Asia · Private Limited Company
Register a company in Singapore
Founders who want a globally credible, treaty-rich Asian HQ and tax-light early profits — and don't mind paying for a nominee director.
- Government fee
- $245
- S$315 (S$15 name + S$300 incorporation)
- Corporate tax
- 17%
- headline
- Min. capital
- ≈ none
- effectively none
- Setup time
- 1–2 days
Deep dives
Everything on Singapore, in depth
At a glance
How Singapore scores for a non-resident
Relative edge
Premier Asian HQ — top trust, huge treaty network and strong startup tax breaks.
Relative watch-out
A locally-resident director is mandatory; nominee fees dominate the real cost.
Scores are Lanzamo's editorial judgement (0–100, higher = better for a non-resident founder), built on the verified data on this page — guidance, not advice.
The essentials
For non-resident founders
Can you run it from abroad?
The headline fee rarely decides it — these are the things that actually trip up a founder forming Singapore from another country.
100% foreign ownership
Foreigners can own 100% of a Singapore Pte Ltd — no nationality or residency requirement for shareholders. The blocker is the mandatory locally-resident director, not ownership.
Fully remote setup
Incorporation is fully online via ACRA's BizFile+ and usually approved within hours to 1 working day. Non-residents without SingPass file through a registered corporate service provider; no travel is required.
Resident director required
At least one director must be 'ordinarily resident' in Singapore (citizen, PR, or EntrePass holder). A non-resident founder without one appoints a nominee/resident director (~S$2,000–5,000/yr, often with a deposit). A company secretary and local registered office are also required.
Banking for non-residents: Hard
Big banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB) generally won't open accounts for purely non-resident-controlled companies without local ties or an in-person visit. The realistic path is fintech business accounts (Wise, Aspire, Airwallex).
Accounting burden: Moderate
Keep proper books, file an annual return with ACRA, hold/exempt an AGM, and file a corporate tax return (Form C/C-S) with IRAS. Many small companies are exempt from audit; most non-residents outsource to a CSP.
Why founders pick Singapore
- 100% foreign ownership, S$1 minimum capital, and a fast, fully-online incorporation
- Strong startup tax relief can exempt up to S$125,000 of profit per year for the first three years
- Top-tier reputation and one of the world's largest double-tax-treaty networks
- Clear, English-language compliance and a deep corporate-service ecosystem
Watch out for
- A locally-resident director is mandatory; nominee services run S$2,000–5,000/yr plus a deposit
- Opening a real bank account as a pure non-resident is hard — fintechs are the fallback
- Total first-year cost (CSP + nominee + secretary + office) far exceeds the S$315 government fee
- Ongoing compliance (annual return, AGM, tax filings, secretary) means recurring service fees
Is Singapore the right base for you?
Put Singapore side by side with a U.S. LLC and 11 other jurisdictions — government fee, tax, capital and the resident-director catch — and decide with the full picture.
Official sources
Go straight to the authorities — these are the free, definitive sources for Singapore.
Data reviewed June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-resident register a company in Singapore?
Foreigners can own 100% of a Singapore Pte Ltd — no nationality or residency requirement for shareholders. The blocker is the mandatory locally-resident director, not ownership.
How much does it cost to register a Pte Ltd in Singapore?
The government fee is about $245 (S$315 (S$15 name + S$300 incorporation)). ACRA charges S$15 to approve the company name and S$300 to incorporate (S$315 total). These are the only mandatory government fees; almost all non-residents also pay a corporate service provider and a nominee resident director, so the real first-year cost is higher. Budget roughly $47/yr in mandatory government filings. ACRA annual return filing fee is S$60/year. On top, every company needs a company secretary and most non-resident-owned companies pay for a nominee/resident director (~S$2,000–5,000/yr) and bookkeeping.
Do I need a resident director to form a company in Singapore?
Yes. At least one director must be 'ordinarily resident' in Singapore (citizen, PR, or EntrePass holder). A non-resident founder without one appoints a nominee/resident director (~S$2,000–5,000/yr, often with a deposit). A company secretary and local registered office are also required.
What is the corporate tax rate in Singapore?
Flat 17% on chargeable income. New qualifying companies get the Start-Up Tax Exemption for their first 3 years (75% on the first S$100k and 50% on the next S$100k of normal chargeable income), then the Partial Tax Exemption applies. Effective tax on early profits is well below 17%.
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