Is Company Secretary Mandatory In Singapore?

One question that revolves in every business owner’s mind that is willing to set up their own company is that is it mandatory to hire a company secretary in Singapore? Yes, it is as per the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory and Authority (ACRA).

It has been made mandatory for every existing and newly established company to hire a company secretary within six months following the date of incorporation.

The company secretary appoints to ensures the company decision made by the board of directors adheres to. He/she also provides legal advice and keeps official records by exact translated documents which are very helpful for a particular communication.

Appointing a Company Secretary in Singapore

Every business owner needs to hire a company secretary to incorporate a company in Singapore

The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is a national regulatory body of business entity in Singapore that has made it mandatory for every company to hire at least one company secretary within the time span of six months following the date of company incorporation. However, the company secretary should be a local resident in Singapore and should not be the sole director of any company.

Always remember that a local resident company director can become the company secretary of a Singapore-based company, but only if the particular company has more than one company director.

The definition of residing locally is all the more similar to the one for ordinarily resident company directors. This simply states that Singapore company secretary must have their permanent place of residence in Singapore and might be a Singapore citizen, Entre Pass holder, Singapore permanent resident, or employment pass issued holder provided with the work pass to legally employ in the company. (Note: S pass holder can also become the company Secretary if they fulfil the requirements, but they cannot serve as a company director in Singapore).

Key Facts about Singapore Company Secretary

Some of the critical facts about Singapore company secretary are given below:

The company should employ every new company secretary in Singapore within the period of six months following the date of company incorporation.

• The company secretary must be a local resident in Singapore and a natural person.
• The board of directors of a company must pass a resolution to hire a company secretary.
• The company secretary should serve the function as the main complaints of share of the company.
• The Singapore-based company can also hire a corporate secretarial service provider for a particular purpose.

Who can work as a Company Secretary in Singapore?

Only those individuals can act as company secretaries in Singapore who are the local residents in Singapore, including permanent residents, Singapore citizens, Entre Pass, or employment pass holders. Employment pass holders can only act as a company secretary in Singapore if they have a local residential address in Singapore.

The company secretary must have a proper understanding and expertise in managing all the provisions of company law. In addition, they must be capable enough to take care of all the company annual filing and statutory compliance.

Qualifications of a Resident Company Secretary in Singapore

The company board of directors in Singapore is solely responsible for hiring the company secretary, and they take decisions on their remuneration. As per the companies act section 171 (1AA) states that company secretary of the public company in Singapore needs to be legally qualified and must meet any one of the given criteria:

• Must have acted as a company secretary for a minimum of five years immediately prior to getting hired as company Secretary in the public company.
• A company secretary must be a qualified person under the legal profession act.
• Must be a public accountant enrolled under the accountant’s act.
• A secretary should be a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore.
• Should be the part of the Singapore Association of Institute of chartered secretaries and administrators
• A Company Secretary should be a member of the Association of an international accountant (Singapore branch)

Steps for Appointing Company Secretary

However, hiring a company secretary is one of the pre-registration criteria for starting any company in Singapore. At the same time, any existing companies are not allowed to leave their company secretary position vacant for more than six months. Here are the steps that you can follow to appoint a company secretary.

Step 1:

The company board of directors is required to cast a vote and pass the purpose of hiring a company secretary in Singapore.

Step 2:

The company secretary should show interest in accepting the positions by filing the application form 45B.

Step 3:

Once a company secretary is hired, you need to update ACRA regarding this. The complete filing process is done online using the BizFile+ portal by Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).

Who Cannot work as a Company Secretary?

There are two situations in which you are not liable to act as company secretary in Singapore.

• If you are the sole director of a Private Limited company in Singapore
• If you are debarred company secretary, you cannot serve as a company secretary in Singapore.

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The above-given article has covered complete details that will definitely help you understand about the importance of the appointment of Company Secretary and its qualification in Singapore.

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