Company formation in Singapore: a Pte. Ltd. registered from abroad
We register your Singapore Pte. Ltd. through a filing agent, with the resident director and the secretary the law asks for. You sign online from where you live.
Founder
S$315
ACRA's fees
- Registered through a filing agent
- Resident director and secretary arranged
- Share capital from S$1
S$315
ACRA's fees
- You become the resident director with your Employment Pass
- Employment Pass from a salary of S$5,600 a month
- Company secretary within 6 months
Our fee, with the filing agent, the resident director and the secretary, is fixed in your quote.
What the Companies Act asks
What a Singapore Pte. Ltd. is and who can own it
Pte. Ltd.The form most founders choose
A private limited company, written Pte. Ltd., is the form most founders choose in Singapore. It is a legal person apart from its owners, and the shareholders do not answer for its debts.
S$315Registered online with ACRA
A Pte. Ltd. has 1 to 50 shareholders, people or companies, in Singapore or abroad, and a foreign parent can hold every share. ACRA, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, registers it online in Bizfile for S$315 and approves most filings soon after the fee is paid.
1 directorResident in Singapore, for a founder abroad
A founder abroad files through a registered filing agent and appoints 1 director resident in Singapore. Both, and the company secretary, are arranged as part of our service, and you sign each document in the Legarithm platform.
Requirements for company registration in Singapore: what the Companies Act asks
Section 145 asks for one director ordinarily resident in Singapore. That is a citizen, a permanent resident or the holder of an Employment Pass, a Personalised Employment Pass or an Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass.
The directors appoint a secretary within 6 months: a person whose home is in Singapore, and never the sole director. A late appointment exposes the director to a fine of up to S$1,000.
Section 142 asks for an office in Singapore to which notices are addressed. From 20 October 2026 the law no longer asks for it to be open to the public 3 hours each business day.
A company starts with S$1 of share capital, in the currency you choose. Its constitution is ACRA's model or your own text.
A foreigner reserves the name and registers the company through a corporate service provider registered with ACRA. The Corporate Service Providers Act 2024 has applied since 9 June 2025, and an unregistered provider risks a fine of up to S$50,000.
An Employment Pass asks for a salary from S$5,600 a month, S$6,200 in financial services, and a pass in the COMPASS points test. For applications from 1 January 2027 the salary starts at S$6,000. An EntrePass suits a venture-backed or technology business whose founder holds 30% of the shares or more.
Singapore corporate tax calculator
A start-up in its first three years of assessment: 75% of the first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000 are exempt.
- Corporate tax of a start-up
- S$12,750
- Share of the profit
- 6.4%
Singapore corporate tax calculator: 17% with the start-up exemption, before the rebate for the 2026 year of assessment.
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
What company formation in Singapore costs
ACRA's fees are official and paid once. Your quote adds our fee for the documents, the filing agent and the registration. For what the company costs in its first year, the resident director and the returns included, see the Singapore services page.
Company formation in Singapore, our fee
Fixed in your quoteYou get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.
Get a quote- ACRA, name application
- S$15
- ACRA, incorporation
- S$300
- Share capital, from
- S$1
- Resident director, a year
- in your quote
- Company secretary and registered office, a year
- in your quote
- ACRA, each annual return
- S$60
- Accounting in Singapore, a month
- in your quote
How to register a company in Singapore as a foreigner: six steps
- day 11
Name and activity
We check your name against ACRA's naming rules and choose the activity code, the SSIC.
- up to 3 working days2
Name reservation
The filing agent applies in Bizfile and pays S$15. ACRA approves most names soon after payment and keeps them for 120 days. A name another agency clears, a school's or a bank's, adds 14 to 60 days.
- 1 to 3 working days3
Documents and signatures
You upload your passport and proof of address in your account. We draft the constitution, the officers' consents and the details of the controllers, and you sign online.
- soon after payment4
Incorporation
The agent files and pays S$300. ACRA issues the UEN, the company's number with every authority, and a free business profile. A filing it looks into takes up to 15 working days.
- day of incorporation5
Registers and Corppass
On its first day the company opens its registers of controllers and nominees. A day after the UEN it applies for Corppass, the login for government services.
- 1 to 2 weeks6
Bank, tax and licences
We prepare the bank application and check whether the activity needs a licence. The books start in accounting in Singapore.
Documents to incorporate a company in Singapore
Documents
Each director, shareholder and controller
- Passport
- Proof of home address
- Mobile number and email address
- Number of shares you take
- For a company as shareholder: certificate of incorporation, constitution and owners
We prepare
- Constitution, ACRA's model or your own
- Consents to act of the director and the secretary
- Register of registrable controllers
- Board resolution for the bank account
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformAfter incorporation: the register of registrable controllers and the bank account
Who a registrable controller is
A registrable controller is a person or a company that holds above 25% of the shares or votes, or controls the company in another way: most often the founder. A company incorporated since 16 June 2025 opens the register on its first day and files the same details with ACRA.
A private register, kept current
The register is private: the public cannot view or buy it. The company enters a change within 7 days and files it within 2 business days. Once a year it asks each controller to confirm the details, and skipping the notice risks a fine of up to S$25,000.
