Every company must appoint a secretary within 6 months from the date of incorporation. The post of company secretary must also not be left vacant for more than 6 months. The company secretary must be a local resident of Singapore and cannot be the sole director of that company. The secretary may also be held liable if the company fails to adhere to regulations in certain situations.
If the company is a public company, the company secretary must fulfil one of the following criteria:
Been a secretary of a company for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately before his appointment as secretary of the public company.

  • Qualified person under the Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161).
  • Public accountant registered under the Accountants Act (Cap. 2).
  • Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore.
  • Member of the Singapore Association of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
  • Member of the Association of International Accountants (Singapore Branch).
  • Member of the Institute of Company Accountants, Singapore.

For many private and all public companies, they may choose to engage an ACRA Filing Agent to fill the post of the secretary of the company. A Qualified Individual should be familiar with the statutory requirements of a company and will assist the directors to ensure that the company is compliant.
 
When in doubt, seek legal advice or consult an experienced ACRA Filing Agent.
 
Yours Sincerely,
The editorial team at Singapore Secretary Services
 
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