Singapore is ranked as one of the top trade-friendly countries in the world. It is a land of lucrative opportunities for investment. Let’s guide you, step by step, on how to incorporate your own business in Singapore.
Who Can Incorporate a Company in Singapore?
Provided you meet the required criteria, anyone can register a company in Singapore with relative ease. If you are a foreign investor, however, you will need to use a registered Singapore company incorporation service to comply with the Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
An adept company incorporation service advisor will assist in expediting and simplifying the process of establishing a Singapore company, as they are committed to representing your interests in this endeavour. Engaging a reputable Singapore company incorporation agency to manage all the necessary paperwork and legal requirements will result in a more efficient incorporation process. Their expertise in handling Singapore company incorporations ensures accuracy and swiftness, saving you valuable time and effort.
How Can You Incorporate a Company in Singapore as a Foreign Individual
As a foreign entrepreneur, you can choose to incorporate a Singapore company on your own, but you must appoint a local Singapore resident as a director to comply with ACRA. However, after you’ve actually incorporated your business in Singapore, you can own 100% of the company shares while being a foreign director.
You’ll need to provide your chosen Singapore company incorporation service provider with the following:
- Copy of your passport
- Residential proof of overseas address
- Business Profile
Incorporating in Singapore as an Existing Foreign Corporation
For a foreign company to have a presence in Singapore; you can incorporate as a subsidiary, representative office, or bank office.
As for the documents needed to incorporate a new company, you’ll need to provide your Singapore company incorporation service provider with the following:
- A Copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Parent company
- Extract from Registrar of Company or Register of Members and Directors
- Memorandum and Articles of Association/Constitution/By-Laws
What Are the Requirements for Incorporating a Company in Singapore?
Having established who can incorporate a company in Singapore, we will examine the essential elements you must possess to fulfil the prerequisites for Singapore incorporation.
- At Least one Shareholders (Can be individual or corporation)
- At least 1 Resident/Local Director
- At least 1 Company Secretary
- Initial paid-up share capital of at least S$1
- A physical Singapore registered office address
As evident from the information provided, the process is straightforward, and it is this ease of approach that renders Singapore highly appealing for initiating the establishment of a company.
What Are the Steps for Registering a Singapore Company?
We’ve covered how you can incorporate a Singapore company with requirements you need to meet to do so. Let’s get into exactly how to set up your company in Singapore with a simple step-by-step guide.
Having addressed the process of incorporating a Singapore company and the corresponding requirements, let us now delve into a comprehensive, easy-to-follow, and step-by-step guide on precisely how to establish your company in Singapore.
There are only 3 simple steps required to register your business in Singapore:
- Company Name Approval
- Registration Documents
- Company Registration with ACRA
Let’s go into those 3 steps in a bit more detail.
Step 1. Company Name Approval
Your first step to incorporate a Singapore company is to register your company name with the Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. Remember, all of these processes must be handled by a local Singapore company incorporation service provider.
There are just a few rules to follow:
- Your company name cannot be obscene.
- Your company name cannot infringe on existing trademarks.
- Your company name cannot be the same as any existing Singapore business.
- Your company name cannot be reserved by another company.
Assuming you can follow that simple criterion, ACRA can approve your company name in less than an hour. If you have a business that deals in fields that require a licence, for example, law, medicine, or finance, it will take a few weeks to approve the name. Once your company name has been approved, ACRA will hold it for you for 120 days. If you let it lapse, however, it can be released for someone else to use.
Step 2. Registration Document
Once your company name has been approved, you’ll need to prepare registration documents to enable the CSP to incorporate your company online.
Company Registration Documents Required by ACRA:
- Consent to Act form from each director.
- Consent to Act form by the company secretary.
- A Company Constitution (formerly known as Articles of Association). You can create your own constitution or use the official template.
- Identification and proof of residential address for all officers and shareholders of the corporation.
In the interests of anti-money laundering regulations, your company incorporation service provider will also need to do some due diligence on your company, which is called “Know Your Customer” (KYC).
