An ACRA profile starts the Singapore company check.
Match the UEN, choose the right ACRA records and read their filing dates. A public profile leaves some ownership and control questions for the company to answer.
Company search in Singapore
Singapore companies are registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and searched through its Bizfile portal. The standard document is the ACRA Business Profile, a paid extract that lists the company's officers, its shareholders, its audit firm, its capital and its status. Every entity carries a Unique Entity Number (UEN) that does not change for the life of the entity.
Fill Easy returns the Business Profile and other ACRA information products as PDFs by email or through the API. Send the company name or UEN to agent@fill-easy.com and the document comes back in the same thread, with the source, retrieval time and request ID recorded. Turnaround is confirmed with the order.
At a glance
- Registry
- ACRA, through the Bizfile portal
- Authority
- Statutory board under the Ministry of Finance
- Language of records
- English
- Currency of fees
- Singapore dollar (SGD); a Business Profile is S$5.50 on Bizfile, a Certificate of Good Standing S$11, a register of members or directors S$20
- Public online search
- Yes. Basic information such as status and registered address is free without login; the Business Profile, certificates, registers and extracts are bought per item
- Shareholders disclosed
- Yes. The Business Profile lists shareholders and the register of members can be bought; the Central Register of Registrable Controllers (beneficial owners) is not public
- Directors disclosed
- Yes. Officers with identification number and a contact address; residential addresses are released only to persons specified under the ACRA Act
- Turnaround via Fill Easy
- Confirmed with the order
Registry
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Statutory board under the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Singapore
ACRA is the registrar of companies, businesses, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships and public accountants in Singapore, under the Companies Act 1967 and related Acts. It was formed on 1 April 2004 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance by the merger of the Registry of Companies and Businesses and the Public Accountants' Board. Its Bizfile portal (bizfile.gov.sg) is both the filing system and the public search channel.
A name or UEN search on Bizfile is free, needs no login and shows basic information such as the entity's status and registered address. Detailed information is bought as an information product: the Business Profile (S$5.50), a People Profile for an individual's appointments (S$33), certificates (from S$11), registers of members and directors (S$20) and extracts of filed documents (from S$11). The Central Register of Registrable Controllers that companies file with ACRA is not public: members of the public cannot view or buy it.
Identifier
Unique Entity Number (UEN)
9 or 10 characters, in the three formats set out in the Ministry of Finance's UEN annex. Businesses registered with ACRA: 8 digits and a check letter (nnnnnnnnX, for example 12345678A). Local companies: the 4-digit year of incorporation, 5 digits and a check letter (yyyynnnnnX, for example 199012345X). All other entities, such as LLPs, foreign companies, public accounting firms and societies: T or S, the 2-digit year of issue, a 2-letter entity-type code, 4 digits and a check letter (TyyPQnnnnX, for example T08LL1234A for an LLP).
Documents
| Document | What it shows |
|---|---|
| ACRA Business Profile | Entity name and UEN, date of incorporation, status, type, registered address, business activities, issued and paid-up share capital, and the particulars of officers, shareholders and the audit firm (name, identification number and a contact address where one has been provided), as ACRA describes the product. The profile also carries former names, charges and the dates of the last annual general meeting, annual return and financial statements filed. |
| Certificate of Good Standing | ACRA's certificate that a company incorporated or registered in Singapore is live, bearing the electronic signature of an assistant registrar. It is available for live local and foreign companies, anyone can buy it, and ACRA lists it at S$11 per copy. |
| Certificate Confirming Incorporation | ACRA's certificate that the entity is incorporated or registered in Singapore, with its name, UEN and date of incorporation. Unlike the Certificate of Good Standing, it can be bought only by the entity's officers, owners or authorised representatives, so Fill Easy obtains it where the client holds that authority. |
| Constitution and filed documents | Copies of the constitution, annual return, financial statements and other transactions lodged with ACRA, bought by document from Bizfile as extracts (from S$11 each). |
| People Profile | An individual's involvement in Singapore entities, bought by person rather than by company (S$33). |
| Register of members and register of directors | ACRA's electronic register of members for a private company, which the Registrar has kept since 3 January 2016, with each member's name, shareholding, date of allotment and class of share; and the register of directors with appointment and cessation dates. Each is S$20 per copy. The register of members is sold for exempt private companies that are not gazetted. |
Worth knowing
- The Business Profile is a snapshot at purchase and is produced from ACRA's live register, so shareholder and officer data is as current as the company's last lodgement. Private companies keep their register of members electronically with ACRA, which is why shareholdings appear on the profile.
- Beneficial ownership is not on the profile. Companies file their register of registrable controllers with ACRA's Central Register of Registrable Controllers, which ACRA keeps for law enforcement agencies; members of the public cannot view or buy it, and shareholders who are not officers cannot see it either.
- Nominee directors and nominee shareholders must be identified to ACRA, but the nominee arrangement is not shown on the public profile.
- No local agent or Singpass login is needed to buy a Business Profile; a guest purchase needs only the entity name or UEN and an email address, and ACRA quotes a processing time of up to 15 minutes. Profiles exist for non-live entities too, with less detail; ACRA does not show the registered address of a ceased entity.
- Financial statements are on file only for companies that must lodge them in XBRL. An exempt private company that is solvent generally lodges no financial statements, so none will be available.
Questions
Are the shareholders of a Singapore company public?
Yes. The ACRA Business Profile lists the shareholders, and the electronic register of members of a non-gazetted exempt private company can be bought for S$20 with each member's shareholding. Both show registered shareholders, not beneficial owners; the Central Register of Registrable Controllers is filed with ACRA but is not public.
What is a UEN and how long is it?
The Unique Entity Number is the single identifier for every entity registered in Singapore. It is 9 characters for businesses registered with ACRA (8 digits and a check letter) and 10 characters for local companies (year of incorporation, 5 digits and a check letter) and for all other entities such as LLPs, foreign companies and societies (TyyPQnnnnX). It never changes for the life of the entity.
What does an ACRA Business Profile contain?
Entity details, registered address, business activities, issued and paid-up share capital, and the particulars of officers, shareholders and the audit firm, with charges and the compliance dates (last AGM, annual return and financial statements). It is the standard document for Singapore KYB and the one Fill Easy returns by default.
How do I get a certificate of good standing for a Singapore company?
ACRA issues a Certificate of Good Standing through Bizfile for a live local or foreign company, signed electronically by an assistant registrar. Anyone can buy it, at S$11 on Bizfile. Fill Easy orders it on request; the price and turnaround are confirmed with the order.
Is a Singapore company search free?
The basic search on Bizfile is free, needs no login and shows basic information such as the entity's status and registered address. The Business Profile with officers and shareholders is a paid product, listed by ACRA at S$5.50.
Sources
- ACRA: buying a Business Profile via Bizfile (opens in a new tab)
- ACRA: understanding types of ACRA information products (prices and free search) (opens in a new tab)
- ACRA: what a Business Profile shows (Corporate Compliance and Financial Profile guide) (opens in a new tab)
- Bizfile: information products, certificates (opens in a new tab)
- Bizfile: information products, registers (opens in a new tab)
- ACRA: filing with the central register of registrable controllers (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Finance: Unique Entity Number, formats (Annex E) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Finance: second reading speech on the ACRA Bill (ACRA as a statutory board under MOF) (opens in a new tab)
- Bizfile portal (opens in a new tab)