The process to set up a company in Singapore is done through the Accounting and Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA). The cost to register a company with ACRA in Singapore is S$300.

Investors who set up a company in Singapore can benefit from Singapore's reputation as a highly respected global financial centre. A company in Singapore projects a positive image to potential customers, suppliers, investors and venture capitalists.

The Singapore Companies Act 1963 governs company incorporation. The regulations to set up a company in Singapore include no corporate directors and no more than 50 shareholders for a private limited company. Both individual and corporate shareholders are permitted. The minimum authorised share capital for a Singapore company is S$1.

Having set up a company in Singapore, a company must register for goods & sales tax (GST) if annual sales exceed S$1 million (US$614,000) in a calendar year. Singapore levies a 7% GST in lieu of value added tax (VAT) and import duty. However, Singapore company sales to international customers are GST-exempt.

Investors who set up a company in Singapore have access to the wide range of comprehensive double taxation treaties Singapore has signed with 60 countries, including Japan, China, Germany, France, the UK and Canada.

The process for incorporating in Singapore is simple and efficient. In fact, the World Bank ranked Singapore as the world's easiest place in which to do business in it's Doing Business 2010 Survey.

Once the process to set up a company in Singapore is complete, the company details, for example shareholder and director information, are available for public viewing on the ACRA online public register.

Having set up a company in Singapore, annual financial statements must be submitted to both ACRA and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. Following Singapore company formation, every Singapore company (with the exception of a Representative office) must also submit annual tax returns to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).

Increasing numbers of international investors are choosing to set up a company in Singapore. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Over 4,000 companies have chosen to make Singapore their global headquarters.