Singapore company registration
How to register a company in Singapore
With Emerhub, you can set up your Singapore company (Pte Ltd) remotely, often within a day: 100% foreign ownership, S$1 minimum capital, and no local shareholding requirement. We handle everything from the resident director question to the bank account and compliance.
Companies we've helped set up in Singapore
Before you start
What to decide before anything is filed
Singapore's registration is the fastest in the region, which makes the decisions before it matter more: they're easy to rush and expensive to redo.
Decision 01
Relocate, or run it remotely
Every Singapore company needs one director ordinarily resident there. A founder relocating on an Employment Pass or EntrePass fills the role; a founder staying abroad needs a local director, arranged through a registered corporate service provider under Singapore's new CSP rules. The choice shapes cost, control, and your visa path.
The two routes, compared →Decision 02
What Singapore is in your structure
An operating company, a regional headquarters, or the holding company above your other Asian entities: Singapore plays all three roles well, but the capital, the tax planning, and even the bank you choose differ by answer. Decide what the entity is for before deciding anything else about it.
How the structure gets planned →Decision 03
The financial year end
An unglamorous choice with money attached. The FYE sets every filing deadline. It also fixes how your first three years of assessment fall, which is the window of the start-up tax exemption. Set deliberately, it maximizes the relief. Set by default, it can waste part of it.
How the FYE gets set →Or skip the homework: a thirty-minute call with our team settles each of these for your case.
Schedule a callThe checklist
Key requirements when setting up a company in Singapore
What the Companies Act requires of a private limited company (Pte Ltd). If you can tick these six, you can incorporate.
- At least one resident director. A Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or eligible pass holder, ordinarily resident in Singapore. Additional directors can be anywhere in the world.
- One to fifty shareholders. Individuals or corporate entities, with 100% foreign ownership permitted and no local shareholding requirement. The sole shareholder and sole director can be different people or the same person.
- A resident company secretary. Appointed within six months of incorporation; in practice appointed at incorporation, since banks and filings expect one in place.
- A registered office in Singapore. A physical local address where statutory records are kept, typically provided by the corporate service provider.
- S$1 minimum paid-up capital. Legally sufficient, though the right figure follows your banking, visa, and credibility needs rather than the legal floor.
- A registered filing agent. Foreign founders incorporate through an ACRA-registered corporate service provider, since direct filing requires Singpass. The provider's KYC is part of the process by design.
The process
Steps to register a company in Singapore
Below are the steps to set up a company in Singapore as a foreign investor, in the order they happen. For each one you will find what to prepare, what it costs, how long it takes, and the mistakes we see most often, so you can plan the whole project before you start it.
1
Choose the structure and plan the setup
For nearly every foreign founder, the answer is a private limited company (Pte Ltd): full foreign ownership, limited liability, a S$1 capital floor, and access to Singapore's tax treaties and start-up exemptions. Branches and subsidiaries of foreign parents, variable capital companies, and partnerships exist for specific situations, and we'll tell you if yours is one of them.
The planning detail that punches above its weight is the SSIC activity code. Banks risk-assess account applications against it, licenses key off it, and a vague code ("general trading", "consulting") invites exactly the scrutiny a precise one avoids. Singapore needs few licenses compared to its neighbors, but the ones that exist (financial services, education, food, employment agencies among them) are checked before filing rather than discovered after.
2
Solve the resident director requirement
The one genuine hurdle in a Singapore setup: at least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore, a citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an eligible pass. Everything else about the company can be foreign; this role cannot.
The two routes
- You relocate. A founder moving to Singapore on an Employment Pass or EntrePass becomes the resident director. The pass has its own requirements (the EP qualifying salary starts at S$5,600, higher in financial services, with the COMPASS points framework on top), and the sequencing between incorporation and the pass application is something we plan rather than improvise.
- You appoint a local director. A Singapore-resident director joins the board alongside you. Under the CSP Act in force since June 2025, these arrangements run through ACRA-registered corporate service providers with fit-and-proper vetting, and a director's nominee status now appears on the company's public profile. Singapore tightened this market deliberately, and the result favors clean setups with reputable providers.
We set this up either way: structuring the board so the local director's role is properly scoped, or sequencing your relocation so the pass and the company support each other.
Common pitfallTreating the local director as a formality to be sourced as cheaply as possible. The role carries real legal duties, the arrangement is now publicly visible and regulated, and banks weigh the board's substance in their decision. A bargain-basement nominee is visible as such to ACRA and to your bank.
3
Prepare the details and pass KYC
The name comes first: checked against ACRA's register, applied for at S$15, approved quickly unless it contains regulated words, and held for 120 days. Then the company's shape: the constitution (the model one fits most; bespoke terms where shareholder arrangements need them), the share structure, and the paid-up capital. S$1 is legal; the right figure follows your banking and visa plans, since both read capital as a substance signal.
Because foreign founders file through a registered agent rather than directly, the corporate service provider's due diligence is part of the process: identity, address, source of funds where relevant, and the beneficial ownership picture. Singapore designed it this way. The transparency regime that makes the jurisdiction credible is the one your setup passes through. Clean documentation moves through it in days.
