Public Company Limited by SharesSingapore
What it takes to form, own and run a public limited company in Singapore, and how its profit is taxed. Each figure links to the page it was read from.
This company type
At a glance
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Shareholders have limited liability . This means they are not personally responsible for the company's debts and losses.
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If your company type requires share capital, your company needs at least $1 in share capital to start.
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Set-up fee $315 ($15 name application fee and $300 incorporation fee).
Form it
Who registers it
- Registry
- Formed without visiting
- Not stated
The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.
- Formed online
- Yes
What it takes to form
- A notary
- Not stated
The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.
- A resident director
- Required
- Paying up the capital
- Shares may be issued fully paid or partly paid: ACRA states share capital can be issued with or without full payment from shareholders.
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Share capital can be issued with or without full payment from shareholders.
Own it
Who may own and run it
- Directors
- At least 1 · one must live there · individuals only
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All companies must have at least one director.
- Shareholders
- At least 1 · a company may be one · nominees allowed
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All companies must have at least one shareholder .
- Members
- At least 1 · one person may form it alone
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A company must have at least one member.
- A local company secretary
- Required
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Every company must have one or more secretaries each of whom must be a natural person who has his or her principal or only place of residence in Singapore
- A local registered agent
- Not required
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Requirements: Must be a Singapore address. Must be open and accessible to the public during normal business hours on each business day.
Each year, at the registry
- Annual registry fee
- SGD 60 (about €42)
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File annual returns $60
- Accounts on the public record
- Yes
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File financial statements with ACRA, unless exempted
- Audit for a small company
- Required
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a company that is a small company in respect of a financial year is exempt from audit requirements for that financial year.
- Audit
- Not in our records
Important dates
When each obligation falls due, as the authority states it.
- Annual general meeting
- 6 months after the end of the accounting period
Non-listed companies: within six months after FYE.
- Annual return to ACRA
- 7 months after the end of the accounting period
With Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Non-listed: within seven months after FYE; eight months for those with a share capital or an overseas branch register.
- Change of director, CEO, secretary or auditor
- 14 days after change of officers
With Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
- File the register of registrable controllers
- Stated; see the note
With Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
For businesses incorporated or registered from 16 June 2025: same day as registration. Unless exempt.
- File updates to the Central RORC after updating the private RORC
- 2 days after change of beneficial owners
With Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Within two business days of updating the company's own private RORC. Unless exempt.
What is public
- Directors
- Public
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Getting basic entity information such as UEN, entity name, date of registration, and information about position holders, business owners or partners
- Shareholders
- Public
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Getting basic entity information such as UEN, entity name, date of registration, and information about position holders, business owners or partners
- Beneficial owners
- To the authorities only
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Getting basic entity information such as UEN, entity name, date of registration, and information about position holders, business owners or partners
Tax
Tax on profit
How this company type is taxed, which can differ from its place’s headline rate.
Flat · 17%+6 regimes
Profits are taxed at corporate tax rates; IRAS rate table lists 17%
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Profits are taxed at corporate tax rates
Work it out on a profit figure: the company’s tax, the owner’s, and what is left.
Special regimes that may apply
- Exemption of shipping profits other · 100% exempt
Shipping enterprises, on income derived or deemed derived from the operation of Singapore ships or foreign ships Income Tax Act 1947, s. 13A - Exemption of foreign dividends, foreign branch profits and foreign service income holding · 100% exempt
Persons resident in Singapore receiving foreign dividends, profits of a foreign branch of a Singapore resident company, or income from professional, consultancy and other services rendered outside Singapore Income Tax Act 1947, s. 13(8), subject to the conditions in s. 13(9) - Concessionary rate of tax for Finance and Treasury Centre other
Companies operating an approved Finance and Treasury Centre Income Tax Act 1947, s. 43E - Concessionary rate of tax for global trading company and qualifying company other · 5%
Approved global trading companies and qualifying companies, on specified income from prescribed qualifying commodity transactions Income Tax Act 1947, s. 43I - Pioneer enterprise and pioneer service company relief other · 100% exempt
Enterprises holding a pioneer certificate for a pioneer product, and pioneer service companies certified for a qualifying activity Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) Act 1967, Part 2 (pioneer industries) and Part 3 (pioneer service companies), tax relief period at s. 6 - Development and expansion company relief other
Companies holding a development and expansion certificate, for the qualifying activity it covers Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) Act 1967, Part 4, s. 22
Whether a company qualifies depends on its activity and conditions set in each statute.
- CFC rules in Singapore
- Not in our records
Close it
Closing it
The other end, which most guides leave out.
- Route
- The company must be formally wound up or struck off the register.
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The company must be formally wound up or struck off the register.
- Statutory fee
- Free
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Apply to strike off business entity What you need to know Details Fee Free
Every business in Singapore
GST
- Standard rate
- 9%
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The current GST rate in Singapore is 9%. GST-registered businesses are required to charge and account for GST at 9% on all sales of goods and services in Singapore unless the sale can be zero-rated or exempted under the GST law.
- Other rates
- 0% Zero-rated supplies, such as exports of goods and international services
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When to charge 0% GST (Zero-rate) Exporting of Goods Learn when to zero-rate exported goods.
- Registration threshold
- SGD 1,000,000 · about €696,961
taxable turnover (retrospective: more than S$1 million in the calendar year; prospective: expected to exceed S$1 million in the next 12 months); 12 months
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Under the retrospective view , more than $1 million at the end of the calendar year, or Under the prospective view , expected to be more than $1 million in the next 12 months
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A business not liable under either the retrospective or the prospective view may register voluntarily at any time if it fulfils the conditions.
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If you are not liable for registration under either basis but still wish to register, you may do so voluntarily.
- A foreign company
- The same threshold applies; needs a local tax representative
An overseas entity that registers for GST must appoint a local Section 33(1) agent. Under the overseas vendor registration regime an overseas business registers only if its annual global turnover exceeds S$1 million and its B2C supplies of remote services or low-value goods to Singapore exceed S$100,000 a year; such OVR pay-only vendors need not appoint a local agent.
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overseas businesses with an annual global turnover exceeding S$1 million and that make B2C supplies of remote services and/or low-value goods to customers in Singapore exceeding S$100,000 annually, will be required to register for GST in Singapore
- Returns filed
- Quarterly
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Any changes to your GST accounting period would have to align with your financial year-end and filing frequency requested: Month that the financial year ends in Filing frequency requested Standard GST accounting periods Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec Quarterly Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Payment and banking services
3 services name Singapore on their own list: Paysera, Airwallex, Stripe. Each provider, and what a listing means.
Reference
Its name and code
- Kind
- Public limited companyDerived our grouping, the same words in every country
- Name in law
- Public Company Limited by Shares
- ISO 20275 code
- VVOXSecondary GLEIF, Entity Legal Forms code list