For a foreign company that wants to move its legal home to Singapore without incorporating a new entity, dissolving the old one, or interrupting operations, the answer is inward redomiciliation — the transfer of the company’s place of registration from a foreign jurisdiction to Singapore while preserving its history, contracts, tax attributes and licences. Introduced in October 2017, Singapore’s inward redomiciliation regime is one of the most business-friendly in Asia and has been used by fund managers, holding companies and IP-rich businesses to consolidate their presence in Singapore.
Redomiciliation is not the same as re-incorporation. When you redomicile, your company keeps its corporate identity — same registration date (for many purposes), same shareholder register, same contracts, same intellectual property, and same tax history. Only the governing law changes. Here is the full 2026 process for redomiciling into Singapore.
Legal basis: Section 359 of the Companies Act 1967
The inward redomiciliation regime lives in Part XA and section 359 of the Companies Act 1967 and the associated Companies (Transfer of Registration) Regulations 2017. A foreign corporate entity that meets the eligibility criteria can apply to ACRA to be registered as a Singapore company. Once registered, the entity is deemed to be a Singapore company for all purposes of the Companies Act and Singapore tax law, from the effective date of transfer.
Eligibility criteria
To qualify for inward redomiciliation, the foreign entity must meet the following criteria under regulations 4 and 5:
- Body corporate in a jurisdiction that permits outward redomiciliation (i.e. your original jurisdiction must let you leave).
- Financial thresholds — meet at least two of: (a) total assets exceeding S$10 million; (b) revenue exceeding S$10 million in the most recent financial year; or (c) more than 50 employees. Or, alternatively, be a parent whose group meets these thresholds.
- Solvency — the foreign entity must be able to pay its debts as they fall due for the next 12 months and be able to pay debts in a winding up within 12 months of the transfer.
- No pending winding up, insolvency or judicial management — the entity must not be undergoing any insolvency proceedings.
- No breach of law — the entity must not have been formed for an unlawful purpose.
- Consent — where required by the foreign jurisdiction, obtain shareholder, creditor or regulator consent to the transfer.
Newly incorporated shell companies typically fail the financial thresholds. Established operating businesses, fund vehicles, and IP holding companies usually qualify.
Documents required
The application to ACRA requires: (1) certified true copy of the foreign entity’s charter or constitution; (2) certificate of good standing from the foreign registry; (3) certified extract from the foreign register showing current directors, secretary, registered office and share capital; (4) director’s statement of solvency signed by all directors; (5) proposed Singapore constitution complying with sections 39–41 of the Companies Act 1967; (6) evidence of any regulatory consent required in the outbound jurisdiction; (7) a name approval from ACRA under section 27; and (8) the prescribed application form and fee.
The redomiciliation process step-by-step
Step 1: Confirm your outbound jurisdiction permits transfer
Not every jurisdiction allows companies to leave. Common redomiciliation origins include the BVI, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Delaware, Nevada, Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Mauritius, Hong Kong (limited pathway) and Australia (limited). If your jurisdiction does not permit outward transfer, you cannot redomicile in — you would need to re-incorporate.
Step 2: Board and shareholder approvals in the origin jurisdiction
Follow your existing constitution to secure the required board resolution and shareholder consent for the transfer. Many jurisdictions require a special resolution (75% majority) and public notice to creditors.
Step 3: Reserve the Singapore company name via ACRA
Apply on BizFile+ to reserve the proposed Singapore name. The name is held for 120 days once approved. You may keep the same name as the foreign entity if permitted by ACRA name policy.
Step 4: Prepare the Singapore constitution
Draft a Singapore constitution complying with the Companies Act 1967. This will replace the foreign charter on the effective date. Preserve any critical shareholder rights and share classes from the original charter. See our guide on changing a company constitution for drafting considerations.
Step 5: Lodge the transfer application with ACRA
Submit the application via BizFile+ with all supporting documents and the prescribed fee (S$1,000). ACRA typically reviews within 2 to 8 weeks depending on completeness and complexity.
Step 6: ACRA issues the Certificate of Transfer of Registration
Once approved, ACRA issues the Notice of Transfer of Registration. From the effective date, the entity is a Singapore company. It receives a new UEN and must comply with Singapore filing obligations.
Step 7: Deregister in the foreign jurisdiction
Within 60 days of the Singapore registration, the entity must be deregistered from the foreign register and file evidence of this with ACRA. Failure to do so can lead to Singapore registration being revoked.
Step 8: Post-transfer housekeeping
Appoint at least one Singapore-resident director, appoint a Singapore-qualified company secretary within six months, establish a Singapore registered office, set up CorpPass, open Singapore bank accounts, and register with IRAS for corporate tax and (if applicable) GST.
Tax consequences of inward redomiciliation
The Income Tax Act treats the redomiciled entity as a Singapore tax resident from the effective date. Prior-year losses of the foreign entity are generally not carried forward into Singapore. Assets are deemed to be acquired at market value on the transfer date, with base cost rules under section 34F. Special tax framework rules apply to redomiciled funds, insurance companies and financial institutions. Consult a Singapore tax adviser before triggering the transfer, especially where the foreign entity holds appreciated assets or unclaimed foreign tax credits.
Costs and timelines
Expect government fees of around S$1,000 for the ACRA application and S$15 for name reservation. Legal and corporate services fees for the full transfer typically run from S$15,000 to S$50,000 depending on complexity, jurisdiction and whether you also need Singapore tax structuring advice. Timelines run 8 to 16 weeks from start to certificate, plus another 4 to 8 weeks for deregistration in the origin jurisdiction.
When redomiciliation is NOT the right route
Redomiciliation is not always the best answer. Consider re-incorporation via a Singapore newco with an asset transfer when: your foreign entity has significant tax losses you want to preserve in the foreign jurisdiction; you have complex regulated licences that do not transfer cleanly; your outbound jurisdiction requires prohibitive creditor consent processes; or you want to leave certain foreign-law liabilities behind. A qualified corporate services provider can help you compare pathways.
Getting help
Inward redomiciliation is a strategic move with tax, legal and operational implications. Your Singapore corporate services provider will coordinate with local counsel in your outbound jurisdiction, ACRA, IRAS and MAS (if relevant) to sequence the transfer correctly. Get the sequencing wrong and you may find yourself simultaneously a foreign company and a Singapore company — or worse, neither — for a period of weeks.
For most established foreign entities looking to consolidate their governance, tax residency and regulatory footprint in Singapore, inward redomiciliation remains the cleanest single-step solution. Just make sure you and your advisers scope the full journey — outbound, inbound and post-transfer — before you file the first document.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services