No. 304, 3rd Floor, Building B5, New Guo Da Zhou Innovation Research Institute, Zhongxin Wisdom Third Street 10, Huangpu District, Guangzhou City, China

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Headquarters Privilege (HQ)

Headquarters Privilege (HQ)

Step 1: Singapore International Headquarters Structure

Step Two: Establishing the Singapore Team

Step 3: Expanding Operations in Singapore

01

Prepare a business plan

We offer professional business plan writing services to help you clearly express your company's goals, strategies, and financial plans.

02

Apply for headquarters program and other allowances

We will assist you in applying for the Headquarters Program and related government subsidies to obtain financial support and preferential policies to promote your development in Singapore.。

03

Headhunting and Recruiting

We offer professional headhunting and recruitment services to help you find high-caliber talent that meets your needs, supporting your business growth and expansion.

How IHQ Works?

The portion of revenue generated from the company's headquarters functions that exceeds revenue from non-headquarters functions will be taxed at a preferential rate of 10%. This revenue should be considered income from headquarters functions.

Headquarters functions include only the following:

  • Group business activities management, coordination and control functions
  • Procurement Management
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Marketing Control and Planning
  • Human Resources Management
  • Providing Legal Services
  • Providing Financial Services
  • Providing Brand Management Services


Income from non-headquarters functional activities shall be taxed at the normal corporate tax rate. Under Section 37A of the Income Tax Act, any losses arising from headquarters functional activities (i.e. residual allowances, losses or donations) shall be regarded as preferential tax rate losses.

IHQ Terms and Conditions

a) Preferential Tax Rate: 10%

b) Period: 5 years

c) The corporate entity must meet the following requirements as well as all standard terms and conditions stipulated in the Letter of Authorization (LOA):

  1. Carry out at least one headquarters activity in Singapore – committed to the development of R&D capabilities (e.g. technology, skill sets and know-how)
  2. Employ an additional minimum of 15 technical staff, all of whom shall be based in Singapore for 3 years – (including skilled, professional and qualified employees)
  3. Achieve additional total annual business expenditure of at least SGD 5.5 million within 3 years to generate economic derivatives
  4. Employ an additional minimum of 25 technical staff, all of whom shall be based in Singapore for 5 years.
  5. Achieve additional total annual business expenditure of at least SGD 9 million within 5 years

Note: Terms are subject to change over time.

Government-funded projects

Tech@SG

The Tech@SG programme aims to help fast-growing enterprises secure key talents needed for business growth and expansion in Singapore and its territories.

The programme is jointly administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Enterprise Singapore.

If your company is eligible, you may expect to receive:

Up to 10 new Employment Passes (EP) within two years for foreign employees who will become core team members of your company in Singapore; subsequent first renewal coverage for each new EP obtained under the programme (each renewal valid for up to three years)

Tech.Pass

Tech.Pass is a technology visa that allows renowned tech entrepreneurs, leaders and technical specialists from around the world to engage in cutting-edge and disruptive innovation in Singapore. The pass is administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore.

Once approved, Tech.Pass holders may start local businesses, work or invest in Singapore-based enterprises, and serve as directors;

Holders may also lecture at tertiary institutions, act as mentors or consultants for Singapore tech companies, and conduct corporate training or seminars;

IHQ Tax Incentives

Headquarters incentive scheme with a preferential tax rate of 5% or 10% for at least 5 years.

Headquarters functional activities only include the following:

  1. Management, coordination and control of group business activities
  2. Procurement management
  3. Supply chain management
  4. Marketing control and planning
  5. Human resource management
  6. Provision of legal services
  7. Provision of financial services
  8. Provision of brand management services

Income from non-headquarters functional activities shall be taxed at the normal corporate tax rate. Under Section 37A of the Income Tax Act, any losses arising from headquarters functional activities (i.e. residual allowances, losses or donations) shall be regarded as preferential tax rate losses.

Other Incentive Schemes

To develop high-value and substantive economic activities in Singapore, EDB encourages enterprises to upgrade their capabilities or expand business scope in Singapore through a variety of incentives and schemes.

  1. Tech.Pass
  2. Singapore Trademark Registration
  3. Intellectual Property (IP) Development Incentive (IDI)
  4. Startup Special Situation Fund (SSFS)
  5. Pioneer Certificate (PC) and Development & Expansion Incentive (DEI)
  6. Financial & Treasury Centre (FTC) Incentives
  7. Aircraft Leasing Scheme (ALS)
  8. Training Grant for Companies (TGC)
  9. Resource Efficiency Grant (REG(E))
  10. Land Intensification Allowance (LIA);

Case: Company B sets up its international headquarters in Singapore to accelerate the layout of global diversified business

Company B is an iconic brand among China’s younger generation and a leading video platform. As an intuitive, vivid and information-rich medium connecting people and the world, video has rapidly become a major carrier for communication, entertainment and information dissemination.

Company B defines the trend of integrating videos into various daily life scenarios as "videoization". Videoization will drive a huge pan-video market. According to iResearch Consulting reports, China’s video users will exceed 118.02 million by 2025, and the corresponding market revenue will surpass RMB 1.8 trillion.

Singapore enjoys a superior geographical location, a business-friendly market environment and a globally connected economy. In addition, the preferential policies under Singapore’s International Headquarters Scheme are highly attractive for enterprises aiming to explore international markets. After comprehensive evaluation, Company B decided to establish its international headquarters in Singapore. With the full support of Global Overseas Partner, Company B has successfully obtained IHQ-DEI approval, further accelerating its global diversified development process!

Case: Congratulations to Company C on passing the Singapore Headquarters Scheme to boost rapid corporate development

Company C is a chip design company with a diversified business strategy of "Blockchain + AI". It is positioned as the computing power of new digital infrastructure and takes "improving social operational efficiency and optimizing people's lifestyles" as its corporate development vision.

As one of the few companies in the world with advanced technological expertise in ASIC design, Company C has R&D centers located in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen of China. It has set up a High-Performance Computing Division and an Artificial Intelligence Business Group, adopting the dual-driven model of "AI + High-Performance Computing" to build the core computing engine for new digital infrastructure.

In the course of business development, Company C will further diversify its business and explore new markets across the globe. After in-depth research and analysis, Company C decided to expand its business into Singapore.

In accordance with Company C’s business development needs, Global Overseas Partner formulated a tailored solution perfectly suitable for the company. With active document preparation and full-process follow-up, the application was successfully approved by Singapore EDB on April 29 this year!

Case: Company K Goes Global in Technology and Successfully Expands into the Singapore Market

The Tech@SG programme is jointly administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Enterprise Singapore. It aims to help fast-growing companies secure key talents required for business development and expansion in Singapore and the region.

Since its launch, the programme has attracted wide attention from numerous domestic tech entrepreneurs. Recently, with the full support of the Global Overseas Partner team, Company K has been approved by Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and successfully expanded its business into Singapore.