Foreign Company, Branch and Representative Office

Registration of foreign company / branch of foreign company in Singapore

Foreign companies preferring not to register a subsidary company may opt to register a Branch of their company in Singapore. Branches are considered as part of the foreign company (head office) and are not a separate legal entity. Branches are mostly considered as non-residents for Singapore taxation as they are likely to be managed outside Singapore.

Information and documents relating to the foreign company – e.g. constitution, charter or memorandum and / or articles of association of the foreign company are required for registration purposes. Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by an translation performed by specified persons. Both the original and translated version of the documents must be endorsed by certain specified authorities in the country of incorporation / registration.

Agent(s) who are individuals resident in Singapore must be appointed by local branches of foreign companies.

When compared to subsidiary companies which are registered as private limited liability companies in Singapore, a disadvantage for branches of foreign companies is the absence of limitation of liability with respect to their Singapore operations.

See Company Set Up for information on private limited liability companies. For more information or to engage our services, kindly Contact Us.