📌 How do you register a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia in 2026?
There are five main steps:
- Run a name search with SSM (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, the Companies Commission of Malaysia).
- Prepare your director and shareholder details.
- Submit your SSM company registration online.
- Appoint a qualified company secretary within 30 days (Section 236(2)).
- Open a company bank account.
SSM is Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Registering is the easy part. The deadlines that start after approval are what you must plan for.
🔔 TL;DR
- A Sdn Bhd is legally separate from you. An Enterprise is not.
- You can register with SSM online from any state.
- The board must appoint a qualified company secretary within 30 days of incorporation (Section 236(2)).
- Every year, your Annual Return (Section 68) and financial statements (Section 259) go to SSM.
📌 Should you register a Sdn Bhd or stay an Enterprise?
The Enterprise vs Sdn Bhd choice comes first, because a company brings duties an Enterprise never has.
- A Sdn Bhd (Sendirian Berhad) is a private limited company: Malaysia’s standard structure for a business that is separate from its owners.
- An Enterprise is a sole proprietorship or partnership registered under a business name.
| Point | Enterprise | Sdn Bhd |
| Legal identity | Same as you | Separate from you |
| Business debts | You are personally liable | Shareholders’ liability is generally limited to their shares |
| Company secretary | Not needed | Required (Section 235) |
| Yearly SSM filings | Business registration renewal | Annual Return, financial statements, beneficial owner information |
| Common reasons to choose it | Testing an idea, low-risk work | Higher-risk work, fundraising, clinic equipment financing, Malaysia Digital incentives |
Your action: still unsure? Our free webinar compares both structures side by side.
📌 What do you need before you register a Sdn Bhd?
If the Sdn Bhd is the right fit, have these ready before you start:
- Two or three name options, in case your first choice is taken.
- At least one director who lives in Malaysia.
- Shareholders. One person can be both director and shareholder.
- MyKad (Malaysian identity card) or passport copies.
- Company details: a Malaysian business address, a short business description and your share capital.
📌 How do you register a Sdn Bhd online, step by step?
With those details ready, registering with SSM online takes four steps.
- Do a company name search. Malaysia’s SSM name search shows whether your name is free. A name identical to an existing company is generally rejected.
- Prepare and sign the documents. At Boss Boleh, you sign using eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer, an online identity check) and digital signatures. This is how our service works. It is not a requirement of the Act.
- Submit and pay. The application goes to SSM through MyCoID, its online system. SSM’s direct registration fee for a Sdn Bhd is RM1,000 in 2026. Confirm the current fee with SSM.
- Receive your registration. SSM confirms the company and issues its registration number.
Can you register a company in Malaysia online from anywhere? Yes. Setting up a Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur follows the same steps as in Penang or Sabah. We set up a new Sdn Bhd in 2 working days, the fastest in Malaysia, for every state and for Malaysians overseas.
📌 How do you register your Sdn Bhd with Boss Boleh?
If you’d rather have a company secretary handle the registration for you, here’s what it looks like with Boss Boleh, at a glance:
- Check your company name. We search SSM’s records so you know your preferred name is available before you commit to it.
- Create your account and pick a plan. Sign up, then choose the secretarial plan that fits your business.
- Submit your details. Give us your director and shareholder information online, signed with eKYC and digital signatures, no paperwork or branch visit needed.
- We file with SSM. Our company secretary prepares your documents and submits the registration on your behalf.
- Get confirmed. Once SSM approves your company, we notify you and hand over your registration number.
That’s the fully online route to incorporating a Sdn Bhd, done in 2 working days. Contact us for more info.
📌 What must you do in the first 30 days after SSM approves your company?
This is where our opening point matters. Once SSM approves your company, statutory deadlines start running.
- Appoint a qualified company secretary within 30 days (Section 236(2)). Missing this is an offence (Section 236(4)).
- Notify SSM of the appointment within 14 days (Section 58).
- Pass your first board resolutions. Examples include fixing your financial year end and appointing your first auditor.
- Open a company bank account. Banks may ask for documents certified by your company secretary.
Who counts as a qualified company secretary? There are two routes (Section 235(2)):
- Membership of a listed professional body, such as the Malaysian Bar.
- A licence from SSM.
On either route, the person must also register with SSM and hold a valid practising certificate (Section 241).
Worked example: SSM registers your company on 2 March 2026.
- Last day to appoint your first secretary: 1 April 2026.
- You appoint one on 10 March 2026. Last day to notify SSM: 24 March 2026.
- Each year, your Annual Return is generally due within 30 days after 2 March.
🔔 QUICK TAKE AWAY
Registration date + 30 days = secretary deadline. Appointment date + 14 days = SSM notice deadline. Anniversary + 30 days = Annual Return window.
📌 What keeps your Sdn Bhd compliant after the first year?
Building on those first 30 days, the yearly cycle is the harder habit, because it repeats for as long as the company exists. This is a general guide only, so confirm your own dates with your secretary.
- Annual Return (Section 68): generally lodged within 30 days of your incorporation anniversary.
- Financial statements (Section 259): generally lodged within 30 days after they are circulated to members, unless an extension is approved.
- Beneficial owner (BO) information: the real people who own or control the company. Keep this up to date with SSM.
- Secretary vacancy: the post must not stay empty for more than 30 days (Section 240). Deadlines keep running and the work to complete them becomes harder if the post is vacant.
Late filing can lead to two separate costs:
- SSM late-lodgement penalties: RM50 to RM200 per document for private companies, depending on how late.
- Court fines: for an Annual Return default, the company and the officers who contravene Section 68 may face a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction.
Your secretary supports the registers, resolutions and SSM filings. You and your fellow directors keep your own duties.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I register a Sdn Bhd without a company secretary?
You can incorporate first, but the board must appoint a qualified company secretary within 30 days (Section 236(2)). Missing that deadline is an offence (Section 236(4)). Every company must also have at least one qualified company secretary, and the company and every director who breaks that rule commit an offence (Section 235(4)). Upon conviction, a company may face a fine of up to RM50,000. An individual may face a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both (Section 588).
Can a director also be the company secretary?
Yes, if they are qualified, registered with SSM and hold a valid practising certificate. Some documents need two signatures, one from a director and one from a secretary. Section 242 stops one person from giving both, so a second person signs those.
Can a foreigner register a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia?
Yes. The company still needs at least one director who lives in Malaysia. The secretary must be a Malaysian citizen or permanent resident who normally lives in Malaysia. Our Ultimate plan serves both foreigners and Malaysians.
Does audit exemption remove the need for a secretary?
No. Audit exemption (Section 267(2)) only decides whether your financial statements must be audited. You still need a secretary, proper accounting records, and to prepare and lodge financial statements.
Do I need to visit a bank branch?
No. With Boss Boleh, your company bank account is opened online, or a banker visits you.
References
- Companies Act 2016 (Act 777), sections 58, 68, 235, 236, 240, 241, 242, 259, 267 and 588
- SSM, Table of Fees (Registration of Company), item 1: incorporation fee for a company limited by shares
ABOUT BOSS BOLEH
Boss Boleh is an online company secretary and incorporation platform built for first-time entrepreneurs. Beyond company secretarial work, it also offers a one-stop compliance solution for entrepreneurs, including accounting, tax planning and tax filing services. We handle your Annual Return and Beneficial Owner submissions to SSM, prepare your bank account resolution and open your company bank account online or with a banker visiting, with no branch visit. We serve clients in Kuala Lumpur, every other state and Malaysians living overseas.
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