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Corporate Secretarial Services

Corporate Secretarial Services

Comprehensive secretarial services to ensure that your business complies with regulatory requirements.

Service Description

What Is a Company Secretary?

A company must appoint a secretary within 6 months from its date of incorporation. The company secretary must be: 
1) A natural person;
2) A resident of Singapore.
The position of company secretary must not be left vacant for more than 6 months. The sole director of the company and the company secretary cannot be the same person.

Duties of a Company Secretary
The company secretary is the personnel of the board of directors, responsible for ensuring that the company fulfils all of its regulatory obligations. Key responsibilities include:
  • Maintaining the company's statutory registers and records
  • Ensuring the company and its board of directions comply with the company's constitution at all times
  • Arrange shareholders' and board of directors' meetings
  • Submitting and filing all legally required documents in a timely manner
  • Providing comprehensive legal and administrative support to the board of directors
  • Assisting in the implementation of company strategies, through ensuring the board of directors’ decisions are properly executed and communicated
  • Ensuring the company complies with all its legal obligations
  • Keeping up to date with developments and changes in statutory and regulatory requirements
  • Maintaining appropriate communication with shareholders
Acra's Obligations for Company Secretaries
  • Always acting in the best interests of the company
  • Always avoiding conflict of interest
  • Always perform duties with reasonably and diligently
  • Never deriving illicit profit or personal gain from transactions with/on behalf of the company
Authority of a Company Secretary
  • In Singapore, company secretaries have the authority to certify company documents or formal procedures. He/she might be required to co-sign official documents bearing the company seal, together with a company director.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are annual requirements? What is an Annual Return (AR)?

Companies hold Annual General Meetings (AGMs) to present financial statements to their shareholders.
The Annual Return, also known as the AR Filing, is an electronic form submitted to ACRA containing key company information, such as names of directors, secretary, members, and the date of the financial statement’s preparation. The AR provides essential information to help company stakeholders make informed decisions about the company. The company’s appointed officer (e.g. director or company secretary) can file the AR via ACRA’s online filing portal, BizFile+. Alternatively, we can act as your Registered Filing Agent, and handle the filing on the behalf of the company.

When to file the Annual Return (AR)?

For listed companies, submit the AR within 5 months after the end of the financial year. For non-listed companies, submit the AR within 7 months after the end of the financial year. For companies with share capital registered outside Singapore and maintain a branch register, the deadline to submit the AR for listed and non-listed companies is within 6 months and 8 months after the end of the financial year respectively.

Extension for filing Annual Return (AR)

We can assist in applying for an extension to the submission of your AR filing deadline, but this only applies to companies whose financial year ends on or after 31 August 2018. 

Companies may apply for a 60 day extension to submit their Annual Return. As the processing of applications may take up to 14 working days, it is recommended to submit the application at least 14 working days before the deadline. This application fee is SGD 400

Filing overdue annual returns

If a company has missed filing its AR for more than one financial year, the overdue return(s) must be filed first, before the latest AR can be submitted.

Enforcement actions for non-compliance with Annual Return (AR) filing

All companies are required to file their ARs on time.
A late filing penalty of SGD 300 will be imposed on companies that submit their ARs after the deadline.