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The ACRA Business Profile costs S$5.50. You buy it on Bizfile, ACRA's portal, and it is delivered within 15 minutes. If you have just completed a filing for your own entity, you can instead download a copy for free from your Bizfile inbox.
Checked on ACRA's pages.
What is an ACRA Business Profile?
It is ACRA's summary record of a registered entity. ACRA recommends it for getting basic information: the UEN, entity name, date of registration and information about position holders, business owners or partners. Banks, buyers and landlords often ask for it as proof that a company exists and who runs it. The UEN guide explains the number at the top of the profile.
A profile is a snapshot of what ACRA holds when you buy it, so a profile that is months old may not show a recent change. Buy a new one when the date matters.
How much does it cost?
The fee is fixed per entity. Related ACRA products sit alongside it.
| Product | Fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Business Profile | S$5.50 | Basic entity information and position holders |
| Corporate Compliance and Financial Profile | S$50 | Financial profile, ratios, audit opinion and directors' opinion |
| People Profile | S$33 | Tracking a person's involvement in different businesses |
| Extracts | from S$11 | Copies of filed documents such as annual returns or audited accounts |
| Certificates | from S$11 | Certified information or status of an entity |
| Registers | from S$11 | Official lists of members, directors, secretaries or auditors |
A Residential Address Request costs S$5.50 too, but it is open only to authorised users.
How do you buy one on Bizfile?
ACRA lists these steps.
- Prepare the entity name or UEN and an email address.
- Use Bizfile's entity search and add the profile to your cart.
- Click the cart icon, tick each profile to buy and choose Checkout, as a guest or after logging in.
- Enter your name and email address, confirm the email is correct and accept the terms.
- Pay by credit card, debit card or online banking.
- Download the profile and your receipt. You get two emails: one with the purchase details and download instructions, and one with the receipt.
The download can take up to 15 minutes to fully process. Refunds are not offered for a wrong purchase.
How do you get the free Business Profile?
ACRA sends it after a qualifying filing. That covers a newly registered business, and existing entities after a renewal, Annual Return or Annual Declaration. The copy goes to your Bizfile inbox as an attachment within 15 minutes, and you can download it for 60 days after the notification.
Since you download it from the attachment directly, without switching entity profiles or clicking through extra pages. The free copy is limited to the person who made the filing. If a colleague filed, they need to download it, or you buy your own.
For the filings that trigger it, see annual return and AGM and the Bizfile guide.
When should you use free, paid or a different product?
- You just filed and need your own profile. Use the free download. It saves the S$5.50.
- You need to check a supplier or customer. Run the free search first, then buy the S$5.50 profile if you need the position holders.
- You are doing proper due diligence. The S$50 CCFP adds financial information, and extracts give you the filed documents themselves.
- You need to trace a person. The S$33 People Profile shows a person's involvement across businesses.
Common mistakes
Buying the wrong entity is the main one, since similar names exist. Match the UEN, not only the name. Second, forgetting the 60-day download window on the free copy. Third, assuming the profile proves a company is in good standing. It records registration details and officers. For a view of compliance and finances, use the CCFP.
What does a Business Profile not tell you?
It does not show accounts. It does not tell you whether an entity filed its returns on time, and it says nothing about debts or disputes. Treat it as a registration record. If you are about to lend money, sign a long contract or buy a business, ask for the filed accounts as well, which ACRA sells as extracts from S$11, and take professional advice.
It also does not replace the free search. If all you need is whether an entity is live and where it is registered, the free entity search answers that without paying anything.
What if a provider should order this for you?
You can buy a profile alone in minutes. If you are setting up a company, a provider will order and file these documents for you as part of its service. We are an independent guide and are not ACRA. Use the quote form on this page if you want providers to contact you with options, and be aware we may earn a referral fee when a request becomes a client.
Sources
- ACRA, buying a Business Profile via Bizfile: https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/buying-a-business-profile/ (S$5.50, steps, payment, 15 minutes, no refunds).
- ACRA, types of information products: https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/buying-business-information/types-of-acra-information-products/ (all product fees and what each contains).
- ACRA, simplified free Business Profile download: https://www.acra.gov.sg/news-events/news-announcements/simplified-free-business-profile-download/ (free copy, 60 days, 27 March change, filer only).
- ACRA, using Bizfile's search functions: https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/using-bizfiles-search-functions/ (free search before you buy).