Written by Bertrand Théaud, Statrys Founder
20+ years in Asia as a corporate lawyer, investor, and fintech founder. I've sat on both sides of the table and seen the same avoidable mistakes hit founders again and again. The reviews and articles I write are for founders who'd rather skip the mistakes.
Key Takeaways
A CSP forms your company, acts as or supplies your company secretary, provides a registered address, and files with ACRA on your behalf.
Under the CSP Act 2024, any business providing corporate services in or from Singapore must register with ACRA as a registered CSP.
Operating unregistered carries a fine of up to SGD 50,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, plus a daily fine for continuing offences.
Nominee directors are regulated. A person can only act as a nominee director by way of business when a registered CSP arranges the appointment and assesses them as fit and proper.
A first-year corporate services package typically runs SGD 2,000 to SGD 4,000, with nominee director and accounting billed separately.
Verify before you sign. Check the provider's ACRA registration, the exact scope of the package, and what triggers an extra fee.
Almost every company in Singapore works with a corporate service provider (CSP). A CSP handles incorporation, corporate secretarial work, your registered office, and the statutory filings that keep you compliant with ACRA and IRAS.
Since 9 June 2025, this market has operated under a new law. The Corporate Service Providers Act 2024 requires every business offering corporate services in or from Singapore to register with ACRA, which changes how you should vet a partner. This guide covers what CSPs do, what they cost, what the rules demand of them, and how to choose one with confidence.
What Is a Corporate Service Provider?
A corporate service provider is a firm that handles the administrative and regulatory work of running a Singapore entity. Think of it as the operational layer between your business and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Foreign founders rely on CSPs by necessity. You cannot file incorporation documents directly on Bizfile without a Singpass account, so a registered provider submits on your behalf. Local founders use them to avoid missing deadlines that carry penalties.
What the CSP Act 2024 Changed
Before June 2025, only Registered Filing Agents faced direct regulation. The CSP Act 2024 widened the net considerably. Three changes matter most:
- Mandatory registration. Every business entity providing corporate services in or from Singapore must register with ACRA, even when it never files a transaction for a client.
- AML/CFT/PF obligations. Registered CSPs must apply customer due diligence, keep records, and follow anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and counter-proliferation financing rules.
- Nominee director controls. A registered CSP must arrange the appointment and assess the individual as fit and proper before they act.
Companies also face new transparency duties. Registers of nominee directors and nominee shareholders must be maintained and filed with ACRA, and nominee status now appears on the company's business profile.
CSP, Company Secretary, or Accounting Firm?
The three overlap, which confuses new founders.
- A company secretary is a statutory officer that your company must appoint within six months of incorporation.
- A CSP is the firm that supplies the secretary, plus incorporation, registered office, and filing services.
- An accounting firm prepares your books, financial statements, and tax returns. Many CSPs bundle this; the audit remains separate and requires an ACRA-registered public accountant.
What Services Do Corporate Service Providers Offer?
Scope varies by firm. The table below maps the services most Singapore businesses actually use.
| Service | What It Covers | When You Need It |
|---|---|---|
| Company Incorporation | Name check, constitution, ACRA filing, business profile, UEN | At formation |
| Corporate Secretarial Services | Statutory registers, board resolutions, AGM minutes, ACRA updates | Within 6 months of incorporation, then ongoing |
| Registered Office Address | A physical Singapore address plus mail scanning | Continuously, by law |
| Nominee Director | A resident director to satisfy the Companies Act requirement | When no owner is resident in Singapore |
| Annual Return Filing | Preparation and submission to ACRA, including the government fee | Every financial year |
| Accounting and Tax | Bookkeeping, unaudited financial statements, ECI and Form C-S filing | Every financial year |
| Payroll and Employment | Payroll runs, CPF, employment pass applications | Once you hire in Singapore |
| Corporate Advisory | Share transfers, restructuring, governance support | At funding rounds or structural change |
A provider that covers the first six lines can run your entity end-to-end. Our guide to the best corporate secretary services compares named firms on exactly this scope.
What Are the Compliance Requirements for CSPs?
These obligations sit with your provider, not with you. Knowing them still helps, because they tell you what a credible firm looks like.
