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Director & shareholder services

Resident or professional directors and shareholders where the law or your structure needs one, disclosed to registries and authorities as required.

Price
from US$1,200
Billed
per year
Timing
1–3 days

Some companies need a director who lives in the country of incorporation. Others want a professional to hold a director or shareholder role while the owners are abroad. We provide both as a disclosed, documented professional service.

Our director and shareholder services start at US$1,200 per year. The professional acts within a written agreement that sets out their duties, and the people who actually own and control the company are identified, recorded and disclosed to authorities as the law requires.

This service does not hide who owns a company. Beneficial ownership information is held by us, by the company and, where the law requires, by the registry or a central authority.

What’s included

  • Resident director where the jurisdiction requires one, for example Singapore
  • Professional director or shareholder appointed under a written service agreement
  • Declaration of trust for shareholdings held on your behalf, and indemnities
  • Disclosure of nominee status and nominator to registries and authorities as required
  • Ongoing KYC and review of the company's activity

Who it is for

  • Singapore companies that need a locally resident director under the Companies Act
  • Foreign founders who cannot yet act as a local director because of visa or residency rules
  • Companies that want a qualified professional on the board for governance or local signing
  • Holding structures where shares are held by a professional shareholder under a declaration of trust

Ask about director & shareholder services

AI answers from OCC’s published prices & facts · no sign-up

How it works

  1. Step 1Assess the needWe confirm whether the law requires a resident director and what role a professional would play.
  2. Step 2KYC and business reviewWe verify every beneficial owner and review the company's activity, bank setup and counterparties.
  3. Step 3AgreementsYou sign the service agreement, and where shares are held for you, a declaration of trust and indemnity.
  4. Step 4Appoint and discloseWe file the appointment and make every disclosure of nominee status the jurisdiction requires.
  5. Step 5Ongoing oversightThe professional receives board papers, signs only what they have reviewed, and KYC is refreshed each year.

Available for

What a professional director or shareholder is

A professional or nominee director is a person appointed to a company's board who acts on the instructions or for the benefit of someone else, under a documented arrangement. A nominee shareholder holds shares in their name for another person, the nominator, who keeps the economic benefit.

International standards treat these arrangements as legitimate only when they are transparent. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) revised Recommendation 24 in March 2022. FATF standards require countries to ensure nominee status is disclosed; Singapore, for example, requires it to be filed with ACRA. FATF guidance adds that a nominee should not be identified as the beneficial owner in place of the person they act for.

We follow that model. The nominee arrangement is written down, the beneficial owners are verified and recorded, and nominee status is disclosed wherever the jurisdiction requires it.

Singapore: resident director and nominee disclosure

Every Singapore company must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. ACRA explains that this ensures there is someone in Singapore responsible for the company's compliance, including annual returns and tax filings.

Singapore has also tightened disclosure. Companies must keep registers of nominee directors and nominee shareholders, and under amendments that took effect on 16 June 2025, they must file nominee status and the nominators' particulars with ACRA. Nominee status is then shown publicly on the company's business profile.

A resident director from our service carries full legal duties under the Companies Act. That is why we review the company's activity and ask for a refundable deposit, quoted separately, before appointment.

Hong Kong, the UK and offshore jurisdictions

Hong Kong companies must keep a significant controllers register and name a designated representative who can assist law enforcement with it. A licensed trust or company service provider, such as OCC under licence TC001305, can act as that representative.

UK companies record people with significant control on a public register at Companies House. Offshore jurisdictions such as the BVI hold beneficial ownership information with the registered agent and make it available to competent authorities on request.

In each case, using a professional director or shareholder does not change who must be reported as the beneficial owner. The people who ultimately own or control the company are reported.

Where we draw the line

A professional director has the same legal duties as any other director. They will not sign documents they have not seen, act for a business they cannot verify, or take part in transactions they believe to be unlawful.

We decline requests whose purpose is to conceal ownership from banks, tax authorities or regulators. Our role is privacy within the law: your details are not published where the law does not require it, but they are always available to the authorities entitled to them.

  • Beneficial owners are always identified and verified
  • Nominee status is disclosed to registries and authorities as required
  • The professional reviews documents before signing
  • Arrangements are written, with a service agreement and declaration of trust

Terms, fees and ending the service

The service runs for a year at a time and is renewed with the company. The service agreement sets out the professional's duties, the information you must share with them and the circumstances in which they may resign, for example if the company stops filing or cannot explain a transaction.

When you no longer need the service, we file the change of director or transfer the shares back to you under the declaration of trust. Beneficial ownership records stay accurate throughout.

Director & shareholder services, FAQ

Does a nominee director mean my name is hidden?
No. You are recorded as beneficial owner with us, with the company and, where required, with the registry or a central authority. Some registers are not public, but authorities can always access the information.
Why does Singapore need a resident director?
The Companies Act requires every Singapore company to have at least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore. If none of the founders qualifies, a professional resident director fills the role.
Will the professional director run my business?
No. You run the business day to day. The professional director carries legal duties, reviews what they sign and is informed of material matters, as the service agreement sets out.
What is a declaration of trust?
It is a signed document in which the professional shareholder confirms they hold the shares for you. It records that you are the owner and sets out how the shares are dealt with on your instructions.
Why is there a deposit for a Singapore resident director?
The resident director carries personal legal exposure for the company's compliance. A refundable deposit, quoted separately, covers fines or costs that could arise if filings or payments are missed.
Can I replace the professional director later?
Yes. When you or another qualifying person can take the role, we file the change and end the service. In Singapore, a new resident director must be appointed before the professional resigns.
Is using a nominee legal?
Yes, when the arrangement is disclosed as the law requires and the beneficial owners are identified. FATF standards require countries to ensure nominee status is disclosed; Singapore, for example, requires it to be filed with ACRA.
Will my bank accept a company with a professional director?
Banks accept this arrangement when it is documented, but they identify and verify the beneficial owners directly. Expect the bank to ask for your documents as well as the director's.

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Your specialist confirms current rules and fees in your quote.

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Next step

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