How to Register a Company in Singapore in 2026 (— the S$315 Part Is the Easy Part —)
What a Singapore Pte Ltd actually requires, costs, and obligates you to every year after — sourced from ACRA and IRAS directly, not from whoever's guide ranks highest this month.
Every Singapore incorporation guide on the internet opens with the same two facts: seventeen percent corporate tax, and Singapore near the top of every "ease of doing business" ranking going. Both are true. Neither is the part that actually determines whether your Pte Ltd runs smoothly for the next ten years. That part is a person you've probably never met: your locally resident director — a legal requirement, not a formality, and the one line item where "cheap" and "reliable" genuinely pull apart. Here's what a Singapore Pte Ltd actually requires, actually costs, and actually obligates you to every year after, sourced from ACRA and IRAS directly rather than from whoever's guide ranks highest this month.
S$315
Total ACRA government fee — fixed, identical no matter who files it
120 Days
Name reservation window once ACRA approves your application
17%
Flat corporate tax rate, with exemptions for qualifying startups
1 Director
Singapore-resident director required — the real cost variable, not the fee
Singapore Pte Ltd, at a glance
| Regulator | Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) |
| Governing law | Companies Act 1967 |
| Minimum shareholders / directors / secretary | 1 / 1 resident director / 1 secretary (within 6 months) |
| Local director required? | Yes — at least one, ordinarily resident in Singapore |
| Minimum paid-up capital | S$1 |
| Foreign ownership | 100% allowed, no restrictions |
| Corporate tax rate | 17% flat; 75% exemption on the first S$100,000 of chargeable income (50% on the next S$100,000) for each of the first 3 Years of Assessment |
| Time to incorporate | Often same-day to 3 business days once filed; 1–2 weeks realistic end-to-end with KYC |
| Registration route | Residents with Singpass file directly via BizFile+; foreign founders must use a registered filing agent |
| Government fee (ACRA) | S$315 (S$15 name application + S$300 registration) |
| Name reservation window | 120 days from approval |
| Beneficial ownership register | Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC) — not public; lodged within 30 days of incorporation |
1. Why Singapore, still
Singapore isn't a tax dodge — 17% flat is a real rate, not a loophole — it's a credibility and access layer. An ACRA-registered UEN, a common-law court system, and a treaty network of 90-plus double tax agreements are the kind of thing banks, investors, and enterprise customers simply stop asking questions about. That's the actual product a Pte Ltd sells you: fewer questions, from everyone who matters.
The Pte Ltd is also flexible in ways founders underrate going in. The same entity type works as an operating company hiring local staff, a holding structure for a regional group, or — with eyes open about licensing, more on that below — a base for a Web3 or crypto business that wants an Asia presence without pretending to be something it isn't.
None of that is secret; every provider's guide says roughly the same thing. What's less consistently explained is what the entity actually costs once you stop reading the headline government fee, and what you're on the hook for every year after you stop thinking about it.
2. The process, step by step
Reserve your name. Residents with Singpass file directly on BizFile+ for S$15; foreign founders go through a registered filing agent. Once approved, the name is reserved for 120 days per ACRA's current rules — enough room to get the rest of the paperwork in order without racing the clock.
Choose your SSIC code. This classifies your business activity. Pick a code that touches a regulated sector — finance, education, healthcare, manpower — and your application routes to that sector's regulator on top of ACRA, adding 14 to 60 days you didn't budget for.
Prepare KYC and KYB. Certified photo ID and proof of address for every director and shareholder; for corporate shareholders, certificate of formation, register of members and directors, and share certificates. This is the part that actually eats the calendar, not the filing itself.
File the incorporation application. Constitution (ACRA's standard model works for most SMEs), share structure, officer consents, and your chosen financial year-end, filed via BizFile+ for the S$300 government fee.
Receive your Certificate of Incorporation and UEN. Issued electronically, usually within a few business days once ACRA has everything it needs. The Unique Entity Number is what you'll use for every government, banking, and tax interaction from here on.
Appoint your company secretary. Required within 6 months of incorporation under Section 171 of the Companies Act — most founders appoint at incorporation rather than racing the deadline later.
Notice what isn't on that list: a trip to Singapore. Incorporation itself runs entirely online. Some banks will still want video or in-person verification before they open a corporate account — but that's a banking requirement, not an ACRA one.
