How can an Indian Citizen Start a Company in Singapore?
Many Indian citizens & companies are looking to start a company in Singapore. If we are to believe the facts, a number of them have already done so. Flipkart Singapore is a prime example of an Indian company that has shifted its base.
The
straightforward process for establishing a new company set up in Singapore and
lower tax rates are a great attraction to Indians. They are also amazed at the
ease of doing business in this country.
Currently,
this island nation ranks 2nd in the World Bank report for this
indicator. The lack of bureaucratic hurdles in opening a company in Singapore
is also a novelty for them.
If
you want to start a business in Singapore, you should be ready with
pre-incorporation requirements. Accounting and Corporate Regulating Agency
(ACRA) has made them mandatory. They are as follows:
•
1
to 50 shareholder
•
S$1
of initial paid-up capital
•
At
least 1 local director
•
At
least 1 company secretary
•
Local
registered address
Steps
for Setting Up a New Company in Singapore
The
actual process for registering a company consists of 3 steps. They are as
follows.
Step
1#
Company
Name Approval
First
of all, you need to apply and get the name of your proposed company approvedfrom ACRA. Choose the name for your new company with care.
•
It
should be catchy, easily understandable and relatable to your business activity
•
Offensive,
vulgar, and black-listed company names are rejected
•
It
should not be similar to the existing company names or copy any existing
trademarks or logos
•
ACRA
can reject unacceptable names
Think
before including terms like Finance, Casino, Education, Bank in the name of the
proposed company. Such applications get referred to the Ministries and may need
up to 2 months for the approval.
As
an Indian, a foreigner, you will need to hire a registered filing agent to open
a company in Singapore. Submit 3-5 names to their expert. They will verify the
availability of one on BizFile+ portal and reserve it for you for 60 days.
ACRA
charges a fee of S$15 to reserve a company name. They can pay a small fee to
extend the period by another 60 days.
SingaporeCompany Incorporation Documents
Submit
the following documents to your agent:
•
Approved
company name
•
Business
activities in brief
•
Local
registered address
•
Details
of shareholders, directors, & company secretary
In
addition, you, as a foreigner, must submit a copy of your Indian passport &
residential address proof in India.
Company
Registration with ACRA
After
registering a company name and incorporation documents, they can apply to ACRA
and initiate the process to open a company in Singapore.
The process is online, and ACRA has made available a web portal called BizFile+
for the purpose. It takes 1-3 days to process the application. ACRA charges a
fee of S$300 to registering a company.
After
successfully incorporating a company, your agent gets an email from ACRA. It
contains details of your new company. The email is valid as a Certificate of
Incorporation in Singapore. The email contains Company Name, Unique
Identification Number, Business profile, etc.
The incorporation experts employed by the agents know the process thoroughly. They advise you on each step in the process, and if the need arises, they can appeal to the authorities on the rejection of the application to open a company in Singapore.
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