Setting up a company in Australia: a founder's guide to scaling from Singapore or Asia

You have built your product, closed your first customers, maybe even raised a round. Now Australia is on the list. Setting up a company in Australia from Singapore or elsewhere in Asia means choosing the right entity structure, registering with ASIC, sorting your tax obligations, and budgeting for costs that go well beyond the filing fee. This guide covers all of it.

Good call on the move, but the gap between "we should expand" and actually having a registered Australian entity with a bank account and working tax registrations is bigger than most founders expect.

We work with founders expanding between Singapore and Australia every day, and the same pattern comes up again and again. The opportunity is obvious. But then the operational side hits: entity setup, compliance sequencing, the resident director requirement. That is where weeks disappear.

This blog talks about what setting up a company in Australia actually looks like when you are doing it from Singapore or somewhere else in Asia. Everything from the ASIC registration steps to what the first year really costs.

Why expanding between Singapore and Australia works

Start with the trade agreements, because they do a lot of the heavy lifting.

SAFTA, the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement, opens up preferential market access and lower tariffs for Singapore-based companies. Then there is the AANZFTA. It wipes out tariffs on 90% of goods traded between ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand. The CPTPP goes further and covers 94% of Singapore's exports to CPTPP markets. That is a lot of trade infrastructure working in your favour.

Running a SaaS or fintech business? SADEA, the Singapore-Australia Digital Economy Agreement, is worth knowing about. It specifically targets barriers around cross-border digital activity.

And then there is the market itself. Over 26 million consumers, active venture capital, and a regulatory system you can navigate without needing a local co-founder to decode it. That is what makes expanding between Singapore and Australia practical, not just aspirational.

Picking your Australia market entry strategy

This decision comes first, before you file anything.

Your Australia market entry strategy boils down to 3 structures. The one you pick will shape your tax position, your personal liability exposure, how Australian clients perceive you, and how much compliance you are signing up for every single year. So it is worth slowing down here.

• Pty Ltd (subsidiary) is the most common route, and for good reason. It creates a separate Australian legal entity, distinct from your Singapore parent. You get limited liability, local credibility, and the ability to hire staff, sign contracts, and open bank accounts under an Australian entity. If you are planning to do real business in the market, this is almost always the right answer. Most founders setting up a company in Australia land here.
  
• Foreign company registration (branch) is a different play. Your Singapore entity stays as the contracting party, and you register with ASIC under Part 5B.2 of the Corporations Act. Your parent company carries direct legal responsibility for everything the branch does. The trade-off is worth understanding, though. If you want to test the Australian market for 6 to 12 months without committing to a full local entity, a branch is easier to set up and significantly easier to unwind if the pilot does not pan out. You avoid the overhead of maintaining a separate Pty Ltd while you figure out whether the market is right for you.
  
• Representative office sits at the lightest end of the spectrum. No trading, no revenue, no hiring. But that does not mean it is pointless. If you are running early-stage demand validation, attending trade shows, meeting potential distribution partners, or scoping out the competitive landscape before making a financial commitment, a representative office gives you a presence on the ground without triggering ASIC registration obligations. It buys you time to learn the market before you spend on structure.
  

Here is how these options play out in practice. Say you are a Singapore-based SaaS founder. You have one paying Australian customer and you want to hire a local salesperson to close more deals. A branch lets your Singapore entity stay in control, but the moment you need to issue an Australian employment contract or sign a local services agreement, the structure starts creating friction. A Pty Ltd gives you a clean entity to hire under, invoice from, and contract with. Nine times out of ten, that is where the decision lands.

For founders who are genuinely starting a business in Australia as a foreigner, the Pty Ltd is the move. Australian customers, banks, and partners take it more seriously, and it gives you the operational flexibility to actually grow once you are there.

Setting up a company in Australia: the actual steps

Here is what the process looks like once you have decided on a Pty Ltd. Fair warning: the ASIC registration itself is fast. Everything around it is what takes time.

