If you discover that ACRA’s records list you as a director of a company you never agreed to serve, act quickly and in writing. Confirm every appointment in your name with a People Profile, save the evidence, report the false filing to ACRA with supporting documents, make a police report if your Singpass, signature or passport details were misused, and secure your Singpass account. A director must consent before being appointed, so a filing made without your consent is a false filing. Until it is corrected, the public register links you to that company’s obligations and risks.
How would you find out that you are listed as a director?
Most people find out by accident: a bank asks about an unfamiliar company during a routine review, a letter arrives about a company’s overdue annual return, or a contact asks about your “other company”.
Do not rely on a single letter or a third party’s screenshot. Check the official record yourself:
- Buy a People Profile on Bizfile. ACRA’s People Profile lists the businesses registered to a person, their current and past appointments and their shareholdings. ACRA’s guidance states the fee as S$33, with the product usually ready within 15 minutes. Search using your full name exactly as it appears on your identity document.
- Log in to Bizfile as an individual. If you have Singpass, logging in as an individual user lets you see information held about you as a position holder. Our guide to logging in to Bizfile as an individual with Singpass explains which login to use.
- Buy the company’s Business Profile. This shows the appointment date, the other officers, the registered address and the shareholders, which helps you work out who lodged the filing and why.
Keep the PDF products with their purchase dates. They show what the register said on the day you discovered the problem.
Why does an unauthorised directorship matter to you personally?
A person cannot validly become a director without first giving consent. ACRA’s prescribed Form 45 is the director’s written consent to act and statement of non-disqualification, and ACRA amended the form with effect from 6 May 2026. The form is normally signed by the incoming director and kept by the company or its filing agent, so a person who never signed one has a strong factual starting point.
Even so, while your name sits on the register, third parties will treat you as a director. That creates several personal risks:
| Risk | Why it arises | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Filing offences | Directors are responsible for the company’s annual return and other filings, and ACRA can take enforcement action against officers when they are missed. | Letters or composition offers from ACRA addressed to you. |
| Director disqualification | ACRA’s guidance states that a person convicted of three or more filing offences within five years, or who was a director of at least three companies struck off by the Registrar within five years, can be disqualified from acting as a director. | Several “shell” companies in your name, all dormant and non-filing. |
| Money laundering scrutiny | Companies set up with borrowed or stolen identities are often used to open bank accounts and move funds. | Bank or police enquiries about transactions you know nothing about. |
| Bank and credit relationships | Banks screen customers against company records during reviews. | Requests to explain a directorship, or account restrictions. |
| Work pass and immigration records | For foreigners, an unexplained Singapore directorship can raise questions in later applications. | Questions from an employer, agency or bank about a Singapore company. |
Being listed as a director does not, by itself, make you personally liable for the company’s debts. Personal liability normally comes from things such as a personal guarantee you signed or your own conduct. But the register is public, and the longer an entry stays uncorrected, the harder it is to explain to banks, regulators and counterparties. The disqualification grounds are explained further in our guide to director disqualification in Singapore.
What should you do in the first week?
- Secure your Singpass. If anyone could have used your Singpass, reset the password immediately and review the account’s activity history. Singpass lists its helpline as +65 6335 3533, with option 9 for its 24-hour scam support line. Remove any authorisations you do not recognise.
- Collect the evidence. Save the People Profile, the company’s Business Profile and every letter, email and message connected with the company. Note when and how you found out. If you once gave your NRIC or passport copy to someone for another purpose, write down who, when and why.
- Make a police report. Where your identity, signature or Singpass appears to have been misused, report it to the police online or at a Neighbourhood Police Centre. Keep the report number. Banks and ACRA will often ask for it.
- Report the false filing to ACRA. ACRA states that it investigates fraud and false declarations that affect its registers. Its enforcement guidance says it does not accept anonymous complaints, and that a complaint should give the name of the person believed responsible, the date, how the offence was committed and supporting documents. Explain clearly that you never consented to act and never signed a consent form, and attach your evidence and police report number.
- Write to the company. Send a short written notice to the company’s registered address, and to its corporate secretary if one is listed, stating that you never consented to the appointment, that you do not act as its director, and asking for your name to be removed. Do not sign anything the company sends back without understanding it.
- Tell your bank if needed. If your bank has raised the directorship, give it a short written explanation with the police report number, rather than an informal call.
Do not log in to the company’s Bizfile account, give instructions on its behalf, sign its documents or operate its bank account. Acting as a director, even to “fix” the problem, can make it harder to show you were never one.