3. The honest number: what a Singapore Pte Ltd actually costs
The S$315 is real, fixed, and identical no matter who you file through — it's ACRA's published fee schedule, not a number your provider set. It's also the smallest figure on this page. Here's what it actually costs to incorporate and maintain a Singapore Pte Ltd through Otonomos, in full:
| Item | Frequency | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ACRA name application (government) | One-time | S$15 |
| ACRA registration fee (government) | One-time | S$300 |
| Government subtotal | S$315 | |
| Otonomos incorporation package (structuring, filing, company secretary and registered address setup) | One-time | US$880 |
| Company secretary + registered office address | Annual | US$1,800/year |
| Base total, year one — if you already have a qualifying local director | US$2,680 |
That base package is the whole story if you already have a Singapore-resident co-founder or employee who can be the local director.
→ Already covered on the director? Skip straight to checkout with the base package loaded
Most foreign founders don't have that person on hand, and that's where the real decision — and the real cost spread — sits:
| Local director option | Frequency | Cost | Direct link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Nominee Director | Annual | US$4,800/year | Add to cart → |
| Local Physical Director | Annual | US$7,200/year | Add to cart → |
| Local Physical Director — refundable deposit | One-time (returned when the director is replaced) | US$5,000 | Add to cart → |
Add the cheaper of those two — the Corporate Nominee Director — to the base package, and year one runs US$880 + US$1,800 + US$4,800 = US$7,480. Go with a Local Physical Director instead and it's US$880 + US$1,800 + US$7,200 = US$9,880 non-refundable, plus a US$5,000 deposit held (and returned) for as long as that director is in place.
A few optional add-ons worth knowing the price of before you need them:
| Add-on | Frequency | Cost | Direct link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee Shareholder (ownership privacy) | Annual | US$2,400/year | Add to cart → |
| Full Apostille KYC/AML Kit (certified corporate documents for bank/exchange onboarding) | One-time | US$2,000 | Add to cart → |
| Offshore Bank Account Opening | One-time | US$7,000 | Add to cart → |
| Wise Account Opening | One-time | US$480 | Add to cart → |
| Cross-jurisdictional Guidance & Structuring Advice (time with Otonomos founder Han) | One-time | US$2,000 | Add to cart → |
The government's S$315 doesn't move no matter who you use — it's written into ACRA's fee schedule. The line that actually swings the total by a factor of three or more is the local director, because the Companies Act doesn't let you skip that requirement without a qualifying person of your own on the ground. That's the decision worth spending time on, not the S$315.
Other add-ons you can bolt on later (crypto exchange & US bank accounts)
Two more services are available on the same Singapore package if you need them down the line:
- Crypto Exchange Account Opening — US$1,200 one-time. Add to cart →
- Fiat bank account opening, U.S. — US$2,000 one-time. Add to cart →
Both can be added to an existing order at any time — you don't need to decide on them before you file.
4. What you owe every year, regardless
A flat 17% tax rate doesn't mean a short compliance list:
- Company secretary — appointed within 6 months of incorporation, ordinarily resident in Singapore, and can't be your sole director (Companies Act s.171).
- Auditor — appointed within 3 months, unless you qualify for audit exemption (revenue under S$10M, assets under S$10M, and fewer than 50 employees — any 2 of the 3).
- Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) — filed with IRAS within 3 months of your financial year end.
- Annual General Meeting — first AGM within 18 months of incorporation; every AGM after that within 6 months of financial year end.
- Annual Return — filed with ACRA within 7 months of financial year end, S$60 fee.
- Form C-S / C — corporate tax return to IRAS, due 30 November, e-filing now standard.
- GST registration — mandatory once taxable turnover exceeds S$1M in any 12-month period; the rate is 9%.
- Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC) — lodged within 30 days of incorporation, and updated within 7 days of any change in beneficial ownership.
Miss the pattern here and it isn't a one-off penalty — ACRA and IRAS both treat a missed filing as the start of a compliance history, and that history follows the company (and its officers) into every future filing, bank review, and due-diligence check.
5. Five things to get right before you file
1. Don't leave the resident-director question until after you've registered
You cannot complete incorporation without one, and sourcing someone trustworthy under time pressure — rather than as a considered decision — is how founders end up overpaying or, worse, under-vetting who they hand the role to.
2. Decide on shareholder privacy up front
Singapore's Register of Directors and Shareholders is public by default. If keeping your own name off it matters, that's a nominee shareholder conversation — which Otonomos can arrange — not something the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) helps with; the PDPA governs customer data, not your own visibility on the register.
