Incorporation with ACRA
Company Formation & Registration in Singapore
Singapore incorporation is fast and well run. It has one hard requirement overseas founders cannot design around: a resident director.
GCC business setup specialists
One requirement decides everything
Singapore is efficient, respected and quick to incorporate. But every company must have at least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore. If you do not have one, that question has to be solved before anything else — and it shapes the cost and the structure.
- Resident director requirement settled before you commit
- Incorporation and IRAS registrations handled together
- Audit exemption position confirmed early
20+
Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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What a Singapore company needs
The components of incorporation
There is no trade licence here, but these apply from day one.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Resident director | At least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore. The defining requirement. |
| Company secretary | Must be appointed within six months and be ordinarily resident. |
| Registered office | A Singapore address, accessible to the public for minimum hours. |
| Shareholders | At least one; corporate shareholders permitted. |
| Paid-up capital | A nominal amount is sufficient to incorporate. |
| Company name | Reserved through ACRA before incorporation. |
At least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore. This is a statutory requirement, not a formality, and it is the single biggest practical constraint for overseas founders. Incorporation and corporate secretarial filings in Singapore are made through a registered filing agent, and a foreign applicant must use one. We co-ordinate your engagement with a registered Singapore agent and manage the process end to end; the regulated filings are made by them.
How it works
From decision to trading
Incorporation is quick once the director question is answered.
01
Resolve the resident director
Whether you have one, will relocate someone, or need a nominee arrangement. This is settled first because everything else depends on it.
02
Reserve and incorporate
Name reserved with ACRA, constitution settled and the company incorporated, usually within days.
03
Registrations and operations
Company secretary appointed, corporate bank account introduced, GST position assessed and the IRAS filing calendar set.
Before you start
What incorporation needs
Light on paperwork, strict on the resident director.
- Proposed company name
- Identity documents for all directors and shareholders
- Proof of residential address for each
- Confirmation of who the resident director will be
- Shareholding split and paid-up capital
- Registered office arrangements
- Company secretary arrangements
- Intended business activity and SSIC code
- Financial year end preference
- Details of any corporate shareholder
- Identity evidence for ultimate beneficial owners
- Constitution, standard or bespoke
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Resident director options explained
- Name reservation with ACRA
- Constitution, standard or bespoke
- Incorporation through a registered filing agent
- Company secretary arranged
- Registered office arranged
- Register of controllers established
- IRAS and filing calendar set
Not included, quoted separately
- ACRA and IRAS fees, paid at cost
- Nominee director services, quoted separately
- Regulated filings, made by the registered filing agent
- Annual audit where the company is not exempt
- Accounts preparation, quoted separately
- Bank account opening decisions
- Employment Pass applications, quoted separately
- Sector licensing applications
Verify independently
Official Singapore authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)Ministry of ManpowerCentral Provident Fund BoardSingapore CustomsIntellectual Property Office of Singapore
Questions
Singapore company formation — FAQs
Do I really need a Singapore resident director?
Yes. At least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore. It is statutory and cannot be waived, which is why we settle it before anything else.
What counts as ordinarily resident?
Broadly a citizen, permanent resident, or a holder of an appropriate pass. Whether a specific person qualifies is confirmed rather than assumed.
What if I do not have one?
The options are relocating someone on a pass, or a nominee director arrangement. Both have cost and governance implications we set out honestly.
How quickly can it be done?
Incorporation itself is usually a matter of days once the name is approved and the director question is settled.
Do you do this yourselves or through a partner?
Singapore incorporation and secretarial filings go through a registered filing agent. We manage the process and are your single point of contact; the regulated filings are made by a registered Singapore agent we work with.
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