Visiting Your Singapore Company From Overseas: When Do You Need a Work Pass?

In short: Overseas executives can attend company meetings, meet business partners and join conferences in Singapore as participants without a work pass or MOM notification, provided there is no contract of service with a Singapore employer. Certain short-term activities, such as speaking or training, fall under MOM’s Work Pass Exempt Activities: you must notify MOM after arrival and before starting, subject to MOM’s conditions and the 90-day cap in a calendar year. Other work needs a pass, such as an Employment Pass. This is a different question from whether an overseas director needs a pass just to be on the board.

Last reviewed: November 2026

What can visitors do without notifying MOM?

MOM’s page on eligible activities for a work pass exemption is the current list. In outline, visitors do not need to notify MOM to:

• attend company meetings, corporate retreats or meetings with business partners;
• attend study tours, training courses, workshops, seminars and conferences as a participant;
• attend exhibitions as a trade visitor.

These activities must not involve a contract of service or a contract for service with an employer in Singapore. How long you may stay is still limited by the Short-Term Visit Pass given at entry. Always check MOM’s current list; do not treat this summary as complete.

What are Work Pass Exempt Activities?

Some short-term activities can be done without a work pass if you notify MOM after you arrive and before you start, and you stay within MOM’s conditions (including a 90-day cap in a calendar year). Examples include speaking or training at a course or workshop, and exhibiting at an exhibition during official hours. The official list is longer and can change. Use MOM’s page above rather than a copied checklist.

When do you need an Employment Pass instead?

If you will work for a Singapore employer, run day-to-day operations here, or do work that is not on MOM’s visitor or exempt-activity lists, you generally need a work pass. Being registered as a director of a Singapore company while you live overseas is a different question; see Overseas Director of a Singapore Company: Do You Need an Employment Pass?.

How can Paul Hype Page help?

If your visit is turning into work in Singapore, we can help you review Employment Pass eligibility. We offer a free EP eligibility check. See our Employment Pass service or contact us.