To set up a local company in Singapore, first decide whether a company fits the business. Prepare its name, activities, owners, directors, registered office and constitution before applying through Bizfile. After registration, complete the required officer appointments, records and operating steps. Incorporation alone does not settle tax, banking or licence requirements.

This guide explains what to prepare. JurisLane does not register companies, supply nominee directors or company secretaries, or decide legal or tax questions.

1. Choose the business structure

ACRA's structure comparison covers companies, sole proprietorships and several forms of partnership. Compare them using the same operating facts:

  • Who will own and control the business?
  • Will it need investors, employee equity or different share classes?
  • Where will founders, staff, customers and decision-makers be based?
  • What will it sell, and will any activity be regulated?
  • What are the liability, tax, governance and recurring filing implications?

Get advice on the questions that affect the choice. Registering a company does not resolve immigration, employment, licensing or tax issues.

2. Prepare the name and business activities

Record the preferred name and alternatives. Search current Bizfile records and check ACRA's restrictions. Name approval, trade marks and domain ownership are separate issues. Use the company name check guide to prepare these checks.

Describe what the company will sell and how it will operate. Select the relevant Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) activities. Keep the reasons for your selection so the filing, bank application and licence records describe the same business.

3. Record ownership and funding

Prepare a capitalization table, often called a cap table. It should show each shareholder, share class, number of shares, issue price and ownership percentage. Gather identity and address records through an authorised, secure process.

Connect the cap table to the subscription money, founder or investor agreements, intellectual-property ownership and ultimate controllers. Record the approvals needed for share issues or transfers. Percentages alone will not reconcile the constitution, member register and payment evidence.

4. Confirm directors and the company secretary

Check each proposed officer against ACRA's eligibility requirements. A local company needs at least one director who meets the local-residence requirement. Confirm consent, residence basis, other roles and any disqualification question.

A nominee director has real duties. Check the governance arrangement, access to information, conflicts, fees, exit terms and register requirements. A private agreement does not remove the director's external responsibilities.

The company secretary is a separate role. ACRA's post-registration guidance requires appointment within six months of registration. Check eligibility, scope and consent rather than assuming that a formation package includes ongoing work. The company secretary duties guide explains the practical handover questions.

5. Verify the registered office

Confirm the Singapore address and permission to use it. Name the person receiving official communications and agree how mail reaches the company. Check the current accessibility and opening requirements before filing.

Keep the registered office distinct from trading premises, warehouses and overseas offices. Retain the lease or service agreement, permissions and mail-handling arrangements. A provider's marketing page is not evidence that a particular arrangement meets the company's needs.

6. Approve the constitution

A company may use the ACRA model constitution or prepare its own. Identify any real need for different rules on shares, transfers, director powers, meetings or founder controls. Send those questions for qualified review.

Keep the exact approved version and the authority adopting it. Check it against the shareholder agreement and cap table. The model constitution guide explains the adoption choices to review.

7. Review the Bizfile application

Follow ACRA's current registration steps. Before the authorised applicant files, reconcile:

  • The name, activities and registered office.
  • The financial year end, share capital and shareholder details.
  • Directors, any appointed secretary and the required consents.
  • The constitution and controller information.
  • Applicant authority and any referrals, endorsements or fees.

Keep a review copy before submission and the result afterwards. An application may need further action; submission alone is not proof of registration.

8. Complete the post-registration work

Verify the entity record and Unique Entity Number (UEN). Make a dated action list for officer appointments, registers, share records and recurring filings. Add the tax, banking, licensing, employment, data and contract work required for this business.

Check GST registration requirements separately; incorporation does not establish the company's GST position. Assign each open question to a person who can resolve it.

Use the company setup document checklist to organise the evidence. Review the market-entry preparation scope for help preparing cross-border ownership, operating and professional-support questions.

What this guide does not establish

This checklist does not guarantee registration or establish that a structure is suitable. It also does not confirm compliance with tax, licence, immigration, employment, banking or other regulatory duties. Check the current official sources and seek qualified advice for the company's facts.

Sources

Editorial note: This guide supports issue preparation and qualified review. Applicable requirements depend on the facts, entities, markets and current law.