After registration, download the free Business Profile within 60 days, appoint an auditor within three months unless exempt, and appoint a company secretary within six months. Licences, banking and registers remain separate workstreams.
The practical task is to complete the immediate post-registration duties and preserve the records needed to operate. A sound decision separates the controlling condition from convenience, then records the evidence before money, travel, work or a deadline makes the choice harder to reverse.
Put the steps in order
- Company is audit-exempt: Record the exemption basis instead of leaving the auditor field unexplained.
- A licence is needed before trading: Complete the regulator route before starting the activity.
- Business Profile has not been saved: Download the free copy within 60 days.
- Founder is acting as every role: Check role restrictions and independent responsibilities.
Save incorporation records
ACRA post-registration guide states the controlling point used here: ACRA lists the immediate steps, including the three-month auditor clock, six-month secretary clock and 60-day free Business Profile download window. Portal access is not a substitute for a durable company file. Download the profile and constitution
For save incorporation records, this becomes consequential when “Company is audit-exempt” applies. The next move is to record the exemption basis instead of leaving the auditor field unexplained, but only after the underlying condition has been verified and dated.
Test audit exemption
The three-month clock applies unless the company is exempt. Document the eligibility conclusion
For test audit exemption, record the result as confirmed, pending or not applicable. If it is still pending, do not let a convenient assumption close the gap; identify the person or service that can resolve it and the last safe time to ask.
Appoint the secretary
The six-month deadline should have an owner and board record. Calendar appointment and consent
For appoint the secretary, this becomes consequential when “Business Profile has not been saved” applies. The next move is to download the free copy within 60 days, but only after the underlying condition has been verified and dated.
Check licences
ACRA company-officers guide states the controlling point used here: ACRA explains the secretary deadline, auditor deadline and officer requirements a new company must test after registration. Registration does not authorise every regulated activity. Run the GoBusiness route
For check licences, record the result as confirmed, pending or not applicable. If it is still pending, do not let a convenient assumption close the gap; identify the person or service that can resolve it and the last safe time to ask.
Separate money
A corporate bank account improves traceability between company and personal funds. Set signatories and controls
For separate money, this becomes consequential when “Company is audit-exempt” applies. The next move is to record the exemption basis instead of leaving the auditor field unexplained, but only after the underlying condition has been verified and dated.
Build future calendars
AGM, annual return and tax duties begin from the company facts. Record FYE and first deadlines
For build future calendars, record the result as confirmed, pending or not applicable. If it is still pending, do not let a convenient assumption close the gap; identify the person or service that can resolve it and the last safe time to ask.
A post-registration clock showing immediate, 60-day, three-month and six-month actions
Start with Save incorporation records, then test Test audit exemption and Appoint the secretary. Show the input, the condition applied and the resulting action in separate columns. If a number is calculated, retain the arithmetic; if a route is selected, retain the branch that ruled out the alternative.
| Input or condition | Evidence to keep | Decision it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Company is audit-exempt | Download the profile and constitution | Record the exemption basis instead of leaving the auditor field unexplained |
| A licence is needed before trading | Document the eligibility conclusion | Complete the regulator route before starting the activity |
| Business Profile has not been saved | Calendar appointment and consent | Download the free copy within 60 days |
A legal-entity launch file covering officers, exemption evidence, licences, banking, constitution and first annual deadlines
Use Check licences, Separate money and Build future calendars as the verification pass. Check the live condition, note the time checked and keep the response or document that supports the conclusion. Unknowns remain visible until resolved; they should not be replaced by a guessed price, deadline, eligibility result, service level or operating detail.
Worked example
A new consultancy downloads its Business Profile on day one, records why it is audit-exempt, appoints its secretary before month six and confirms that its planned activity needs no separate operating licence. The founder also records the FYE so annual return and tax calendars do not begin from memory.
The example is a calculation or decision model, not a guarantee. Change one material input at a time, preserve the original inputs and recheck the live authority or operator page before relying on the result.
Reproduce the decision independently
Read the evidence in the order the real decision occurs. Confirm who or what is covered, isolate every date, amount, location and document, then have another person rebuild the conclusion from the saved material. A correct rule attached to the wrong person, product, property, journey or date is still a wrong answer.
Keep eligibility, cost, timing, approval and suitability in separate rows. Passing one control does not cure a failure in another. Where a transition or future change is involved, record both the current condition and the next change date, then schedule a fresh check.
Before you commit
- Record the exemption basis instead of leaving the auditor field unexplained.
- Complete the regulator route before starting the activity.
- Download the free copy within 60 days.
- Check role restrictions and independent responsibilities.
- Save the date and evidence used for every material condition.
- Stop and ask the controlling authority, operator or qualified professional if a disputed fact changes the outcome.
Build the compliance record around the legal entity, triggering event, effective date, responsible officer, filing channel and acknowledgement. That sequence exposes a missing approval or access role before it becomes a late or incorrect submission.
Limits
Company type, licences, audit status and officer facts can change the required steps. ACRA and the relevant regulators control.
For an adjacent live guide, see Move a Foreign Company to Singapore: Test Re-Domiciliation First. If the next decision shifts to a second practical issue, Singapore Branch Annual Filing: A Foreign Company Checklist provides the relevant progression without duplicating this primary intent.
