Singapore Branch Office Registration
Foreign companies which would like to start a business in Singapore, has to register a branch in Singapore. Branch office is only an extension to its head office, owned by the foreign parent company.
Features of Singapore Branch Office setup:
- It is a non-legal entity which should be a registered branch office in Singapore.
- The company name must be the same as the parent company.
- Two local staff members must be appointed to run the administration. They can be from the following. Singapore citizen, Singapore Permanent Resident (PR), Employment Pass (EP) Approval In-Principle Employment Pass (AIP EP), or Dependent Pass holder.
- Shareholders, the structure of the company and its activities are directed by the foreign company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association (MAA).
- The accounts and the audited accounts of Singapore branch office, must be submitted annually to both head office accounts and ACRA.
- Shareholders will depend on the constitution of the foreign company’s head office.
- Annual General Meetings are conducted, depending on the country law, to which the foreign incorporation belongs.
- Residents and non-residents may hold foreign exchange accounts. There are no control or requirements for payments, transfers and repatriation of profits.
Required Documents for the registration
- Certificate of Incorporation given by the foreign country.
- Certificate of the foreign company’s Articles of Association, Statutes, License or amendments defining or constituting its constitution by the notary public.
- Particulars of the Directors.
- Memorandum of Appointment of Agents or Power of Attorney can be done through us under the company seal stating the names, addresses and passport/NRIC numbers of two or more persons residing in Singapore who acts as the foreign company’s agents.
- Preparation of Statutory declaration by verifying the execution of the Memorandum of Appointment of Agents.
- Registered Singapore office address details can be provided by us.
Procedure and timeline for Registration
- Registration formalities are taken care by our company, in which the process takes place in two steps
o Name Approval.
o Entity Registration.
- Registration of a Singapore branch office is usually completed in 1 or 2 days, if all the necessary documents and the name approval process are set correctly.
- The company registrar will mail you the registration of Singapore Branch Office. No hard copy of certificate is issued. If you need it, you can get it by applying separately.