Singapore Company Registration
in 5 Easy Steps Online

Incorporating a company in Singapore is fast, easy, and free from unnecessary red-tape. In this guide, we walk you through all the steps to register a new Singapore company. If you are ready to incorporate now, click the Get Started button.

The steps to register a company in Singapore are:

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Step 1

    Understand Singapore's Company Registration Requirements

    The requirements for registering a company in Singapore are simple and straightforward. They are:

    Shareholders

    At least 1 shareholder

    You must have at least one shareholder to register a Singapore company. The shareholder can be an individual or another company. Of course, you can have more than one such shareholder as well. The maximum number of shareholders for a Singapore private limited company is 50. Note that 100% foreign shareholding is allowed i.e. all shareholders can be foreigners.

    Capital

    Capital of at least SGD 1

    You can set up your Singapore company with a capital of just 1 Singapore dollar. Later, if required, you can increase the capital by injecting additional funds and notifying the company registrar.

    Directors

    At least one director who resides in Singapore

    Singapore-resident and foreign-resident persons can be directors of a Singapore company as long as there is at least one Singapore-resident director. Corporate directors are not permitted in other words a company cannot be a director; it must be a person. If you don’t have a Singapore-resident person to act as the director, you can use our nominee director service to satisfy this requirement. To learn more, see local director options for foreign-owned companies.

    Company Secretary

    Company Secretary who resides in Singapore

    A Singapore company must appoint a company secretary who resides in Singapore. A company secretary is responsible for ensuring the company complies with its regulatory obligations and filings. When you incorporate your company through us, we will appoint a company secretary for your company.

    Address

    A registered address in Singapore

    The company must have a registered address in Singapore; all statutory documents of the company must be kept at this address. The address cannot be a PO box. When you register your company through us, we will appoint our address as your company’s registered address.

    Step 2

    Decide corporate structure and collect supporting documents

    The next step to register a company in Singapore is to decide its corporate structure. Here are a few of the main questions you should consider:

    • Who will be the shareholders of the company and what percentage of shares will each shareholder own? If you are opening a subsidiary company in Singapore, the sole shareholder will be your existing local or foreign company. If you are starting a new venture, you and your other partners — if you have any — will be the shareholders.
    • Who will be the directors of the company? Who will act as its Singapore-resident director? Will you require our nominee director service?
    • What will be the initial share capital of the company? As a general rule, most companies are initially registered with a small capital, such as SGD 100.

    Singapore company registration regulations require that identification and background information about the proposed shareholders and directors of the company must be collected and verified by the firm that is incorporating the company. Below are general guidelines for the types of documents that should be provided to satisfy this requirement.

    We make it easy!

    We simplify the collection of your supporting documents. After learning about your Singapore company needs, our team will tell you which documents would be required, including those necessary for the KYC due-diligence required by Singapore regulations.
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    upload singapore company registration documents
    And no need to notarize and send the physical documents. You can just upload them to our secure portal.
    sign singapore business registration documents electronically

    All documents are signed electronically! No faxes, scanned documents, courier, or mail necessary.

    Step 3

    Obtain Approval for your Company's Name

    Singapore company law requires that a company must have its name approved separately before it can be registered. The name approval is a quick procedure as long as you follow these guidelines:

    Unique

    The name cannot be identical or substantially similar to the name of an existing business in Singapore.

    Unreserved

    The name must not have been reserved by another person or entity; a name can only be reserved by one person at a time.

    No Trademark
    Infringement

    The name must not infringe on a trademark or copyright of any kind that is not owned by you.

    Not obscene

    The name cannot be obscene or vulgar and must not contain any obscene or vulgar words.
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    Name Search

    Curious if your Singapore business name is available?

    We make it easy!

    As soon as you appoint us to register your Singapore company, we will apply for the approval of your desired company name. In case your first choice name is not available, our team will apply for your other choices.

    Step 4

    Sign Incorporation Documents

    After the name has been approved, the following documents must be prepared, signed, and filed with ACRA:
    company constitution singapore company registration
    Company Constitution. You can adopt the standard Singapore company constitution that is recommended by ACRA.
    consent director register company singapore
    Consent by each company director to act as a director. We will prepare this document for your company.
    consent singapore company secretary
    Consent by company secretary to act as the company secretary. We will prepare this document for your company.
    declaration company controllers
    Declaration of the company's controllers. We will prepare this document based on the information you provide to us.

    We make it easy!

    As your appointed registration agent, we will prepare all necessary documents. All you have to do is review and electronically sign the documents through our online portal.

    Step 5

    Incorporate company and open bank account

    Once the incorporation documents are ready and signed, we will register the company with Singapore’s company registrar, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). The Singapore company registration process is conducted online and in most cases it takes less than an hour.

