Corporate Secretarial Services in Singapore

Don’t just outsource your corporate secretarial work to corporate service provider! It is important to outsource to the right company secretary who is competent from the start to save yourself a lot of headache and trouble further down the road.

Finding the right company/corporate secretary or secretarial firm is not an easy task. Most people would simply search on Google to find their secretarial services firm. However, it is difficult to determine which secretarial firms are able to deliver the services professionally and within reasonable timelines based on the information on their websites. In addition, there are misconceptions about the role and duties of company secretaries. Many people assume that anyone can easily be qualified for the position and that a Company Secretary is just a name that appears on official statutory documents in compliance with government statutory requirements. In actual fact, a Company Secretary plays a key role in ensuring that the company he or she serves as Secretary remains compliant with the government’s regulations. A Company Secretary is also responsible for:

• Filing requirements and the filing of important company documents such as incorporation documents, yearly financial statements, shareholder resolutions, board resolutions, shareholders’ agreement(s)
• He or she is in charge of updating the company’s statutory registers and ACRA BizFile filing records should there be any changes in the particulars of the company such as its registered office address, directors, shareholders or any other corporate records which the Company Secretary is required to lodge the necessary changes with ACRA, the Companies’ Registrar

A Company Secretary must have a keen understanding of legal requirements and keep themselves up to date with the latest changes. They must also be extremely detail oriented. Below are a couple of basic questions you may ask your potential service providers to ensure that they are the right corporate secretarial service provider for you:

What qualifications does your Company/Corporate Secretary possess?

• Been a secretary of a company for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately before his or her appointment as secretary of the public company
• Be a qualified person under the Legal Profession Act, Cap. 161
• Be a public accountant registered under the Accountants Act, Cap. 2
• Be a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore
• Be a Member of the Singapore Association of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators
• Be a Member of the Association of International Accountants (Singapore Branch)
• Be a Member of the Institute of Company Accountants, Singapore

Can your Company Secretary perform the following tasks?

• General advice on the company’s secretarial practice
• Maintenance and updating of Minute Books and Statutory Registers
• Preparation of AGM documents and Annual Return Filing with ACRA (with no additional charges except ACRA filing fee of $60)
• Drafting of resolutions, meeting documents, corporate documents and ACRA filing of changes in directors, share capital, shareholders and shares.
• Drafting of customised company’s Constitution based on client’s requirements
• Liquidation, de-registration or striking off of companies
• Drafting and preparation of meeting agendas and other pertinent documents at client’s instructions

Hence, it is imperative that you engage a competent and competitive company secretary who is able to give you the right advice and is responsive to your queries at all times.

To hire us as your company secretary, contact us today.