Start a company in Singapore.What it takes, in order.
Incorporation takes two days. The parts around it, a director who lives here, an Employment Pass, a bank account that opens, take four to eight weeks and are where the money goes. This page says what you need, what it costs in 2026, and who we would use, for a foreign founder and for a resident one.
The assessment shows a route and a cost range on screen. No email needed for that part.
- Incorporation
- 1 to 2 days
- Government fee
- S$315
- Resident director
- Required
- Foreign founder, year one
- S$2,300 to 7,500
- Resident founder, year one
- S$700 to 2,500
- Bank account
- 1 to 8 weeks
Public list prices from the self-serve platforms and managed firms we compare, checked September 2026. Government fees from ACRA and MOM.
Five things, and only one of them takes two days.
Every provider sells these as a package. Here is what each one is, what it costs and which ones you can skip.
A company with a director who lives here
Registering the company with ACRA takes one to two days and costs S$315. The rule that shapes everything else is that every Singapore company needs at least one director who lives in Singapore: a citizen, a permanent resident or a pass holder. If nobody on your team qualifies, you hire a nominee director at S$1,500 to 5,000 a year until your own pass is approved.
- Private limited company is the default and the right choice for almost everyone
- One shareholder is enough and 100% foreign ownership is allowed
- S$1 of paid-up capital works; banks and MOM care about the business, not the capital
- The nominee director takes no part in the business and is usually replaced within a year
A corporate secretary and a registered address
Both are mandatory. The secretary must be appointed within six months, but every provider appoints one at incorporation because the filings start immediately. Together they cost S$500 to 1,500 a year, and the cheapest tier is fine for a company with one or two shareholders.
- Files the annual return and keeps the statutory registers
- Prepares the resolutions for director and shareholder changes
- The registered address is where ACRA and IRAS send notices; a provider address is normal
An Employment Pass, if you are moving here
Only your own company can apply for your pass. An employer of record cannot. The application is scored under COMPASS, needs 40 points, and needs a salary of at least S$5,600 a month in 2026 (S$6,200 in financial services). Professional fees run S$400 to 2,500 depending on how much work the case needs, plus the S$330 government fee. Most decisions come back in about three weeks.
- EntrePass is the founder alternative, applied for within six months of incorporation
- Salary, degree and nationality mix decide the score; our calculator estimates it in two minutes
- The nominee director can step down once your pass is approved and you are resident
A bank account that actually opens
This is the step that slips. Fintech accounts (Airwallex, Aspire, Wise Business) open in days and are enough for most companies to invoice, pay salaries and hold a few currencies. The traditional banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB) take four to eight weeks, want a director at the meeting, and turn down foreign-owned companies with no Singapore presence more often than they admit.
- Have contracts, invoices or a website ready; banks ask what the company does and for whom
- Source of funds for the first deposit is checked
- Three months of fintech history makes the traditional bank application easier
Accounting from the first month
The tax calendar starts at incorporation. Estimated chargeable income is due three months after your first year end, the tax return by 30 November, the annual return seven months after year end. A small company pays S$900 to 3,000 a year for bookkeeping, accounts and tax. Choose the year end on day one; it decides when the first bills land.
Running the company, year by yearYear one, line by line.
Two founders, two budgets. The difference is the nominee director and the Employment Pass, which a resident founder does not need.
| Item | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up | ||
| Government fee to incorporate | S$315 | Fixed. Name reservation S$15 plus registration S$300. |
| Foreign founder, year one | S$2,300 to 7,500 | Self-serve with three months of nominee director at the low end. Managed provider with director, secretary, accounting and immigration at the top. |
| Singapore-resident founder, year one | S$700 to 2,500 | No nominee director needed. Corporate secretary and address are the main cost. |
| Employment Pass application | S$400 to 2,500 + S$330 | Professional fee depends on how much COMPASS work the case needs. S$330 is the government fee. |
| Corporate bank account | S$0 to open, 1 to 8 weeks | Fintech accounts open in days. Traditional banks take four to eight weeks for foreign-owned companies. |
| Ongoing | ||
| Nominee director, per year | S$1,500 to 5,000 | Some providers add a refundable deposit. Falls away once a resident director is in place. |
| Corporate secretary and address, per year | S$500 to 1,500 | Mandatory. The cheapest tier is fine for a simple company. |
Setting up
- Government fee to incorporateS$315
Fixed. Name reservation S$15 plus registration S$300.