- ACRA registration. The provider must hold a current registration as a CSP. Firms already registered as Filing Agents transitioned into the new regime.
- A registered qualified individual. Each CSP needs at least one qualified individual who meets ACRA's criteria and completes AML/CFT/PF training.
- Customer due diligence. Expect identity verification, source-of-funds questions, and periodic reviews. A provider that skips this is a warning sign, not a convenience.
- Record keeping. CSPs must retain client and transaction records for the periods the regulations set.
- Nominee director assessment. The CSP must assess fitness and propriety before an appointment. Failing to do so carries a fine of up to SGD 100,000.
Penalties for operating without registration reach SGD 50,000, two years' imprisonment, or both, with a further daily fine of up to SGD 2,500 while the offence continues. That is why verifying registration takes priority over comparing prices.
What This Means for You as a Client
Onboarding takes longer than it used to. You will supply passport copies, proof of address, a description of your business activity, and details of your ultimate beneficial owners. Treat thorough checks as evidence that the firm intends to stay licensed.
What Are the Benefits of Using a CSP?
- Compliance, you do not have to track. Your provider monitors ACRA and IRAS deadlines and prompts you before each one, including your annual return filing and AGM obligations.
- Market access for foreign founders. A CSP supplies the resident director and local address that the company incorporation requirements demand, so you can own 100% of a Singapore company from abroad.
- Lower fixed cost. Outsourcing costs a fraction of hiring an in-house company secretary and accountant.
- Fewer penalties. Late filings attract fines that quickly exceed a year of professional fees.
- Focus on the business. Founders who stop chasing paperwork put those hours into revenue instead.
- Institutional knowledge. An experienced provider flags issues early, from a registered address change to a share transfer that needs board approval.
How to Choose a Corporate Service Provider in Singapore
Most providers describe themselves in identical language. These seven checks separate them.
- Confirm ACRA registration. Ask for the registration number and verify it. This is now a legal requirement, not a credential.
- Read the scope line by line. Does the package include the government fee for the annual return? Does it cover the first AGM? Ambiguity here becomes an invoice later.
- Test the pricing structure. Fixed annual packages beat hourly billing for predictability. Ask what falls outside the package.
- Check the nominee director's terms. Some providers demand a large security deposit. Compare the annual fee, the deposit, and the exit conditions. Our guide to the nominee director role explains what to look for.
- Assess responsiveness. Time to reply to your first three questions. That pace is what you get for the next twelve months.
- Look at the platform. Remote access to your statutory records and documents saves days when a bank or investor asks for them.
- Plan the exit. Ask how the provider hands over your registers and documents if you leave. A firm that answers cleanly has nothing to hide.
Do You Need a Big Four Firm?
The Big Four in Singapore are PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young. They offer corporate and advisory services, but their engagement models target listed companies and multinationals. An SME or a foreign-owned startup gets better value and faster service from a specialist CSP.
Red Flags Worth Walking Away From
- No verifiable ACRA registration, or evasiveness when you ask.
- A price far below the market with no written scope.
- No customer due diligence at onboarding.
- Refusal to name the individual who will act as your company secretary.
What Are the Costs of Corporate Services in Singapore?
Providers bundle differently, so compare the annual total rather than the headline. These are the components and typical market ranges in 2026.
| Component | What It Covers | Typical Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporation Package | ACRA fees, name check, constitution, first-year setup | SGD 1,000 - SGD 3,000 |
| Corporate Secretary | Statutory registers, resolutions, AGM, ACRA updates | SGD 300 - SGD 1,200 |
| Registered Office Address | Physical address plus mail handling | SGD 200 - SGD 600 |
| Nominee Director | Resident director for foreign-owned companies | SGD 1,500 - SGD 3,000, sometimes plus a deposit |
| Annual Return Filing | Preparation plus the SGD 60 ACRA fee | Often bundled |
| Accounting and Tax | Bookkeeping, financial statements, IRAS filings | From SGD 700, rising with volume |
Ranges reflect publicly advertised 2026 pricing across Singapore providers. Confirm current fees directly before you commit.
Watch the extras. Share transfers, constitution amendments, registered address changes, and late filing penalties usually sit outside a package. Our breakdown of hidden incorporation costs lists the ones founders miss most often.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Corporate Secretary in Singapore?
