Singapore’s top financial centre, with robust IP protection, ample availability of funding, a thriving start-up ecosystem, a business-friendly regulatory environment, and a very attractive corporate taxation framework are some of the reasons why foreigners want to register a Singapore company.
Types of Business Entities in Singapore
Among the business entities available in Singapore, you can choose from these five – sole-proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, and private limited company. Here the private limited company is the most common and flexible business entity, considered a separate legal entity, and is limited by shares.
To incorporate a company in Singapore, the minimum requirements include:
- - at least 1 shareholder; can be a person or a corporate entity
- - 1 local resident director; he or she may be a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident, a holder of an employment pass or a dependant pass
- - 1 company secretary who is resident in Singapore
- initial paid-up capital of at least S$1, or its equivalent in any major international currency
- - a physical registered office address in Singapore; PO Boxes are not allowed
Notably, a foreign entrepreneur can register a company in Singapore by either:
- - relocating to Singapore with a work visa OR
- - without relocating, and choosing our nominee resident director service.
We discuss all the three options in detail below.
1) Incorporate a Singapore Company with Employment Pass
Here, a foreign entrepreneur can incorporate a Singapore private limited company using our company incorporation services, which include a resident director (nominee director on a temporary-basis), locally resident company secretary, and local physical office address requirements.
After the company incorporation is completed, we can apply for your Employment Pass (EP). Once the application is approved by the Ministry of Manpower, you (the foreign entrepreneur) can relocate to Singapore and take care of your business. Then, our temporary nominee resident directorship ceases and you can take over as the company’s sole director.
Learn more on how to register a Singapore Company at this Singapore Company Incorporation blog.