Common pitfallName applications with regulated words ("bank", "trust", "academy") submitted without realizing they trigger referral to another authority, turning a same-day approval into a 14-to-60-day review. If the name needs a regulated word, the referral is planned; if it doesn't, the word is dropped.
4
Incorporate with ACRA
The filing itself is the fastest in the region: submitted through ACRA's Bizfile portal with the S$300 fee, and approval typically arrives the same day, often within the hour. The company receives its Unique Entity Number immediately, and the business profile, the document banks and counterparties ask for, is available at once.
Day one carries its register obligations: the register of registrable controllers (the beneficial ownership record) is filed from incorporation, and where the board includes a nominee arrangement, that status is recorded with ACRA and visible on the public profile. We prepare these with the incorporation so the company is born compliant rather than catching up.
Common pitfallAssuming "incorporated in a day" means "operating in a day." The certificate is instant; the bank account, Corppass setup, and any licenses are not. Founders who promise counterparties a functioning Singapore entity by Friday are usually two to three weeks early.
5
Open the business bank account
Singapore banking splits into two worlds. The major banks offer the full relationship (credit, trade finance, gravitas with partners) behind two to four weeks of due diligence, with foreign-owned companies fielding more questions about substance, activity, and counterparties. Digital-first providers onboard qualifying companies in days with multi-currency accounts that fit most operating needs. Many of our clients run both: digital to start trading immediately, traditional as the long-term relationship.
What the bank asks for
- Business profile from ACRA and the constitution
- Passports and proof of address for directors, signatories, and beneficial owners
- Description of the business, expected transaction flows, and main counterparties
- Evidence of substance: contracts, invoices, or a credible plan for a new venture
- Board resolution authorizing the account
Common pitfallApplying to one traditional bank, waiting three weeks, getting declined without a stated reason, and starting over. Bank fit is assessable in advance: the SSIC code, the shareholder geography, and the transaction profile predict the outcome, and we match the application to where it will succeed the first time.
6
Register for what applies
Singapore keeps this layer mercifully thin, and most of it is conditional. Corppass, the company's identity for all government transactions, comes first. GST registration becomes mandatory once taxable turnover crosses S$1 million; registering voluntarily earlier can make sense for B2B businesses reclaiming input tax, with one new string attached: newly incorporated companies registering voluntarily now onboard InvoiceNow, Singapore's e-invoicing network, so the decision is made with the systems in mind. CPF contributions apply when hiring Singaporeans and permanent residents, and sector licenses, where step one found any, are filed through GoBusiness.
7
Activate the company's compliance
Singapore's compliance is light, predictable, and entirely keyed to one date you choose: the financial year end. Set deliberately, it aligns your first three years of assessment with the start-up tax exemption (75% off the first S$100,000 of chargeable income, with a further tranche partially exempt, for each of the first three years); set carelessly, it can burn part of that window on a stub year.
What needs to be set up
- The FYE decision, made against the tax exemption window and your group's reporting
- Estimated chargeable income (ECI) filed within three months of year end, unless the company qualifies for the waiver
- AGM and annual return: the meeting within six months of year end, the return to ACRA within seven
- Audit determination: small companies meeting two of three thresholds (revenue and assets at or under S$10 million, 50 or fewer employees) are exempt, which covers most new foreign-owned companies
- Registers kept current: controllers, nominee positions, and members, updated within days of any change
- Corporate tax return filed annually, with the 17% rate softened by the start-up exemption in the early years
Our Singapore accounting service then runs the recurring cycle: bookkeeping, the filings, GST where registered, and the annual return, handled by the same team that set the company up.
Common pitfallMissing that the start-up exemption has conditions: it excludes investment holding companies and property development, and requires individual shareholding of at least 10%. Founders structuring Singapore purely as a holding layer often plan around an exemption their company won't get, which is exactly the kind of thing to know before choosing what Singapore is in your structure.
Map your Singapore setup in one call
A free, no-obligation consultation with our Singapore team. You'll come away knowing the resident director answer for your situation, the capital and financial year end set right, and a realistic timeline including the bank account.
Required documents
Documents required to register a company in Singapore
Everything the incorporation needs, split into what you gather and what gets prepared and filed for you. Run through it before kickoff.
Documents you provide
- Passport copiesFor each foreign director and shareholder
- Proof of residential addressUtility bill or bank statement under three months old, per person
- NRIC detailsFor Singapore-resident directors and shareholders
- Proposed company nameWith alternatives, checked before the S$15 application
- Corporate shareholder documentsCertificate of incorporation, registers, and the ownership chain to the individuals behind it
- Description of planned activitiesFor the SSIC codes and the license check
- KYC informationSource of funds and beneficial ownership details, per the CSP regime
Prepared and filed for you
- Name applicationFiled with ACRA, held for 120 days once approved
- ConstitutionThe model constitution, or bespoke terms where shareholders need them
- Incorporation filingThrough ACRA's Bizfile, with consents and declarations
- Director and secretary consentsSigned appointments, with the secretary in place from day one
- Statutory registersMembers, controllers (RORC), and nominee registers, filed from incorporation
- Share certificates and first resolutionsIncluding the bank account authorization
- Corppass setupThe company's identity for government transactions
- Compliance calendarECI, AGM, annual return, and tax dates for the first two years
The timeline
Singapore company registration timeline
The incorporation itself usually completes the day it's filed. The bank account sets the real pace, so plan two to three weeks from kickoff to a fully operational company, with traditional banks running longer.
