Opening an office in Singapore from abroad is mostly about documents and timing. Here is the sequence that works and the places teams usually lose weeks.
1. Decide who signs the lease
Landlords lease to a legal entity. The cleanest path is a Singapore private limited company (Pte Ltd) with ACRA registration and a local registered address. A foreign parent can sign, but expect a larger deposit or a bank guarantee. Incorporate before you start viewings — it takes days, not weeks.
2. Start with a flexible office
Serviced offices accept new entities and even individuals, need no fit-out and open in days. Many companies spend their first year in a coworking or serviced office in Singapore and sign a conventional lease once headcount is predictable.
3. Shortlist by commute, not by photos
Pick two or three districts and one transit anchor. Staff arriving on the MRT will value being near Raffles Place, City Hall or Tanjong Pagar. Then open buildings in our Singapore catalogue and compare real units.
4. Negotiate more than the rate
- Rent-free period — commonly one month per year of term.
- Fit-out contribution for multi-year deals.
- Reinstatement — cap it or negotiate it away.
- Assignment and sublet rights — your exit if plans change.
5. Plan the deposit and timeline
Security runs three months of gross rent plus advance rent. From signed letter of offer to move-in: a couple of weeks for a furnished office, six to twelve weeks for second-generation space, longer for a full fit-out.
Where the supply is right now
By number of available offices the deepest submarkets are Raffles Place (291), Central Business District (167), Marina Bay (149). The catalogue holds 139 buildings and 840 offices in total, from S$123 a month.
Send us a shortlist from any building page and we will arrange viewings — free for tenants.