Apostille Documents for Setting Up a Company Overseas from Singapore

The parent-company document pack

When a Singapore company becomes the shareholder of a foreign subsidiary, or opens a branch office abroad, the foreign authority is really asking four questions. Build the pack around them:

Add to that whatever the destination treats as ownership proof, usually a UBO declaration: a statement by a director naming the individuals who ultimately own or control the parent company. It is signed by the company, so it follows the notary route.

A single well-drafted board resolution can cover several of these points at once: approving the new entity, the capital injection, the appointment of local directors or a legal representative, and authority for a local agent or law firm to act under a POA. The POA itself is signed separately by a director before the notary; see power of attorney apostille.

Director and shareholder documents for foreign registries

Beyond the company itself, most registries want to identify the people behind it.

• Directors of the new entity. Certified passport copies of each individual being appointed, notarised and apostilled. Some countries also want proof of residential address issued within three months. See passport copy apostille.
• Signatories of the parent. The director who signs the resolution or POA may need to show ID to the foreign bank too.
• Individual shareholders or UBOs. Passport copies and sometimes a signed UBO declaration from each person.
• Specimen signatures. Some registries want these on the incumbency certificate.
• Criminal record checks. A few jurisdictions ask directors for a police certificate. The Singapore Police Force issues a Certificate of Clearance only for overseas use, such as overseas employment or business, to applicants who have lived, worked or studied in Singapore for at least six months; see our police certificate apostille page.

Where directors are spread across different sites in Singapore, our doorstep apostille service brings the notary to them so everyone signs on the same day.

Opening an overseas corporate bank account

The new entity usually needs a local bank account before it can inject capital, and banks often ask for more than the registry does. A typical corporate KYC list for a foreign-owned company includes:

• certificate of incorporation, constitution and a certificate of incumbency (or ACRA Business Profile) for each corporate shareholder, commonly issued within the last year;
• passport copies of all directors, UBOs and authorised signatories;
• address proof for each of them, often not older than three months; and
• an ownership chart tracing the chain up to the individuals.

Some banks accept copies certified by a lawyer, accountant or notary in a FATF member country without an apostille. Others, especially where the account is opened from the parent company's side, insist on notarised and apostilled documents. Ask the relationship manager which they need before ordering certifications, because each apostilled set costs SGD 87.20 in SAL fees alone.

Company setup requirements in popular destinations

Always follow the checklist from your local counsel; this table shows the Singapore side only.

For any destination not listed, check the apostille countries list or our embassy legalisation page.

Planning your overseas incorporation timeline

Work backwards from the date your foreign adviser plans to file.

1. 1Week 1: confirm the checklist. Get the exact list, templates and translation rules from local counsel. Ask whether they accept an e-Apostille.
2. 2Week 1: order fresh ACRA documents. Buy a new Business Profile and certificates on BizFile. Eligible digital ACRA documents can receive an e-Apostille within minutes.
3. 3Week 1–2: draft and sign. Finalise the board resolution, incumbency certificate, UBO declaration and POA. Proof-read all names against passports and ACRA records, then schedule one notary session for every signing director.
4. 4Week 2: SAL and translation. SAL authenticates the notarised papers, usually within one working day. Translations prepared in Singapore are notarised and apostilled separately.
5. 5Week 2–3: embassy legalisation. Only for non-Hague destinations; embassy timings vary.
6. 6Dispatch to your adviser. We return the finished pack to your office in Singapore for you to dispatch to your adviser.

Because banks and registries often reject documents older than three to twelve months, avoid preparing the pack too far ahead.

Budget guide (all-in, from): SGD 25 per digital ACRA Business Profile sent straight to SAL (SGD 10.70 SAL fee included); SGD 225 per notarised company document such as a resolution or certified constitution; SGD 185 per certified passport copy (SGD 172.20 notary and SAL fees included); embassy handling SGD 69 per document plus the embassy's fee; certified translation from SGD 20 per page. Full breakdown on the apostille price page. For groups setting up in several markets, our corporate apostille service offers a single account.