Singapore Maid Work Permit Renewal: Steps, Fee, and Deadlines

Direct answer: MOM sends a renewal letter about 8 weeks before your migrant domestic worker's Work Permit expires, and you renew online through the FDW eService after it arrives. Renewal costs S$35, but you must first have a new security bond and medical and personal accident insurance in place, and upload a medical examination form if the letter asks for one. The renewal is approved immediately, and the new permit usually runs up to 2 years. These details were checked on the MOM renewal page, last updated 1 January 2026.

Most Singapore employers of a domestic helper renew the Work Permit more than once, and the process is short when the paperwork is ready. It becomes stressful when the letter arrives late, the bank needs three working days to file the bond, or a medical form is missing. This guide lays out the order of work, the dates that matter, and the costs that sit around the S$35 fee.

It covers the renewal notice, eligibility checks, the online steps, what must be in place before you submit, the new contract and salary conversation, a note for Filipino helpers, and what happens if you miss the expiry date. MOM is the authority on every step for a foreign domestic worker, so follow your own renewal letter if it differs from anything here.

When does MOM send the renewal notice?

MOM says on its renewal page that you should receive the renewal letter about 8 weeks before the Work Permit expires. A February 2026 written answer from MOM to Parliament describes the same timing as about two months before expiry. You cannot renew until the letter arrives, so the letter date sets your deadline.

If you did not get the letter, you can print a copy from MOM's website. Do not wait for the post to catch up. Check the expiry date on your helper's Temporary Work Permit or in the FDW eService, count back 8 weeks, and look for the letter then.

Page 2 of the letter matters. MOM says to check there whether your helper needs a medical examination and what the next steps are. That page also decides whether you will upload a signed medical form with your application.

You can request early renewal if you need it before the letter comes. MOM's FAQ says you can renew after you receive the letter about 8 weeks before expiry, and that you can submit a request if you need to renew earlier. Use that route if your helper is about to travel or your own plans change.

Who can renew, and what does MOM check?

The employer, a sponsor, or an authorised employment agency can renew the permit. An agency must first get your authorisation in the FDW eService before it can act for you. If an agency renews for you, MOM says you should complete the Renewal Declaration Form, which you sign and the agency uploads.

MOM does not renew automatically. In a written parliamentary answer, MOM said it looks at factors such as your ability to hire, maintain and upkeep the helper, and the helper's age. Four checks come up most often.

• Age. There is no maximum number of years a helper can work for the same employer, but the maximum age is generally 60. MOM says a renewed permit ends on the day the helper turns 60, so a helper close to that age gets a shorter renewal.
• Passport. The passport is no longer tied to the Work Permit duration. You can renew even if her passport has expired or has less than 2 years left. You upload a scan of the personal particulars page, including any amendments, and MOM must hold her latest passport record.
• Levy. You must keep the monthly levy paid. MOM's levy page says the helper's Work Permit is revoked the following month if you miss levy payments for two consecutive months. Clear any arrears before the renewal letter is due.
• Insurance and bond. You need a security bond for a non-Malaysian helper and the required insurance, covered in the next sections.

If MOM refuses renewal, the non-renewal letter states the reason. You can appeal, but MOM warns that an appeal is unlikely to succeed unless you provide new information. For an unsuccessful renewal you can consider part-time household help instead.

What must be in place before you submit?

Buy the insurance and security bond first. MOM's own advice is that the bank or insurer takes up to three working days to send the details to MOM, and you can submit the renewal only after that.

Security bond

A non-Malaysian helper needs a new S$5,000 security bond for renewal. You can buy it at any bank or insurance company, and you cannot ask the helper to pay for it. MOM says the effective date can be post-dated up to 1 day after the existing permit expires, so the new bond can start the day after the old one ends.

The bond can be forfeited if conditions are breached, so read the MOM security bond page before you sign.

Medical and personal accident insurance

Extend your helper's existing policies or buy new ones. You can buy them from the same bank or insurer as the bond, which saves a step. MOM's current minimums are an annual medical claim limit of at least S$60,000 and a personal accident sum assured of at least S$60,000. The compensation must be payable to the helper or her beneficiaries.

The insurance term also sets the length of your renewal. MOM says the permit is usually valid for 2 years, but if the insurance package has less than 26 months of validity, the permit ends 2 months before the insurance expires. A policy that is too short therefore cuts your permit short. Our guide to maid insurance requirements explains what each policy must cover.