Your chosen Singapore company incorporation service will walk you through each of the registration documents, so it should be a very seamless process. These registration documents should be completed and approved within 1 day.
Step 3. Company Registration with ACRA
Once your company name has been approved and you’ve submitted your registration documents, you’re ready to be registered with the Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. This is done online and takes less than an hour. Sometimes, but not often, it might need to be referred to another government department, which will take a few extra weeks. For the vast majority of new businesses, you’ll be officially able to operate in Singapore within just 1 day!
What to Do After Your Company Has Been Registered in Singapore
If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll be allowed to do business officially in Singapore straight away. There are, however a few extra things you’ll want to do in the following days and weeks:
- Apply for any business licences you might need, e.g. medicine, law, etc.
- Open a corporate bank account.
- Register for Singapore Goods and Services Tax (GST).
- If you’re an importer or exporter, register with Singapore Customs.
- Put your ACRA registration number on all letterheads, invoices and other official collateral.
- Apply for any Singapore work visas needed by you or your foreign team members.
- Make sure you stay in compliance with ACRA.
Most helpfully, your company incorporation service provider can assist you in all of the above, whether it be introducing you to a few bank managers or taking care of your tax compliance.
Singapore Company Incorporation Glossary and FAQ
What is ACRA?
The Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), is Singapore’s government agency that looks after company registration and compliance. Unlike similar departments of other governments around the world, ACRA has very little bureaucracy and red tape, which makes business incorporation much easier. If all goes well, you shouldn’t actually have to interact with them much at all, as your chosen company incorporation service provider will take care of the heavy lifting.
What is a Shareholder Defined as in Singapore?
- Any person or corporate entity can be a shareholder in a company in Singapore. To qualify as a shareholder, they must either subscribe for or purchase the company’s shares.
- Your company will have to have at least one individual or corporate shareholder.
- A shareholder and a director can be the same (or different) person.
- Your company can have anywhere from 100% foreign to 100% local shareholding.
- If you are a Singapore private limited company, you must have a minimum of 1, and a maximum of 50 shareholders.
- Shareholder details are public.
What is a Resident Director Defined as in Singapore?
- To be a Singapore Resident Director, you must be either:
-
- A Singapore citizen
- A Singapore permanent resident
- A person holding a Singapore Employment Pass or EntrePass
Of whom must be residing in Singapore
-
- At least 18 years of age.
- Not be bankrupt or convicted of any crime in the past.
- Singapore Resident Directors can also be shareholders and vice versa.
- Resident Director details are public.
What is a Company Secretary Defined as in Singapore?
- Ensures regulatory compliance with relevant Singapore government agencies.
- A Singapore Resident.
- Must be appointed within 6 months of incorporation.
- Your company incorporation service provider can help you recruit your Company Secretary or can provide you with the service.
What is Share Capital/Paid-up Capital defined as in Singapore?
- The minimum paid-up capital to register as a company in Singapore is S$1 or equivalent.
- “Bearer” shares are not allowed.
- You can increase your paid-up capital at any time after your company is incorporated in Singapore.
What is the Corporate Tax Rate in Singapore?
- The Singapore corporate tax rate from 0 to 17%.
- A new company will be exempted for tax on S$200,000 of the first S$300,000 in chargeable income.
- There are no dividend or capital gains taxes in Singapore.
- All goods and services in Singapore are subject to a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 9% from 1st January 2024.
How Much Does it Cost to Incorporate a Foreign Company in Singapore?
The cost of incorporating a foreign company varies based on the quality of the incorporation service provider and the level of support you need.
We have an online Incorporation wizard that can tailor a package for your needs.
Conclusion
As you no doubt picked up, it’s a very simple process to incorporate a company in Singapore, especially when you have the help of an excellent company incorporation service provider. We’ve made an effort in this article to give you as much free information as possible, but if you have any questions about incorporating your company in Singapore, just contact us.
Incorporate your company in Singapore
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