VCC company secretary and registered office — Costs and fees breakdown

by | Jul 11, 2026 | Governance and Compliance

VCC company secretary and registered office — Costs and fees breakdown

Every Variable Capital Company must appoint a company secretary and maintain a registered office in Singapore. In practice, the VCC’s secretary keeps its statutory records and filings in order, while the registered office provides the official address for correspondence and the location where certain registers are kept. This guide to vcc company secretary and registered office sets out the practical costs, timelines and requirements for 2026.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

What the secretary and registered office provide

The company secretary is the officer responsible for the VCC’s statutory registers, board and member meeting administration, and regulatory filings. The registered office is the VCC’s official address for service of documents and the place where prescribed records are maintained. See our related guide, Redomiciling Your Foreign Company to Singapore 2026: Full Inward Redomiciliation Process Guide, for more detail.

Together they form the administrative and governance backbone of the VCC, ensuring that its dealings with the Registrar, investors and service providers are properly documented.

Who must comply

Every VCC, whether standalone or umbrella, must appoint a secretary and maintain a registered office from incorporation. The obligation is continuous; neither the office of secretary nor the registered office may lapse. See our related guide, CALA 2025 in Practice: Six Things Every Company Secretary Must Do Differently Now, for more detail.

Sponsors without a local presence typically engage a corporate services firm to provide both the secretary and the registered office address.

Requirements and duties

The secretary must be a natural person ordinarily resident in Singapore and suitably experienced. Duties include maintaining the register of members and directors, filing changes with the Registrar, and supporting the board in meeting its governance obligations.

The registered office must be operational during ordinary business hours and must be a physical address in Singapore, not merely a post box.

Refer to the official guidance. Refer to the official guidance.

Cost and timeline benchmarks

Secretary and registered office services are typically bundled into a modest annual retainer. The compliance cost of leaving either vacant, by contrast, can include penalties and reputational damage with investors.

Vcc company secretary and registered office — costs, timelines and thresholds

  • Company secretary: required from incorporation
  • Secretary residency: ordinarily resident in Singapore
  • Registered office: physical Singapore address
  • Registered office hours: open during ordinary business hours
  • Typical bundled annual retainer: S$1,000 to S$3,000

Step-by-step set-up process

Appoint a qualified resident secretary at incorporation, secure a Singapore registered office address, set up the statutory registers, calendar the VCC’s filing obligations, and lodge the particulars with the Registrar. Keep the prescribed records accessible at the registered office.

Bundling the secretary, registered office and director arrangements with one provider simplifies ongoing compliance for the VCC.

Common mistakes and gotchas

Common failures include leaving the secretary office vacant, using a non-physical address as the registered office, and failing to keep the statutory registers current. Missing filing deadlines exposes the VCC and its officers to penalties. See our related guide, VCC for hedge funds — Costs and fees breakdown, for more detail.

Sponsors often coordinate the secretary and registered office with the VCC’s director appointments to keep governance consistent.

Relevant legislation

The Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 requires a VCC to appoint a secretary and to maintain a registered office in Singapore.

The Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 applies company-law style duties to VCC officers, mirroring the secretary and registered office obligations under the Companies Act 1967.

FAQs

Must a VCC have a company secretary?
Yes. Every VCC must appoint a company secretary who is a natural person ordinarily resident in Singapore.

Can the registered office be a PO box?
No. The registered office must be a physical address in Singapore that is open during ordinary business hours.

Can one person be sole director and secretary?
As with companies, a sole director cannot also be the sole secretary of the VCC.

What records are kept at the registered office?
Prescribed statutory registers and records must be kept and be accessible at the registered office.

Related guides

Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email hello@rafflescorporateservices.com. Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.