Malaysia company registration
Sdn Bhd Registration Services for Foreign Founders: 7 Providers Ranked on 6 Checks (2026)
A foreign founder can own 100% of a Malaysian Sdn Bhd for most activities, but the company needs a director who ordinarily resides in Malaysia and a qualified company secretary within 30 days. This guide ranks 7 registration providers on 6 checks you can verify, including resident director support. VIVOS publishes it and meets all six.
Written by the VIVOS Malaysia team (VIVOS (M) Sdn. Bhd., Registration No. 202501057568). VIVOS publishes this guide and lists itself first. Other providers are ordered by the number of checks they meet, then A–Z, using their own websites and official sources checked on 21 October 2026. No provider paid to be included, and prices and service quality were not compared. This is a shortlist of independent providers, not a full market review.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Resident director | At least one director must ordinarily reside in Malaysia, with a principal place of residence there (Companies Act 2016, s196(4)). |
| Directors | Every director must be a natural person aged at least 18 (s196(2)). |
| Company secretary | Appoint at least one qualified company secretary within 30 days of incorporation (s236). They must hold an SSM licence or belong to a prescribed body (s235(2)). |
| Share capital | No fixed minimum to incorporate: a company limited by shares needs one or more shares. |
| Where you file | Incorporation is lodged on SSM’s Corporate Registry System (CRS), which replaced MyCoID from 14 July 2026. |
| Hiring foreign staff | To register with the Immigration Department’s ESD and hire expatriates, a 100% foreign-owned company needs paid-up capital of at least RM500,000 (RM1 million with a WRT licence). |
How we ranked these providers
We set six pass/fail checks that matter to a foreign founder registering a Sdn Bhd, and applied them to every provider, VIVOS included. A check is met only when the provider’s own website shows it. Otherwise we record ‘not stated on its website’, which is not the same as ‘not offered’.
VIVOS is listed first because it publishes this guide; it is also the only provider here that meets all six checks. Other providers are ordered by checks met, then A–Z. We did not compare prices or service quality, and no provider paid to appear.
| Check | Why it matters | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| 1. SSM registration number published | Lets you confirm the firm on SSM’s register before you hand over identity documents. | Search the number on SSM e-Info. |
| 2. Licensed or qualified company secretary in-house | Every Sdn Bhd needs one within 30 days, and the secretary handles SSM lodgements after incorporation. | Ask for the secretary’s SSM practising certificate or MAICSA/MIA membership. |
| 3. Accounting and tax services in-house | A new Sdn Bhd must keep accounts, lodge financial statements with SSM and file tax returns with LHDN. | The provider’s own service pages. |
| 4. Resident director arranged for foreign founders | Without a director living in Malaysia, a foreign-owned company cannot meet section 196(4). | The provider’s incorporation or nominee page. |
| 5. Employment Pass support | Founders who relocate, or hire foreign staff, need the company registered with ESD and the pass approved. | The provider’s immigration page. |
| 6. Own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE | Useful when the Sdn Bhd sits in a regional structure with a Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai parent. | The provider’s ‘about’ or contact page. |
This guide covers smaller independent providers based in Malaysia, not international networks or the largest online platforms.
The ranking at a glance
Checked on 21 October 2026. ‘Yes’ means the provider’s own website shows it; ‘Not stated’ means we could not find it there.
| # | Provider | Checks met | 1. SSM no. | 2. Company secretary | 3. Accounting + tax | 4. Resident director | 5. Employment Pass | 6. Group in SG/HK/UAE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIVOS | 6 of 6 | Yes, 202501057568 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Altomate | 5 of 6 | Yes | Partner firm | Yes | Yes, optional | Yes, via partners | Yes, Singapore |
| 3 | HTL & Co | 4 of 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| 4 | Foundingbird | 3 of 6 | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| 5 | OCTIS | 3 of 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not covered | Not stated |
| 6 | Hoo Secretarial Services | 2 of 6 | Yes | Yes | Accounting only | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| 7 | Register Company Malaysia | 2 of 6 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
The providers, in detail
1. VIVOS: meets 6 of 6 checks
VIVOS (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Registration No. 202501057568 (1658974-A)) is VIVOS Group’s Malaysian company, at Unit 50-1-13A, Level 1, Wisma UOA Damansara, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. It incorporates Sdn Bhds with SSM, provides a resident director where a founder doesn’t yet have one, and keeps the registered office and statutory records.
The same team provides a licensed company secretary, accounting, audit preparation and tax, and Employment Pass applications, including the paid-up capital and activity rules a company must meet before it files. VIVOS Group also has its own companies in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE, which helps when the Sdn Bhd sits under a regional holding structure.
Suits: foreign founders and regional groups who want registration, the resident director, company secretary, accounting and work passes from one team. See Sdn Bhd incorporation with VIVOS.
2. Altomate: meets 5 of 6 checks
Altomate Corporate Services Sdn. Bhd. (202101015605), founded in 2021, runs a digital corporate services platform from Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, with a Singapore site run by Altomate Digital (SG) Pte. Ltd. It offers Sdn Bhd incorporation, bookkeeping, tax filing and payroll software, and a soft-landing package for foreign companies.
Its website says company secretarial work is performed by a separate firm, EZCO Services Sdn. Bhd. The soft-landing package lists Employment Pass support through ecosystem partners and an optional local nominee director.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: licensed or qualified company secretary in-house.
Source: Altomate soft-landing Malaysia
3. HTL & Co: meets 4 of 6 checks
HTL & Co, whose website names HTL Advisory Sdn Bhd (202501009577), is an accounting and corporate services practice in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru. Its two named partners are shown as MIA members and SSM-licensed company secretaries, one also a licensed tax agent.
