Now if you're presenting for five days and discussing plans and generally not working maybe you'd get away with it. I forsee issued with this.

[kevin_gray]

Yeah, I just discussing about their business, meeting, and socialize with them.

My position is brand consultant, so my work just gives them a recommendation and feedback about their digital ads, poster, copywriting, etc.. by verbal and by email if I work remotely.

I agree this is extremely unusual. But the world is changing.

[luckycricket]

Your company can help you to get business visit visa but I am not sure how ICA will react if you come every month and stay for 1 week.

[PNGMK]

Your company can help you to get business visit visa but I am not sure how ICA will react if you come every month and stay for 1 week.

Exactly. He will be turned around at some point.

[kevin_gray]

Thanks all, I can feel it too, something is wrong, but not sure what it is. Maybe the safe option for me is, just stay and work outside Singapore and lowered my intensity to Singapore at random days. I don't have any intention to settle in Singapore.

[Strong Eagle]

On the one hand this might be a gray area but I don't think you have anything to sweat.

Consider this: On any given day, there are dozens of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Having been on more of those flights than I care to count, I can tell you that they are not filled with vacationing tourists dragging their little kiddies for an international experience.

The planes are full of business people, flying back and forth to conduct BUSINESS. Yes... the managing director of a large managed services organization headquartered in KL is flying in to sign a contract with one Singapore firm, to do a sales job at another, and to hold a quarterly performance meeting at his Singapore office. Is he "working"? Hell, yes. Does he have a business visa? Hell, no. And neither does anyone else on that airplane.

Or, I've worked on contract for several MNC's. Virtually all of them had "imported" people from the UK, EU, USA, and Oz, working in Singapore on various projects, from a few days to a few weeks, the time length under the bog standard tourist visa number of days. These people are not on any business visa.

From a reverse perspective, I flew all over Asia to do business... five days in Oz, seven days in Manila, four days in Tokyo. I was doing work. I never got a visa. And, almost all the people on the plane flying with me to wherever I was going were doing exactly the same thing.

What does IRAS have to say about this in terms of personal income taxation? If you are working in the country 60 days or less (and you're not a company director, entertainer, or third party consultant), you are not subject to tax. So, short answer: They don't care. The expectation is that you are paying your taxes elsewhere, wherever your residence is.

Caveat: This assumes you are travelling on a "good" passport... no need to apply for visas in advance.

[kevin_gray]

Thank you Strong_Eagle, you are very helpful and explain it well.