What Are the Requirements for Chinese Citizens to Establish a Company in Singapore? Who Can Serve as the Registered Agent? How Can a Mainland China Company Use a Singapore Address? Complete List of Registration Documents

Establishing a company in Singapore is not an unattainable goal for many entrepreneurs from mainland China. With stable policies, transparent taxation, convenient bank account opening, and continuously growing demand from Chinese enterprises expanding overseas, the number of newly registered companies in Singapore has remained steadily upward over the past two years. In 2025 alone, more than 42,000 new local private limited companies were registered-approximately 15% of which were established under the leadership of non-resident natural persons, with Chinese nationals accounting for a substantial proportion.

What are the requirements for Chinese nationals to establish a company in Singapore?

Singapore imposes no nationality restrictions on company shareholders or directors; however, the following mandatory conditions must be satisfied

1. At least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore-i.e., a Singapore citizen, a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR), or a holder of a valid Employment Pass (EP);

2. At least one shareholder, who may be either an individual or a corporate entity, with no nationality restrictions-and 100% foreign ownership is permitted;

3. A registered office address located within Singapore’s physical territory (a P.O. Box is not acceptable);

4. Appointment of a local registered filing agent to handle all statutory matters with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA);

5. The proposed company name must pass pre-approval by ACRA it must not duplicate any existing company name and must not contain sensitive terms (e.g., “bank” or “insurance”), which would require additional licensing;

6. Minimum paid-up share capital is SGD 1-no actual capital contribution is required at registration, but the number of shares and their nominal value must be clearly stipulated in the company’s constitution.

Who can serve as the registered filing agent?

The registered filing agent must hold a valid license issued by ACRA. As of now, over 1,200 licensed agents operate across Singapore-including law firms, licensed corporate secretarial firms, and certain compliance service providers specializing in China-Singapore business. When selecting an agent, consider the following three criteria

Whether its ACRA-issued license number is verifiable on the official ACRA website;

Whether it offers ongoing support services, including annual filing, Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration, and corporate secretarial services;

Whether it provides Mandarin-language communication support and is familiar with documentation conventions commonly used by applicants from mainland China.

Important note Any agent claiming to offer “director-free setup,” “nominee director services,” or “guaranteed ACRA approval” violates Section 145 of Singapore’s Companies Act regarding the authenticity and genuine (fulfillment of duties) of directors. Such practices carry significant risk-including potential revocation of company registration upon identification and enforcement action by ACRA.

How can a mainland Chinese company obtain a Singapore registered address?

The term “address attachment” (“hanging an address”) actually refers to leasing a compliant commercial registered office address. There is only one lawful method engaging a registered filing agent to lease a physical office address (not a virtual mailbox) provided by that agent. This address must be capable of receiving official correspondence and accommodating ACRA’s on-site verification inspections. Common legitimate options include

A fixed workstation address within a co-working space;

A physical office address owned by a licensed corporate secretarial firm; or

A business center address formally registered and approved by ACRA.

Starting in 2025, ACRA has increased the frequency of random checks on the authenticity of registered addresses. If an address proves unreachable or shows no evidence of actual business operations, ACRA may initiate procedures to strike the company off the register (“Strike Off”).

Therefore, low-cost address services offering only mail-forwarding functionality are strongly discouraged.

Complete List of Required Registration Documents

To complete registration, the following documents must be submitted online to ACRA

1. Company Constitution-either ACRA’s standard template or a custom-drafted version;

2. Scanned copies of identity documents for directors and shareholders (for Chinese nationals passport + both sides of the People’s Republic of China ID card, each requiring notarization and consular legalization/authentication);

3. Proof of residential address for directors (e.g., utility bill, bank statement, or government-issued letter dated within the last three months-in English or accompanied by a certified English translation);

4. Valid identification document of the Singapore-based director (e.g., PR card, EP card, or Singapore National Registration Identity Card);

5. Address consent letter issued by the registered office provider confirming authorization to use the address;

6. Screenshot of the company name search result, completed via ACRA’s BizFile+ system;

7. Letter of Authorization appointing the registered filing agent, signed by all shareholders.

The above outlines the core requirements, logic for selecting a registered filing agent, key compliance points regarding registered addresses, and the detailed list of required documents for Chinese nationals establishing a company in Singapore. We hope this information proves helpful.