Incorporation (ACRA)
Banking (depends on bank and profile)
Compliance setup (parallel work)
Common questions
Singapore company registration FAQs
Specific questions about setting up a Pte Ltd as a foreigner.
How long does it actually take to register a company in Singapore?
The ACRA filing usually clears the same day, often within the hour. The realistic end-to-end answer is one to two weeks from kickoff (the resident director arrangement, KYC, and name approval included), plus days to four weeks for the bank account depending on the route. Names containing regulated words get referred to other authorities and can take 14 to 60 days, which is why we check before applying.
How much does it cost?
Government fees total S$315: S$15 for the name and S$300 for the registration. The real first-year budget sits in the services: the secretary, registered office, the resident director arrangement where you need one, and accounting. Schedule a call and we'll quote your exact case rather than a teaser price that grows later.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Singapore company?
Yes, fully and without local shareholding requirements, in nearly every sector. The two practical constraints: the company needs one director ordinarily resident in Singapore, and foreign founders incorporate through an ACRA-registered filing agent since direct filing requires Singpass. Both are solved as part of any proper setup.
I don't live in Singapore. How do I meet the resident director rule?
Two routes: relocate on an Employment Pass or EntrePass and fill the role yourself, or appoint a Singapore-resident director alongside you. The local-director route now runs through ACRA-registered corporate service providers under the CSP Act, with vetting and public disclosure of nominee status. Done properly, it's routine; done cheaply, it's visible to your bank and to ACRA. We structure either route.
What changed with the nominee director rules?
Since mid-2025, nominee director arrangements must be set up through ACRA-registered corporate service providers after fit-and-proper checks, companies file their nominee registers with ACRA from day one, and a director's nominee status appears on the company's public business profile (the nominator's identity stays with the authorities). The practical effect: clean, well-documented arrangements work as before, and opaque ones stopped being available.
Is the S$1 minimum capital real?
Legally, yes: a Pte Ltd can incorporate with one dollar. Practically, the figure feeds three audiences: banks read it as substance, an Employment Pass application looks stronger behind a credibly capitalized company, and counterparties see it on your profile. Most foreign founders set five to six figures and keep it as working capital.
Can I register without visiting Singapore?
The incorporation, KYC, and most registrations run fully remotely, and digital banking providers onboard without a visit. The cases that still want a trip: some traditional banks prefer to meet signatories, and a founder relocating will be there anyway. Singapore is the easiest market in the region to set up from abroad.
Can I get an Employment Pass through my own company?
That is the standard relocation route. The company sponsors your EP once it can show substance. The qualifying salary starts at S$5,600 a month (S$6,200 in financial services) and rises with age, with the COMPASS points framework assessing the application on top. EntrePass exists for eligible founders of innovative businesses. The sequencing between incorporation, capital, and the application is where these succeed or stall.
Why do bank accounts take longer than the company?
Because ACRA checks documents while banks check risk. A foreign-owned company with overseas counterparties gets real due diligence: substance, flows, and beneficial ownership. Digital providers clear qualifying profiles in days; the major banks take two to four weeks and decline quietly when the fit is wrong. Matching the profile to the right bank before applying is most of the battle.
Does my company need an audit?
Probably not at the start. Small companies meeting two of three thresholds (revenue at or under S$10 million, assets at or under S$10 million, 50 or fewer employees) are exempt, and the test covers most new foreign-owned companies. Unaudited financial statements are still prepared and filed, and the exemption is re-tested as the company grows.
When do I need GST registration?
Mandatorily, once taxable turnover crosses S$1 million. Voluntarily, earlier, where reclaiming 9% input tax beats the compliance cost, a real calculation now that newly incorporated voluntary registrants also onboard InvoiceNow, Singapore's e-invoicing network. We model the decision on your numbers instead of defaulting either way.
What taxes will the company pay?
Corporate income tax at 17%, with the start-up exemption taking 75% off the first S$100,000 of chargeable income (and partially exempting a further tranche) in each of the first three years of assessment, subject to conditions that exclude investment holding companies. No capital gains tax, no dividend withholding under the one-tier system, and an extensive treaty network. It's the cleanest tax story in the region, which is much of why holding structures choose Singapore.
Setting up in Singapore?
Talk to our Singapore team
A free, no-obligation consultation: thirty minutes with our Singapore team to confirm the resident director answer for your case, the right setup, and a realistic timeline.
Phone / WhatsApp+60 17 684 9718
Office105 Cecil Street, #18-08
The Octagon
Singapore 069534
The Octagon
Singapore 069534