The first three months in Singapore are when families either fall in love with the place or quietly start counting the days back. The difference is rarely the city itself — it is whether the moving family arrived with a realistic blueprint or whether they were sold a postcard. This guide is the blueprint version, written for the family arriving on an Employment Pass, ONE Pass or PEP and bringing a spouse and one or more children.
Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (LBEA), MOM Licence 19C9790, and we work alongside Raffles Corporate Services on end-to-end relocation for incoming professionals and families. What follows is the practical, line-by-line version of what your first 90 days actually look like, with citations to the relevant Singapore government primary sources where they matter.
The pass stack: who gets what
The pass-holder spouse and children do not move on the EP. They move on Dependant’s Passes (DPs) issued by MOM, and the EP holder must meet the minimum sponsorship salary — currently SGD 6,000 per fixed monthly salary as at 26 April 2026 — to sponsor them. Per MOM’s Dependant’s Pass page, eligible dependants are: the legally married spouse, unmarried children under 21 (including legally adopted children), and unmarried handicapped children of any age.
Aged parents, common-law spouses, step-children and unmarried-but-cohabiting partners do not get DPs. Aged parents go on Long-Term Visit Passes (LTVPs); common-law spouses and step-children may also be eligible for LTVPs. The sponsorship salary requirement is higher for LTVP than for DP.
Spouses on a DP cannot work on the strength of the DP alone. They need a separate work pass (an EP, S Pass or Work Permit in their own right) or a Letter of Consent (LOC) tied to a sponsoring employer. We have written about the LOC mechanic in our archive piece on applying for an LOC as a DP holder.
Schools: the calendar shapes everything
Singapore’s school year runs January to November. International schools largely follow the August–June Northern-Hemisphere calendar; local government schools and IB-stream institutions follow the local calendar. This single fact dictates almost every relocation timeline involving children.
Three broad options exist. First, mainstream Ministry of Education schools (per MOE) — open to citizens and PRs as priority, with limited foreign-student admissions subject to the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS) for primary and secondary levels. Second, international schools — United World College, Singapore American School, Tanglin Trust, Stamford American, Dulwich, NPS, GEMS World Academy and so on. Fees range broadly from S$25,000 to S$55,000 per child per year before extras. Third, hybrid models like Hwa Chong International or the IB-stream private institutions, which serve the “local feel, expat practical” segment.
The constraint that surprises most families: international school waitlists. Tanglin, UWC and SAS routinely run multi-year waitlists at popular year groups. If you are arriving in August on the Northern-Hemisphere calendar, your children should ideally be on the waitlist by October of the previous year. For families relocating mid-cycle (April–June), expect to compromise on first-choice school for the first year.
Housing: the 90-day decision you should not rush
The temptation is to lock in a place in week one. The better play is to take a serviced apartment for the first 4–8 weeks, choose the school first, and then choose the home around the school commute.
Foreigners can rent any private property — landed, condominium, apartment — without restriction. Foreigners can also buy private condominium units without restriction, but cannot buy landed property in mainland Singapore without specific approval from the Singapore Land Authority. Foreigners purchasing residential property pay Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 60% on top of standard Buyer’s Stamp Duty — a deliberate cooling measure that has held since April 2023. Per IRAS guidance on ABSD, this is the single largest line item that surprises foreign buyers. Most foreign professionals rent.
HDB rental is open to foreigners with valid passes (EP, S Pass, ONE Pass, DP and certain other passes) but not on every flat type and not in every estate — the Singapore Permanent Resident Quota and Ethnic Integration Policy still apply. HDB publishes the eligibility framework. Most expat families on EP/ONE Pass salaries gravitate to private condominiums in District 9, 10, 11, 15, or the East Coast.
Realistic monthly rent ranges (April 2026): 2-bedroom condo in central districts S$5,500–S$9,000; 3-bedroom in central districts S$8,000–S$15,000+; 3-bedroom in good East/West districts S$5,000–S$8,000; landed property in expat-favoured estates S$10,000–S$25,000+. Diplomatic clauses (allowing early termination if the EP is cancelled) are standard in expat tenancies; insist on one.
Healthcare: the gap that bites
Singapore has world-class healthcare, but most of it is not free for foreigners. Per the Ministry of Health, MediShield Life and the integrated MediSave scheme are for citizens and PRs only. EP, S Pass, DP and most other pass holders need private health insurance — either employer-provided or self-purchased.
The realistic family annual premium for a comprehensive expat plan covering inpatient, outpatient and dental for two adults and two children sits in the range of S$8,000–S$25,000 depending on age and policy depth. Most senior EP and ONE Pass roles include a base medical plan; check whether it is for the employee only (very common) or whether dependants are covered (less common at the joining-grade EP level).
A common gap: the policy covers Singapore but not the home country during home leave. If the family travels back regularly, ensure the policy is multi-country.
Foreign domestic helper: the levy maths
Many EP families employ a foreign domestic worker, more accurately referred to in current MOM language as a Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW). The current standard MDW levy is S$300 per month. Concessions to S$60 per month apply where there is a Singapore citizen child under 16, an aged parent (65+), or a person with a disability in the household; per MOM’s MDW levy page. Total monthly cost (salary, agency placement amortised, levy, food, healthcare insurance and incidentals) typically runs S$1,200–S$1,800.
The household-income test for MDW employment is set realistically against total household cost; consult the MOM FAQ. A first-time employer must complete the Employer Orientation Programme. The MDW must complete the Settling-In Programme on first arrival.
Banking, transport and the small admin
Once your IPA is issued and you have arrived, prioritise: (1) opening a Singapore bank account — DBS, OCBC, UOB and Standard Chartered will all open accounts on the strength of an EP/IPA, passport and proof of address; (2) registering for Singpass, the digital identity that gates almost every government interaction; (3) converting your home-country driving licence within the first 12 months if you intend to drive (driving on a foreign licence beyond 12 months is an offence); and (4) registering with a GP clinic for the family.
Public transport in Singapore is unusually good. Many incoming families decide not to own a car — the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) framework makes car ownership a S$120,000+ proposition before the car itself, and the MRT/bus network plus ride-hailing covers most family logistics. Test this for three months before committing to a car.
The first 90 days, in order
Days 0–14: Arrive on IPA, complete medical and biometrics, get the physical pass, secure serviced apartment, open bank account, register for Singpass, file the children on school waitlists if not already done.
Days 15–45: School visits and decision; long-term home-search around chosen school commute; sign tenancy with diplomatic clause; arrange shipping if not already arranged.
Days 46–90: Move into long-term home; convert driving licence; finalise medical insurance and GP registration; if employing an MDW, complete employer orientation and apply for the MDW Work Permit.
Months 4–12: File personal tax return for the partial year (per IRAS); evaluate PR application timing if the family intends to sink roots; review insurance policy renewal alongside the EP renewal.
Where to go from here
For pass and dependant-pass applications, Singapore Employment Agency / LBEA handles the file from intake to issue. For the corporate side — if your relocation is tied to incorporating a Singapore entity, hiring a local team or setting up a regional headquarters — Raffles Corporate Services handles incorporation, accounting and family relocation logistics; Singapore Secretary Services handles ongoing corporate-secretarial compliance. The pass story sits inside the larger family story; we covered the long game in the 2026 PR pathway guide and the EP fundamentals in the 2026 EP guide.
Authoritative sources: MOM Dependant’s Pass · MOE · MOH · HDB · IRAS.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services