MOM Document Translation Singapore
Singapore saw a 96% increase in foreign job applicants over the past three years. Every one of them submitting a degree from a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, or Malaysian university needs a certified English translation before MOM will assess their qualifications. That translation is not a formality — under the COMPASS framework introduced in September 2023, academic credentials are a scored component of EP eligibility.
MOM requires certified translation. It does not require notarised translation. This misconception costs applicants money and time.
The single most common — and most expensive — mistake in MOM document preparation: applicants and employers who have been told they need "notarised translation" for MOM and proceed to pay for notarisation and SAL authentication. MOM does not require it. Academic degrees, employment contracts, transcripts, payslips, and family documents submitted to MOM for work pass applications need a certified translation — a translation with a qualified translator's signed accuracy statement. No Notary Public. No SAL Coleman Street visit. No S$75 notarisation fee. No S$87.20 SAL Apostille.
Notarised translation is required by ICA for PR applications and by Singapore courts. It is not required by MOM. If you are applying for an EP, S Pass, or Dependent Pass — certified translation is what you need.
COMPASS changed everything for EP document preparation. Academic qualifications are now a scored component — not just a supporting document.
Which documents need certified translation — by MOM pass type
The documents required — and the translation standards that apply — vary by pass type. The EP is the most document-intensive. S Pass is simpler. Work Permit has minimal translation requirements. Dependent Pass document translation is driven by the personal relationship documents, not employment documents.
Employment Pass (EP)
Min. S$5,600/month · COMPASS scored
S Pass
Min. S$3,150/month · Quota-based
Dependent's Pass (DP)
Tied to EP/S Pass/PR holder
MOM's exact instruction: "For non-English documents, you must upload the original document and an English translation. The translation can be done by a translation service provider." — MOM Documents Required for Work Pass Applications. No mention of notarisation. No mention of SAL. Certified translation is the requirement.
Translating an academic degree for COMPASS is not just about converting the text. It is about correctly rendering what the qualification means.
Under COMPASS, MOM's qualifications criterion assesses whether the EP applicant holds a degree from a "good-quality" institution. A translation that renders the degree correctly — institution name, degree title, and grading system — gives MOM's system what it needs to make that assessment. A translation that gets any of these wrong — common with non-specialist translators — creates an ambiguity that MOM officers must then investigate, slowing the application.
Chinese University Degrees
Chinese universities use a 100-point grading scale, with institutional variations in what constitutes a passing grade. "优秀" (yōuxiù / excellent), "良好" (liánghǎo / good), "中等" (zhōngděng / average), "及格" (jígé / pass), "不及格" (bùjígé / fail). The translation must contextualise this scale — not just render the characters — so MOM assessors understand the academic standing.
Chinese university names require particular care. "中国人民大学" is correctly rendered as "Renmin University of China" — not "Chinese People's University" or any other literal variant. The official English name used by the institution itself is the correct rendering.
Japanese University Degrees
Japanese academic transcripts use a grading system of 優 (yū / excellent, typically 80–100), 良 (ryō / good, typically 70–79), 可 (ka / pass, typically 60–69), 不可 (fuka / fail, below 60). A direct character translation — "優 = excellent" — without contextualising the scale relative to international standards is technically correct but potentially incomplete for COMPASS assessment.
Japanese university names also need careful rendering. "早稲田大学" is "Waseda University" — the official institutional English name used in MOM's approved institution list. Rendering it as "Waseda Daigaku" or any phonetic variant creates a mismatch with MOM's records.
Korean University Degrees
Korean academic transcripts use a 4.5-point GPA scale (A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, F) — similar to the US system. The challenge is that different Korean universities use slightly different scales. A 졸업증명서 (degree certificate) and 성적증명서 (transcript) are both typically required.
Korea topped SIAC's foreign user list in 2024, meaning Korean professionals are a significant and growing EP applicant segment in Singapore. Korean university name translations must match the institution's official English name — "서울대학교" is "Seoul National University", not "Seoul University."
Malaysian SPM / Diploma Credentials
Malaysian qualifications — SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), STPM (Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia), and diploma certificates from Malaysian public and private institutions — are frequently submitted to MOM for S Pass applications by Malaysian professionals. Even though these certificates may contain both Malay and English text, MOM still requires a certified English translation of the Malay portions.
The SPM grading system (A+, A, A-, B+, B, C+, C, D, E, G, F) must be accurately contextualised for MOM assessors unfamiliar with the Malaysian secondary education system.
Managing document translation for your foreign hires — what employers need to know
Employers submit the EP application — they also own the document preparation risk
In Singapore, the Employment Pass application is filed by the employer (or their appointed employment agent) through MOM's EP Online (EPOL) system. The employer uploads the supporting documents — including any required translations. If a translation is missing, incomplete, or not clearly certified, MOM returns the application to the employer for resubmission. The processing time restarts.
For HR teams managing multiple EP or S Pass applications simultaneously — particularly companies in banking, technology, engineering, or manufacturing with significant foreign headcount — a reliable translation partner is a compliance asset, not a discretionary service. We offer priority accounts for employers with recurring translation volume across Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malay, and Indonesian employee documents.
Fast turnaround for urgent hires
New joiners with a start date already set need their documents translated before MOM issues the EP. Academic degrees and transcripts for most nationalities are delivered same-day within 4 to 8 hours. We accommodate urgent requests — email us the documents and your MOM deadline.
Recurring translation for large teams
Companies hiring from China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia on an ongoing basis benefit from a standing translation arrangement — consistent formatting, consistent terminology, and predictable turnaround without re-briefing each time. We set up priority accounts for employers with volume.
COMPASS qualification assessment support
We ensure degree translations include everything COMPASS requires — institution name (matching MOM's approved list exactly), degree title, grading system contextualisation, and the certification statement. Our translations are designed to facilitate MOM's qualification criterion assessment, not just satisfy a translation checkbox.
How fast can you get your MOM documents translated?
Same day · 4–8 hours
Single degree certificate, academic transcript, employment contract, marriage certificate, birth certificate, or professional qualification. Send by 11am SGT for same-day delivery.
1 business day
Multiple documents in one submission (e.g. degree + transcript + employment letter). Diploma supplement packages. Documents requiring additional grading system contextualisation notes.
Quoted per project
Bulk HR submissions for onboarding cohorts. 10+ employee applications simultaneously. Ongoing monthly translation agreements for high-volume EP employers with recurring non-English document volumes.
MOM document translation Singapore — frequently asked questions
Related translation services
ICA Certified Translation
PR, Dependent Pass, LTVP. The three-step chain — translation, notarisation, SAL — that ICA (not MOM) requires for personal documents.
Explore →Chinese Documents
Degree certificates, Hukou, birth certs, marriage certs. The specific formats and challenges of translating Chinese official documents for Singapore.
Explore →Japanese Documents
卒業証書, 成績証明書, Koseki. Japanese university degrees and all personal documents for MOM, ICA, and LTA.
Explore →Malay & Indonesian Documents
SPM, Ijazah, Akta Kelahiran, Sijil Perkahwinan. Malaysian and Indonesian documents for MOM and ICA.
Explore →Need documents translated for a MOM work pass application?
Email your document, the pass type, and your MOM submission deadline. We confirm what is required and your same-day or next-day turnaround. Certified translation — exactly what MOM needs, nothing more.
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