A standalone corporate secretary costs roughly SGD 300 to SGD 1,200 a year for a straightforward private limited company. Bundled inside a corporate services package, the marginal cost drops. Complexity raises it: multiple share classes, frequent resolutions, or a group structure all add work.
For accounting specifically, our guide to the cost of accounting services in Singapore breaks down each line item.
How to Register as a Corporate Service Provider in Singapore
If you plan to offer corporate services yourself, registration is mandatory before you take a single client. The route runs as follows.
- Register your business entity with ACRA and confirm that your intended activities fall within the definition of a corporate service.
- Appoint at least one registered qualified individual who meets ACRA's criteria and has completed the required AML/CFT training.
- Build your compliance framework: customer due diligence procedures, risk assessment, record keeping, and suspicious transaction reporting.
- Ensure every partner, director, and beneficial owner passes the fit and proper assessment.
- Apply through Bizfile, pay the registration fee, and respond to any ACRA queries.
- Maintain the regime: renew your registration, keep training current, and file the returns ACRA requires of registered CSPs.
Requirements evolve, so check ACRA's CSP pages for the current forms, fees, and qualifying criteria before you apply.
Statrys: An ACRA-Registered Corporate Service Provider
Statrys Corporate Services Singapore Pte. Ltd. is registered as a Corporate Service Provider with ACRA under the Corporate Service Providers Act 2024 (Registration No. FA20230475). Statrys Singapore Pte. Ltd. is separately licensed by MAS as a Major Payment Institution, which is how the business account sits alongside the corporate services.
- Incorporation in about five days, handled entirely online. See what the Singapore company registration guide involves step by step.
- Company secretary, registered address, and virtual mailroom included, with 24/7 remote access to your statutory records.
- Nominee director available with no security deposit, which removes a common cash drag for foreign founders.
- Accounting and tax filing priced on your actual transaction volume rather than revenue.
- A free multi-currency business account in 11 currencies, so your company and its finances start together.
Current package pricing sits on our pricing page, and the bundled option is set out on the all-in-one page. Questions about your structure? Talk to our team.
Conclusion
The CSP Act 2024 raised the floor for corporate service providers in Singapore. Registration, due diligence, and nominee director vetting are now legal duties, which makes the market safer and gives you a concrete way to filter providers.
Start by verifying ACRA registration. Then compare the annual total across incorporation, secretarial work, registered address, nominee director, and accounting, and confirm what sits outside the package. A provider that keeps all of it on one platform, and answers quickly when something changes, saves far more than the fee difference.
FAQs
What is a corporate service provider in Singapore?
A corporate service provider is a firm that handles company formation, corporate secretarial work, registered office services, nominee arrangements, and ACRA filings on behalf of clients. Since 9 June 2025, any business offering these services in or from Singapore must be registered with ACRA as a CSP.
Is using a corporate service provider mandatory?
Not for every company, but effectively yes for foreign founders, who cannot file directly on Bizfile without a Singpass account. Every company must also appoint a qualified company secretary within six months of incorporation, and most outsource that role to a CSP.
What happens if a provider is not registered with ACRA?
Carrying on a corporate services business without registration is an offence. It carries a fine of up to SGD 50,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, plus a further daily fine while the offence continues. Ask for the registration number before you engage anyone.
Can a corporate service provider act as my nominee director?
Yes, through an arrangement the CSP makes. A person may only act as a nominee director by way of business when a registered CSP arranges the appointment and has assessed them as fit and proper. The nominee status is also disclosed to ACRA.
How much does a corporate services package cost in Singapore?
First-year packages generally run SGD 2,000 to SGD 4,000, depending on whether incorporation, secretarial services, registered address, and accounting are bundled. A nominee director usually costs SGD 1,500 to SGD 3,000 a year on top.
Can I change corporate service providers?
Yes. You appoint the new provider, file the change of company secretary and registered address with ACRA, and transfer your statutory registers. Check your existing agreement for notice periods and handover fees before you switch.
Do accounting firms need to register as CSPs?
It depends on what they do. Firms carrying out designated activities in relation to accounting services fall within the scope. Existing public accounting entities registered under the Accountants Act that only carry out those designated accounting activities are treated differently, so confirm the current position with ACRA.