It lists incorporation, company secretarial work, accounting, payroll, corporate tax, tax incentive applications, transfer pricing and e-invoicing, and says it provides nominee director services where a company has no resident director.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: Employment Pass support; own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE.
Source: HTL & Co company secretary
4. Foundingbird: meets 3 of 6 checks
Foundingbird Sdn Bhd (201901035214) is a Kuala Lumpur firm at Plaza Danau 2, Taman Danau Desa, and a subsidiary of Governance Labs Sdn Bhd (Corpseq group). It offers Sdn Bhd incorporation and company secretarial services by what it describes as qualified company secretaries.
Its website says it can provide a nominee director for founders without a Malaysia-resident director. Accounting and payroll are delivered with its group brand Ollie, and audit and tax are described as coordination.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: accounting and tax services in-house; Employment Pass support; own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE.
Source: Foundingbird Sdn Bhd incorporation
5. OCTIS: meets 3 of 6 checks
OCTIS is operated by NixConnects Sdn Bhd (202501036891), which describes it as an AI-first business operating system for Malaysian SMEs. It lists an office at Menara MBMR, Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, and a business centre in Shatin, Hong Kong.
Its services include Sdn Bhd incorporation, company secretarial work by a licensed company secretary, accounting, tax agent services, SST, payroll and employer of record. Its employer-of-record page lists Employment Pass applications as not covered.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: resident director arranged for foreign founders; Employment Pass support; own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE.
Source: OCTIS company incorporation
6. Hoo Secretarial Services: meets 2 of 6 checks
Hoo Secretarial Services (registration no. 200403181372) is a company secretarial and accounting practice in Bandar Botanic, Klang, Selangor. It offers Sdn Bhd incorporation, LLP registration and closure, company secretarial work, and accounting and bookkeeping.
Its founder is listed as a member of MAICSA and MIA. Its registration page says all directors and shareholders sign the incorporation documents at its office.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: accounting and tax services in-house; resident director arranged for foreign founders; Employment Pass support; own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE.
Source: Hoo Secretarial company registration
7. Register Company Malaysia: meets 2 of 6 checks
DM Corporate Holding (M) Sdn Bhd (201401027253) runs registercompany.com.my from Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh, Selangor. It offers Sdn Bhd incorporation, company secretarial services, a registered office address, name searches and changes, striking off, e-stamping and ready-made companies.
Its website names an in-house company secretary who holds an SSM practising certificate.
Not stated on its website as at 21 Oct 2026: accounting and tax services in-house; resident director arranged for foreign founders; Employment Pass support; own group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE.
Source: Register Company Malaysia company secretarial services
How to choose a Sdn Bhd registration service: 6 questions to ask
- What is the provider’s SSM registration number, who will be your company secretary, and do they hold an SSM practising certificate or institute membership?
- If no director lives in Malaysia, who will be the resident director, what will and won’t they sign, and how do they resign when you no longer need them?
- Who lodges the incorporation on SSM’s Corporate Registry System, and who handles the first filings after it?
- Are accounting and tax done in-house or passed to another firm, and who files with LHDN?
- If you will hire foreign staff or move to Malaysia, does the provider handle ESD registration and the Employment Pass, and what paid-up capital will the company need?
- If the company will sit under a Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai parent, can the provider handle that side too?
When VIVOS may not be the right fit
- You only need a one-off registration and already have a resident director, company secretary and accountant. A registration-only provider may be simpler.
- You want a provider with a long history in Malaysia. VIVOS (M) Sdn. Bhd. was registered in 2025.
- You want to meet the team in Johor or Selangor. VIVOS Malaysia works from Kuala Lumpur.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia?
Yes, for most activities. A foreign individual or company can hold all the shares, but the company still needs at least one director who ordinarily resides in Malaysia, and some sectors carry ownership or licensing conditions. Check the activity before you register.
Does a Sdn Bhd need a resident director?
Yes. Section 196(4) of the Companies Act 2016 requires at least one director whose principal place of residence is in Malaysia. Foreign founders without one usually appoint a resident or nominee director through their provider.
When must a company secretary be appointed?
Within 30 days of incorporation (section 236). The secretary must hold a licence from SSM or belong to a prescribed body such as MAICSA or MIA (section 235(2)).
How do I check a company registration agent in Malaysia?
Ask for the firm’s SSM registration number and search it on SSM e-Info. Then ask for the company secretary’s SSM practising certificate or institute membership.
Is there a minimum paid-up capital for a Sdn Bhd?
Not to incorporate: a company limited by shares needs one or more shares. Higher paid-up capital applies if the company wants to hire expatriates. Under the Immigration Department’s ESD rules, a 100% foreign-owned company needs at least RM500,000.
Can the registration provider also handle my Employment Pass?
Some can. Of the firms in this guide, VIVOS and Altomate (through partners) list Employment Pass support on their websites. Check the provider’s immigration page before you sign.
Why is VIVOS ranked first?
VIVOS publishes this guide and lists itself first. It is also the only provider here that meets all six checks, including group companies in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. Other providers are ordered by the number of checks they meet, then A–Z.
Sources
Facts were checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Services and rules change, so confirm the current position with the provider or SSM before acting.
- SSM, Booklet: company directors’ responsibilities (Companies Act 2016)
- SSM, Starting a company
- SSM, Corporate Registry System (CRS)
- Immigration Department of Malaysia (ESD), ESD company registration FAQ
- Altomate, Soft-landing Malaysia
- HTL & Co, Company secretary
- Foundingbird, Incorporate a Sdn Bhd
- OCTIS, Company incorporation
- Hoo Secretarial Services, Register a company
- Register Company Malaysia, Company secretarial services
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026. Next review: January 2027.