Six-monthly medical examination

Renewal does not replace the six-monthly medical examination. MOM's six-monthly medical examination page requires you to send your helper for medical screening every 6 months, and a Singapore-registered doctor must certify the results. You pay for the examination and any medical expenses arising from it.

What the tests cover depends on timing. MOM's 6ME letters state the tests for each round, and the page lists pregnancy and VDRL every 6 months, HIV every 2 years, and TB once, when she has stayed 2 years in Singapore. The doctor also checks body mass index and visible signs of abuse. Clinics submit all results to MOM, and you can check in the FDW eService whether the clinic has done so.

Employers or their representatives should not be present during the examination. If your helper's travel overlaps with a due examination, MOM's guidance is to submit a request to postpone it until after she returns.

Measles immunity

Since 1 September 2025, under MOM's measles immunity requirement, a household with a child under 7 who is not fully vaccinated against measles must make sure the helper has measles immunity. At renewal you declare one of three things: the helper is already vaccinated or immune, all children under 7 in the household are fully vaccinated, or a vaccination appointment is booked for her. MOM says the employer pays for any vaccination or blood test needed to meet the requirement.

Home leave and rest days

Neither is a renewal condition, but both belong in the same planning. If your helper plans to travel just before the expiry date, MOM says to renew the permit before she leaves Singapore. Rest days must also be in order. MOM's rest day rules say a helper is entitled to one rest day per week, and at least one rest day per month cannot be compensated away. Update the number of rest days in the FDW eService after you agree them with her.

How to renew online, step by step

Once the letter has arrived and the bond and insurance are filed, the online steps take little time. MOM says the outcome is immediate.

1. Check the letter. Read page 2 for the medical examination instruction and note any other instructions specific to your case.
2. Buy or extend the bond and insurance. Wait for the bank or insurer to confirm. Allow up to three working days.
3. Book the medical examination if the letter requires one. Have a Singapore-registered doctor sign the form.
4. Scan the passport particulars page. Include any amendments.
5. Log in and submit. Use the eService for work permit transactions for domestic helpers and confinement nannies. Upload the documents and answer the declarations, including the measles declaration where it applies.
6. Pay S$35. MOM accepts Visa, Mastercard, and PayNow.
7. Print and check the Temporary Work Permit. It states whether your helper keeps her existing card or gets a new one.

If the Temporary Work Permit says a new card will be issued, MOM asks for a delivery address and the names and mobile numbers of up to three people authorised to sign for it. When the new card arrives, MOM says the old card must be cut in half and discarded. If it says to keep the existing card, the helper keeps it, and returning it without need costs S$65.40 including GST to replace. New cards no longer show the employer's name and address.

Ask your helper to set up the SGWorkPass app with a Singpass account. She can see her digital work pass and employment details there.

What does renewal cost?

The S$35 fee is small. The rest of the cost is what you already pay to employ her, plus what you buy for the new term.

The levy continues across the renewal at your current rate, so renewal does not change it. Our guide to Singapore maid levy rates and the concession explains how the S$60 rate works and what to do when it does not appear on the bill. For the full monthly budget, read the Singapore domestic helper cost guide.

New contract and salary review at renewal

MOM does not set a renewal salary. You pay the salary you declared to MOM, as set out in MOM's salary guidelines, every month, no later than 7 days after the end of the salary period, and the salary period cannot exceed one month. Renewal is a sensible time to reset it.

Sit down with your helper before you submit. MOM encourages employers to cover these items in the employment contract, agreed with the helper:

• salary
• placement loan, if any
• number of rest days per month
• compensation in lieu of a rest day
• notice period
• compensation in lieu of termination notice

Bring up the duties, rest day arrangement, and leave. If she works on a rest day, MOM says you must pay at least one day's salary on top of her basic salary. For home leave, MOM's guidance says paid or unpaid leave depends on the terms of the contract, and it notes that a common employer practice is 14 days of paid overseas leave for every two years worked. That is a practice, not a rule. Write down the days, who pays for the ticket, and whether unused leave is paid out.

You do not need to sign a new safety agreement when you renew an existing helper. MOM requires that agreement only for a new helper. Keep the signed old contract, the new one, and your salary records together.

If your helper is on home leave, the levy continues unless you apply for a waiver. MOM allows a waiver for overseas leave of at least 7 consecutive days, capped at 60 calendar days. Keep her ticket as proof.

