How to Incorporate a Singapore Company on ACRA BizFile+: A Step-by-Step Filing Guide

Company incorporation in Singapore usually takes only minutes once your ACRA Bizfile payment goes through. For 2026, the full government cost of registering a company is S$315: S$15 for the name and S$300 for the entity.

Bizfile — the current name of the portal long called BizFile+ — is the online filing platform of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), Singapore's national company registrar. Every incorporation runs through it, whether a founder files personally or a corporate services provider submits on request.

Speed is not the same as simplicity, though. Filings stall when details are missing, consents are unsigned, or the registered office does not meet public-access rules. Knowing the sequence before you log in avoids that back-and-forth.

This guide covers who can file on Bizfile, what to prepare, each step of the incorporation, the 2026 fees, structure choices, and the extras foreigners must arrange. In this blog, we discuss the complete ACRA Bizfile filing route, from name reservation to approval.

In this article:

• Who can file through ACRA Bizfile
• Which business structure suits your company
• What to prepare before filing
• Step-by-step registration on Bizfile
• 2026 incorporation fees
• Company registration for foreigners
• What happens after approval

Who Can File for Company Incorporation Singapore Through ACRA Bizfile?

Bizfile is ACRA's eServices portal for business registration and company filings, and it accepts submissions from individuals with Singpass and from corporate services providers with Corppass.

ACRA is the registrar behind every company in Singapore, from one-person start-ups to foreign branch offices. Its Bizfile portal handles name applications, incorporations, charges, and yearly returns.

There are two ways in:

• Personal filing: proposed directors or secretaries sign in with Singpass.
• Provider filing: registered corporate service providers submit through Corppass.

According to ACRA's guide to registering a local company via Bizfile, only the person who reserved the business name can submit the incorporation. That person must also be appointed as a director or the secretary of the new company. When a provider files for you, the endorsements are handled on your behalf.

Which Business Structure Suits Your New Singapore Company?

A private limited company suits most founders, while sole proprietorships, partnerships, and LLPs cost less up front but expose owners differently.

For company incorporation in Singapore, choose your structure before reserving the name, because Bizfile ties the registration to the entity type you picked. Compare the 2026 fees and liability positions in the table before committing. The same route applies whether you are starting a professional services firm, a hair salon, an artisan coffee roastery, or another licensed trade.

A private limited company also carries heavier yearly duties, so a cheaper structure can be a false economy once your revenue grows.

What Should You Prepare Before Filing on Bizfile?

Have your approved name, login, company basics, and every position holder's particulars ready before you open the eForm.

ACRA's registration form asks for all of this in a single submission, and gaps are the main reason filings bounce. Work through four groups of details first.

1. Your approved business name

Reserve your name on Bizfile first, paying the S$15 fee. You must register the same entity type you chose when reserving, so settle your structure before applying.

2. Your Singpass or Corppass login

Directors and secretaries filing for themselves use Singpass. Registered filing agents use Corppass. Foreigners without Singpass credentials file through a provider.

3. Company basics ACRA asks for

Prepare your financial year end, company email, and registered office address. The office must be a Singapore address, open to the public for at least three hours every business day. Non-compliance can draw a fine of up to S$5,000.

4. Details for every position holder

Individual directors, secretaries, and shareholders need identification details, dates of birth, addresses, mobile numbers, and emails; corporate shareholders require corporate-entity details instead. Contact addresses must sit in the same country as the residential address and cannot be a P.O. Box. Declare whether your company is exempt from the registers of nominee directors, nominee shareholders, and registrable controllers. Submit a constitution, or adopt ACRA's model constitution.

How Do You Register a Company in Singapore on Bizfile, Step by Step?

The sequence runs from a S$15 name reservation to a S$300 registration payment, and most approvals land soon after payment.

Here is the full route for a local private limited company, the structure most start-ups and foreign-owned firms choose.

Reserve the name

Log in to Bizfile and apply for your business entity name, paying S$15. ACRA screens it for duplicates and restricted words before approving. Keep the related registration number handy for the filing.

Draft company details

Enter your financial year end, registered office, and operating hours in the incorporation eForm. Decide on your share capital, and choose ACRA's model constitution or submit a customised one.

Enter position holders

Add each director, secretary, and shareholder with their identity, address, and contact details. Form 45 consents cover directors, and Form 45B covers the secretary. Complete the nominee and controller declarations where they apply.

Submit and pay

The person who reserved the name submits the filing; unless a CSP filed it, other position holders must endorse it within 60 days before ACRA sends the S$300 payment notification, payable by credit card, debit card, or online banking. Payment becomes available only after all required endorsements are complete; then the person who reserved the name logs in to pay the S$300 fee and may select a special unique entity number (SUN).

Await approval

Most registrations are approved soon after payment. Complex ones take up to 15 working days, and referrals to another authority take 14 to 60 days.

What Does Company Incorporation in Singapore Cost in 2026?

Budget S$315 in ACRA fees for a typical incorporation, then S$60 each year for the annual return.

The figures below come from ACRA's fee schedule for company transactions, last updated in January 2026. Government fees are fixed regardless of who files; provider service fees are separate and vary.

The S$300 registration fee covers private companies, public companies limited or unlimited by shares, companies limited by guarantee, and foreign branches. Renewal-style fees apply only to the other entity types.

How Does Company Registration for Foreigners in Singapore Work?

Foreign shareholders can own the entire company, but the filing needs a locally resident director and a Bizfile login; without Singpass, a registered provider commonly submits it.

Company registration for foreigners in Singapore follows the same Bizfile route. Three practical points differ:

• Local director: at least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore. Foreign founders without one appoint a nominee local director.
• Filing access: Bizfile uses Singpass or Corppass, and foreign founders must engage a corporate service provider to reserve the name and register the company.
• Local presence: the company still needs a Singapore registered office and a company secretary, both of which your provider can supply.

In practice, foreign founders bundle all three with the incorporation itself, which keeps the timeline short and the filing clean. The same package also suits a founder who needs the local director, secretary, and registered office arranged at the same time as the ACRA filing. Contact our company formation team for help coordinating these requirements.

What Happens After ACRA Approves Your Registration?

Approval starts your compliance calendar: secretary appointment, company registers, and annual-return obligations; opening a corporate bank account is recommended.

Once ACRA approves the registration and issues the notice of successful incorporation, your duties begin:

• Appoint a company secretary within six months of registration if one is not already in place; the secretary must be ordinarily resident in Singapore.
• Maintain the registers of nominee directors, nominee shareholders, and registrable controllers, unless exempt.
• File an annual return each year through Bizfile, at a S$60 fee.
• Register for Goods and Services Tax (GST) with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) if your taxable turnover crosses the prevailing threshold.

Sector-specific licences and approvals may apply before you start trading, so check the requirements for your industry alongside these ongoing company duties. A regulated service business, for example, typically needs additional licensing beyond company registration.

Conclusion

Registering a company in Singapore on ACRA Bizfile is a short, mostly same-day process once your details are complete. Reserve the name for S$15, file the incorporation, collect your co-owners' endorsements, and pay the S$300 fee. Most approvals land soon after payment, and complex cases take up to 15 working days at 2026 timelines.

Foreign founders add three pieces: a locally resident director, a company secretary, and a Singapore registered office. A corporate services provider can supply all three and file the whole submission through Corppass.

At Company Formation Specialist, we help local and foreign entrepreneurs register and set up their companies in Singapore every day, from name approval to the first annual return. Speak to us before you reserve your name, and we will map the fastest compliant route for your business.

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