When your domestic helper’s Work Permit is due to expire in Singapore, you generally have three routes: Renewal, Transfer, or Repatriation. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) usually sends out a renewal notice about 8 weeks before the permit expires. Once that letter arrives, sit down with your helper right away to discuss next steps—leaving the paperwork to the final week almost always causes headaches.
Below is a breakdown of the timelines, practical steps, and common pitfalls to help you manage the transition without unnecessary stress.
1. Countdown Timeline Before Expiry
- 8 Weeks Before Expiry: You will typically receive MOM's renewal notice around this time. Talk to your helper as soon as possible to decide whether she will stay, transfer to another household, or return home. Sort out terms on pay, home leave, and transition logistics.
- 4 Weeks Before Expiry (or earlier):
- Renewing: Buy the renewed medical insurance, personal accident insurance, and the S$5,000 Security Bond. Arrange her medical check-up if the renewal letter specifically requires it. (Note: A 6-monthly medical examination [6ME] is not always mandatory for renewal).
- Transferring: Have the prospective employer submit a transfer application through MOM's FDW eService, then log in to give your consent online. For direct transfers without an agency, start this process at least 30 days before the permit expires.
- Repatriating: Book her flight home, settle any outstanding salary payments, and check that her passport and travel itinerary are in order.
- Approaching the Final Working Day / Departure:
- Renewal: You can complete the renewal online as soon as the notice arrives—there is no need to wait until the last few days.
- Repatriation: Cancel her Work Permit within 7 days after her final day of work. If she is still in Singapore when you cancel it, MOM will issue a Special Pass; she must leave Singapore before that pass runs out (typically within 2 weeks of cancellation).
- Once she departs and immigration records update, MOM usually discharges your Security Bond liability automatically within about a week.
2. Practical Steps for the Three Options
Option A: Renewing Your Helper
If both of you want to continue the employment, you can renew the permit yourself through MOM’s FDW eService. The renewal fee is currently S$35.
Make sure you have these sorted before submitting the application online:
- Renewed medical and personal accident insurance;
- A S$5,000 Security Bond (Malaysian helpers are exempt);
- Completed medical examination results, but only if explicitly requested in the renewal notice.
Always check the specific instructions on MOM’s renewal notice—a full 6ME is not required every time you renew.
Once approved, the system generates a Temporary Work Permit notice showing whether a new physical card needs to be issued.
Is a 14- or 15-day "Home Leave" legally required upon renewal?
No. This is a widespread misconception.
MOM does not mandate 15 days of paid home leave. How many days off she receives, whether that leave is paid, and who covers the return flight tickets depend entirely on your agreed employment contract or mutual discussions.
Keep in mind that for Filipino or Indonesian helpers visiting home, their home embassies may require specific contract verification or exit clearances. Remind your helper to check these requirements with her embassy or an accredited agency well in advance so she does not run into travel delays on her return trip.
Option B: Transferring to a New Employer
If you do not plan to renew the contract but your helper wants to keep working in Singapore, you can let her transfer to a new household.
Direct transfers require tight coordination. You must first log in to MOM's portal and submit your consent. Once the new employer’s Work Permit application is approved, both employers can settle on an official handover date.
Important: You remain legally responsible for your helper—including food, housing, medical costs, and the monthly foreign domestic worker levy—until the new employer formally issues her new Work Permit.
The new Work Permit must be issued by whichever comes first:
- 21 days from the date the application is approved; or
- The expiry date of her current Work Permit.
Do not wait until the final week of her permit to start looking for a new employer.
If you hand her over to an Employment Agency (EA), make sure your contract states in writing whether the agency takes over full responsibility for her lodging, meals, medical needs, and repatriation costs if she cannot be placed. Never rely on verbal assurances.
Option C: Repatriation
If you are neither renewing nor transferring, you must send her back to her home country in accordance with MOM rules.
Before she leaves:
- Settle all outstanding wages in full and get a signed payment acknowledgment from her;
- Make sure her passport is valid for travel;
- Buy a direct or connecting flight ticket home that includes check-in baggage allowance;
- Cover reasonable overland travel costs from the arrival airport to her hometown.
After her last working day, log in to MOM’s portal to cancel her Work Permit within 7 days.
If she is still in Singapore at cancellation, the system will grant a Special Pass. You must arrange her departure within 2 weeks and make sure she exits Singapore before the pass expires.
Once the permit is cancelled, she cannot legally do any domestic work in your household.
3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: When do I get the S$5,000 Security Bond back?
Employers rarely pay S$5,000 in cash upfront; it is almost always backed by an insurer's Letter of Guarantee. Once your helper exits Singapore and MOM verifies her departure, the bond liability is discharged automatically within roughly 1 week. Any refund on unused insurance premiums depends on your insurer's cancellation policy.
Q2: My helper wants a transfer, but we cannot find an employer in time. Can I send her home?
Yes. You cannot keep her in Singapore indefinitely on an expired pass. If the transfer paperwork cannot be completed before her Work Permit runs out, you must send her home to prevent overstaying penalties and legal issues.
Managing your helper's contract expiry comes down to staying ahead of deadlines: decide 2 months early, start transfers promptly, buy your insurance before applying for renewal, and follow the cancellation and flight rules if she is going home. Most problems come down to delayed transfer paperwork, lapsed insurance policies, or misunderstandings about home leave.