Any person who wishes to register a branch of a foreign company is advised to engage a professional, e.g. a lawyer or an accountant to assist him in the preparation and filing of the application for registration via Bizfile.
The Companies Act requires a foreign company to appoint two local agents in Singapore to act on behalf of the company. The agents must be ordinarily resident in Singapore i.e. a Singaporean Citizen, a Singaporean Permanent Resident, or a person who has been issued an EntrePass/Approval-In-Principle letter/Dependant Pass. A foreigner who wishes to act as a local agent of a foreign company can apply for an EntrePass or Approval-In-Principle letter from the Work Pass Division of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Please click here to go to the MOM website for more details.
Step 1 - Applying for a New Foreign Company Name
The Companies Act requires that a company name must be approved before the company can be registered. A proposed company name will not be approved if it is identical to the name of another local company, branch of a foreign company or business firm. Undesirable names, including offensive or vulgar names will also not be approved.
Application for approval of a company name can be submitted online via Bizfile through a professional firm or service bureau. S$15 is payable for each approved company name. An approved name will be reserved for 60 days from the date of application.
Processing will be done within 15 minutes of payment. However, if we need to refer an application to another government authority for comments, it may take another 14 working days. If a name appeal application is submitted, the processing may take another 5 working days. Click here for the Referral Authorities Table, which lists all names and activities that may require referral to another government agency.
Step 2 - Registration of a Foreign Company
Registration of a foreign company must be submitted online via Bizfile by a professional firm/company. A registration fee of S$300 for a foreign company with share capital and S$1200 for a foreign company without share capital. Generally, processing takes place within 15 minutes of payment.
How to apply for an Extension of the Reservation Period for an Approved Foreign Company Name
An application for extension of the name reservation period for another 60 days can be submitted online, upon payment of an application fee of S$10 for each approved name.
How to withdraw a New Foreign Company Name Application
An applicant can withdraw the application for an approved company name if he/she does not wish to continue to reserve the name.