# Answers — Malaysian company registration questions — RCS URL: https://robocompanysecretary.com/answers/ Answers ## Straight answers about registering a company in Malaysia 227 questions we are actually asked, answered directly and with the figures stated. Nothing here needs a form. If your question is not here, send it to us — a licensed secretary replies within one working hour (Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm MYT; outside hours, first thing next working day). Filter questions ### Incorporation basics 26 questions → What a Sdn Bhd is, who can own one, what SSM needs from you, and how long registration actually takes. - What is a Sdn Bhd? - How do I register a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia? - How much does it cost to register a Sdn Bhd? - How long does it take to register a company in Malaysia? - What documents do I need to register a Sdn Bhd? - What are the minimum requirements for a Sdn Bhd? - Can one person own the whole Sdn Bhd? - Can I register a Sdn Bhd without coming to an office? - What is SSM? - What is CRS, and what happened to MyCoID? - What is the Superform? - What is a Notice of Registration? - What is an MSIC code and how do I choose one? - Can I register a company if I'm under 21? - Can an undischarged bankrupt or someone with bad CTOS open a company? - Do I need a business plan to register a company? - Can I use a company I registered but never used? - What is a shelf company and should I buy one? - What's the difference between Sdn Bhd and Bhd? - Is a Sdn Bhd the same as an LLC or Pte Ltd? - Do I legally need to register my business at all? - Can two foreigners open a Sdn Bhd together? - What business activities are restricted for a Sdn Bhd? - Can a Sdn Bhd own another Sdn Bhd? - Can I open a company while still employed? - Do I need my own SSM account to register a company? ### Cost & pricing 20 questions → What incorporation costs, what the SSM fee covers, what recurs every year, and what a headline price leaves out. - What is the SSM fee to register a company? - What does your incorporation package include? - What is not included in your price? - Why are some providers advertising RM320 incorporation? - What does a Sdn Bhd cost per year to maintain? - Does a dormant company still cost money? - How much is a company secretary per month? - How much paid-up capital do I need? - Do I pay the paid-up capital to SSM? - Does a Sdn Bhd have renewal fees every year? - What happens to my payment if I cancel halfway? - Can I pay the incorporation package in instalments? - Is registering a company in Kuala Lumpur more expensive? - How much does it cost to close a Sdn Bhd? - Are your prices negotiable? - Is the SSM fee RM1,000, RM1,010 or RM1,050? - How many resolutions per year are included in your retainer? - What do you charge for a director or shareholder change? - Is beneficial ownership filing included in the retainer? - What does year two cost after incorporation? ### Company secretary 15 questions → Why the law requires a licensed secretary, what the role covers, and how to appoint or change one. - Do I need a company secretary for a Sdn Bhd? - What does a company secretary actually do? - Who can be a company secretary in Malaysia? - Can I be my own company secretary? - How do I change my company secretary? - What happens if my company has no secretary? - Why did my company secretary resign suddenly? - Can the company secretary make decisions for my company? - Where must my statutory records be kept? - Is a digital company-secretary platform the same as a licensed firm? - Do you remind me of compliance deadlines? - Can you take over a company with penalties or late filings? - Do you serve companies outside Kuala Lumpur? - What's the difference between a company secretary and an admin secretary? - Do you serve clients in Sabah and Sarawak? ### Entity choice 11 questions → Sdn Bhd against a sole proprietorship, LLP, partnership, Labuan company or a foreign branch — what each one is, and what changes when you switch. - Sole proprietorship or Sdn Bhd — what's the difference? - When should I upgrade from enterprise to Sdn Bhd? - Can I convert my enterprise into a Sdn Bhd? - Can I keep my enterprise after opening a Sdn Bhd? - What is an LLP and is it better than a Sdn Bhd? - Partnership or Sdn Bhd for two founders? - Should a freelancer incorporate a Sdn Bhd? - What structure does an online / Shopee / TikTok seller need? - What is a Labuan company and do I need one? - Should a foreign company register a branch or a new Sdn Bhd? - What are the disadvantages of a Sdn Bhd? ### Tax & filings 10 questions → What a new company registers for with LHDN, when the first filings fall due, and how salary, dividends, SST and e-Invoicing are treated. - What tax rate does a Sdn Bhd pay? - Do I need to register my new company with LHDN? - When is my company's first tax filing due? - Does my new company need e-Invoicing (MyInvois)? - Does a Sdn Bhd pay tax if it makes no profit? - Can my Sdn Bhd pay me a salary? - Are dividends from my Sdn Bhd taxed? - When do I need to charge SST? - What financial year end should my company choose? - Malaysia, Singapore or Delaware — where should I incorporate? ### Directors 12 questions → Who may be a director, what the resident-director requirement means, what the duties and personal liabilities are, and how to appoint or remove one. - Who can be a director of a Sdn Bhd? - What does 'ordinarily resident in Malaysia' mean for a director? - What are my duties as a director? - Am I