A first Work Permit hire usually needs a security bond, medical insurance and work injury cover, each with its own deadline around the worker's arrival.
Get the order wrong and the worker can be refused entry at immigration, or the permit held up. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sets most of the deadlines below.
Before the worker arrives
- Security bond. Each non-Malaysian worker needs a S$5,000 security bond: a guarantee from a bank or insurer that the government is paid if you or the worker break the permit or bond conditions. The provider sends the details to MOM, which takes up to 3 working days. MOM says a worker who arrives before the bond takes effect will not be allowed in.
- Medical insurance. It must pay at least S$60,000 a year for hospital stays and day surgery, including illness not caused by work. MOM needs the policy details before it issues the permit. Above the first S$15,000 of a claim, the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%, unless you add a rider (an extra plan) that covers your share.
- Work injury compensation (WIC) insurance. MOM requires it for every manual worker, whatever they earn. Add the worker before their first day. A new policy needs to be settled with the insurer at least 21 days before it starts, as MOM asks.
- Primary Care Plan, if it applies. Workers who live in a dormitory built for seven or more workers, or who work in the construction, marine shipyard or process sectors, need this plan for GP care. Buy it from an MOM-appointed operator before the permit is issued.
In the first week: how to see a doctor
The MOM-required policy does not have to cover routine GP visits. Without a Primary Care Plan or outpatient cover you add, those bills are still yours, because MOM's Work Permit conditions make the employer pay for the worker's medical treatment.
Show the worker which clinic to use, how bills get paid and who to call at night.
While they work for you
Keep the permit, bond and insurance dates in step. A permit cannot outlast the bond, and MOM wants updated medical policy details whenever they change and before each permit renewal.
At each WIC renewal, check that the worker is in the headcount you declare. MOM warns that under-declaring employees can affect all your claims.
When the job ends
Cancel the permit within one week of the worker's last day of notice, and pay for the flight home, as the Work Permit conditions require. MOM releases you from the bond only once the permit is cancelled, the worker has gone home and no conditions were broken, usually about a week after they leave.
Then the worker comes off both the medical and WIC policies, with the end date confirmed in writing. If we arranged the cover, we handle this with the insurers for you.
Three common mix-ups
Treating S$5,000 as the price. It is the amount guaranteed. The fee you pay the bank or insurer is separate, as the security bond guide explains.
Charging the worker. MOM bars passing on the cost of the bond or the medical insurance. It does let the worker pay a small share of medical bills, capped at 10% of fixed monthly salary for up to 6 months every 2 years. The contract must say so and the worker must agree.
Assuming one policy does it all. The MOM medical policy, WIC insurance and any company medical plan are separate, each with its own rules. See foreign worker medical insurance and WICA.
Once MOM approves the application, tell us the expected start date and we can help arrange the bond, medical insurance and WIC cover together.
Sources checked 23 October 2026.
