Company Registration in Singapore

The process of company registration in Singapore falls under the supervision of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). A variety of company registration formalities are completed with this institution (such as choosing a registered trade name, selecting a legal entity), and our lawyers can offer full legal assistance and representation in each of these steps.

Quick Facts
Institution in charge with company registration in Singapore	Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Who must register	All legal structures that can be set up in Singapore, unless exempted.
Basic registration obligations	– incorporate a legal entity, – secure a trade name, – have a registered address, – establish the objects of activity
Trade name	It must be unique at a national level and must be approved by ACRA. Once the approval on the trade name is granted, investors must complete the process of company registration in Singapore in maximum 120 days.
Ways to complete the registration	Online. It is also possible to book appointments with ACRA representatives.
Registration fees (yes/no)	yes
Documentation	– bylaws, – certificate of trade name, – documents attesting the company’s registered address, – the personal identification details of the shareholders
Publishing obligations	Publishing is completed through the BizFile+ portal, operating under ACRA.
Can investors obtain legal representation for company registration purposes?	Company registration in Singapore can be completed by competent third parties.
How to obtain legal representation	by granting the power of attorney
Can investors acquire electronic documents from the Trade Register?	Yes
Basic laws enforced by the Trade Register	– Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004, – Accountants Act 2004, – Business Names Registration Act 2014, – Companies Act 1967, etc.
Database on companies in Singapore	BizFile+
Other roles of the Registry of Commerce	– maintaining updated information on all companies, – striking off, – receiving annual declarations and financial reports, – receiving complaints, – maintaining the updated information on the management of companies, – imposing fines, – providing private data on companies to interested parties
Way to obtain information on companies in Singapore	Online and by request

It must be noted that, by law, business registration in Singapore must be conducted by all company owners whose purpose is to obtain profit from their business activity, unless exempted. Exemptions from registration with ACRA are granted only in a few cases, which are stipulated under the Business Name Registration Act, Section 4 (our lawyers in Singapore can offer assistance).

What are the basic steps for company registration in Singapore?

In order to register a company in Singapore, investors must initially secure a trade name. The procedure is initiated by submitting a trade name application with ACRA, by using the institution’s portal. Along with the proposed trade name, it is necessary to specify the types of business activities the company will carry out, in accordance with the Singapore Standard Industrial Classification code.

The trade name must be unique at a national level and, once the institution issued the approval on the name, the incorporation of the company can start (the process through which the business form is recognized from a legal point of view). The process entails some of the following:

since the day when the trade name was approved, investors can register a business in Singapore in a period of maximum 120 days;
those who want to register a company in Singapore with separate legal personality can choose from 3 main categories of entities, namely private, public and unlimited companies;
in some cases, the shareholding is limited to maximum 20 shareholders (such as it is the case of the exempt private company), of up to 50 (the company limited by shares) or of more than 50 (public company);
in order to complete the registration process, investors must appoint at least 1 director ordinarily resident in Singapore and 1 company secretary, whose personal details must be registered with ACRA;
during the process of business registration in Singapore, it is also required to subscribe a minimum issued share capital of $1 (the capital can be further increased later on, through paid up capital – companies that have a paid up capital of $500,000 are automatically members of the Singapore Business Federation).

During the procedure, investors must submit documents regarding their identity, their immigration documents, information on the directors and secretary, objects of activity, registered address, issued share capital, shareholding structure and the company’s statutory documents (the constitution). Our lawyers can assist in preparing all these documents and submit them as per the legal requirements.

What other responsibilities does ACRA have?

The service of company registration in Singapore represents just one of the responsibilities of this institution, as it has many other roles concerning the activities of commercial companies, but also of variable capital companies. Some of its other roles are:

corporate changes (investors must report any updates on the company’s name, business activity, registered address, shareholders, directors, authorized representative, charter, etc.);
annual returns (financial documents must be submitted with this institution following the end of the financial year);
closing a company (upon the liquidation of a company, ACRA needs to be informed so that it can strike off the company’s trade name from its registry);
annual general meetings (companies in Singapore need to hold annual general meetings of the shareholders, which must be declared to ACRA – the procedure is done at the same time with the submission of the financial reports).

We invite you to contact us for assistance on business registration in Singapore. Provided that your legal entity needs to be registered with other competent authorities, we can intermediate all the procedures.