What Is ACRA in Singapore? Your 2025 Guide

Click on the “Search” function, then enter either the company name or its Unique Entity Number (UEN), and the system will instantly return relevant results. In Singapore, company registrations are centrally managed by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). First of all, checking a company’s registration is not some mysterious task. So here comes the question how can we quickly and accurately check the registration details of a Singapore-based company? Particularly in Singapore-a global business hub-hundreds or even thousands of companies are registered every day.

  • For example, suppose you heard from a friend that they’ve started a business named “Star Sea Trading Pte Ltd,” and you want to verify whether it’s legitimately registered.
  • Singapore is made up of 63 islands, including the main island, which is known as Singapore Island to most people.
  • Much faster and (usually) less congested than the Causeway, it is primarily used by the express bus services from Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang.
  • The Red Dot Design Museum celebrates exceptional art and design of objects for everyday life, hosting more than 1,000 items from 50 countries.

You can check if the name you have in mind for your business is available on Bizfile. Here are the key points to help you choose and reserve your company name successfully, and to avoid unnecessary delays or fees. If you don’t register your business within that period, the name will become available to others. All new company names must be submitted to and approved by ACRA before registration. After submission, ACRA will send the necessary documents to the appointed directors, shareholders, and company secretary. This address must be operational during business hours and cannot be a P.O.

Any number starting with 8 or 9 is a mobile phone, while numbers starting with 3 or 6are fixed lines (businesses and residential). Phone numbers in Singapore have the format +65 XXXX XXXX where “65” is the country code for Singapore. Business gifts are generally frowned on as they may equate to bribery, and government employees are strictly forbidden from accepting gifts.

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While the laws governing private sector employees are not as strict, presenting a gift during business negotiations could raise suspicions over corrupt intent, which may lead to legal issues. It is a crime for public servants to accept gifts from anyone they have official dealings with, even if no favours were given in exchange. Do not, under any circumstances, offer a bribe to a police officer or any other public servant, since that is likely to result in your immediate arrest. Singapore is generally considered to be relatively free from corruption in both public and private life.

Seletar Airport

Lastly, let’s understand how taxes work for your company in Singapore. This account allows you to hold up to 11 major currencies and make international and local transactions at competitive rates, as well as access personalised support from dedicated account managers. When you register your Singapore business with Statrys, we assist you in applying for a Statrys multi-currency business account, subject to approval. Traditional banks also often require an in-person interview for business account openings.

Is Company Information in ACRA Available to the Public?

For example, if there is an existing business called “Star Solutions,” an application to register a new business as “The Star Solutions” or “Star Solutions South East Asia” would be rejected. The following words are not sufficient to make the proposed company name unique if there’s a registered entity with a similar name. reporting stockholder equity If the company name you want is already registered, try choosing alternative names or adding words to make your proposed name different. If it says “No matching record,” there is no registered company with this name, meaning you can proceed with registering it. Visit Bizfile and type your proposed company name in the search bar.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

In 1613, Portuguese raiders burned down the settlement, and the island faded into obscurity for the next two centuries. Archaeological evidence suggests that the main settlement on Fort Canning Hill was abandoned around this time, although a small trading settlement continued in Singapore for some time afterwards. In 1299, according to the Malay Annals, the Kingdom of Singapura was founded on the island by Sang Nila Utama. Singapore is sometimes referred to by the nickname the “Garden City”, in reference to its parks and tree-lined streets.

Changi Airport

In the main business district and on main roadways, pavements and pedestrian crossings are in good shape and plentiful, and by Asian standards drivers are generally careful and willing to give way at marked crossings. Foldable bicycles not exceeding 120cm by 70cm by 40cm when folded can be brought onto public transit all day. Bikes are permitted on public roads, provided you wear a helmet, and your bike is equipped with front current portion of long term debt cpltd white and rear red lights when cycling at night. There are few dedicated bicycle lanes on public roads, and road courtesy towards cyclists from motorists is sorely lacking. Rides are generally reasonably priced, with most off-peak rides in the city centre clocking in around $10-20, although during busy periods (Friday nights, when it rains, etc.) surge fares can be much higher.

What Documents Does ACRA Issue Upon Company Registration?

