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Whether you are looking to relocate your business, employees or your family to Singapore, our consultants will be able to help you navigate the immigration law to ensure the process is smooth and that you secure high success for the visa.

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Singapore Representative Office

Foreign businesses looking to explore opportunities in Singapore or in the region can consider setting up a Singapore Representative Office (RO). Learn more about the requirements for setting up a representative office in Singapore.

What is a Representative Office?

Unlike the Branch Office or the Subsidiary, the Representative Office is not considered a traditional corporate organism with a distinct legal entity. For this reason, this form of business can be used only for non-profitable activities such as studying the market, building connections and establishing groundwork before launching a profitable activity. This business form’s purpose is solely for research and development of the market prior to launching a new company based on the data gathered.

What is the difference between the Branch Office and the Representative Office? There are several differences between the two business forms. Firstly, in terms of legal nature, the Branch Office is considered an extension of the foreign parent company (same legal entity), while the Representative Office has no legal entity at all. Second, the Branch Office is able to gain profit but the Representative Office is a non-profit organization. Lastly, the Branch Office is only free from corporate tax from profits outside of Singapore. The profits gained in Singapore through the Branch Office business will be subjected to taxes. This is in contrast to the Representative Office where taxes are waived fully.

 

 

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