Apply for work passes, if hiring foreign staff
If you plan to hire foreign staff on a Work Permit or S Pass, apply for the relevant pass before they start.
If you plan to hire foreign staff on a Work Permit or S Pass, apply for the relevant pass before they start. For the Services sector (which F&B falls under), the Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) caps foreign workers at 35% of your total workforce, with a 10% sub-cap specifically for S Pass holders within that.
Working without a valid pass is an offence for both employer and employee, with penalties including fines or imprisonment and being barred from future work pass privileges. Because the DRC is based on your total headcount, hiring foreign staff before your local headcount is high enough can leave you unable to get the pass approved at all.
Who this is for
Any venue planning to employ Work Permit or S Pass holders.
You need a valid SFA F&B licence in place before MOM will issue Work Permits for this sector, and your DRC/quota position needs headroom.
What you’ll hold
- Valid SFA F&B licence (required before Work Permit issuance)
- Approved work pass(es) on file
Watch out for
- Applying before your Food Shop/Stall Licence with SFA is in place — MOM requires a valid SFA F&B licence before it will issue Work Permits for the sector, so this can't run ahead of your food licence.
- Miscounting your DRC — the ratio is based on your total local plus foreign headcount, so hiring foreign staff before your local headcount is built up can push you over the 35% cap (or the 10% S Pass sub-cap) before you're even trading.
- Forgetting the monthly foreign worker levy — it's an ongoing cost on top of wages, not a one-off application fee.
Sources
- MOM — S Pass quota and levy requirements checked 2026-09-08
- MOM — What is the foreign worker levy checked 2026-09-08
See also
This is item 36 of 36 in the free Singapore Launch Checklist. See the whole list →