- Foreign founder, year oneS$2,300 to 7,500
Self-serve with three months of nominee director at the low end. Managed provider with director, secretary, accounting and immigration at the top.
- Singapore-resident founder, year oneS$700 to 2,500
No nominee director needed. Corporate secretary and address are the main cost.
- Employment Pass applicationS$400 to 2,500 + S$330
Professional fee depends on how much COMPASS work the case needs. S$330 is the government fee.
- Corporate bank accountS$0 to open, 1 to 8 weeks
Fintech accounts open in days. Traditional banks take four to eight weeks for foreign-owned companies.
Ongoing
- Nominee director, per yearS$1,500 to 5,000
Some providers add a refundable deposit. Falls away once a resident director is in place.
- Corporate secretary and address, per yearS$500 to 1,500
Mandatory. The cheapest tier is fine for a simple company.
Ranges cover the self-serve platforms and managed firms we compare. If a provider quotes you outside these ranges, ask why.
Get your exact numberWho should set it up for you.
Two kinds of provider, for two kinds of founder. We name the one we would use in the assessment reply, and we say why.
A managed corporate services firm
For a foreign founder who needs the nominee director, the corporate secretary and the Employment Pass handled in one engagement. One firm runs the first year and the pass application, and a named person answers the phone. This is what we use for our own companies.
A self-serve incorporation platform
For a Singapore resident, or a foreign founder who is happy to assemble the pieces. Incorporation from about S$300 plus government fees, with the secretary and a nominee director as add-ons. Cheaper, and you do more of the work yourself.
An employer of record
If everyone you hire is a citizen or permanent resident, nobody is moving here, and you will have fewer than five people in Singapore, you do not need a company yet. An employer of record puts them on payroll without one.
How we are paid. The provider you go ahead with pays us a referral fee out of their normal price, so you pay what you would pay going direct. We name the provider and the fee in your assessment reply, once we know your situation.
Four things we say to everyone who asks.
Do not incorporate before you know who the resident director will be. After the pass, the nominee is the largest year-one cost, and it only goes away once someone on your team lives here on a pass. If nobody is moving, budget for it every year.
Open the fintech account first and the bank account second. A company that has been invoicing through Airwallex or Aspire for three months is an easier case for DBS than one with no history.
If you will run the company alone from abroad, ask a tax adviser at home whether it becomes tax resident there. The Netherlands, the UK and most of the EU look at where the company is managed, and a Singapore company run from a sofa in Amsterdam can end up taxed in Amsterdam. We get this question more than any other and it is the one we cannot answer for you.
Do not pay for a nominee shareholder, a business plan or a premium incorporation tier. The company is the same S$315 company either way.
What people ask us
How long does it take to set up a company in Singapore?
One to two days for the company itself, once the provider has your passport copies and proof of address. Plan on four to eight weeks to be operational, because the bank account and the Employment Pass run in parallel after incorporation and both take weeks.
Do I need to be in Singapore to incorporate?
No. Identity checks are done remotely and the documents are signed electronically. You do need to be here, or send a director, for most traditional bank account openings. Fintech accounts are opened remotely.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Singapore company?
Yes. There is no local shareholding requirement. The only local requirement is the resident director, and a nominee satisfies it.
Is a nominee director a risk?
The nominee has the legal duties of a director, so reputable firms ask for a deposit, ask questions about the business, and refuse anything that looks like it could be used to launder money. That is the sign of a good one. The nominee does not hold shares and cannot act for the company without your resolution.
What if my Employment Pass is rejected?
MOM says why. Most rejections are salary below the benchmark for the role, or a company profile that scores badly on nationality mix. The fix is usually a higher salary or a different role title, then an appeal. This is where a managed provider earns its fee.
Could I use an employer of record instead of a company?
Only if everyone you hire is a citizen or permanent resident and you are not moving here. An employer of record cannot sponsor your pass and does not give you an entity to sign contracts or hold assets. See the hire page for the comparison.
Tell us where you are and who is moving. We'll tell you what year one costs.
Two minutes on the form. One reply from a person within a business day: the route, the year-one number, and which of the two partners we would send you to.