Most people who message us about registering a company have been running a business for a while already. A café that has outgrown its enterprise registration. An online seller whose marketplace now wants company documents. A contractor whose main contractor will only pay a Sdn Bhd. The paperwork looks intimidating from the outside, but it follows the same seven steps every time. Here they are, in the order they happen.
1. Decide who owns and runs the company
Before you think about names, settle three things: who the shareholders are and how the shares are split, who the directors are, and how much paid-up capital you will start with.
A Sdn Bhd needs at least one shareholder and at least one director. They can be the same person. The director must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Malaysia, meaning their principal home is here. A foreigner can be a shareholder, and in most sectors can own all of the shares, but the company still needs that one resident director.
Paid-up capital can be as low as RM1. Whether that is wise is a different question. Banks, landlords and some licensing bodies look at it as a rough signal of commitment, so many owners start with RM1,000 to RM100,000 depending on the business. You can increase it later through a share allotment.
The share split matters more than people expect. Two friends who start 50:50 have given each other a veto over every ordinary resolution. If one of you is putting in more money or more time, it is easier to reflect that now than to renegotiate later.
2. Choose a name SSM will accept
SSM checks every proposed name against existing companies and a list of restricted and prohibited words. This is where most first-time applications stall.
Prepare two or three names in order of preference. A name is likely to be rejected if it is identical or too similar to an existing company, if it suggests a connection with the government or royalty, or if it contains words such as bank, insurance, university or Islamic without the approval of the relevant authority.
You can apply in two ways. With direct incorporation, the name and the incorporation are submitted together and you pay only the RM1,000 incorporation fee. With a name reservation, you pay RM50 per name to hold it for 30 days, then apply to incorporate separately. Reservation is useful when you need time to arrange documents but want to secure the name first.
A quick tip from experience: avoid names that only differ from an existing company by a word like Global, Asia or Group. SSM tends to treat them as too similar.
3. Gather the information and documents
Incorporation is done online, so what you need is mainly accurate information about each person involved.
For every director and shareholder, prepare a copy of their MyKad or passport, residential address, email address and phone number. For corporate shareholders, you will need the company's registration details and the name of its representative.
For the company itself, you will need the registered office address in Malaysia, the business address if different, a short description of the business activities with their MSIC codes, the number of shares and their price, and the share split between shareholders.
Each director must also confirm that they consent to act and are not disqualified, for example because they are an undischarged bankrupt. These declarations are made as part of the online application.
4. Submit the application on MyCoID
The application is lodged under Section 14 of the Companies Act 2016 through SSM's MyCoID portal.
The application, sometimes called the Super Form, brings together the company's name, its type, its registered office, its officers and its share capital. It can be submitted by the company's promoter or by a company secretary on your behalf.
Once the form is complete, the RM1,000 incorporation fee is paid online. If anything is unclear, SSM will send the application back with a query rather than reject it outright, which adds a few days. Careful preparation at the earlier steps is what keeps this short.
5. Receive your Section 15 notice
When SSM approves the application, it emails a Notice of Registration under Section 15. Your company exists from the date on that notice.
The notice shows the company's name, its registration number in the new 12-digit format, and its date of incorporation. Keep it safe. You will need it to open a bank account, sign leases and register with other agencies.
A formal Certificate of Incorporation is issued only on request, for a fee. Most Malaysian banks accept the Section 15 notice together with the company's current information from SSM, so many owners never buy the certificate.
6. Appoint a company secretary within 30 days
This is not optional. Section 236 of the Companies Act 2016 requires every company to appoint at least one company secretary within 30 days of incorporation.
The secretary must be a natural person who ordinarily resides in Malaysia and is either licensed by SSM or a member of a prescribed body such as MAICSA or MIA (Section 235). Their job is to keep the company's statutory registers, prepare resolutions, and lodge the annual return and other notices with SSM on time.
In practice, many owners appoint the secretary who helped them incorporate, since that secretary already holds the company's records. If you used a service that only registers companies, make sure the appointment is in place before day 30.
7. Set up the rest of the business
A registered company still cannot trade comfortably until a few other things are in place.
- Corporate bank account. Banks will ask for the Section 15 notice, the company's SSM information, a board resolution to open the account, and the directors' identity documents.
- Tax registration with LHDN. Make sure the company has an income tax number, and check whether it needs to register for SST and when LHDN e-Invoicing applies to it.
- Business premise licence. Most local councils, such as DBKL, MBPJ, MBSA or MBPP, require a licence or signboard permit for the premises you operate from.
- Employer registrations. Before hiring your first employee, register with KWSP (EPF), PERKESO (SOCSO and EIS) and, where applicable, HRDC.
- Constitution. Optional under the Companies Act 2016, but worth having if there is more than one shareholder, because it can set rules for share transfers and deadlock.
What it costs in total
The government fees are fixed. Everything else depends on who prepares the application and who looks after the company afterwards.
| Item | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Name reservation, 30 daysOptional with direct incorporation | SSM | RM50 per name |
| Incorporation feeCompany limited by shares | SSM | RM1,000 |
| Preparing and lodging the applicationName check, forms, first resolutions | Buka Syarikat | From RM650 |
| Company secretaryRequired within 30 days, billed yearly | Buka Syarikat | From RM80/month |
| Typical first-month total, before SST | From about RM2,660 |
The last line assumes a name reservation, incorporation, our preparation fee, and the first year of company secretary service paid upfront. Your local council licence, if needed, is charged separately and varies by council.
What the first year looks like
Registration is the first page of your company's file, not the last. Three deadlines arrive in the first 18 months.
- Company secretary by day 30 under Section 236.
- Annual return within 30 days after the first anniversary of incorporation, under Section 68. The SSM fee is RM150.
- Financial statements circulated to members within six months of the financial year end (Section 258) and lodged with SSM within 30 days after that (Section 259). Your first financial period can be up to 18 months long.
Our SSM deadline checker works out these dates for your company. Enter your incorporation date and financial year end and it shows how many days you have left for each.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia?
How long does it take to register a Sdn Bhd?
Can one person register a Sdn Bhd?
What is the minimum paid-up capital for a Sdn Bhd?
Do I get a Certificate of Incorporation?
Can I register a Sdn Bhd without visiting an office?
Sources
- Companies Act 2016, Sections 14, 15, 27, 68, 235, 236, 258 and 259.
- Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, Guidelines for the Incorporation of a Local Company.
- SSM fee schedule as published on the MyCoID portal, checked October 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees and procedures can change; we review this page every quarter.