Start Your Business Faster with a Ready-Made Shelf Company in Singapore

A shelf company is a private limited company that was registered with ACRA earlier and kept dormant until a buyer takes it over. It already has a UEN, an incorporation date and statutory records. Once you take over the shares, the company is ready to trade under your ownership.

Yes. Buying a shelf company is fully legal in Singapore. It is an ordinary private limited company under the Companies Act, and the transfer is a standard share sale filed with ACRA. Working with a registered filing agent keeps every step compliant.

A shelf company is a ready-made company kept dormant by design and sold openly to a new owner. “Shell company” usually refers to a company with no real operations, often used to hold assets. A shelf company becomes an active, operating business as soon as you take ownership.

A shelf company is the stronger choice when you need an established incorporation date. Common reasons include meeting a tender’s minimum company age, showing an established profile to partners, or starting business within days. If company age matters less to your plans, a new incorporation is a simple and affordable alternative, and we can help with both.

The share transfer takes 1 business day after your KYC documents are approved. A name change takes 1 to 3 business days for most names. Updating bank signatories takes 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the bank. Most clients are fully set up within 2 to 3 weeks.

Individual buyers need:

• A passport copy
• Recent proof of address, such as a utility bill or bank statement
• A completed KYC form
• A short source-of-funds declaration

Corporate buyers also provide their certificate of incorporation and a board resolution approving the purchase. We prepare the share transfer documents, resolutions and ACRA filings.

Yes. Foreign individuals and companies can own 100% of the shares. The company needs at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore, such as a Singapore Citizen, a PR, or an eligible pass holder. Our nominee director service covers this, so you keep full ownership and run the business from anywhere.

Pricing varies depending on three things:

• The company’s age
• Whether a corporate bank account is included
• The support services you choose

You also pay 0.2% stamp duty on the share transfer. You receive a fixed quote before you commit.

Yes. Some of our companies come with an active corporate account. After the transfer, the bank reviews the new owners and updates the signatories. Once that’s done, you can receive payments and issue invoices through an account with an established history.

Before you buy, we check:

• The ACRA business profile, to confirm the incorporation date, share structure and that the company has zero registered charges
• The full filing history, to confirm every annual return was filed
• The company’s IRAS position

Your sale agreement includes written confirmation of zero liabilities and an indemnity from the seller.

Yes. You can rename the company, update its business activities, change the registered address, and add shareholders or directors. For a name change, shareholders pass a special resolution and we file the new name with ACRA through BizFile+. The new name takes effect once ACRA approves it. Names that need review by another agency, such as those with words like “bank” or “law”, can take a little longer.

Your company follows the same yearly cycle as any Singapore private limited company:

• Keep proper accounting records
• Hold an AGM within six months after the financial year-end
• File the annual return with ACRA within seven months after the financial year end
• File corporate tax returns with IRAS