Males who have yet to complete pre-university education, are awarded the Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship, or are pursuing a local medical degree can opt to defer their draft. Military courses were conducted according to the IDF’s format, and Singapore adopted a system of conscription and reserve service based on the Israeli model. A great deal of initial support came from Israel, a country unrecognised by Singapore’s neighbouring Muslim-majority nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Considered too small to provide effective security for the new country, the development of its military forces became a priority.

Singapore was one of eight cities worldwide that was classified as an “Alpha+” city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) in 2024. The 2020 election held in July saw the PAP drop to 61% of the vote, while the Workers’ Party (WP) took 10 of the 93 seats, including its leader Pritam Singh becoming the first de jure leader of the opposition since independence. On 23 March 2015, Lee Kuan Yew died, and a one-week period of public mourning was observed nationwide. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the country’s third prime minister. During Goh’s tenure, the country went through the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak.

Pulau Ubin Island Of Singapore

The total time to incorporate a company can range from 2 days to over 2 months, depending on your industry and company structure. Every company must have a local registered address, which cannot be a PO Box. If you do not have a local director or registered addresses, costs can rise to SGD 5,000 to 8,000 or more, as you’ll need to pay for those services.

Community Development Councils of Singapore Map

  • A series of strikes in 1947 caused massive stoppages in public transport and other services.
  • To reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, it has ramped up deployment of solar panels on rooftops and vertical surfaces of buildings, and other initiatives like building one of the world’s largest floating solar farms at Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas.
  • Identified as a tax haven, it is a major aviation, financial and maritime shipping hub and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities for expatriates and foreign workers.

The city-state has a burgeoning food scene ranging from hawker centres (open-air), food courts (air-conditioned), coffee shops (open-air with up to a dozen hawker stalls), cafes, fast food, simple kitchens, casual, celebrity and high-end restaurants. Local food items generally relate to a particular ethnicity – Chinese, Malay and Indian; but the diversity of cuisine has increased further by the hybridisation of different styles (e.g., the Peranakan cuisine, a mix of Chinese and Malay cuisine). There was also a sizeable minority of middle-class, locally born people—known as Peranakans or Baba-Nyonya-descendants of 15th- and 16th-century Chinese immigrants. In the 2016 EF English Proficiency Index taken in 72 countries, Singapore placed 6th and has been the only Asian country in the top 10. English is the language of instruction in all public schools, and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the “mother tongue” language paper. Malay was designated as a national language by the Singaporean government after independence from Britain in the 1960s to avoid friction with Singapore’s Malay-speaking neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia.

As with most Commonwealth countries, vehicles on the road and people walking on the streets keep to the left (left-hand traffic). In 1967, to combat this decline in natural space, the government introduced the vision of making Singapore a “garden city”, aiming to improve quality of life. For several years, Singapore has illusory law and legal definition been one of the few countries with a AAA credit rating from the big three, and the only Asian country to achieve this rating. In response, amendments were made to the Women’s Charter by the government in 2019 to legislate more serious punishments for traffickers, including imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of S$100,000. In the survey, more than 20% of people said that sexual relations between adults of the same sex were not wrong at all or not wrong most of the time, up from 10% in 2013.

Many coffee shops offer zi char/cze cha (煮炒) for dinner, meaning a menu of local dishes, mostly Chinese-style seafood, served to your table at mid-range prices. English proficiency can sometimes be limited, but most stall owners know enough to communicate the basics, and even if they don’t, nearby locals will usually help you out if you ask. Many of the best food stalls are in residential districts off the tourist trail and do not advertise in the media, so the best way to find them is to ask locals for their recommendations. Touting for business is illegal, and occasionally a reminder of this can result in people backing off a bit. Ambience tends to be a little lacking though and there is no air-conditioning either, but a visit to a hawker centre is a must when in Singapore, if you wish to experience authentic local food culture in the heartlands themselves.

Languages can even change over the generations and children may speak different languages and have different accents from their mother. The Singapore government and many Singaporeans are against using Singlish. Thus, Chinese is the main language of many workers such as hawkers, retail assistants, hairdressers, etc. in Singapore today. Many Chinese-speaking foreigners and Chinese-speaking Singaporeans work in services.

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