    ACRA will issue the following official documents:

    • e-Certificate of Incorporation. This is an official electronic document confirming the registration of a company in Singapore. The certificate shows (see sample) the name of the company, the date of the incorporation, and the company registration number called Unique Identification Number (UEN).  A hard copy of the certificate of incorporation is not issued by ACRA by default; it is not required in Singapore for any purpose; the e-Certificate suffices.
    • Business Profile. This document shows the corporate structure of the company. The information contained in the document includes the company’s primary business activity, registered address, details of shareholders and directors, and shareholding structure.

    Upon registration, all official documents will be immediately available on our online portal. As soon as your Singapore company is registered, you can start conducting business under its name.

    We make it easy!

    Our team will assist you with selecting a suitable bank for your company’s corporate bank account and make an introduction to the appropriate bank executives.

    How Long Will It Take to Register a Company in Singapore?

    Singapore company registration consists of a number of steps and the typical timelines for each step is described below. Please keep in mind that some of these timelines are dependent on you, so if you take longer to assemble the necessary information, the corresponding step may take longer.

    1. Providing information about company structure and supporting documents: Anywhere from 1 hour to a few days (depends on the client).
    2. “Know Your Client” (KYC) checks by Corporate Service Provider as required by law: 1-2 days, depends on the complexity of the corporate structure
    3. Reservation of Company Name with ACRA: Less than 1 hour
    4. Preparation of incorporation document set: 1-2 hours
    5. Client Review and Signatures on document set: Anywhere from 1 hour to few days (depends on the client and number of signatories involved)
    6. Incorporation with ACRA: 1-2 hours

    Thus, the total time can be anywhere from 1 day to a few days. The duration primarily depends on the speed at which the client can act.

    Types of Companies in Singapore

    Singapore ranks as one of the best locations for local and foreign businesses to incorporate. However, which structure is suitable for your Singapore company? Below are the most popular business structures that are available in Singapore:

    1. Private Limited Company (Pte. Ltd.)

    The private limited company, or Pte. Ltd., is the most common and preferred choice for entrepreneurs in Singapore. It offers limited liability, ensuring shareholders' personal assets are safeguarded from business liabilities. A private limited company can have up to 50 shareholders and must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. This structure provides credibility, flexibility, and the opportunity to raise capital through equity.

    1. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

    1. Sole Proprietorship

    A sole proprietorship is the simplest but riskiest business entity allowed in Singapore. A sole proprietorship is not considered a separate legal entity and has significant disadvantages for small to medium-sized enterprises. With this structure, the individual owner assumes full responsibility for the company's operations and debts. While it offers simplicity, it does not provide limited liability protection, meaning the owner's personal assets are exposed to business risks. Most tax benefits available to corporations are not available to sole proprietorships. The effective tax rate will also be higher than that for a private limited company.

    Options for Foreign Companies to Open Their Office in Singapore

    A foreign company that wishes to establish an office in Singapore can open one of the following entities:
    You are welcome to read a more comprehensive comparison of the above business structures in our guide.

    Will It Be Easy to Open a Bank Account for My Singapore Company?

    Given the tightened Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, banks are now taking longer to process the bank account opening applications. Our corporate bank account opening guide is an excellent introduction to this topic. To speed up the access to banking services, many of our clients open a digital bank account first (which can be done quickly) while pursuing a traditional bank account in parallel, which can take a few weeks. After your company is incorporated, our team will recommend banks that will be appropriate for your needs and will make an introduction to the bank executives. Some of the banks allow remote bank account opening i.e. you don’t need to travel to Singapore to open a bank account with them.
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    Reviews from some of our clients

    Simon Wirth

    ALCAM (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
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    The best partner for company incorporation! Before choosing CSP, we looked at several other options, not only those located in Singapore but abroad as well. After gathering all information, CSP was convincing the best, so that was our choice. Since then our experience has proven to us that we selected the best partner to start our Singapore company. The CSP team is a group of true professionals, highly skilled and very prompt in answering even complex questions. They have met all our expectations. We highly recommend their outstanding service and are very happy with our decision!

    Robert J. Morrish

    EMEXIS PTE. LTD.
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    Our experience with Singapore Corporate Services has been absolutely outstanding. We spent a lot of time reviewing and considering who to work with in our Singaporean business registration and are so happy that we chose Jacqueline and her team. Their communication and execution are exemplary and their online platform so easy to navigate. We have now incorporated multiple businesses with them and look forward to a prosperous and mutually beneficial ongoing relationship.

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    FAQs for Registering a Company in Singapore

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