How can I register a branch office in Singapore? How long does it take?

What is Branch Office in Singapore?

Foreign companies can set up a branch office in Singapore to commence their operations. However, a branch office is not considered a separate legal entity in Singapore. It is treated as its foreign company’s extension.

Under the Singapore Companies Act, foreign companies are not permitted to self-register in Singapore. All the foreign companies require a registered filing agent to submit the registration on their behalf. We can assist you in getting registered with the ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority).

There are three pre-requisites for a Singapore branch office registration:

• Minimum one local agent who could be Singapore citizen, permanent resident, Employment Pass holder, or Dependent Pass holder with the Letter of Consent
• Details of foreign shareholding and directors available
• A local registered office address

Following documents or information must be provided to the filing agent for submission to ACRA:

• Name of the parent company (A branch office must use the parent company’s name)
• Registered office address of the parent company in its county
• A certified copy of the parent company’s incorporation certificate
• A certified copy of the parent company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Particulars of directors of the parent company
• Particulars of one local authorized representative of the branch office
• Statement of consent from the authorized representative of the branch office that he has consented to the appointment
• Particulars of the branch office and opening hours
• Parent company’s latest and audited financial statements
• Notice of the parent company’s legal entity type, registration number, and business description

All the documents will be submitted online via the BizFile+.

The name of the branch office must be approved before the registration. The ACRA also does name approval. A branch office has to use the same name as the parent company. You have to make sure that your foreign company’s name must meet ACRA’s requirements not to get rejected.

A proposed name is rejected by ACRA if:

• The proposed name is identical to another existing company name
• The proposed name is undesirable or abusive in nature
• The proposed name is similar to already popular brand names such as Temasek

We can help you set up a branch office within 24 hours if you have all the required documents mentioned above. You may need to apply for licenses and permits depending on the nature of your business to commence business.