Register Branch office in Singapore

A branch of a foreign company in Singapore is a registered legal entity that is treated as part of a foreign parent company. Unlike a private company with limited liability, the parent company shares its assets and liabilities with the branch as they are the same legal structure.

Branches are allowed to carry out the same types of business activities that fall within the scope of the parent company. Affiliates are taxed only on income earned from their operations in Singapore.

Branches are considered non-residents; this means that the head office of the foreign company will be held liable for any act or omission taken by the branch in Singapore. The non-resident status also deprives them of many of the tax incentives enjoyed by local companies and subsidiaries.

Setup a branch office

Registration of a branch in Singapore consists of two main steps:

1) Approval of the branch name by the Singapore business register;

2) Direct registration of a branch of a foreign company in Singapore.

Conditions and resposibilities

As a rule, branches register large international businesses that are actively conducting their business in different countries under the auspices of one company.

Here are a few things to look out for when setting up a branch:

1st

The branch cannot be declared bankrupt, and the parent company is fully responsible for all of its actions.

2nd

The branch manager must be issued a power of attorney from the parent company to act on behalf of the parent company.

3rd

The branch is not a separate legal entity from the parent company and its results are immediately accepted by the head office, which is responsible for complying with all legal and tax obligations.

Branch office solutions

The branch must appoint at least one authorized representative who is a resident of Singapore.

The following persons may be appointed as Local Authorized Representative:

citizen of Singapore;
permanent resident of Singapore;
branch employee holding a Work visa

If necessary, we can provide services for the nomination of candidates as a local authorized representative.

Each Singapore branch must meet the minimum statutory requirements under the Singapore Companies Law:

One authorized representative – a local resident
Local legal address