Businesses are advised to ensure that their EP and S-Pass holder employees who have new-borns register the birth of their baby with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) within 14 calendar days of the infant's arrival. Upon completion of the birth registration, your employee will receive the baby’s digital birth certificate and an ICA advisory note via email. This note serves to inform that a Special Pass has been granted to allow the new-born baby to stay in Singapore for 42 days (i.e., 6 weeks) from the date of birth.
During this time, your employee will need to:
- Get a passport for the baby from the relevant embassy or high commission.
- Apply for and get an appropriate immigration pass for the baby to legally stay in Singapore beyond 42 days.
If your employee is an eligible EP or S-Pass holder, they may apply a Dependant Pass (DP) for the baby. While DP applications generally require 3 weeks to be processed at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), this may be expedited in the case of a new-born baby.
In the event the baby’s passport is not ready, the employee will need to upload a copy of the proof of passport application, such as a confirmation letter from the embassy. If the DP application is successful, his or her passport has to be ready before the pass can be issued.
If the ICA Advisory Note is due to expire within 7 days and the baby’s passport is not yet available, your employee can request an extension of the Special Pass at ICA, with the presence of the baby being mandatory.
If the DP is not being applied for, your employee will need to visit the ICA Visitor Services Centre at the ICA Building (Level 4), along with the child, to extend the baby’s Special Pass or apply for a visit pass. Failure to do so may cause the baby to have to leave Singapore before the expiry of the ICA Advisory Note.
Any unauthorised stays beyond 42 days from the child’s date of birth is an offence under the Immigration Act.
For further information, contact our specialists:
Liew Jia Yi
T: +65 6594 7177
LiewJiaYi@RSMSingapore.sg
Josephine Loh
T: +65 6594 7180
JosephineLohYY@RSMSingapore.sg