Open a Singapore company in 10 days – for the founders Singapore fits.
Someone pointed you to Singapore – an investor, a partner. Then comes the resident-director rule: the company must have a director living in Singapore, and the choice of that person decides which bank account you can get. We register the company and arrange the resident director, then work on the bank account.
When Singapore wins
What Singapore gives that Hong Kong does not
Hong Kong remains our default for most founders; the cards below are the cases where Singapore is worth the extra rules.
Venture capital and IP
Venture funds know Singapore well as a place to hold an Asia-focused company. Its legal system and IP protection are strong, which is what investors look for. If you are raising venture capital or plan to, Singapore is the stronger base.
ASEAN and India trade
Singapore has double-tax treaties (DTAs) with India and with ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. It also has the banking network for regional payments and payment providers that collect from local buyers. When your customers or suppliers are in ASEAN or India, Singapore is the closer base.
Run it from Singapore
If you plan to move to Singapore and run the company there, an Employment Pass (Singapore’s work visa) lets you be the resident director yourself, so no nominee is needed. The pass can be refused, so plan a nominee director as a backup.
What’s included
Registration and the Singapore-resident requirements for the first year
Registering a Singapore private limited company (Pte Ltd) requires a director who lives in Singapore and a registered office address there. A company secretary must follow within six months. The package covers all of them for the first year.
ACRA registration filings
These filings go to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), which registers the company.
- Name reservation filed with ACRA via BizFile+
- Constitution drafted for ACRA filing
- Incorporation application filed with ACRA
- Government fees to ACRA – included
- Business activity codes (SSIC) chosen to support banking and future licences
- Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC) lodged on the incorporation date
Certificates and corporate identity
The corporate identity documents the company needs to operate and to pass the bank’s identity checks (KYC).
- Certificate of Incorporation with UEN (Unique Entity Number)
- Business Profile downloaded from ACRA BizFile+
- Constitution – final filed version
- Share certificates issued to each subscriber
- Digital copies for bank applications, physical originals couriered on request
Year-1 resident director
We arrange a nominee resident director through a registered Corporate Service Provider (CSP) – since June 2025, only a registered CSP may provide one. The nominee is on the register but does not make business decisions.
- Nominee resident director
- Nominee arrangement disclosed on the ACRA central nominee register
- Handover path documented if you obtain an Employment Pass and become the resident director yourself
Year-1 company secretary and registered office
Every Pte Ltd also needs a company secretary and a registered office address in Singapore.
- Company secretary appointed on the incorporation date (statutory deadline is 6 months)
- Statutory register maintenance – members, directors, secretaries, beneficial owners
- Annual General Meeting and Annual Return filing reminders
- Registered office address in Singapore on file with ACRA
- Reception of government correspondence and notices from IRAS (the tax authority)
- Reminders for the yearly IRAS tax filings (estimated and final return); corporate tax is 17% flat, with partial exemptions on the first S$200,000 of profit
The main difference
Who can be your resident director
A Singapore company cannot legally exist without a resident director. The law accepts three routes:
- A nominee resident director from a registered corporate service provider – the most common choice at incorporation.
- An Employment Pass that makes you, the founder, the resident director.
- A local co-founder who takes part in running the business.
A nominee typically costs S$2,000–6,000 a year. The service comes in two tiers. The minimal, statutory tier only fills the legal role: it takes no part in bank account opening, and with it a corporate account is realistic only through a fintech provider. The bank-attending tier joins the account opening when a traditional bank asks for it. DBS, for example, requires the nominee to attend in person. The Year-1 package includes the statutory tier; when a traditional bank is the goal, the bank-attending nominee is arranged separately.
If the provider rates your profile high-risk, the nominee service is usually limited to a few months, or the provider declines it. After that term, the company switches to its own resident director: you on an Employment Pass, or your own local representative at management level. The provider’s rating depends on your nationality and background, and on whether the business needs a licence.
How we work
How the registration goes, step by step
The first step comes before any paperwork.
We go through your business and banking needs
The strategy call with Roman and the USG team takes 30 minutes. Together we walk through your business model and passport situation, what you’re trying to build, and where your money has to move. We confirm that Singapore suits your case, or tell you which option is better.
Document preparation and the resident director
You provide the documents and complete the forms. We draft the Constitution and choose the SSIC codes, then offer you the nominee director options.
Filing with ACRA
Then we file the incorporation through BizFile+. ACRA processes most applications in one to three business days. Higher-risk profiles may go through Enhanced Due Diligence (a longer check), which can extend approval to a few weeks. We prepare the file for it in advance.
Company is open
You receive the Certificate of Incorporation with your UEN. Constitution, share certificates, RORC, and statutory registers are set up. The Year-1 resident director and company secretary are in place from the same day, and the registered office address is on file with ACRA. We then start on the bank account.
Common questions
Working with Singapore’s resident-director rule
Do I need a Singapore-resident director?
Yes. Singapore law requires at least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore – a citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an Employment Pass or EntrePass. There is no workaround.
Singapore or Hong Kong – how do I choose?
For most founders Hong Kong is the better choice: it is cheaper to maintain and has no resident-director requirement. Founders with difficult passports also find a bank account harder to open in Singapore. Singapore is the better choice when you raise venture capital, because investors recognise it as the holding jurisdiction, or when much of your trade is with ASEAN or India, where its tax treaties and regional banking help. It also makes sense if you relocate: with an Employment Pass you can be the resident director yourself.
What does the nominee director do?
The nominee sits on the register as a Singapore-resident director and satisfies the statutory requirement. They sign formal documents that require a Singapore-resident director’s signature and confirm to the corporate service provider (CSP) that the company is operating in line with the agreed business activity.
The nominee takes no part in managing the company. You make the business decisions and speak for the company: commercial contracts carry your signature, and you operate the bank account. A bank may still ask for the nominee’s details and consent when the account is opened, and may treat the nominee as a signatory. Some banks require the nominee to attend the opening, which is a separate bank-attending nominee service.
Do I need to fly to Singapore for the incorporation?
No. The incorporation is filed remotely. You sign electronically through the corporate service provider (CSP), and the documents go to ACRA via BizFile+. The Certificate of Incorporation and Business Profile arrive in digital form. Physical copies of the Constitution and share certificates are couriered if you want them.
You need to travel only for two things: the bank account (case by case, depending on the bank and your passport), and the Employment Pass formalities in person if you choose to relocate and become the resident director yourself.
Book a free call
Singapore or Hong Kong is easier to answer before the company exists. Half an hour and a description of your business cover it.
Book a free 30-minute call