Singapore Company Formation for Foreign Companies
Singapore Subsidiary Registration & Employment Pass Package
This package is suitable for foreign companies who wish to register a subsidiary company in Singapore and relocate one of their key executives to Singapore on an Employment Pass to operate their new business. Under this package, we will first incorporate your subsidiary and then apply for Employment Pass for the key executive.
- Package Details
- Documents
- Process
- FAQs
This package includes the following services:
Subsidiary Company Registration
- Name reservation
- Preparation of incorporation documents
- Registration with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
- Bank account opening assistance
- Electronic Certificate of Incorporation
- Company profile extract from the ACRA
- Minutes of first board meeting
- Share certificates
- Company seal
- Company rubber stamp
- Government and our professional fee
Company Secretarial services for 1 year
- Appointing a senior Hawksford Singapore team member as the professional company secretary
- Providing assistance with understanding and compliance with Singapore Companies Act including reminders of the various statutory compliance deadlines
- Safekeeping, updating, and maintaining registers, minutes book, and other statutory records of the company
- Consultation during the year on routine corporate secretarial matters
Company Registered Address (RA) for 1 year
- Listing our address as your company’s registered address with ACRA
- Receiving official notices
- Receiving and forwarding incoming mail for your company
Local Director for 1 year
Employment Pass (EP) application filing for 1 applicant
Scroll to topDocuments required for subsidiary registration:
For each corporate shareholder:
- Copy of the certificate of registration; and
- Current extract of company particulars from Registrar of Companies; and
- Copy of the constitution of the company; and
- A board resolution approving the incorporation of the Singapore company and the proposed shareholding
For each Singapore resident individual shareholder and director:
- Copy of Singapore IC; and
- Copy of passport
For each non-resident individual shareholder and director:
- Copy of passport; and
- Copy of residential address proof such as a recent utility bill, residential phone bill, tax bill, or cable TV bill
For compliance with our nominee director service:
- Personal bank reference letter (see sample) for at least one shareholder and director
- Completed know your client form along with resume / CV and passport
Documents required for Employment Pass application filing:
- Completed EP application
- Copy of passport
- 1 passport size recent photo
- Copies of educational certificates (above high school)
- Copy of resume
- Copies of past employment testimonials, appointment letters, etc., if available
- Tenancy agreement for business operations address in Singapore
- 1-2 page document that outlines a) detailed description of the duties to be performed by the applicant; and b) detailed description of activities and/or products of the company
- If you have a similar existing business overseas, it would be helpful to provide details such as audited accounts, brochures, client contracts, website details, etc.
Documents required for Dependant Pass for spouse:
- Completed DP application
- Copy of passport
- 1 passport size recent photo
- Copy of marriage certificate
- Educational details
- Salary details for the most recent employment held, if any
Documents required for Dependant Pass for child
- Completed DP application
- Copy of passport
- 1 passport size recent photo
- Copy of birth certificate showing the names of both parents
- School enrollment details in an educational institute in Singapore
Please note the following:
- All documents must be in English or officially translated in English;
- All copies of documents must be certified true copies by a notary public or you must bring the originals to our office for sighting;
- If you are overseas, you can email us the scanned copies of documents so we can proceed with preparing the necessary incorporation documents. However we must receive the original certified true copies (or sight the originals at our office) before we can incorporate the company.
- Our compliance department may ask for additional information if necessary.
The process and the steps for this package are as follows:
Step 1: Submit your request
Let us know that you wish to proceed forward with this package by clicking the “Set Up Now” button above and completing the online form. Upon receipt of your request, one of our client services consultants will follow-up with you to clarify any questions you might have and to advice you of the next steps.
Step 2: Provide subsidiary registration details
We will send you the relevant forms for you to furnish the required details. Supporting documents will be required to facilitate the due diligence work and preparation of the incorporation documents accordingly.
Step 3: Make payment
Upon receipt of the completed registration details form and due diligence clearance, we will send you an invoice for our services. In order for us to commence our services, you will need to make payment as per the invoice sent to you. We accept bank transfer, local cheque, or credit card.
