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How to register a company in Singapore

Singapore is one of the most foreign-friendly jurisdictions in the world on ownership and one of the most demanding on local substance, and a non-resident has to deal with both sides at once. There is no nationality or residency restriction on shareholders, so a single foreigner can own 100% of a private company limited by shares (Pte Ltd), and incorporation through ACRA's BizFile+ portal is usually approved within hours to one working day. The catch is structural: every Singapore company must have at least one director who is 'ordinarily resident' in Singapore, a company secretary appointed within six months, and a local registered office address — none of which a pure non-resident has by default. The practical consequence is that, unlike the UK or a U.S. LLC, you cannot file this one entirely by yourself. A foreigner has no SingPass (the national digital identity) and therefore cannot log in to BizFile+ directly, so incorporation must go through a licensed corporate service provider (CSP) — a registered filing agent who submits on your behalf and, in almost every case, also supplies the mandatory resident director (as a nominee), the company secretary and the registered office. That bundle, not the S$315 government fee, is what makes Singapore meaningfully more expensive to set up and maintain than its low headline fee suggests.

Singapore overview How we research
Country
Singapore
Topic
How to register
Reviewed
June 2026

By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research

  1. 1

    Engage a licensed corporate service provider (filing agent)

    Because a non-resident has no SingPass, you cannot access BizFile+ yourself — ACRA requires foreigners to incorporate through a licensed CSP / registered filing agent. The CSP runs your KYC/AML onboarding (passport, proof of address, business description) and is the entity that actually presses 'submit'. Choosing the CSP first is therefore step zero for any foreign founder, because the same firm typically also supplies the resident director, secretary and registered office.

  2. 2

    Get the company name approved by ACRA

    Your CSP applies to reserve the company name through BizFile+ for a S$15 fee; you cannot start the incorporation transaction without an approved name. Names that are identical to an existing one, undesirable, or that touch regulated words (Bank, Finance, Law, Media, etc.) are rejected or referred to a regulator, which adds time. An approved name is normally held for 120 days while you complete incorporation.

  3. 3

    Secure an 'ordinarily resident' director (usually a nominee)

    At least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore — a citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an EntrePass/Employment Pass with a local address. A non-resident founder who has none of these appoints a nominee resident director through the CSP (typically S$1,800–5,000/yr, often with a refundable security deposit). The nominee satisfies the statute but holds no economic interest; you remain the controlling director and shareholder.

  4. 4

    Appoint a company secretary and registered office

    Every company must appoint a qualified company secretary within six months of incorporation, and the role cannot stay vacant beyond six months. The company also needs a local registered office address (a real Singapore address open during business hours, not a P.O. box) where statutory mail is received. For a non-resident both are supplied by the CSP, usually folded into the incorporation package.

  5. 5

    Set shareholders, share capital and beneficial-owner details

    A Pte Ltd needs at least one shareholder (individual or corporate, any nationality; the same person can be sole director and shareholder once the resident-director requirement is met). Minimum paid-up capital is just S$1, and shares can be denominated in any major currency. You must also identify the company's registrable controllers / beneficial owners (generally anyone holding more than 25%) for the register ACRA now requires.

  6. 6

    Adopt a constitution

    Singapore companies are governed by a 'constitution' (the document that replaced the old memorandum and articles). Most non-resident founders adopt ACRA's Model Constitution unchanged — it is accepted by default and needs no lawyer. Bespoke constitutions are only worth drafting for multiple share classes, investor protections or specific control arrangements.

  7. 7

    File the incorporation application via BizFile+ and pay S$300

    Your CSP submits the incorporation transaction through BizFile+ with the constitution, director/shareholder/controller particulars and consents, and pays the S$300 incorporation fee (S$315 total with the name). Straightforward applications are typically approved within hours to one working day; those touching regulated activities or needing a referral can take up to a couple of weeks.

  8. 8

    Receive your UEN and business profile

    On approval ACRA issues the company's Unique Entity Number (UEN) — its single identifier for all government dealings — and an electronic business profile and notice of incorporation. There is no paper certificate by default; the BizFile+ business profile is the official proof of existence that banks and counterparties will ask for. From this point the company legally exists and can contract, hire and bank.

Realistic timeline: The filing itself is fast — once your CSP has cleared your KYC and the name is approved, incorporation is often the same day to one working day. The slow part is everything around it: CSP onboarding/KYC for a non-resident can take several days to a couple of weeks, and opening a usable bank account is the real bottleneck (a fintech account in days to two weeks; a traditional DBS/OCBC/UOB account commonly 4–12 weeks and sometimes an in-person visit). Plan roughly 2–6 weeks to be genuinely operational — incorporated, with a resident director and secretary in place and a bank account that can receive money.

Right after you incorporate

Set up corporate tax with IRAS (no separate registration needed)

A Singapore company is automatically known to IRAS via its UEN — there is no separate corporate-tax registration step. Instead, the obligations are to file Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) within three months of the financial year-end (small companies meeting the conditions are exempt) and the annual Form C-S / C-S (Lite) / C corporate return by 30 November of the Year of Assessment. New companies should also confirm eligibility for the Start-Up Tax Exemption.

Register for GST only if you cross — or expect to cross — S$1M

GST (9% since 1 January 2024) is not automatic. Registration is compulsory only once taxable turnover exceeds S$1 million in a 12-month period, or when you reasonably expect it to. Most early-stage non-resident companies stay below this and do not register; voluntary registration is possible if you want to reclaim input GST, but it then commits you to GST filing and a two-year minimum.

Open a business bank or fintech account

Traditional banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB) are slow and often in-person for pure non-residents, so most founders open a fintech business account (Wise, Aspire, Airwallex) remotely against the BizFile+ profile first, then approach a local bank later once there is transaction history. You will need the account to receive revenue, pay the CSP and nominee, and settle GST/tax if applicable.

Put bookkeeping, the secretary and annual filings on a calendar

Keep proper accounting records from day one and set a financial year-end. Your secretary/CSP will manage the ACRA annual return (due within seven months of FYE for a private company), the AGM (or the private-company exemption from holding one), and the IRAS tax filings. Small companies are often exempt from audit, but accounts still have to be prepared to Singapore standards.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner own 100% of a Singapore company?

Yes. Singapore imposes no nationality or residency restriction on shareholders, so a single non-resident individual or a foreign company can own 100% of a Pte Ltd. The constraint is not ownership but the mandatory locally-resident director — which a non-resident without one solves by appointing a nominee resident director through a corporate service provider.

Do I have to visit Singapore to incorporate?

No. Incorporation is fully online through ACRA's BizFile+ and is handled by your corporate service provider, so you never need to land in Singapore to register the company. The only thing that may require a visit is opening a traditional bank account — UOB, for instance, generally requires non-resident directors to attend a branch — which is why most founders use a fintech account instead.

Why must a non-resident use a corporate service provider?

Foreigners do not have SingPass, the national digital login required to file directly on BizFile+, so ACRA requires non-residents to incorporate through a licensed filing agent (CSP). In practice the CSP does far more than file: it runs your KYC, and usually also supplies the resident director (nominee), the company secretary and the registered office that the law requires.

What is the resident-director requirement and how do nominees work?

Every Singapore company must have at least one director who is 'ordinarily resident' — a citizen, PR, or eligible pass holder with a local address. A non-resident who has nobody qualifying appoints a nominee resident director via the CSP (about S$1,800–5,000/yr, often with a refundable deposit). The nominee meets the statutory requirement but takes no economic stake and does not run the business; you keep control as a director and shareholder.

Sources

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