Register a Sole Proprietorship Business online

I've been meaning to register my online biz for quite some time already but have been procrastinating. Main reason is because I don't have time to go all the way to the Mall (opposite PWTC) where the SSM government office is and I still couldn't decide on the trade name. But recently I've figured out a name and I found out that I can register my sole proprietorship business online at www.ssm.com.my.

It was really easy - used Internet Explorer to register - no hiccups. I tried with Firefox previously but failed cos the forms couldn't open correctly.

First and foremost, I registered as a public service portal user at www.malaysia.gov.my which is the official portal of the Malaysian government. I selected 'individual' to proceed to the form. I created a user ID and password. An email was sent to me confirming the registration.

Once done, I visited www.ssm.com.my, clicked on the e-lodgement services button which showed all the various e-lodgement services provided by SSM (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia). E-lodgement means submission and management of business and company forms via the internet to SSM. In order to utilize this service, I became a subscriber of this e-lodgement service which costs RM5 per annum. Clicked on the link to subscribe. Need to log in using my public service portal ID & password. Filled up the form and  clicked 'submit'. Then I was directed to the payment page. I paid using credit card which was very fast and easy.

The next step before registering a business is to conduct a name check to ensure that the name chosen is not in use. To do this, I used the e-lodgement services at the SSM website. I filled up a form with the selected name : 'Blessed Kids Resources' and soon after, I received an email that stated that the business name was available.

Proceeded to e-lodgement services again and this time, select registration of business. Again, logged in, and then filled up the form. On the second part of the form, there was a search and delete button. What I  did was: press  the 'search' button and then a separate window opened. I typed the nature of my business i.e.  books, toys and clothing. Keyed in each word individually and then a list of description showed up. Then, I just selected the ones that best describes the nature of my business. The selections were automatically included in the form. 

Upon submission of the form I paid RM60 using my credit card. This was because I used a trade name for my business. If using my own name in my business, the fee is RM30 p.a.

A confirmation email was sent to me together with the copy of the registration certificate once the registration was approved. So, if you want to register your business online, make sure you have thought of a name. Guidelines and info on how to register are all available at the SSM website.