Nominee Director
in Singapore: Hiring Guide

Finding a nominee director in Singapore to represent your company can be a confusing and high-risk undertaking, and many companies are unsure where to begin. This guide explains the easiest way to appoint a nominee director, which is an essential step in incorporating your company in Singapore. If you’re ready to proceed with our nominee director services, click “Get Started” below.
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What is a Nominee Director?

Are you looking to register your company in Singapore? If so, Singapore law requires that you must have at least one director who is a resident of Singapore to represent your company with the local authorities. This is a regulation of the country's Companies Act. But what if you don't have someone who lives in Singapore and can act as your resident director? The easiest solution is to hire a person to represent your company in Singapore for a nominee director fee.
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Does Your Company Need a Nominee Director?

To summarize, if you’re planning to register a company in Singapore and you’re unable to find someone who resides in the country to become your director, you’ll need a nominee director to successfully incorporate your company.

Why Does Singapore Require a Local Director?

The Singapore government needs someone it can hold responsible in case a company breaks any laws. This helps them prevent foreign owners from absconding from the company and escaping liability if any legal problems arise with the country.

A local director in Singapore undertakes necessary due diligence to make sure that the company complies with all laws. Singapore's Companies Act and its common law impose the same obligations and responsibilities on a nominee director as those imposed on a regular director.

Director vs Nominee Director Responsibilities

Directors and nominee directors in Singapore have the same duties. They are responsible for ensuring that:

The company’s statutory books are maintained correctly

Regulatory filings are done in a timely manner

Accounting records and annual accounts are maintained accurately

Shareholder and director meetings are conducted as per the law

Their fiduciary duty toward the company is honored at all times in all their official actions

Weighing the Risk of Hiring a Nominee Director

Legally there’s no difference between a traditional director and a nominee director. Singapore’s Companies Act states: “The business of a company shall be managed by, or under the direction or supervision of, the directors” and that “The directors may exercise all the powers of a company except any power that [the Companies Act] or the constitution of the company requires the company to exercise in general meeting”.
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Compliant and Easy Nominee Director Services

CorporateServices.com contractually prohibits our nominee director from participating in the management of your company. The nominee director will not come to your office, cannot participate in any policy meetings, and will not engage in any negotiations on the company's behalf. He or she is simply a figurehead director appointed to comply with Singapore’s requirements. This eliminates any operational risk from hiring a nominee director.
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What Risk Does a Nominee Director Take On?

A nominee director undertakes significant risk. If a company breaks a law, the nominee director is accountable to the Singapore authorities. While the nominee director’s powers may be severely curtailed, his or her liability is not. Serious breaches of the law by the company can even result in the prosecution of the nominee director in Singapore.

With that in mind, CorporateServices.com conducts a Know Your Client (KYC) due diligence as part of agreeing to act as nominee director for a company. Additionally, the nominee director must monitor the activities of the company in sufficient detail to ensure the company is not violating any laws.

Hire a Nominee Director in Singapore Now

Ready to get started on your Singapore venture? The easiest way to appoint a nominee director is to work with a trusted incorporation company that will ensure compliance with all legal requirements. When you partner with CorporateServices.com to guide you through the complex registration process, we’ll provide a nominee director to represent your company for both newly incorporated businesses as well as existing ones. The nominee director fee is rolled into the price of our new company setup services. Join the thousands of satisfied companies that have utilized our services.
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Frequently Asked Questions

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