3. Choose your SSIC code deliberately, not quickly
It determines whether your application clears in days or gets routed to a second regulator for weeks.
4. Set your financial year-end on purpose
It fixes your ECI, AGM, and Annual Return deadlines for the life of the company — most founders default to 31 December, but a mid-year incorporation sometimes argues for a longer first financial period instead.
5. Building a Web3 or crypto business? Structure with the licensing reality in view before you incorporate
A Singapore Pte Ltd works well as a holding company or regional operating entity, and the domestic PSA/DPT licensing regime is real. What it can't currently do is serve crypto customers exclusively outside Singapore under the newer DTSP licence — MAS has approved zero of those in the regime's first 14 months. Full breakdown in Singapore's Crypto Licence Nobody Gets.
6. What to avoid
- Don't search for a "Singapore LLC." There's no such entity under Singapore law — the term gets used informally, but the actual legal structure is the Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd). Providers who use "LLC" loosely aren't necessarily wrong to help you, but it's worth knowing the correct name before you start comparing quotes.
- Don't assume DIY is closed to you. If you're a Singapore citizen or PR with Singpass, self-filing through BizFile+ is a genuinely viable option — the registered-filing-agent requirement only applies to foreign founders without Singpass access.
- Don't treat the PDPA as your privacy tool. It's a data protection law for customers, not a mechanism for keeping your own name off the public register. See Nominees, Explained if personal privacy is the actual goal.
- Don't wait until month five to think about a company secretary. The 6-month deadline is real, and appointing at incorporation avoids the scramble.
- Don't over-authorise share capital "to be safe." Singapore's S$1 minimum means there's rarely a reason to authorise more than you need at incorporation; you can always issue more shares later once there's an actual reason to.
- Don't confuse "no capital gains tax" with "no tax planning needed." Dividends are tax-exempt and there's no capital gains tax, but the 17% corporate rate still applies to ordinary chargeable income — the Start-Up Tax Exemption reduces it for the first three years, it doesn't eliminate it.
7. How Otonomos helps
We register and maintain Singapore Pte Ltd companies for founders who don't already have a Singapore-resident director on hand — sourcing the resident director, providing the registered office, handling the company secretary appointment, and keeping ACRA and IRAS filings on track through the Otonomos Dashboard. What we don't do is file a DTSP, DPT, or MAS licence application on your behalf — that's specialist regulatory work, and we'll tell you plainly which pathway actually fits before you spend months structuring for one that doesn't exist in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Singapore Pte Ltd the same as an LLC?
No. There's no "LLC" under Singapore law — the actual entity is the Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd), a separate legal structure with its own rules on directors, shareholders, and filings. The name gets used informally by some providers, but it's worth knowing the correct term before comparing quotes.
Do I have to visit Singapore to incorporate?
No. Incorporation runs entirely online via BizFile+. Some banks will ask for video or in-person verification before opening a corporate account, but that's a banking requirement, not an ACRA one.
What if I don't have my own Singapore-resident director?
Most foreign founders don't. Otonomos provides either a Corporate Nominee Director (US$4,800/year) or a Local Physical Director (US$7,200/year plus a refundable US$5,000 deposit) — see the cost breakdown in Section 3 above for direct links to each.
Is my ownership information public?
Singapore's Register of Directors and Shareholders is public by default. The PDPA doesn't change that — it governs data privacy for customers, not your own visibility on the register. A Nominee Shareholder arrangement is the actual tool if that matters to you.
Can a Singapore Pte Ltd operate a crypto exchange?
It can hold the structure, but serving crypto customers exclusively outside Singapore under the DTSP licence has proven effectively unattainable in practice — MAS approved zero applicants in the regime's first 14 months. See Singapore's Crypto Licence Nobody Gets for the full picture before you structure around one.
Related Reading
- Singapore Limited Company (Pte Ltd)
- Pte Ltd, Decoded — The Three Letters Singapore Turned Into a Business Model
- Singapore Company Tax and Annual Filing Requirements in 2026
- Singapore's Crypto Licence Nobody Gets: 14 Months, Zero DTSPs
- Nominees, Explained: The Privacy Layer Every Founder Should Know About
- SSIC Classification in Singapore
Sources: Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), acra.gov.sg; Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), iras.gov.sg; Companies Act 1967; Otonomos pricing per otonomos.com/order/singapore-limited-company. Verified September 2026.
Updated 41 minutes ago