personally liable for company debts as a director? - How do I add or remove a director? - Can a director resign if he's the only director? - What is a nominee director and is it legal? - Do directors need to be shareholders? - Can a foreigner be the only director? - What is Section 17A and why should directors care? - Can a company be a director of another company? - How many directors can a Sdn Bhd have? ### Shares & capital 10 questions → Paid-up capital, founder splits, transfers and new issues, nominee holdings, and beneficial ownership reporting. - What is paid-up capital? - How should co-founders split their shares? - How do I transfer shares in a Sdn Bhd? - How do I issue new shares to an investor? - Can shares be owned by a foreign company? - What is beneficial ownership reporting? - Can I hold shares for someone else as a nominee? - What is a shareholders' agreement and do I need one? - Can I reduce or withdraw my paid-up capital? - What price per share should I set? ### Registered office 9 questions → What the statutory address is for, whether a home or virtual address qualifies, what must be kept there, and how to change it. - What is a registered office and why do I need one? - Can I use my home address as the registered office? - Can I use your address as my registered office? - Is a virtual office legal for SSM registration? - My business runs from home or online only — what address goes where? - How do I change my registered office? - Do I need a KL address to register a company in KL? - Can I use your registered office address on my invoices or as my business premises? - Why do I have to pay for a registered office at all? ### Company names 9 questions → How SSM approves a name, why applications get rejected or queried, and what reserving, reusing or changing a name involves. - How do I check if my company name is available? - Why do company names get rejected by SSM? - Can I use a name similar to a famous brand? - Can I reserve a company name before incorporating? - Can I change my company name later? - Must my company name match my brand name? - Does my company name need to end with Sdn Bhd? - Can I reuse the name of a company that was closed? - SSM queried my name application even with a consent letter — why? ### Banking 7 questions → Opening a corporate account after incorporation — what the banks ask for, how long it takes, and why applications get rejected. - How do I open a corporate bank account after incorporation? - How long does corporate account opening take? - Which bank is best for a new Sdn Bhd? - Why do banks reject new company accounts? - Can a 100% foreign-owned company open a Malaysian bank account? - Can I use my personal bank account for company money? - Do banks need an 'introducer' — and are you one? ### Annual compliance 10 questions → Annual return, financial statements, audit, AGM, statutory registers and MBRS — what falls due each year, and what a missed deadline costs. - What must a Sdn Bhd file every year? - What is an annual return? - Does my company need an audit? - Do I still need to hold an AGM? - What are statutory registers? - What happens if I miss the annual return? - How are annual returns and financial statements lodged now? - When are my first financial statements due? - What records must I keep and for how long? - What is a company constitution and do I need one? ### After incorporation 6 questions → The first weeks after the Notice of Registration — when you can invoice, what belongs on an invoice, whether you need a stamp, and how to sign for the company. - I just got my Notice of Registration — what do I do first? - When can I start invoicing clients? - What must appear on my company invoices and letterheads? - Do I need a company stamp or common seal? - How do I sign contracts on behalf of the company? - Can I change details right after incorporating? ### Timing & urgent cases 5 questions → How fast incorporation can move against a contract or tender deadline, what public holidays and SSM downtime do to it, and what to do when a name is rejected. - Can I incorporate urgently for a contract or tender deadline? - My company name was rejected — what now? - Can I incorporate during public holidays or SSM downtime? - I started with another provider and they've gone quiet — can you finish it? - Is there a best time of year to incorporate? ### Hiring & payroll 4 questions → What a company registers as an employer, whether a director’s own salary attracts EPF, and what hiring a foreign employee on an Employment Pass involves. - What must I register when hiring my first employee? - Do I pay EPF on my own director salary? - Can my Sdn Bhd hire foreign employees? - Is there a minimum salary to sponsor an Employment Pass? ### Business licences 5 questions → SSM registration is not permission to trade — which council, sector and trade licences a business needs before it opens, including DBKL, WRT and Halal. - Does SSM registration mean I'm licensed to operate? - Do I need a DBKL licence for my business in Kuala Lumpur? - What is a WRT licence and who needs one? - Do I need Halal certification for my business? - What licences does an online business need? ### Tax forms 7 questions → Form B, Form C, Form E, Form EA, CP204, CP8D, withholding tax, stamp duty and tax clearance — which form is whose, and when each falls due. - Form B, Form C, Form E — which does my company file? - What is CP204 and when must I file it? - What are Form EA and CP8D? - What is withholding tax and when do I pay it on foreign vendors? - What