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A founder living in Vietnam can register a Singapore company and hold all the shares. ACRA requires a registered corporate service provider (CSP) to submit the filing, and at least one director must be a Singapore resident. The government fees are S$15 for the name and S$300 for registration. One detail is new for Vietnamese documents: the Apostille Convention began to apply to Vietnam on . Checked . This is an independent guide, not a government body or a provider. Our form hands your request to providers who may pay us a referral fee.
What is different for Vietnam?
| Point | Vietnam result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tax treaty | Full DTA in force, modified by the MLI, no arbitration clause | IRAS |
| Entry | Not on the visa-required list | ICA |
| Apostille | In force since 11 September | HCCH |
| Apostille bodies | Consular Department in Hanoi and a Ho Chi Minh City department | HCCH |
| Local director | One Singapore-resident director | ACRA |
Do Vietnam and Singapore have a double tax agreement?
Yes. On the IRAS table the Vietnam row is a full DTA, in force, and modified by the Multilateral Instrument. The arbitration column reads No, so a dispute would go through the mutual agreement procedure in the treaty rather than binding arbitration. IRAS links the PDF but does not give rates on the list page, so we quote none.
We did not read Vietnam's own tax authority pages for this guide. If you are a Vietnamese tax resident, ask an adviser at home how profit from a Singapore company reaches you. For Singapore's side of the tax picture see corporate tax in Singapore.
Is a visa needed to visit Singapore from Vietnam?
Vietnam is not on the ICA list of countries whose passport holders need an entry visa. The list itself has 34 entries, and none of them is Vietnam. You must still send the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival. ICA adds that a visa never guarantees entry.
A visit pass does not allow you to run the company as an employee. If you plan to relocate, read Employment Pass first.
What changed with Vietnam and the apostille?
Documents from Vietnam used for a Singapore filing used to follow another route. The HCCH status table now shows Vietnam's accession dated and entry into force on . Singapore has been a party since .
Two cautions follow from that table. First, the entry is flagged with the objection symbol, which means another state has objected to the accession. We did not read the detail of who objected, so ask your provider whether it affects the document you hold. Second, the rule is new, so banks and providers may still be updating their checklists.
HCCH lists two Vietnamese competent authorities: the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi, and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs. It gives no fee for either. ACRA itself sets no certification step for the filing, so you only need this route if a provider or bank asks for it.
Can you own the company without moving?
Yes. ACRA does not tie ownership to residence. It does require a director who lives in Singapore, plus a company secretary and a registered office address in Singapore. See registered address in Singapore for what that address must be.
You can fill the director seat with a local partner or with a nominee. Whoever it is signs filings that carry legal weight, so choose with care and read the nominee terms.
What are the steps from Vietnam?
- Choose a CSP and send three name ideas, the business activity and each owner's identity details.
- The CSP reserves the name for S$15.
- Provide passport copies and proof of address for every officer.
- The CSP files the registration for S$300.
- ACRA issues the UEN. Next come the bank account and, if you will work there, a pass application.
Ask the CSP for a written fee list before you sign. Its own charge sits on top of the S$315 paid to ACRA. Company formation cost shows what to compare.
What did we leave out?
We found no official page on Vietnam's rules for owning a company abroad that we could read in English and cite. Vietnam's regulator for overseas investment is a separate topic, so ask a Vietnamese lawyer whether any report is due on your side. We also found no published bank policy that names Vietnamese owners. See business bank account in Singapore for how banks decide.
Send the form with your city and the shareholder names, and providers can reply with their checklist.
What should you ask about timing?
Vietnam's apostille status is only weeks old at the check date, so documents certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be handled differently by different providers. Ask whether the provider needs an apostille at all or will accept clear passport scans with its own verification. Ask the bank the same question separately, because a bank's list does not have to match ACRA's. Keep the answers in writing, and leave the apostille step until both have told you what they want, since a certified document that nobody asked for is wasted effort.
Sources
- IRAS: list of DTAs, limited DTAs and EOI arrangements: Vietnam treaty row.
- ICA: visa requirements: visa list and arrival card.
- HCCH: Apostille Convention status table: Vietnam and Singapore dates.
- HCCH: Viet Nam competent authorities: apostille offices.
- ACRA: foreigners registering a business: CSP and resident director.
- ACRA: service and transaction fees: fees.
