Only one shareholder is required to fulfill Singapore company incorporation requirements. Both individual and corporate shareholders are permitted, though a private limited company must not exceed 50 shareholders. The minimum authorized share capital for Singapore company incorporation is just S$1.

Furthermore, to comply with Singapore regulations, Singapore company incorporation requires that there must be a local, resident company secretary and registered office. Corporate company secretaries are not permitted.

Singapore company incorporation allows investors to take advantage of the incentives offered by the Singapore government. Government bodies offering these include i) SPRING Singapore ii) Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) iii) International Enterprise (IE) Singapore

The Singapore Companies Act 1963 governs the process of Singapore company incorporation. For example, Singapore company law states that every Singapore company must appoint a director who is resident in Singapore, although there are no limits on the number of directors a company may have. That said, a Singapore company is only allowed individual directors - corporate directors are not permitted.

The Singapore company incorporation process is easy compared with other international jurisdictions. According to the World Bank's Doing Business 2008 Survey, Singapore is the world's easiest place to do business.

The Accounting and Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA) is regulatory body associated with company incorporation. Singapore company incorporation is cost-effective, with government costs of just S$300 (US$200).

Most foreign entrepreneurs use a Singapore limited liability company (LLC) to conduct international business, although other types of entity are available e g Limited Liability Partnership, Branch Company, Representative Office and Sole Proprietorship. For more information on these types of Singapore company incorporation, purchase our Asia Business Set Up book.