Last updated
Your company registration number is your UEN. A local company's has 10 characters, such as 199012345X, and it never changes for the life of the company. Look for it in the email ACRA sent at incorporation, or search your name on Bizfile.
Checked against ACRA, MOF and the government UEN format annex.
What is a company registration number in Singapore?
When people ask for a "registration number", "business registration number" or "company number", they want the UEN. It identifies the entity to ACRA, other agencies, banks and customers. The finance ministry brought in the UEN to replace the different numbers agencies once used. Local companies kept the number ACRA had already given them.
Our UEN search guide covers the agencies and start dates. This page looks at the number as it shows up on your own company's papers.
What does the number look like?
The pattern changes with the type of entity, as ACRA's format notes show.
| Entity | Length | Sample pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Local company | 10 | 199012345X |
| Sole proprietorship, partnership | 9 | 12345678A |
| LLP, foreign company, accounting firm | 10, leads with T | T08LL1234A |
For a local company the four digits at the start are a year. These examples are format patterns from ACRA, not real entities. The closing letter is a check character the system adds. A recently registered company carries a recent year in its prefix.
Where is the registration number on your documents?
You will see it in four places.
- The Notice of Successful Incorporation from ACRA. This is your first proof of the number.
- The Business Profile. See the business profile guide.
- The Certificate Confirming Incorporation, if you bought one. See the registration certificate guide.
- Your own invoices, letterhead and contracts, where you should print it beside the company name.
How do you find a registration number you do not have?
For your own company or someone else's, use the free entity search on Bizfile.
- Open bizfile.gov.sg and choose the entity search.
- Type the company name. Use "name containing" if you are unsure of the spelling.
- Pick the result whose registered address and status match.
- Read the UEN on the profile.
If the number you have does not find the entity, tick the option that includes previous UENs. The step-by-step version is in the company check guide.
Where do you have to give the number?
Almost every official task starts with it. Applying for Corppass, the government's login for business, begins with the entity's UEN. See the Corppass guide. You also quote it for tax matters with IRAS, for work passes with MOM, when you open a business bank account, and on contracts. If a supplier will not show you its UEN, treat that as a warning.
Is the registration number the same as other numbers you hold?
No. People confuse it with several other identifiers.
- A GST registration number is issued when you register for GST. It is a separate registration from incorporation. See GST registration.
- An SSIC code describes what the company does. It is not an identity number. See SSIC codes.
- A Corppass ID belongs to a person who acts for the company, not to the company.
- A foreign company's home registry number stays with that registry. In Singapore it uses its UEN.
Can the number change?
ACRA states that a UEN's prefix and suffix are generated by the system and cannot be edited. Only the middle digits are open to choice, and only through a Special UEN application, which is optional and unusual. Normally you keep the number issued at registration.
What if you do not have a company yet?
You get the number when ACRA approves the registration, not before. The route is described in our company registration guide. If you would rather have a provider file it, use the quote form on this page. We are an independent guide, not ACRA, and may earn a referral fee when a request becomes a client.
Sources
- ACRA, using Bizfile's search functions: https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/using-bizfiles-search-functions/ (entity search, previous UEN filter).
- ACRA, applying for a Special UEN: https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/applying-for-special-uen/ (system-generated parts of the UEN).
- Government UEN format annex: https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/153/17ee6a09-7414-4e9b-ada9-3e6d9a01840e/annexe060808.pdf (formats and examples).
- Ministry of Finance, UEN release: https://www.mof.gov.sg/news-resources/newsroom/unique-entity-number-brings-convenience-to-entities/ (why the UEN exists, who kept their numbers).