Step 4: Prepare subsidiary incorporation documents
Upon receipt of the payment, we will prepare the necessary incorporation documents and email them to you for signing. If you are in Singapore, you can visit our office and sign the documents.
Step 5: Register subsidiary company
Upon receipt of the signed incorporation documents and supporting documents from you, we will proceed to incorporate the company with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA).
Step 6: Open bank account and inject capital
Once the company has been registered with ACRA, we will assist you with opening of a corporate bank account for the newly incorporated subsidiary. You will then need to inject the proposed paidup capital and notify us.
Step 7: Prepare and file Employment Pass application
In parallel to steps 5 & 6, we will work with you to prepare the Employment Pass application and supporting documents. Once ready, we will then file the Employment Pass application along with supporting documents and wait for the outcome.
Step 8: File an appeal, if necessary
In case your EP application is rejected initially, we will explore the reasons with authorities and then prepare and file an appeal (at no extra cost) accordingly.
Step 9: Arrange for Employment Pass issuance
Upon receipt of the Employment Pass approval letter, you will be required to visit Singapore to collect your pass. We will assist you in scheduling an appointment with authorities for issuance of the pass.
Step 10: You are done. Congratulations!
After you have collected your Employment Pass, you are ready to relocate to Singapore and start work for the subsidiary company.
Scroll to topPackage specific questions and answers:
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This situation applies to foreign individuals or companies who intend to incorporate a Singapore company and relocate to Singapore. As per Singapore Companies Law, each company must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. Therefore you will need to use a resident local director service on a temporary basis until your Employment pass is approved. Once your Employment Pass is approved and you have relocated to Singapore, you can replace the resident director with yourself as the local director in the company.
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You can apply for family’s Dependant’s Pass (DP) at the time of applying for your work pass or after its approval. The following guidelines apply:
- If you apply for Dependant's Passes for your family members together with your own work pass, they will be processed simultaneously. This approach is faster, but please be mindful that if your work pass is not successful for any reason, you would have incurred the unnecessary expenses in applying for the Dependant’s Passes.
- The alternative approach is to apply for the Dependant’s Passes after your work pass application is successful. This will mean that your family members will have to wait few more weeks before they can collect their Dependant’s Passes.
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The actual incorporation of a subsidiary company in Singapore can be accomplished in a matter of few hours after due diligence clearance as the whole process is computerized. However, the overall process can take anywhere from one day to few weeks depending on the following factors:
- Name reservation. Before a subsidiary can be incorporated, its name has to be reserved first. Assuming there are no objections to the name being proposed, the name reservation process can be accomplished in less than an hour. However, if the name conflicts with an existing name or if the proposed name contains some sensitive words that may require a review by relevant authorities, the name approval process can get delayed to few days or weeks.
- Signing of incorporation documents. If you are in Singapore, this is a quick and easy process. However if you are located overseas, the logistics involved in signing and sending the signed documents can take few days.
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The chances of an Employment Pass application depend on the credentials of the company and the credentials of the individual applicant. We will be able to advice you further once we are in touch with you.
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Minimum paid-up capital requirement for a Singapore subsidiary company is $1. The paid-up capital can be in listed in Singapore dollar or any other major currency. The concept of authorized capital has been abolished in Singapore. Whatever capital you list is treated as paid-up capital and you will be required to inject this amount into the company. Paid-up capital of the company can be freely utilized towards company's business expenses. There is no requirement that this money must be locked in the bank account for any specific period of time.
How much paid-up capital should I list for our Singapore subsidiary?
How much paid-up capital you should have for your company depends more on your business plans than anything else. Having a higher paid-up capital will add credibility to your company when you are dealing with your suppliers, banks, etc. If you plan to apply for work passes for foreign staff, a higher paid-up capital will be looked more favourably by Ministry of Manpower. There may also be specific paid-up capital requirements for certain business licenses such as travel agency license, recruitment agency license, financial services license, etc.
If you want to list a paid-up capital higher than the minimum S$1, you have two options:
Option 1:List a higher paid-up capital at the time of incorporation
Keep in mind that whatever paid-up capital amount you list, will need to be deposited into the company's bank account. Since we will be acting as company secretary for your company, we carry certain fiduciary responsibilities in this matter and have to ensure that the necessary paid-up capital is in fact inject into the company. Therefore if you wish to list a paid-up capital higher than S$100 at the time of incorporation, we will require you to deposit that money with us first. Once your company bank account is open, we will transfer the paid-up capital amount into your company's bank account.
