Guide · Running a business · 2 min read
Starting a business
Registering your business name, forming a company, and the directors and secretary a company needs.
In plain English · by laws.sg · not legal advice· Law as at 29 Sep 2026
On this page · 5 parts
The short answer
Before you carry on business in Singapore, you and your business name must be registered, subject to what the Business Names Registration Act provides. If you form a company instead, it must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore.
Business Names Registration Act s 5(1)Companies Act s 145(1)
Registering a business name
Subject to the Act's provisions, a person and their business name must be registered before the person carries on business in Singapore. If you carry on business under more than one business name, each one needs its own registration.
Business Names Registration Act s 5
The application gives the business name, the general nature of the business, its principal place of business, and details of the people who will carry it on.
Forming a company
Subject to the Act, any person, alone or together with others, can form a company by signing its constitution and meeting the requirements for registration.
A company can be limited by shares, limited by guarantee, or unlimited.
Directors
Every company must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. If the company has only one member, that sole director can also be the sole member.
A director must be a natural person who is at least 18 years old and otherwise of full legal capacity.
The company secretary
Every company must have one or more secretaries, each a natural person whose principal or only place of residence is in Singapore and who is not debarred from acting as its secretary.
A sole director must not act as the company's secretary.
The directors appoint the secretary.
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