Nominee directors and shareholders
A director who acts on another person's instructions tells the company so on the day of incorporation. The company keeps a register of such directors, a second one for nominee shareholders, and files both with ACRA.
A bank account once the company exists
A bank opens the account once the company exists. ACRA lists what banks usually ask for: the signatories, a board resolution, certified company documents and identity checks of directors and owners. They usually meet most of the directors in Singapore, so we prepare the file before your trip.
Pte. Ltd., branch or sole proprietorship: business structures in Singapore
A subsidiary is a Pte. Ltd. whose shareholder is your company abroad.
| Structure | Private limited company | Branch of a foreign company | Sole proprietorship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned by | 1 to 50 shareholders | The foreign company | One person or company |
| Liability for debts | The company's own | The parent's | The owner's, unlimited |
| Resident in Singapore | One director | One authorised representative | A representative, for an owner abroad |
| ACRA's fees | S$315 | S$15, and S$300 for one year | S$115 for one year, S$175 for three |
| Tax on profit | 17%, with the start-up exemption | 17% | The owner's personal rates |
| Suits | Trading companies, start-ups, subsidiaries | The parent's own operations | One owner trading under a name |
Corporate tax in Singapore in figures: 17%, the start-up exemption, GST at 9%
17%Tax on chargeable income
A Singapore company pays 17% on its chargeable income, the profit left after allowable expenses. Two exemptions cut the tax on the first S$200,000. On application, trading income under the Global Trader Programme bears 5%, 10% or 15%.
S$12,750A start-up with S$200,000 of profit
A start-up with S$200,000 of chargeable income pays S$12,750, an effective rate of 6.4%. The same profit in the fourth year bears S$16,575. For the 2026 year of assessment IRAS also takes 50% off the tax, up to S$40,000.
Up to 20Shareholders of an exempt start-up
The start-up exemption is for a company incorporated and tax resident in Singapore with up to 20 shareholders, all of them individuals or at least one of them an individual who holds 10% or more. Residence follows the place where the board takes its strategic decisions.
0%On dividends and capital gains, with GST at 9%
Shareholders pay 0% on dividends: the company's tax is final. Capital gains are not taxable. Foreign dividends, branch profits and service income brought into Singapore are exempt when taxed abroad where the headline rate is 15% or higher. GST is 9%, compulsory once taxable turnover passes S$1 million in a calendar year or the 12 months ahead.
Start-up exemption, first 3 years of assessment
- Exempt at most
- S$125,000 a year
- First band
- 75% of the first S$100,000
- Next band
- 50% of the next S$100,000
Partial exemption, each later year
- Exempt at most
- S$102,500 a year
- First band
- 75% of the first S$10,000
- Next band
- 50% of the next S$190,000
The yearly duties of a Singapore company
The shareholders meet within 6 months of the year end. A private company skips the meeting when each of them receives the financial statements within 5 months.
The company files it within 7 months of the year end, for S$60, also when dormant. ACRA adds S$300 to a return up to 3 months late and S$600 after.
The income estimate is due within 3 months of the year end and the tax return by 30 November. We prepare both: accounting in Singapore.
A private company needs none while it passes two of three tests: revenue up to S$10 million, assets up to S$10 million, 50 employees or fewer.
A platform where you open
and run the company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company Pte. Ltd.
- Registration in progress
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Proof of address Checked
- Company documents Sign
- Source of funds declaration Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
The Legarithm team
We prepare your documents, check them before they are filed and keep your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about company formation in Singapore
How much does it cost to set up a company in Singapore?
ACRA charges S$315: S$15 for the name and S$300 to incorporate. Our fee, with the filing agent, the resident director and the secretary, is fixed in your quote, as with all our international company formation.
Can a foreigner set up a company in Singapore?
Yes, and a foreigner can hold all the shares. ACRA asks a founder abroad for a registered corporate service provider to file and for one director resident in Singapore.
What are the requirements for forming a company in Singapore?
One shareholder, one director resident in Singapore, a registered office there, S$1 of share capital and a constitution. A secretary follows within 6 months, and an auditor within 3 months unless the company is exempt from audit.
Can a foreigner buy a business in Singapore?
Yes, by buying its shares. The buyer pays stamp duty of 0.2% on the price or the value of the shares, whichever is higher, and the company files the new owner with ACRA within 14 days.
How long does it take to register a company in Singapore?
ACRA approves most names and registrations soon after the fee is paid. With the documents and the bank, tax and licence steps, plan 1 to 2 weeks.
Do I need to visit Singapore to open the company?
No. The filing agent registers the company online, and you sign in your account. Plan one trip for the bank account: banks usually ask most of the directors to be present.
Does my business need a licence in Singapore?
A business that needs none trades from the day it is registered. A payment service, digital payment tokens included, first takes a licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore under the Payment Services Act 2019.
Get a quote for your company in Singapore
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in Singapore
Accounting in Singapore
Books, ECI, Form C-S by 30 November, GST and the annual return to ACRA
OpenInternational company formation
The countries where we register companies, set side by side
OpenOutsourced accounting services
Books, payroll and returns for a company you own from abroad
OpenThe Legarithm platform
Your documents, signatures, deadlines and messages in one account
OpenGuides to a company in Singapore
Updated 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
