It is a legal requirement to register a business with ACRA if you want to operate a business in Singapore.

The first step of registering a local company is to choose a company name and submit a name application via ACRA’s online business registration and filing portal Bizfile+.

Your proposed company name cannot be identical to an existing name or contain prohibited and undesirable words.

Read our guide on choosing a suitable business name and checking on its availability.

When you submit a name application, you will need to specify the activities of your business by selecting the most relevant Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) code .

Once your application is approved, you can proceed to incorporate your company. You must complete your incorporation within 120 days from the date of the name approval.

Take note of the following before submitting your application:

Additional Approvals For Certain Company Name Applications

Your name application may be referred to other government agencies for review and approval. For example, if you plan to incorporate a real estate agency, your application will be referred to the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA).

If your application is referred, it may take between 14 to 60 days to process.

Find out more about Referral Authorities

Requirement to State Your Company Name on All Correspondences

You must state your company’s name and registration number (UEN) in all business correspondences (such as business letters, statements of account, invoices, official notices, etc.) as required under the Companies Act. This helps to promote transparency and prevents misrepresentation.

Difference between Company Name and Trade Mark

Registering a company name with ACRA is not the same as registering a trade mark. Your company name registration does not give you the exclusive rights or intellectual property rights to your company name. If you wish to establish a monopoly over its use, you must submit a separate application with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)

Registering a Domain Name

Registering a company name with ACRA does not give you ownership rights to a matching domain name. Registration of domain names is on a first come first serve basis.

If you want to register a domain name ending with .sg or .com.sg for your company, you can approach the registrars accredited by the Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC).

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