How to Serve Court Documents on a Company in Singapore: Section 387 and Substituted Service

Short answer: A Singapore company can be served by leaving the documents at, or sending them by registered post to, its registered office under section 387 of the Companies Act 1967, or by handing them to its chairperson, secretary or another officer under the Rules of Court 2021. If personal service fails, the court can order substituted service.

If your business needs to serve court documents on a company in Singapore, the rules are short but strict. An originating claim (the document that starts most civil lawsuits) must be served personally, within set time limits, and in a way the court will accept if the company never responds. This guide covers the legal basis, the steps, the official court fees, and what to do when the registered office is empty or the company ignores the papers. It also explains why your own registered office must stay current after the changes that took effect on 20 October 2026.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

What does serving court documents on a company involve?

Service is the formal delivery of a court document so that the court can treat the recipient as having notice of it. Until an originating claim is validly served, the defendant company has no deadline to respond and the claimant cannot ask for judgment in default.

The Rules of Court 2021 (ROC 2021), which govern civil cases in the General Division of the High Court and the State Courts, recognise two kinds of service (Order 7 Rule 1). Personal service is required for originating processes and wherever the court orders it. Ordinary service covers most later documents, for example leaving or posting them at the company’s registered or principal office, or emailing them to an address the company has provided (Order 7 Rule 3). Because a company is a separate legal person that cannot physically receive papers, the law names the people and places that count as the company for service.

What is the legal basis for serving a Singapore company?

The main sources are section 387 of the Companies Act 1967 and Orders 6 and 7 of the ROC 2021.

The bridge between the two regimes is Order 7 Rule 2(1)(c), which allows personal service “according to the requirements of any written law”. That is why leaving the originating claim at the registered office under section 387 is the usual route. You can read section 387 on Singapore Statutes Online.

How do you serve court documents on a company in Singapore, step by step?

Check the company’s current details, attempt service within 14 days of issue, record every attempt, and apply for substituted service if two reasonable attempts fail. Personal service may be carried out by a solicitor or the solicitor’s employee, a court process server, a litigant without a lawyer (or that litigant’s employee), or anyone the Registrar allows (Order 7 Rule 2(2)).

1. Buy a current ACRA business profile through Bizfile to confirm the defendant’s exact name, Unique Entity Number (UEN), registered office, directors and secretary. Check whether it is a Singapore company or a registered foreign company.
2. The solicitor files the originating claim and statement of claim through eLitigation and obtains the sealed copy.
3. Within 14 days of issue (Order 6 Rule 5(6)), leave a sealed copy at the registered office, hand it to the chairperson, a director or the company secretary, or send it by registered post to the registered office.
4. Record the date, time (before or after 5 p.m.), place and the person who received the papers. These facts go into the affidavit of service.
5. If the office is locked, vacated or the papers are refused, make a second reasonable attempt at a different time, and consider serving an officer elsewhere.
6. After at least two unsuccessful reasonable attempts, the solicitor files a summons with a supporting affidavit for substituted service.
7. Carry out the approved method within 14 days of the order and file proof of service.
8. Diarise the company’s deadlines: 14 days to file a notice of intention to contest or not contest, and 21 days to file a defence, both counted from service of the statement of claim (Order 6 Rules 6 and 7).

The claim stays valid for service for 3 months from issue. The court may extend this, but except in a special case only twice and by up to 3 months each time (Order 6 Rule 3). If the claimant reaches the first case conference without having served, the court may dismiss the action or order service within 14 days (Order 9 Rule 5). The Singapore Courts explain these steps on their page on how to file and serve an originating claim.

What documents do you need?

You need the sealed court papers, proof of the company’s current address and officers, and a record of each attempt.

How long does it take and what does it cost?

Service can be done within days if the registered office is staffed, and takes weeks longer if substituted service is needed. Court fees are published; legal fees depend on the firm and the work.

The fees are from the Singapore Courts’ published table; the full list is in the Fourth Schedule of the ROC 2021. Magistrate’s Court claims under the simplified civil process have their own guidance.

What does the company secretary prepare and what does the solicitor file?