company documents need stamping, and what is stamp duty? - What is a Tax Clearance Letter and when do I need one? - Can my company lend me money? ### Government supplier registration 5 questions → MOF and CIDB registration, Bumiputera status, and what a newly incorporated company must hold before it can bid for government work. - What is an MOF licence and does my company need one? - What are the requirements to register with MOF? - What is a CIDB licence and who needs one? - How does a company get Bumiputera status? - Can a new company bid for government tenders immediately? ### Foreign founders 6 questions → Foreign ownership of a Sdn Bhd, incorporating without flying in, what a company does and does not do for a visa, and how an overseas director signs. - Can a foreigner own 100% of a Malaysian Sdn Bhd? - Can I register a Malaysian company without visiting Malaysia? - Does opening a Sdn Bhd get me a visa? - What are the terms and risks of your nominee director service? - What are MTEP, DE Rantau and MM2H — can they anchor my Malaysian company? - One of my directors is overseas — how do they sign? ### Company lifecycle 7 questions → Changing business activity or paid-up capital, going dormant, selling or closing the company, and what happens when a shareholder exits or a director dies. - How do I change my company's business activity? - How do I increase my paid-up capital? - How do I make my company dormant properly? - How do I close my Sdn Bhd? - Can I sell my Sdn Bhd instead of closing it? - What happens if a director or shareholder dies? - How do I handle a shareholder exiting the company? ### Kuala Lumpur & Selangor 7 questions → Walk-in secretarial service in KL and Selangor — where the office is, what can be handled over the counter, and which languages we work in. - Who is the best company secretary in Mont Kiara? - Is there a company secretary near me in KL I can walk into? - Where can I register a company in Kuala Lumpur? - Do you serve Selangor, Petaling Jaya and Damansara businesses? - Can I get company documents certified true copy today? - Do you speak Malay or Chinese? - How do I get to your office and where do I park? ### SSM searches & documents 5 questions → Searching a company on SSM, reading a registration number, buying a certified company profile, and what to do when MyCoID or ezBiz will not let you in. - How do I search for a company's information on SSM? - How do I check if a company is legitimate before paying them? - What is my company registration number format? - How do I get a certified company profile or certificate? - I can't get into the SSM portals — can you file for me? ### Choosing a provider 8 questions → How to verify a secretary is licensed, what to ask before signing, what a cheap headline price leaves out, and how moving provider mid-year works. - How do I check if a company secretary is properly licensed? - What should I ask before signing with a company secretary? - What's the catch with cheap online incorporation? - Are you the same company as companies.com.my? - Can I move my existing company to you mid-year? - Do you have reviews and real clients? - Why do secretarial firms collect annual fees upfront? - What happens if I'm not happy with your service? ### Situations & industries 11 questions → Incorporating for a particular case — F&B, property, startups raising funds, family businesses, joint ventures, non-profits, franchises and holding companies. - How do I set up a Sdn Bhd for a restaurant or café? - Should I buy property through a Sdn Bhd? - How should a startup incorporate if it plans to raise funding? - Should my children be shareholders in the family company? - How do I set up a joint venture with a foreign partner? - I'm starting an NGO or non-profit — is a Sdn Bhd right? - I'm a Grab driver or gig worker — should I incorporate? - I'm buying a business — should I buy the shares or the assets? - I'm buying a franchise — what does incorporation involve? - Does my new company need to comply with PDPA? - What is an investment holding company and is it taxed differently? ### Malaysian businesses 12 questions → One all-in price for a Malaysian Sdn Bhd, what counts as dormant, switching providers, and help for sole proprietors, partnerships and PLTs — in English and Chinese. - How much is a Sdn Bhd with company secretary, plus accounts and tax on your platform? - What counts as a dormant company for your bundle price? - Can I switch my existing Sdn Bhd to you, and is there a discount? - What is not included in the all-in price? - Can you register and look after a sole proprietorship? - Can you set up a PLT and act as its compliance officer? - Is there an LLC in Malaysia? - Are accounts and tax included in your Sdn Bhd price? - Why are other firms' prices lower at first sight? - Who prepares my accounts? - Do you file my tax return? - Who provides the company secretarial service? No question matches that yet. Ask it directly — Call +60 10-383 5988 . Robo Company Secretary (robocompanysecretary.com) helps Malaysians start and run a company in Malaysia, and helps foreign founders set up a 100% foreign-owned Sdn Bhd. Company secretarial services are provided by AK Secretarial Companies Sdn. Bhd., 201101008946 (937085-D), whose SSM-licensed secretaries have looked after Malaysian companies since 2011, from a walk-in office at J-3A-15, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. The website and the do-it-yourself accounts and tax platform are run by Robostrikeforce Sdn. Bhd., 202601021273 (1683370-U).