If you’re running a startup, small business, or you’re an international company trying to establish credibility in Singapore, a “just-address” setup won’t cut it.
What you really want is flexibility, credibility, and support, which is exactly what virtual office add-on services deliver. These add-ons come standard with any virtual office space in Singapore.
In this blog, we explore what these add-ons are, why they matter, and how providers in Singapore supplement a virtual office address with services that make your business look and work like it’s got a full-blown headquarters.
A virtual office gives your company a professional business address while you operate remotely. Founders would typically be working from home while their registered business address is located elsewhere, typically in a business district.
That address becomes your registered office address: the official business address for registration with authorities like the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). It helps you establish a business presence without renting traditional office space.
But a “virtual office” doesn’t have to only mean “address and nothing else.”
Many virtual office providers offer a suite of add-on services. These services turn a mere address into a functioning business hub. Some include mail handling, coworking space use, serviced offices, and more.
These extra features are what transform a remote company into an established hub. These services let you enjoy many of the benefits of a physical office space, minus the heavy overhead, lease, and admin burden.
Add-on services do more than make paperwork easier. They give your business:
Add-on services give you both the professional presence and the operational flexibility. That makes a virtual office far more than “just an address.”
Here are some of the most useful add-on services you’ll find among virtual office providers in Singapore. The term “add-on” here refers to features beyond the virtual registered office address itself.
Many providers offer mail alerts when anything arrives at your virtual business address. That way, you don’t have to check in person with the virtual address every time you receive letters. The alert can be via email or messaging (WhatsApp).
With this, you’ll always know when there’s incoming mail, invoices, official letters, and packages, without dedicating time to periodically check. It allows you to focus on more pertinent tasks.
Beyond alerting you, a good provider can forward mail to your preferred address. That might be your home, a coworking space, or anywhere else.
The purpose of mail forwarding is that the letters and parcels the virtual office receives (on account of you registering it as your business address) will be forwarded to your actual operating address. Mail can be forwarded weekly, monthly, or following the founder’s preferred frequency. There are variable costs associated with mail forwarding services, however.
With this setup, founders keep their private residence secure.
While a virtual office typically means that workers won’t need to work at a physical office, in some instances, meeting in person might be imperative to a task or project. In these circumstances, coworking spaces become useful.
Coworking spaces are on-demand spaces that founders can book as needed. This gives startups and small businesses access to a space they can work in occasionally without having to invest upfront in office equipment or traditional leases.
This is useful if you’re mostly remote but sometimes need a desk, or if you’re travelling and need a temporary working spot in Singapore.
Some add-on packages include cheque drop services, a secure way for banks or clients to send cheques to your registered business address, with the provider handling the deposit or forwarding.
For companies that deal with frequent cheque-based transactions, this add-on saves a lot of hassle. It allows you to receive mailed or delivered cheques while keeping your residential address private.
There comes a point in a startup’s journey when they decide to transition to an in-person setup, but they don’t have the upfront capital or resources to make it happen. That’s where serviced office rentals come in.
Providers offer fully furnished, move-in-ready private offices with utilities, internet, and admin support included.
This is ideal when your team needs in-person collaboration or you need a stable base of operations. Compared to traditional office leases, serviced office rentals don’t require clients to commit to long-term contracts. This allows startups to shift their work setup more dynamically.
With a serviced office, it’s as if you’re working at a traditional office. They’re fully furnished, complete with desks, chairs, work devices, high-speed internet, and a pantry. In addition, the rental rate already covers cleaning, maintenance, and utilities, keeping cost management simple.
Here are some types of businesses or professionals for whom virtual office add-on services make sense:
Whether you’re just starting, scaling, or expanding abroad, virtual office add-on services elevate your business’ internal operations, beyond just the integrity afforded by a business address.
If you’ve decided to avail add-ons from a virtual office in Singapore, here’s how to get started.
First, take a look at what virtual office plans are offered. Many providers offer tiered plans — from entry-level address-only packages to full-blown virtual office packages with forwarding, call services, meeting-room hours, even access to physical space.
Compare what’s included. Some providers charge extra for mail forwarding, call answering, coworking or meeting-room access. Others bundle some of these in.
Once you shortlist a provider, talk to them. Ask what they include for mail handling, how mail forwarding works, if there are extra fees, how call answering works, what meeting-room access you get — and whether you can scale up later to serviced office rental if needed.
Your business might have specific needs. Maybe you expect a lot of parcels, or you want frequent coworking desk access, or need a dedicated phone line. Good providers can often tailor a plan.
Once you pick a plan (or customise one), sign up. Many providers let you start quickly, often online, and get your virtual address and add-on services running almost immediately.
Sometimes you may just need a virtual address — say, for business registration, or to present a credible registered business address on your website and documents. That works fine.
But without add-ons, you lose out on the following:
If an entrepreneur has an address only, they’d have to visit it every time to check if they’ve received mail. This can compound and consume a lot of time, taking attention away from business operations. At that point, you’ll likely realise that a basic virtual address-only service can be limiting. So, for serious growth, add-ons are essential.
As such, here at Parkway Suites, our base package already comes with the essentials. For 13 cents daily, our virtual office address comes with mail alerts and forwarding, so that you can receive correspondence from government agencies, customers, and members of the public.
If you want a professional presence in Singapore, without the hassle of setting up a full traditional office, Parkway Suites offers a virtual office address at Paya Lebar Square, and more, starting at just 13 cents per day.
Whether you’re a startup looking to grow, a freelancer wanting a clean business presence, or an international company testing waters in Singapore, you could benefit a lot from our entry price. We provide plenty of room for scaling as well, offering coworking spaces, serviced offices, and short-term lease options.
Reach out to us at Parkway Suites today. Consult and discover the different ways we can unlock your team’s productivity. Start small and scale strategically.
If you operate remotely but still receive mail, invoices, packages, or occasional client correspondence, add-ons like mail alerts or mail forwarding can be a huge convenience. Even fully remote teams benefit from the extra workflow support.
Yes. Many providers allow you to start small and upgrade as your needs grow. You can add services such as coworking access or serviced office rentals later on if your operations expand.
A virtual office address is often required for incorporation. While add-ons don’t directly complete the registration process for you, they support it by giving you a compliant, presentable registered office address.
Providers typically hold on to mail for a set period. After that, storage fees may apply. Always ask about storage limits and holding policies to avoid unexpected charges.
This depends on the provider. Some allow team-wide access, while others limit it to the account holder or require additional passes. Ask the provider to clarify access rules before you upgrade.
Activation can be near-instant for digital services like mail alerts. Physical services such as coworking access or serviced offices may take slightly longer depending on availability and onboarding procedures.
