Non-permitted Activities for a Representative Office in Singapore
A representative office in Singapore cannot indulge in the following activities:
- Engaging in trade activities like import or export
- Leasing warehouses
- Leasing its office premises to third parties
- Entering into or negotiating business contracts, issuing invoices, and receiving letters of credit on behalf of its foreign parent company
- Sourcing or identifying suppliers or sources of raw materials or industrial parts
- Offering consultancy services or systems implementation
- Engaging in promotional activities such as advertising or marketing
- Coordinating activities between the foreign parent company and the clients
- Liaising with or managing regional distributors or agents, as well as related subsidiaries or branches
- Conducting quality control checks or carrying out supervisory activities
Prerequisites for Setting up a Representative Office in Singapore
- The company’s minimum sales turnover must be greater than US$250,000
- The parent company must have served a minimum service life of 3 years
- The name of the RO should be akin to that of the parent company. However, this condition may differ for ROs belonging to the financial sector.
- The parent office must appoint a “chief executive” (irrespective of nationality) to oversee the RO’s operations.
- All overseas companies seeking to form a Representative Office (RO) must register with Enterprise Singapore.
Documents Consideration for Securing Representative Office Registration in Singapore
You need to arrange the following documents to incorporate a representative office in Singapore:
- Certificate of incorporation of the parent company
- A completed application form
- The latest annual reports and audited accounts of the parent company
- An endorsed undertaking that confirms the representative office will adhere to the terms and conditions governing representative offices in Singapore.
