Glossary/Work permit
People
Work permit
Singapore uses Employment Pass, S Pass, and Work Permit, with quotas and levies on the lower passes. Indonesia requires an approved RPTKA plus a work and stay permit; several jobs, including HR, stay closed to foreign nationals. Hungary uses a single permit or EU Blue Card for non-EU hires.
The pass has to match the job and the employer on the ground. In-country employment can hold the local contract while the pass is filed; it does not replace the pass.
How we deliver this: Global mobility.
FAQ
Questions we get
- Can we start the person on a visitor visa while the pass is pending?
- No. Doing the job without the pass is unlawful work. Time the start date to the approval, not to the flight.
Related
Other terms
Expatriate
A person sent to work in a country that is not their home employment market, usually on a work pass and a package that is not a pure local hire.
Global mobility
Moving a person into a country to work: the work pass, the local-plus package, and the moment a local hire should replace the expatriate seat.
In-country employment
A way to hire someone under the labour law, payroll, and social charges of the country where they work, without incorporating a local company first.
Local hire
Someone employed in the country of work as a local, on a local contract and local pay — not as an expatriate on a home-country package.
Reviewed 11 September 2026. Statutory figures follow the country hiring guides. This is a briefing for multinational employers, not legal advice.
Plan an in-country hire