Singapore is an attractive location for new technology enterprises because of its closeness to Asian markets, its ease of doing business, and its supportive policies of entrepreneurship and technological development. The World Bank has ranked Singapore for ten years in a row as the easiest place to do business in the world. In addition, INSEAD and the World Economic Forum have named Singapore the most “technology-ready” nation in 2015 (source).

Below are some resources for individuals hoping to set up companies in Singapore. See a detailed summary of company registry requirements here. See list of Singaporean company types here. After getting an overview of Singapore company incorporation, read the Incorporation Laws in Singapore here for the full details (Singapore Companies Act, Part III Division 1).

Note that in Singaporean company law, a “company” is defined as a legal entity separate and distinct from its directors and shareholders, and can encompass both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

For-profit:

• Authoritative guides for registering a business in Singapore can be found at the government Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) website here (under the tab “Explore eServices”). Specific guides to particular business types are linked below. 

• Sole Proprietorships and Limited Partnerships (where the principal has no limited liability).

• Limited Liability Partnerships

  • Fees listed here.

  • Must have 2 partners, a manager resident in Singapore, a registered office in Singapore

• Local Companies

  • Fees listed here.

• Foreign Companies

  • Fees listed here. 

• Registration is online at https://www.bizfile.gov.sg. According to this source, the application will take 14 days - 2 months to process. 


  Non-profit:

• See this guide to setting up a non-profit in Singapore.


Sources:

• Singapore Bizfile (Guides for Registering a Business)
• Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)