Before you start any business, you must know your own skills and evaluate whether you are ready to be a self-employed.

To start a business in Singapore, you must be a Singapore citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR). As a self-employed person, you derive income from your business in Singapore or from outside Singapore through any trade, business, profession or vocation. You are not under a contract of service as you are your own boss.

As a new self-employed person, you need to register with the Board when you commence your business. If you are a licence-holder, you will be automatically registered with the Board. The Board will inform you when the registration has been successfully completed. Your Medisave payment status must also be up-to-date before you renew your business registration with the Accounting and Corporate Authority of Singapore. To check your Medisave payment status, please click here.

Find out more about the various categories of self-employed here.