Court proceedings, including filing, affidavits of service and substituted service applications, are conducted by a Singapore Advocate and Solicitor. The company secretary keeps the company’s records accurate so that service on it, or by it, works.

For the claim itself, you can speak to a lawyer through our sister site. Before proceedings start, it also helps to put a litigation hold on relevant company records.

What happens if the registered office is vacant or the company ignores the papers?

A company cannot avoid service by abandoning its registered office. The claimant can serve at the registered office on record, serve an officer, or ask the court for substituted service, and a company that does not respond risks judgment in default.

Where the office is vacant, the solicitor usually documents at least two reasonable attempts and then applies under Order 7 Rule 7. The Singapore Courts list common methods, including posting the document on the door or gate of the place of business, registered post to the last known or registered address, and email or internet transmission. Since 1 September 2022, eLitigation users can also seek permission to notify recipients through the Singpass app Inbox. The test is whether the method will bring the document to the company’s notice (Order 7 Rule 7(2)).

If a served company does nothing, the claimant may apply for judgment when no notice of intention to contest is filed within 14 days (Order 6 Rule 6(5)), or when no defence is filed within 21 days (Order 6 Rule 7(7)). The court may add interest at 5.33% a year from the date of the originating process. It can set aside or vary a default judgment (Order 9 Rule 6(2)), but that costs time and money.

A registered foreign company can be served in Singapore under section 376. A defendant with no Singapore presence requires service out of jurisdiction under Order 8. Service itself needs no ACRA lodgement; ACRA filings follow only if the outcome changes the company, such as a winding up order or new officers. A statutory demand follows a different timetable.

Why does an up-to-date registered office matter after 20 October 2026?

Because section 387 allows service simply by leaving papers at the registered office, an outdated address can let a lawsuit run to judgment without the directors knowing. Current address details and reliable mail handling are the company’s main protection.

From 20 October 2026, the second phase of the Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 removed the requirement for a registered office to be open to the public for minimum hours each business day. ACRA’s announcement confirms that records must still be made available for inspection on reasonable notice, for at least two hours on each relevant business day, and that a change of registered office must still be filed within 14 days. Section 142(1) still requires a Singapore registered office “to which all communications and notices may be addressed”, and default under section 142 or 143 carries a fine of up to S$5,000 and a default penalty.

The change affects opening hours, not service. Papers can still be left at the registered office, so someone must collect and read them. See our registered office transition checklist and our guide to sections 142 and 143. Our Registered Office Package is S$200 annually and includes a digital mailbox in Raffles Vault, so letters left at the office are visible to directors. Our free tools help track other filing deadlines.

What are the common mistakes when serving a company?

Most problems come from old information, the wrong recipient or a missed time limit.

• Using an invoice or website address instead of the current registered office on ACRA’s register.
• Handing papers to a guard or co-working front desk and describing it in the affidavit as service on an officer. Leaving papers at the registered office and serving an officer are different routes; the affidavit must state which was used.
• Using ordinary post: section 387 refers to registered post.
• Missing the 14-day window for reasonable steps, or letting the 3-month validity lapse.
• Seeking substituted service without two reasonable attempts and a method likely to work.
• On the company’s side: moving out without lodging the new address within 14 days, or leaving nobody to check the mail. Foreign companies should keep authorised representative details current.

Frequently asked questions

Is leaving the originating claim at the registered office enough?

Section 387 allows a document to be served by leaving it at the registered office, and Order 7 Rule 2(1)(c) allows personal service in a manner required by written law. Your solicitor will confirm the right route for your case.

Can court documents be served on a company by email?

Email is ordinary service under Order 7 Rule 3 where the company provided the address. For an originating claim, email is normally used only by agreement or under a substituted service order.

What if the registered office is a corporate service provider’s address?

It is still the registered office, and documents left there are validly served under section 387. Directors should make sure their provider scans or forwards mail promptly.

When is service deemed to take place?

Under Order 7 Rule 8, service before 5 p.m. counts for that day; service after 5 p.m. is deemed effected on the next day.

Can a company avoid service by keeping its office closed after 20 October 2026?

No. Minimum opening hours were removed, but every company must still have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed, and the claimant can seek substituted service.

Last reviewed: 21 October 2026. The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services.