• Reserve your company name: Check ASIC's registers. The name needs to be distinguishable from existing registered companies. Straightforward.
  
• Get a Director ID: This is the step that trips up overseas founders more than any other. Every director must apply for a Director ID through the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) before the company can be registered. It is free and it is a lifetime identifier. But if you do not have an Australian tax file number, you are looking at a manual application with certified identity documents, and that adds time.
  
• Appoint a resident director: Non-negotiable. A Pty Ltd needs at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. If nobody on your team lives there, you will need a professional nominee director or a local hire to fill the role.
  
• Set up your registered office: ASIC wants a physical Australian address where official correspondence can be delivered during business hours. Not a PO box.
  
• Lodge incorporation with ASIC: You can go through the Business Registration Service or use a registered agent. ASIC processes the application and issues your ACN.
  
• Register for ABN, GST, and PAYG: The ABN is free through abr.gov.au. GST registration is mandatory if your turnover will exceed AUD $75,000. Planning to hire? Register for PAYG withholding with the ATO.
  

The ASIC filing takes 1 to 3 business days. But the full process, Director ID for overseas directors, resident director, tax registrations, typically takes around 4 to 8 weeks from start to finish, based on common processing times for Director ID applications and ATO registration turnarounds. Plan for that if you are starting a business in Australia as a foreigner and do not want to lose momentum.

What it actually costs

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Doing it all yourself through ASIC Connect? The cost to set up a company in Australia starts at AUD $636. But most overseas founders do not stop there. By the time you add an accountant or registered agent, get your tax registrations sorted, and cover basic compliance, the first year usually lands somewhere between AUD $1,600 and AUD $6,000.

And the costs do not stop once your company is on the register. ASIC sends you a review fee of AUD $342 every year. If you forget to pay it, the late penalty is AUD $102, jumping to AUD $428 if it sits unpaid for more than a month. Then there is your accountant, your quarterly BAS filings, and your annual tax return. These are not one-off expenses. They come back every year.

Tax and compliance: the numbers that matter

Two corporate tax rates apply in Australia. If your company turns over less than AUD $50 million and earns most of its income from active business (not passive sources like rent or dividends), you pay 25%. Everyone else pays 30%.

If you are starting a business in Australia as a foreigner from Singapore, a few specifics worth noting:

• Singapore and Australia have a Double Tax Agreement. The goal is to stop you from paying tax on the same income in both countries. But the way it applies depends entirely on your structure. A subsidiary gets treated differently from a branch. Talk to a tax adviser before your first invoice goes out, not after.
  
• FIRB (the Foreign Investment Review Board) screens certain foreign investments. A standard Pty Ltd for operational purposes usually will not trigger it. But if you are buying property, agricultural land, or investing above specific thresholds, check with FIRB early. Do not assume you are exempt.
  
• GST runs at 10% on most goods and services. Registration is mandatory once you cross AUD $75,000 in turnover. If you sell digital products into Australia as a non-resident, you may need to register from your very first dollar under the simplified GST regime.
  

And if you hire locally, superannuation is 12% on top of every employee's salary. Not a suggestion. A legal requirement.

Do not leave these decisions until after you have launched. Getting your Australia market entry strategy sorted on the tax and structure side early means fewer surprises, lower costs, and a much cleaner path to growth.

Business culture: what actually changes

Expanding between Singapore and Australia is not only about paperwork. When you are setting up a company in Australia, the culture around how deals get done is noticeably different, and it pays to know that before your first meeting.

Australians tend to skip the formalities. Where a meeting in Singapore or Hong Kong might follow a clear hierarchy, Australian counterparts are more likely to jump straight into the substance. Job titles do not carry the same weight. People want to hear what you are building and why it matters, without the preamble.

Sales cycles can be slower though. Especially with larger corporations and government procurement. If your go-to-market plan assumes Singapore-style speed, adjust it. Build longer timelines into your pipeline.

If you have worked in Singapore before, you will find parts of Australia's regulatory and legal system familiar. English is the default in every business setting, and the documentation standards are clear.

