Overseas supplier onboarding should collect the supplier’s legal identity, agreed service and invoice route before the first transaction. Establish who will review accounting and tax questions as part of setup. A completed supplier contact card does not establish that a contract or payment has been approved.

Hands signing a document at an office desk
Illustrative photograph by Pavel Danilyuk.

Identify the contracting parties

Record your company’s name and UEN and the supplier’s legal name, jurisdiction and registration reference where applicable. Keep the accepted engagement and verified contact route together.

Distinguish the contracting supplier from a brand, marketplace, payment processor or collection agent. Ask for clarification where the invoice or proposed payee names another entity.

Prepare the invoice and review route

Agree who will receive invoices, confirm delivery and approve charges. Keep currency, service period, purchase reference and payment terms identifiable.

Ask the accountant to review the actual transaction for GST, withholding tax or other relevant questions. Provide service locations, deliverables and any separate software or licence terms rather than assuming every foreign purchase has the same treatment.

Example: one supplier, several payment names

The contract names one company, the invoice another and the remittance instructions a third. Stop the setup from being treated as complete and seek a verified explanation through the authorised process. Do not alter the supplier master solely because an email requests a new payee.

Complete the handover

Record the approved supplier identity, evidence location, reviewer and unresolved matters. Keep bank details and identity documents within restricted finance storage. Give the bookkeeper the accepted records and a clear route for future changes, so the first invoice starts a traceable routine rather than an improvised payment chain.

Related practical guidance

For the surrounding records and responsibilities, see bookkeeping basics, company records to keep, bookkeeping and accounting.

Official guidance: IRAS official guidance.

Help with your company records

For corporate secretarial and company administration support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.