A note for Filipino helpers

Many Singapore helpers are Filipino, so employers often ask what the helper must do on the Philippine side. The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) Singapore is the Philippine government office that handles this. It says contract verification is not required for each contract renewal. Verification applies when:

1. the worker is not yet registered with the Department of Migrant Workers
2. she changed employers while abroad
3. she changed job sites across countries
4. she changed positions

If you are renewing with the same employer and her last Department of Migrant Workers record already shows the updated employment details, MWO Singapore says she can request an OEC exemption. For a fixed-term contract that has expired, she must execute a new contract and carry both the new and the verified contract to show at immigration when required. For an open-ended contract, she can show her ID or Work Permit bearing the same employment details that appear on her OEC.

This is the Philippine side only. It is the helper's own process, and MWO Singapore decides case by case. Ask her to check the MWO Singapore advisory before she books a trip home. If you plan to move her to a new employer instead, say through a transfer maid arrangement, read our agency and transfer comparison, because a new employer does trigger verification of the new contract.

What if you miss the expiry date?

Do not let the permit lapse. MOM says that if you renew late you are still liable for levy after the permit expires, and levy penalties or an overstaying fine, where they apply, may be imposed. MOM's appeal page says the overstaying fine can be up to S$500 if the helper has no valid pass to remain in Singapore.

You have three options when time is short.

• Request a short extension. MOM's short extension page allows a 4-week extension if you need more time before renewing, for example to buy the bond or insurance. Request it in the FDW eService within 2 months before the permit expires.
• Cancel if you will not keep her. If you will not continue the employment, cancel the permit before the extended expiry date. MOM warns that your security bond may otherwise be forfeited.
• Appeal a refusal. If MOM says she is not eligible, check the non-renewal letter and appeal early. MOM says processing takes about 3 weeks and gives no priority to a helper whose permit is expiring or has expired.

A permit that is revoked because of two missed levy payments is a different problem. Check MOM's eServices for the reinstatement route, which requires paying the outstanding levy, and expect to owe levy for the period the permit was revoked.

Renewal timeline

Use this table to plan back from the expiry date. The weeks are MOM's figures; the middle rows are your own targets.

Renewal checklist

• The expiry date is in your calendar, and you know when the letter is due.
• You read page 2 of the letter for any medical form.
• A new security bond is filed for a non-Malaysian helper, with the start date after the current one ends.
• Medical insurance and personal accident insurance are extended or bought, each at least S$60,000.
• The insurance runs at least 26 months, so the permit gets the full 2 years.
• The six-monthly medical examination is up to date, and results show in the FDW eService.
• The measles declaration is answered if a child under 7 lives in the household.
• The passport scan is ready, and the passport is valid for any trip home.
• The monthly levy is paid, and no two months are overdue.
• The rest day arrangement is updated in the FDW eService.
• The employment contract is reviewed with your helper and signed again with the new salary.
• A Temporary Work Permit is printed, and any new card has arrived.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does MOM send the maid work permit renewal notice?

MOM says you should receive the renewal letter about 8 weeks before the Work Permit expires. You can renew online only after the letter arrives. If it does not come, you can print a copy from the MOM website.

How much does it cost to renew a maid work permit in Singapore?

MOM charges S$35 per renewal, payable by Visa, Mastercard, or PayNow. That is only the government fee. You also pay for a new security bond, medical and personal accident insurance, any required medical examination, and the monthly levy.

Can I renew my maid work permit if her passport is expiring?

Yes. MOM no longer ties the Work Permit duration to passport validity, so you can renew even if the passport has expired or has less than 2 years left. Upload a copy of the passport particulars page, and renew the passport before she travels.

What happens if I renew the maid work permit late?

You stay liable for levy after the permit expires, and levy penalties or an overstaying fine may apply. If you cannot finish in time, request a 4-week extension in the FDW eService within 2 months before the permit expires.

Do I need a new contract when I renew my helper?

MOM does not require a new safety agreement when you renew an existing helper. A fresh employment contract is still wise, because it records the new salary, rest days, leave, and notice period. For a Filipino helper, the MWO Singapore notes that contract verification is not needed for each renewal with the same employer.

A practical next step for Singapore families

Check your helper's expiry date today and count back 8 weeks. If the letter has not come by then, print it from MOM, then order the bond and insurance the same day so the three working days do not eat your deadline. Talk to your helper about salary, rest days, and home leave before you submit, not after.

If you are not renewing and need a new helper, create a family account and browse profiles on the Singapore market page. Helpers is a marketplace, not an employment agency or insurer, so the renewal itself stays with you or your licensed agency and MOM. For more employer checklists, see the family hiring guides.