← All whitepapersNumis-Docs · Incorporation

Incorporating a Private Limited Company in Singapore: The BizFile+ Process

Incorporating a private limited company in Singapore is a fully digital process handled through ACRA's BizFile+ portal — but foreign founders in particular need to plan around a handful of local requirements before they can submit an application.

By Numisora Solutions Pte Ltd · Published 6 September 2026 · Last checked 6 September 2026

The statutory requirements

To incorporate a private limited company (Pte Ltd), a company needs: at least one shareholder and no more than 50 (individuals or corporate entities, local or foreign); at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore (a citizen, Permanent Resident, or eligible pass holder); a company secretary, who must be a Singapore resident and appointed within six months of incorporation; a physical Singapore registered office address (a P.O. box is not accepted); and a minimum paid-up capital of S$1, with no maximum required.

The BizFile+ process

Incorporation runs in two stages. First, the proposed company name is submitted for approval through BizFile+; once approved, ACRA reserves it for 120 days, during which the full incorporation application must be completed. The name must be unique, must not infringe existing trademarks, and must avoid restricted or offensive words. Second, the incorporation application itself is submitted with the company's Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) activity codes, director and shareholder particulars, registered office address, and a constitution — either ACRA's standard Model Constitution or a custom-drafted one. On approval, ACRA issues a Unique Entity Number (UEN) and an electronic Certificate of Incorporation.

Fees and timing

ACRA's fees are S$15 for the name application and S$300 for company registration — S$315 in total. Processing is fast by international standards: name applications are typically resolved quickly, and incorporation itself is commonly approved within one to a few business days once all required documents are in order.

Who has to use a filing agent

Anyone with a Singpass or Corppass login can, in principle, file directly. Foreign founders without one are required to engage a Registered Filing Agent — typically a corporate secretarial firm, law firm, or accounting firm — to submit the application on their behalf. This is also where the identity-verification and due-diligence obligations placed on corporate service providers become relevant to the incorporation process itself.

This whitepaper summarises publicly available ACRA guidance as at the checked date above. It is not legal advice. Confirm current fees, name-reservation periods, and document requirements against ACRA's BizFile+ guidance before submitting an application.

Sources

  1. ACRA — Registering a local company via Bizfile
  2. ACRA — Setting Up a Private Company Limited by Shares

Numis-Docs drafts the secretarial documents a new Singapore company needs. See Numis-Docs