Corporate secretarial services in Singapore are a key part of running a compliant business. When setting up a company, businesses are required to appoint a Company Secretary within the first six months. Beyond this statutory requirement, corporate secretarial services help companies manage ongoing compliance, such as maintaining company records, filing required documents with authorities, and ensuring proper governance.
In this article, we cover everything business owners need to know about the role of a Company Secretary and what corporate secretarial services in Singapore involve, so you can better understand how to keep your business on track.
- Corporate secretary in Singapore
- Requirements for appointing a company secretary in Singapore
- Responsibilities of a company secretary
- Outsourcing corporate secretarial services
Corporate secretary in Singapore
In Singapore, each private and public company must appoint a corporate secretary after the incorporation of the company. This position is critical and cannot be left vacant for more than 6 months. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is the public Singaporean body in charge of business registration, financial reporting, public accountants, and corporate services.
The role of the corporate secretary is to ensure that the company is compliant in terms of filing, registers and regulations related to the company administration with the Singaporean government bodies. For example, company secretaries are expected to:
- Oversee and prepare the minutes of the shareholders and directors’ meetings
- Remind the directors of the diverse deadlines related to ACRA filings, such as Annual Returns (AR)
- Update directors and shareholders on the change in corporate regulations
- Ensure that the company’s registers, books, and other compliance documents are properly updated
Requirements for appointing a company secretary in Singapore
As part of its first legal requirements, the director of a private limited company has the duty to appoint a corporate secretary within 6 months after the incorporation of the company. The secretary must be professionally qualified and a local resident in Singapore. A sole director of the company cannot act and be appointed as the secretary of the company, except if there is another resident director.
From the date of its incorporation, a company shall have a registered office in Singapore to which all communication and notices may be addressed. In other words, the secretary shall be present at the registered office of the company (by himself or his agent) during the opening hours of the office, or contactable by a person at the registered office by phone or any other instantaneous communication.
Responsibilities of a company secretary
The company secretary is a qualified officer who ensures the statutory and regulatory requirements of the company by filing the annual returns with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). This person implements the board and members’ resolutions. As part of the secretary’s responsibility, in line with the legislation on the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism, ACRA made compulsory the prior collection of documents in order to complete the Know your Customer (KYC) process for each new member or change of officer in the company.
Filing and reporting with ACRA
As part of its compliance responsibility, the company secretary is filing with ACRA every change occurring in the daily running business of the company:
- Change of the company’s board of directors (resignation/appointment)
- Update of directors’ information,
- Change of company information,
- Amendments to the constitution of the company,
- Filing of Annual Returns,
- Capital increase/decrease,
- Change of the company’ shareholders structure
- Transfers of shares,
- Preparation of the board meeting, etc.
Preparation the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM)
In Singapore, all companies are required to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) within a period of 18 months from the incorporation date at their financial year end (FYE) and subsequently on an annual basis. Particularly, the company secretary is responsible for preparing any necessary documents for the AGM. The board of directors must record the minutes of the AGM in writing and sign them.
Business Licenses and Permits
Once incorporated, the specific industry/ activity of the company may require the application of specific business license and permits in order to carry out the business in Singapore. The company secretary is the officer in charge of liaising with the local authorities and able to submit the application on behalf of the company.
Outsourcing corporate secretarial services
Once you understand the requirements for appointing a Company Secretary in Singapore, the next step is deciding how to fill this role. Businesses can either appoint an in-house Company Secretary or engage an outsourced Company Secretary with a Corporate Secretarial Provider (CSP), depending on their company size, internal capabilities, compliance workload, and the level of support they need to stay compliant as their business grows over time.
When choosing to outsource, working with a reliable provider ensures that your compliance requirements are handled consistently and in line with Singapore regulations. In this section, we take a closer look at outsourcing corporate secretarial services and how it can help businesses manage their compliance requirements more efficiently.
If you would like to better understand the differences between appointing an in-house Company Secretary and outsourcing to a service provider, you can read our detailed comparison of in-house vs outsourced corporate secretarial services here.
How can you get an outsourced company secretary?
You can appoint one of MBiA company secretaries by selecting one of our packages. All of our packages include corporate secretary services for one year, along with:
- the Lodging of the Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC), and
- review of the RORC
- the registered address service and
- the filing of the Annual General Meeting and Annual Returns.
How MBiA supports your corporate secretarial needs
For foreign founders and business owners managing a Singapore company remotely, staying compliant requires careful attention to regulatory requirements, filing deadlines, and administrative obligations. These responsibilities must be handled accurately and on time, which can be more demanding without local support or familiarity with Singapore’s regulatory framework.
At My Business in Asia (MBiA), our Singapore-based Company Secretaries help you manage these obligations clearly and consistently. We support you with:
- Filing Annual Returns (AR) and ACRA submissions on time to avoid penalties
- Handling updates to directors, shareholders, and company information
- Maintaining statutory registers and company records
- Providing advanced reminders for key deadlines, including AGM and filings
- Giving clear guidance on your compliance responsibilities
In addition, we assist you with all the above ad hoc requests and ensure their timely deliveries. We maintain a high standard of accuracy and diligence in managing your filings and records to ensure that your company meets Singapore’s regulatory requirements. You can also explore feedback from our clients to see how MBiA supports foreign founders managing their businesses remotely here.
Q&A
Question 1: Are corporate secretaries compulsory in Singapore?
Yes, every private and public companies require at least 1 company secretary. Sole traders, general and limited partnerships are exempt from this requirement.
Question 2: Can I be company secretary of my own company?
Yes, you can change to a new corporate secretary who will assist you with the necessary documents and procedure
Question 3: Can my company secretary be a foreigner?
Yes, the company secretary does not need to be a Singaporean or PR but must be residing in Singapore
Question 4: Are corporate secretary services legal in Singapore?
Yes, a company can resort to the services of a corporate secretarial services provider in Singapore.
Question 5: What else should I know?
The company secretary can assist in opening a bank account, which often proves cumbersome. The corporate secretary can also act as a nominee director as long it is not the sole director.
