Company Formation & Entity Setup in Singapore
Pte Ltd incorporation with ACRA, resident director and company secretary appointment, and registered address setup.
SingaporeCurrency
SGD (Singapore dollar)
Legal forms
Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd)
Minimum share capital
S$1 (Pte Ltd)
Registration body
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Formation timeline
1–3 business days for a standard Pte Ltd application (14–60 days for regulated sectors or referral cases)
Corporate tax rate
17% flat — one-tier system, no further tax on dividends
How company formation works in Singapore
Singapore applies a flat 17% corporate tax rate and a one-tier system under which dividends are exempt from further tax in the shareholder's hands, alongside a 9% Goods and Services Tax (GST). Incorporation is fast — a Private Limited Company can be registered with ACRA in as little as one to three business days, with a minimum paid-up capital of S$1 — and there is no general statutory minimum wage, only sector-specific floors under the Progressive Wage Model and a Local Qualifying Salary threshold tied to foreign worker quota eligibility.
Discuss your Singapore market-entry structureMatched to your business objective
Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd)
The standard vehicle for an operating subsidiary of a foreign company — the default choice for most market-entry engagements in Singapore.
Branch
Useful for testing the Singapore market before committing to a subsidiary, or for keeping a single legal entity across borders. Creates a taxable presence — profits are generally taxed in Singapore.
Representative office
For market research and liaison activity only — cannot sign contracts, invoice, or trade locally in most jurisdictions.
What it takes to register, and how long
Formation runs through the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), typically taking 1–3 business days for a standard Pte Ltd application (14–60 days for regulated sectors or referral cases).
- CPF/foreign-workforce divide — — employer CPF (up to 17%) applies only to Citizens and Permanent Residents; Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit holders are excluded, requiring dual payroll tracks within the same headcount
- Foreign Worker Levy — applies to S Pass and Work Permit holders (not Employment Pass) — a monthly per-head statutory cost separate from and in addition to standard payroll, varying by sector quota and worker qualification tier
- COMPASS points framework for Employment Pass — — January 2026 salary benchmark and qualification changes narrow the margin for borderline applications; the S$5,600/month floor (S$6,200 financial services) is a minimum, not a qualifying score, unless salary reaches S$22,500
- Local Qualifying Salary threshold — — S$1,600/month rising to S$1,800 from 1 July 2026, a precondition for foreign worker quota eligibility, distinct from CPF and from any general minimum wage (Singapore has none)
Frequently asked questions
Talk to a Singapore formation expert
The CPF/foreign-workforce divide is the single most consequential planning variable for companies budgeting Singapore headcount, precisely because it is a binary switch tied to residency status rather than a graduated cost. Total employment cost should be modelled by headcount composition — local versus Employment Pass versus S Pass/Work Permit — not by a blended average that obscures which cost applies to which hire.