Epica Learn Series
Can I register a company in Singapore if I am not a Singaporean?
Can I register a company in Singapore if I am not a Singaporean?
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How can a Foreigner Register a Company in Singapore?
Singapore is a renowned startup hub. Every year more than 50,000 businesses get registered in Singapore. The incorporation procedure contains no red tape and generally takes a few hours.
Someone who is not a Singaporean can also register a Singapore business. However, there are some statutory requirements as per the Singapore Companies Act that must be fulfilled to register a Singapore company successfully.
Singapore company registration by a non-Singaporean
This question comes quite often. People who are residing in foreign countries often ask us if they can register a Singapore company with their ownership. Foreigners and foreign companies are allowed to register a business in Singapore.
Key Points
Incorporation Procedure
Foreigners are not allowed to self-register in Singapore. The entire company registration in Singapore is online and is processed on ACRA’s online portal, BizFile+. ACRA is the Singapore Company Registrar.
Non-Singaporeans do not have access to SingPass and government systems that are required to file the documents online for registration. Hence, foreigners must engage the services of a corporate services provider, like Epica.
Statutory requirements for company registration
There are three key requirements for registering your business in Singapore.
Both the resident director and the company secretary need to be ordinarily residents in Singapore. A person who is an ordinarily resident is either a citizen, PR, Entrepreneur Pass, or Employment Pass holder in Singapore.
A foreigner can also act as a resident director in Singapore given he/she secures an Employment Pass or an EntrePass.
Nominee Director
Foreigners who do not know any Singaporeans to act as their company’s local directors have another option. They can engage Epica’s nominee director service. Epica will provide a nominee director who will serve as the company’s regional director to fulfill the statutory requirement.
A nominee director is only a director on paper, and the authority (as well as responsibility of what happens in the company) the company lies with its foreign directors only.
Corporate Secretary
A company must appoint a corporate secretary within six months from the company’s incorporation date. Epica also provides corporate secretary service along with the nominee director service.
Local registered address
A local address is required for company registration in Singapore. This address must be a physical address and not a PO Box.
However, Epica also provides a local address for company registration with its other services.
Running your business remotely
Once your company is successfully registered with ACRA, opening a corporate bank account is your first priority. You cannot make any business-related transactions without a bank account.
However, once your corporate bank account is opened, you have two options.
Statistics of foreign-incorporated companies in Singapore
Conclusion
A person who is not a Singaporean can register a company in Singapore. However, they require a local director, a local company secretary, and a local registered address as statutory requirements.Epica provides a nominee director, company secretary, and local address services to help foreigners incorporate a Singapore business.
Foreigner Package
New Company Setup
S$2,400
Local Package
New Company Setup
S$1,100
Transfer Package
Existing Company
S$1,000
Singapore Branch
New Branch Setup
S$4,000
Representative Office
New Setup
S$2,500
BVI Company
Singapore Bank Account
US$2,200
