Transfer an MDW in Singapore: choose the correct route first

Start with the helper's current situation

Use transfer orientation when the intended helper is already employed in Singapore. If the household still needs matching or a shortlist, use placement. If the household has identified a helper overseas or one who is not currently employed here, use direct-hire orientation instead.

Placement, direct hire and transfer are route choices within the wider MDW Work Permit journey. They are not presented here as three different MOM pass types.

Direct transfer versus EA-assisted transfer

For a direct transfer, MOM assigns steps to the current employer and the new employer. The current employer approves the new employer's transfer request through MOM's FDW eService, while the new employer follows the application and Work Permit issuance sequence. The helper and new employer sign the declaration at the stage MOM specifies.

For an EA-assisted transfer, MOM says an EA can take over responsibility for the helper while finding a new employer only if the EA agrees. MOM tells the current employer to check that the helper is agreeable to another-employer transfer, and requires the EA to obtain the current employer's authorisation to cancel and the new employer's authorisation to apply before performing those transactions.

These are different operating pathways under MOM guidance, not different Work Permit categories. This guide does not turn the separate facts above into a general three-party legal-consent rule.

Direct transfer, EA-assisted transfer or cancellation

Choose direct-transfer orientation when the intended new employer and current employer are prepared to follow MOM's direct sequence. Choose EA-assisted orientation only when an EA is being asked to take over the responsibilities described by MOM and the EA agrees to do so.

If a transfer is not proceeding, cancellation is a different path. Continue to the current employer-responsibilities guide and the live MOM cancellation page. This P1-04 guide does not reproduce cancellation timing, Special Pass, repatriation, security-bond discharge or post-cancellation steps; that lifecycle remains reserved for P1-08.

Agency assistance is not agency verification

EA-assisted transfer describes a role in a transfer pathway. Verifying an employment agency is a separate user job. Use the MOM EA Directory and the dedicated agency-verification guide for that check.

A directory entry or licence-related result does not prove that an EA will accept a case, is transaction-ready, has a helper available, offers a particular price or quality, or will achieve a transfer outcome. Directory results are dynamic and must be checked again when action or release is considered.

Keep first-time employer preparation separate

A prospective employer who is hiring an MDW for the first time should use the first-time employer and EOP guide for that prerequisite. This transfer guide does not duplicate EOP, employer-eligibility or application depth.

MOM remains the authority for the consent workflow, employer and helper eligibility, applications, Work Permit status and outcomes. General orientation cannot decide a case.

Keep first contact document-light

For a first route discussion, state only whether the intended helper is already employed in Singapore, whether the household is exploring direct or EA-assisted transfer, whether the current and prospective parties have discussed the proposed route, and whether the situation instead needs placement, direct hire, first-time/EOP or cancellation guidance.

Do not send a passport, FIN, Work Permit, IPA, medical, salary, payment or cancellation record through a public first-contact surface. Detailed document review belongs in an approved protected handoff, which this guide does not activate.

Source-led answers

Frequently asked questions