Option 2: Increase paid-up capital after registration of the subsidiary
Under this option, you can increase the paid-up capital anytime after registration of the subsidiary company. In this case, the process is as below:
- Incorporate the company with nominal paid-up capital;
- Open company bank account;
- Inject funds into the bank account and notify us;
- We will then prepare and file the necessary paperwork with Company Registrar to reflect the revised paid-up capital of the subsidiary company. Note that a fee will apply for his service.
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Each Singapore company must appoint a qualified company secretary who is knowledgeable and experienced with Singapore company laws. A company secretary typically assist the members and officers of the company with the following matters:
- Assisting members with understanding and compliance with Singapore Companies Act
- Reminding members of various statutory deadlines and assisting them with statutory compliance
- Maintaining the statutory registers
- Ensuring that the company files statutory information accurately and on time
- Providing members and directors with notice of meetings
- Preparing and filing necessary corporate resolutions as and when necessary
- Ensuring that people entitled to do so can inspect company records
- Custody and use of the company seal
We act as the company secretary for all companies that we incorporate. Our annual company secretary retainer fee is for routine corporate secretarial services that include:
- Appointing a senior Hawksford Singapore team member as the professional company secretary for your company
- Reminding you of the various statutory compliance dates
- Safekeeping, updating, and maintaining registers, minutes book, and other statutory records of the company
- Free consultation during the year on routine corporate secretarial matters
- Charging of discounted fees for non-routine services
Please note that non-routine service requests are charged on a per request basis.
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We offer a comprehensive range of services with the objective of being a one-stop service provider for all your company needs. For almost all of our clients, we handle annual statutory compliance requirements for their companies that consist of a) preparation and filing of Annual Return with the ACRA; and b) preparation and filing of Annual Tax Return with Inland Revenue Authority.
In a nutshell, our core services consist of:
- Incorporation of local companies, subsidiaries of foreign corporations and registration of branches of overseas companies;
- On-going statutory administration of companies;
- Accounting, payroll, and tax filing for companies;
- Application for business licenses;
- Application for work passes for expatriates;
- Other related corporate services
We also have a deep network of professional and dependable partner firms that augment our own in-house services such as trademark registration service, office lease services, specialized business licenses, legal services, etc.
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When the Employment Pass application is filed online, it takes within 3 weeks for most cases to receive the outcome notification from authorities. It may take longer during peak periods or when additional information is required from the various economic agencies.
When thinking about the timeline, keep in mind the following:
- The company must be incorporated first before Employment Pass can be applied for. This can take anywhere from couple of days to couple of weeks depending on whether you are present in Singapore or overseas.
- If you intend to submit the application online, and if the company is newly incorporated, the MOM will need to be prompted of the company’s particulars in order to activate the EP-Online system. This process can take up to 14 days from the day of notification to the MOM.
- It may take certain amount of time for you to provide us with the completed application and supporting documents before we can file the application.
- After the pass is approved, there are still certain formalities that will need to be taken care of such as the medical examination, the appointment for fingerprinting registration, collection of the pass, etc, which may take few more days.
Important information about this package:
- The subsidiary must be registered before Employment Pass application can be filed. The EP application is subject to review and approval by authorities.
- Temporary local director service is required until the Employment Pass is approved. We also collect a S$5,000 refundable security deposit for the provision of our local director service. The security deposit will be refunded upon conclusion of our local director service.
- The appointment of our local director is subject to the satisfactory outcome of due diligence conducted by our compliance team.
- Upon In-Principal-Approval notification of the Employment Pass/Dependent Pass, the disbursements for issuance of each pass will apply, as well as visa stamping fee and change of local director, where applicable.
- As part of our compliance requirements when using our local Director service, you are required to appoint an executive director to manage the company. You are also required to engage our Registered Address service, Accounting and Corporate Tax filing service unless otherwise approved by our compliance team.
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