How does your name come off the register?
The right route depends on what actually happened.
| Situation | Usual route | Points to note |
|---|---|---|
| You never consented and never acted | Report to ACRA as a false filing; the company, if co-operative, files a correction; disputed cases may need a court order | ACRA can correct some errors itself, but contested facts often go to court. See our guide to correcting an unauthorised change of director on ACRA. |
| You did agree once, but have forgotten or want out | Resign in writing; the company withdraws you on Bizfile within 14 days | A director cannot leave if that would leave the company with no director ordinarily resident in Singapore. |
| You resigned, but the company has not updated ACRA | You may file a notice of cessation yourself | ACRA asks for your resignation notice and either the board’s acknowledgement or proof of delivery by registered post. |
ACRA’s guidance states that if a company fails to notify ACRA of a director’s resignation, the former director can file a notice of cessation directly, with a separate notice for each company. Compliant filings may be approved immediately, while those needing review can take up to 20 working days. The duties of each party are set out in our guide to reporting a director’s resignation to ACRA.
The resignation route fits a real appointment you want to end. Where you never agreed to be appointed, resigning may imply that you accepted the role. Explain the position to ACRA first, and get advice before choosing a route.
What does ACRA do to people who make false appointments?
ACRA has prosecuted corporate service providers and their staff for appointing directors without proper consent. In a case announced in 2024, a registered qualified individual was fined after declaring to ACRA that a resident had consented to be a director of three companies, without seeing the signed consent form. In another case decided in the State Courts in October 2025, a filing agent’s staff were allowed to appoint one individual as director of 58 companies without ensuring he had signed the required consent forms. ACRA’s announcement noted that knowingly making a false declaration to the Registrar can lead to a fine of up to S$50,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, under section 401(2A) of the Companies Act 1967.
Example: a former contact used a passport copy
Example: Mei, a Malaysian professional, applies to open a personal account in Singapore and is asked about her directorship of a trading company. She buys a People Profile and finds she has been a director of two Singapore companies for eight months. She once sent a passport copy to an acquaintance who offered to help her register a business that she later decided not to start.
Mei does not contact the companies’ bank or log in to anything. She saves both Business Profiles, files a police report online, and sends ACRA a complaint stating that she never signed a consent to act. She attaches her messages with the acquaintance, the police report number and her passport copy for identification. She writes to each company’s registered address asking for her name to be removed, and gives the bank a written explanation with the report number. Because the facts may be disputed, she also takes advice on whether a court application will be needed if the companies do not co-operate.
How can you stop it happening again?
- Share identity documents only for a stated purpose, and mark copies with that purpose and the date.
- Never share your Singpass login or approve a Singpass request you did not start. Lending your Singpass carries its own legal risk, as explained in our article on letting others use your Singpass or company bank account.
- If you act as a nominee or local director, keep a list of your appointments and check your People Profile periodically.
- Use a registered corporate service provider that verifies identities and keeps signed consent forms on file.
Frequently asked questions
Can I simply file a resignation on Bizfile myself?
ACRA allows a director who has resigned to file a notice of cessation if the company does not. That route assumes a real appointment and a real resignation, and it needs a resignation notice and proof the company received it. If you never consented at all, report the false filing to ACRA first and get advice on the right route.
Am I liable for the company’s debts while my name is on the register?
Not automatically. A company’s debts are its own, and directors usually become personally liable only through things like guarantees they signed or their own wrongful conduct. The practical risks are enforcement letters, bank questions and disqualification if the company keeps missing filings, so act promptly.
I live overseas and do not have Singpass. Can I still check and report?
Yes. Anyone can buy a People Profile on Bizfile by searching an individual’s name. You can also contact ACRA in writing with your evidence. Keep copies of everything you send.
Will ACRA remove my name as soon as I complain?
Not necessarily. ACRA has to establish what happened, and it can correct the register on its own only in limited situations. Where the company or the person who filed disputes your account, a court order may be needed. A clear, documented complaint is still the first step.
Need help with a directorship you did not agree to?
If ACRA’s records show you as a director of a company you did not agree to serve, contact the Raffles Corporate Services team at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +65 8501 7133. We can pull and review the ACRA records, prepare a timeline and document pack for your complaint, and, for genuine appointments, handle the resignation and cessation filings. Where the facts are disputed and a court application may be needed, we can refer you to a firm on our panel of Singapore law firms. Raffles Corporate Services is a corporate services provider, not a law firm, and this article is general information, not legal advice.
Willie Tan, Raffles Corporate Services