2026 Student's Pass Work Rules in Singapore: The 16-Hour Limit, the School List and the S$20,000 Fine

Holding a Student's Pass in Singapore does not give you the right to work. You can take a part-time job only if your school sits on a list kept by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and only within set limits: 16 hours a week during term, or full-time during vacation. Students at most private schools cannot work at all, and the penalty for getting it wrong is a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years in jail, and a cancelled pass.

This guide covers the rules as MOM published them, checked on 4 October 2026.

Quick facts

• Who this covers: foreign full-time students holding a Student's Pass issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
• Term time: up to 16 hours a week, or an internship that counts toward your graduation. Only students at schools on MOM's term-time list.
• Vacation: no hour limit, for students aged 14 and above at schools on MOM's vacation list.
• Paperwork: none. You do not need to tell MOM before you start work.
• Not allowed: exchange students, and students at schools not on either list, including most private schools.
• Penalty for the student: a fine of up to S$20,000, jail of up to two years, or both, plus loss of the Student's Pass.
• Penalty for the employer: a fine of S$5,000 to S$30,000, jail of up to 12 months, or both.

Before you take a job: a checklist

• Your Student's Pass is valid and issued by ICA.
• You study full-time and are matriculated or registered. Part-time students do not qualify.
• Your school is on the right MOM list (term time or vacation, see below).
• During term, your hours stay at 16 a week or fewer, or the job is an internship that counts toward your diploma or degree.
• You are not an exchange student.
• Keep a record of your weekly hours. If MOM or ICA ever asks, your timesheets are your proof.

Working during the school term

You can work during term without a work pass if you meet all of these:

1. You are a full-time matriculated or registered student at a school on the term-time list.
2. You hold an ICA-issued Student's Pass.
3. The job is either at most 16 hours a week, or an industrial attachment or internship run by your school. The internship can be compulsory or elective, but it must count toward your graduation requirements.

MOM draws one more line. If you take a leave of absence during term to do an extra internship that does not count toward graduation, you need a proper work pass for it.

The term-time list

These are the schools on MOM's term-time list, as published on 4 October 2026:

Working during vacation

You can work during your school holidays without a work pass if you meet all of these:

1. You are a full-time matriculated or registered student at a school on the vacation list.
2. You hold an ICA-issued Student's Pass.
3. You are aged 14 or above.

MOM sets no hour limit for vacation work. The vacation list includes every school on the term-time list, plus secondary schools, junior colleges and a set of international schools:

• Government and government-aided secondary schools and junior colleges, independent schools, specialised independent schools and Millenia Institute
• International schools including Anglo-Chinese School (International), Australian International School, Canadian International School, Chatsworth, Dulwich College, German European School, Hwa Chong International, Hollandse School, International Community School, ISS International School, The Japanese School, Lycée Français, Nexus, Overseas Family School, Saint Joseph's Institution International, Sekolah Indonesia, Singapore American School, Singapore Korean International School, Stamford American, Swiss School, Tanglin Trust, United World College of South East Asia, Waseda Shibuya Senior High School and XCL World Academy

So a 15-year-old on a Student's Pass at a government secondary school can take a holiday job in December. During term, that same student cannot work, because secondary schools are on the vacation list only.

Waiting for results or graduation

If you study at a listed school and are waiting for final exam results or your convocation, you can keep working without a work pass, as long as the wait falls within your vacation.

Once you finish your studies and your Student's Pass expires, the exemption ends. To keep working, you need a work pass, and your employer must apply for it. See our Singapore résumé guide if you are job hunting after graduation.

Who cannot work at all

• Students at schools not on either list. This covers most private education institutions. If your school's name is not on MOM's list, you cannot take any job, paid or unpaid, during term or vacation.
• Exchange students. MOM bars them from working, even if their host school is on the list.
• Students on training attachments. A foreign student coming to Singapore for a training attachment needs a Training Work Permit, a Training Employment Pass, or a place on the Work Holiday Programme. A Student's Pass does not cover it.

Many Filipino students in Singapore study at private schools for diplomas and degrees run with overseas universities. Check your school against MOM's list before you accept any shift, however small. A friend who works part-time may study somewhere you do not.

What happens if you break the rules

MOM calls it an offence for a foreign student to work in Singapore without a valid work pass. Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, a student convicted of working without a valid pass faces:

• a fine of up to S$20,000, jail of up to two years, or both
• cancellation of the Student's Pass and removal from Singapore

The employer faces a fine of S$5,000 to S$30,000, jail of up to 12 months, or both. Repeat offenders face mandatory jail of one to 12 months.

MOM and ICA acted against 73 Student's Pass holders for illegal work between 2016 and 2020, according to a written parliamentary answer in August 2021. MOM said those students came from schools outside the approved list.

What parents should know

If your child studies in Singapore on a Student's Pass, the rules above apply. A teenager at a government secondary school can work only during school holidays. A polytechnic or university student can also work up to 16 hours a week during term.

If your child holds a Dependant's Pass or a Long-Term Visit Pass instead, these Student's Pass rules do not apply. Those passes come with their own work rules, so check with MOM before your child takes a job. Our guides to the Dependant's Pass and AEIS for Filipino families explain the passes in more detail.

FAQs

Can I work part-time on a Student's Pass in Singapore?

Yes, if you study full-time at a school on MOM's list. During term you can work up to 16 hours a week or do an internship that counts toward graduation. During vacation there is no hour limit. Students at schools not on the list cannot work.

Can private school students work in Singapore?

Most cannot. MOM's list covers the autonomous universities, polytechnics, ITE, arts institutions, international schools and a few foreign universities and business schools. If your private school is not named on the list, you cannot work, paid or unpaid, during term or vacation.

Do I need to apply to MOM before I start a part-time job?

No. MOM says you need not notify it before you start work, as long as you meet all the conditions. Keep records of your hours in case you need to show you stayed within the limit.

Can I work full-time during school holidays?

Yes, if your school is on MOM's vacation list and you are aged 14 or above. MOM sets no weekly hour cap for vacation work.

Can I keep working after my final exams?

Yes, while you wait for results or convocation, if the wait falls within your vacation. Once your Student's Pass expires, you need a work pass, and your employer must apply for it.

What is the penalty for breaking the work rules on a Student's Pass?

A fine of up to S$20,000, jail of up to two years, or both. ICA also cancels the Student's Pass. The employer faces a fine of S$5,000 to S$30,000, jail of up to 12 months, or both.