Last reviewed 17 October 2026. Requirements and fees follow ACRA’s published guidance.
Registering a Singapore private company limited by shares takes one application on Bizfile, and ACRA says most are approved soon after payment. The work is in the decisions you make before you apply and the obligations that start the day you are incorporated. This page sets out what ACRA requires, what it costs, the order to do things in, and what we handle.
At a glance
| Topic | What ACRA says |
|---|---|
| Government fees | S$15 to apply for the company name, and S$300 to register the company |
| Name reservation | An approved name is held for up to 120 days. Register within that time or it is released |
| Approval time | Most registrations are approved soon after payment. Complex applications may take up to 15 working days, and those needing a referral authority 14 to 60 days |
| Directors | At least one director, aged 18 or over, and at least one who meets local residency rules |
| Company secretary | At least one, a real person (not a company) who is a citizen, permanent resident or meets local residency rules. Appoint within 6 months of registration. A sole director cannot also be the secretary |
| Share capital | At least S$1, and at least one issued share. Shareholders can be a person, a company or an LLP |
| Registered office | A Singapore address open and accessible to the public during normal business hours on each business day |
| Constitution | Upload your own, or adopt ACRA’s Model Constitution when you register |
| Financial year end | You can choose any date |
The decisions to make before you apply
Name. Check availability on Bizfile and reserve it for S$15. Names with restricted words may be referred to another authority, which takes longer.
Directors and the local resident. The company must appoint at least one director who meets local residency rules at registration. A founder with no resident co-founder either relocates someone or appoints a nominee director. Directors need to be 18 or over, and each position holder gives their NRIC or FIN, full name, date of birth, and residential and contact addresses.
Shareholders and share capital. The minimum is one issued share and S$1 of capital. Paid-up capital is the amount shareholders have actually paid, so a company with 100,000 shares of S$1 each that has collected half upfront has S$50,000 paid up and S$50,000 unpaid. ACRA lists ordinary, preference, redeemable preference, convertible preference and treasury shares. If there is more than one founder, agree and write down who holds what, before you apply and not after.
Registered office. It must be a Singapore address that is open and accessible to the public during normal business hours. If you have no premises, we can provide one through our registered office address service.
Constitution. You can upload a customised constitution or adopt the Model Constitution. If you adopt the model you choose how it moves: “in force from time to time” adopts future changes automatically, and “in force at a point in time” keeps the version available at incorporation. Keep a signed copy at the registered office, signed by all subscribers at incorporation. Changing it later takes a special resolution and a Notice of Resolution filed with ACRA.
Financial year end. You can choose any date, and common ones are 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. It sets your AGM and annual return deadlines. Changing it later has limits: you can only change the current or previous financial year, you can’t change it if you have missed an AGM, annual return or financial statement deadline, and ACRA’s approval is needed for a year longer than 18 months or a second change within five years. See our change of financial year end page.
Who can apply
Only the person who reserved the company name can submit the application, and that person must be appointed as a director or secretary. Individuals log in with Singpass. A corporate service provider (CSP) can also register on your behalf, using Corppass.
ACRA’s requirements page says foreigners must engage a CSP to reserve a name and register a business structure, and that work-pass holders have their own conditions, such as a Letter of Consent from MOM for Employment Pass holders. We cover those in our post on who must register with ACRA.
What to do after you are incorporated (Example for illustration only)
An example. ABC Pte Ltd is incorporated on 10 January 2027 with a 31 December year end.
| Step | Rule | Date for Seaglass |
|---|---|---|
| Set up Corppass | One day after you get your UEN | 11 January 2027 |
| Set up the statutory registers | From the incorporation date | 10 January 2027 |
| Download the free Business Profile | Within 60 days of registration | By 11 March 2027 |
| Appoint an auditor, unless exempt from audit | Within 3 months of registration | By 10 April 2027 |
| Appoint a company secretary | Within 6 months of registration | By 10 July 2027 |
| First AGM, or financial statements sent to members | 6 months after FYE, or 5 months for the alternative | 30 June 2028, or 31 May 2028 |
| First annual return | 7 months after FYE | 31 July 2028 |
Also:
- Bank account. ACRA strongly encourages opening one to keep business and personal money apart.
- Licences. Check whether your activity needs a licence or permit before you start trading.
- Tax. Corporate tax is separate from your own, and a new company may qualify for the start-up exemption. See our post on the start-up tax exemption.
- GST. You must register if taxable turnover is over S$1 million at the end of a calendar year, or you reasonably expect it to be over S$1 million in the next 12 months. See our GST services page.
- Audit. Many small private companies are exempt. See our post on audit exemption.
The registers, secretary and filing calendar are what our company secretarial service covers. The books start on day one, so we usually set up monthly bookkeeping at the same time.
What we do
| Stage | What we do |
|---|---|
| Before you apply | Check the name, confirm the shareholders, directors and share capital, and agree the financial year end |
| Applying | Prepare the application and constitution, and file on Bizfile |
| On approval | Send you the UEN and Business Profile and set up the statutory registers |
| After | Appoint the secretary and auditor where needed, and put the first year’s filing dates in a calendar |
Questions we get asked
How much does it cost to incorporate? ACRA’s fees are S$15 for the name and S$300 for registration, S$315 in total. Our own fees are separate and depend on the structure. We will confirm them before we start.
How long does it take? ACRA says most registrations are approved soon after payment. Complex applications can take up to 15 working days, and those needing a referral authority 14 to 60 days.
Do I need to live in Singapore? ACRA’s rule is that at least one director must meet local residency rules, and each position holder must give identification and address details. Ask us about your own mix of founders before you apply.
What is the minimum share capital? S$1, with at least one issued share.
Do I have to write my own constitution? No. You can adopt the Model Constitution when you register.
Can I use my home address as the registered office? ACRA requires a Singapore address open and accessible to the public during normal business hours on each business day. We can provide one if yours doesn’t meet that.
Do I need an auditor? Appoint one within three months of registration unless your company is exempt from audit.
Talk to us about setting up your company
Tell us who the founders are, where they are based and what the company will do, and we will tell you what the application needs and how long it should take. Ask our incorporation team.
Sources
- ACRA, Registering a local company
- ACRA, Step 4.6: Registering a local company via Bizfile
- ACRA, Step 4.3: Choosing company directors and other key officers
- ACRA, Step 4.4: Deciding on share capital and share types
- ACRA, Step 4.5: Preparing or adopting a company constitution
- ACRA, Choosing a company’s financial year end
- ACRA, Post-registration guide: local company
This is general information, not professional advice for your specific situation. Requirements and fees can change, so confirm them on ACRA’s website before relying on them.