Is Entrepass the right pass for me?

[HoodieBlue]

Can I seek your wisdom about a suitable employment pass?

I work for a small organization in Ireland that organises congresses for two international medical associations; I concentrate on the congresses in Asia and Australia. I am looking to relocate to Singapore or KL; this should hopefully be of benefit to the associations that I work for as I should be able to increase sponsorship in the region and also beneficial personally as I could cut down on travelling and experience a different culture for a few years. Naturally the region and in particular the country should benefit as I hope to secure more congresses for Asia Oceania.

I would simply work by myself, liasing with the team in Ireland for auxilary services. I want to avoid setting up a company as this will incur extra taxes and charges.

I have been in contact with a representative of MOM and he recommends that I get an Entrepass. Having read website and forums on the subject of passes (of which there are some most helpful posts on this forum) I am still not convinced that this is the right pass. I am not setting up a new business. I don't think that you could call my intention to work in Singapore a branch of an office when all my legal and financial dealings would be through the organization in Dublin, or could it?

It would seem that a dependants pass would be another way of approaching this but my husband is only at interview stage with companies. Although he works in managerial level, he has been told that it may be easier for him to secure employment if he is on a dependants pass, I guess it is a sign of the times.

If anyone could offer any advise as to whether they think an Entrepass is the correct permit for me to apply for I would be grateful. Thank you.

[Strong Eagle]

Usual disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not professional advice.

In order to live in Singapore (I am not discussing anything related to Malaysia) you must have a permit to enter and live in the country. So, yes, if you came in on a dependent's pass you could simply start a company and work for it.

I think you will need to apply for an Entrepass. It is possible to setup a branch office of a company, then get an employment pass to work in that branch but the kinds of business that can be conducted are severely curtailed and I believe that would you want to do would not qualify as a branch office activity.

So, you need a real company, a private limited. There are two ways to go about this. One would be for your company in Ireland to register a foreign company. But, two Singaporean citizens, PR's or permit holders are required as local agents. You would need to apply for an Entrepass or employment pass to act as one of the local agents. See http://www.acra.gov.sg/Services/Company ... ompany.htm for more information.

The other option is for you to form a company. You would definitely need to apply for an Entrepass. Only one local is required and that could be you. Stock ownership could be held by you or by the Ireland company.

Your worries about extra taxes and charges are unfounded. Besides having very attractive tax rates (personal and corporate) Singapore also exclude a significant portion of corporate income from taxation. Too much detail to go into here but I would bet money that the overall tax rate for you and the company would be lower here than in Ireland.

[HoodieBlue]

Thanks Strong Eagle for confirming this, I'll investigate further with MOM and IRAS about taxes.
Yes you're right taxes are much higher in Ireland, in particular income tax, and it looks as though there is going to be a massive hike in income tax here shortly.