But here is one thing founders regularly get wrong: employment law. Australia does not have at-will employment, and if you are used to how hiring and firing works in Singapore, the difference will catch you off guard.

A few things to be aware of before you make your first Australian hire:

• Minimum wage: The national minimum is currently AUD $26.44 per hour, and most industries have award rates that sit above this baseline
  
• Termination protections: You cannot let someone go without a valid reason. Unfair dismissal claims under the Fair Work Act are common, and the process for managing underperformance is far more structured than in most Asian markets
  
• Superannuation: Employers must contribute 12% of each employee's qualifying earnings into their super fund. And as of 1 Jul 2026, Payday Super rules mean you pay super on payday, not quarterly. That is a significant cash flow change if you are used to batching contributions every 3 months
  

For example, say you hire a salesperson in Sydney and three months in, performance is not where it needs to be. In Singapore, you might be able to end the arrangement relatively quickly. In Australia, you need documented performance discussions, a formal improvement plan, and a reasonable timeframe before termination is defensible. Skipping those steps can lead to an unfair dismissal claim. Your Australia market entry strategy should factor in these hiring rules from the start.

How Aspire helps you move across borders

Setting up a company in Australia is one half of the equation. Moving money between your Singapore entity and your new Australian operation is the other half.

Aspire gives you one platform to manage multi-currency accounts, send cross-border payments, and track spend across markets. AUD, SGD, and 30+ other currencies in one place.

Whether you are paying your first Australian vendor, covering ASIC fees, or running payroll for a new local hire, Aspire takes the friction out of the financial side so you can focus on growing.

Before you commit, make sure you have these sorted:

• Entity structure confirmed: Pty Ltd for most founders, branch if you are running a short-term pilot
  
• First-year budget planned: AUD $1,600 to AUD $6,000 depending on professional support and compliance setup
  
• Resident director lined up: At least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia, whether that is a team member or a nominee
  
• Timeline accounted for: 4 to 8 weeks from Director ID application through to completed tax registrations
  

We have covered the practical steps and real costs of setting up a company in Australia from Singapore or Asia in this guide. Aspire is an all-in-one finance platform built for founders expanding across borders. If you are ready to move, open an Aspire account and get your cross-border finances sorted from day one.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Singapore company operate in Australia without setting up a company in Australia?

It depends on what "operate" means. Occasional exports or one-off sales from overseas probably do not require registration. But if your activities in Australia are regular, repeated, or commercially significant, you must register with ASIC. Ignoring this can result in penalties under the Corporations Act.

Do I need a local Australian director for a Pty Ltd?

Yes, no way around it. Every Pty Ltd must have at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. If nobody on your founding team lives there, you can engage a professional nominee director through a corporate services provider.

How long does it take to set up a Pty Ltd from Singapore?

The ASIC filing is the quick part, usually done in 1 to 3 business days. What takes longer is everything else. Getting Director IDs sorted for overseas directors, finding a resident director, and then working through the ABN, GST, and PAYG registrations. All up, expect 4 to 8 weeks before your entity is fully operational.

What is the minimum capital required to register a company in Australia?

There is no minimum. You could technically incorporate with AUD $1 in share capital. But do not confuse the ASIC fee with the real cost to set up a company in Australia. Your budget needs to cover professional setup, accounting, and enough working capital to actually run the Australian operation.

Is FIRB approval always required when setting up a company in Australia?

No. Most founders incorporating a Pty Ltd for normal business operations will not need FIRB approval at all. It only becomes relevant if you are acquiring property, agricultural land, or making investments above specific dollar thresholds. If any of those apply, check before you proceed.

What ongoing compliance costs should I expect after registration?

ASIC's annual review fee is AUD $342, and that is just the baseline. Add your annual tax return, quarterly BAS statements if you are registered for GST, and somewhere between AUD $1,200 and AUD $3,500 a year for accounting support. Employees? Superannuation and PAYG withholding are additional ongoing costs.