Appoint a Singapore-resident director
Every private limited company must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore — a citizen, a permanent resident, or someone holding an eligible pass (such as an Employment Pass) together with a Letter of Consent to act as a local director.
Not yet independently verified — check the source link: The exact Companies Act s.145 wording on who qualifies as a locally resident director (citizen, PR, or pass holder with a Letter of Consent) was corroborated via secondary sources during research, not fetched directly from the primary legislation text — confirm the eligibility wording before relying on it for an edge-case appointment.
Every private limited company must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore — a citizen, a permanent resident, or someone holding an eligible pass (such as an Employment Pass) together with a Letter of Consent to act as a local director.
ACRA won't register the company without one, and if your only resident director later resigns or their pass lapses, the company falls out of compliance and ACRA can take action against it.
Director eligibility is checked as part of your BizFile+ registration.
Who this is for
Any private limited company incorporating in Singapore.
A director must be at least 18, not an undischarged bankrupt, and not disqualified. Foreign founders without a local co-founder often use a professional nominee-director service to satisfy this requirement.
What you’ll hold
- Director's consent to act
- Letter of Consent (if the director holds an eligible pass rather than citizenship/PR)
Watch out for
- Assuming any foreign director satisfies the requirement — an Employment Pass or other pass holder needs a specific Letter of Consent to act as a local director, the pass alone isn't enough.
- Leaving it to the last minute — sourcing a nominee director, if you don't have a qualifying person available, can take longer than the rest of the incorporation.
- Not planning for what happens if your sole resident director resigns or their pass lapses — have a backup, since the company falls out of compliance with none in place.
Sources
- ACRA — Submitting your application to ACRA checked 2026-09-08
See also
This is item 30 of 36 in the free Singapore Launch Checklist. See the whole list →