Looking for cooperations in Singapore

[Perfume man]

Hello, I am Gints,

I am a Regional Director of a vending company and we are willing to open a new office in Singapore.
We are manufacturing and selling Perfume Vending machines.
I am looking for some distributors or someone who has been in vending business and could help us to navigate through this market.
Can I open an office and make sales without being registered in Singapore, but at the same time employ locals?

Thanks!

[sundaymorningstaple]

The short answer is NO.

I'll let Strong Eagle give you the long answer.

[Strong Eagle]

Hello, I am Gints,

I am a Regional Director of a vending company and we are willing to open a new office in Singapore.
We are manufacturing and selling Perfume Vending machines.
I am looking for some distributors or someone who has been in vending business and could help us to navigate through this market.
Can I open an office and make sales without being registered in Singapore, but at the same time employ locals?

Thanks!

As SMS has said, if you plan on employing locals, then you must form a business entity. A private limited with your foreign company as the sole shareholder is the way these things are usually done. Once you have the company, you can sell, keep an office, all that stuff.

Your only other option would be to sell into the end purchaser via a website. For example, I can buy merchandise from Amazon and have it delivered to Singapore. Your end purchaser would have responsibility for GST, getting it through customs, etc.

[Perfume man]

Thanks!

I will note that.
And still for me is the question when I start a company do I need a local shareholder who has 51%?

[Strong Eagle]

And still for me is the question when I start a company do I need a local shareholder who has 51%?

No, not required. Virtually anyone, from anywhere, including another company can be the shareholder, sole (100%) or otherwise.

What is required that you have a "normally resident" director of the company. This generally means that the person needs to be a Singapore citizen or PR, or another person who has received an employment pass (EP) to work for the company. Once the EP is issued, the person can be appointed a directory by the shareholders.

Generally then, you must engage the services of a Singapore company who will provide you with a resident director, at least until you or someone else gets their own EP and moves/lives in Singapore. There are lots of threads about this... do a search on resident or nominee director.