The International Enterprise Singapore (IES) only registers representative offices from the manufacturing, trading, trade logistics and services sectors.

Other business sectors like banking, finance and insurance, education, travel agency, consultancy and management services, legal, real estate and property development, etc. do not come under the purview of the IES. The representative office must confine its activities to promotion and liaison work on behalf of its parent company. The representative office must not engage in any trading (including import and export) / business activities directly or on behalf of the parent company.