Every Singapore company must have a registered office. It is one of the first things you decide at incorporation and one of the easiest to get wrong. A registered office is not just a mailing address, it is the official legal address where the company can be served with documents, where certain records must be kept, and where the public can reach the company. Getting it right keeps you compliant with the Companies Act 1967 and ensures you never miss a legal notice from ACRA, IRAS or the courts.
This guide sets out the registered office requirements for Singapore companies in 2026, the relevant statutory sections, the office-hours and accessibility rules, what you can and cannot use as an address, and how to change it correctly.
What Is a Registered Office?
The registered office is the company’s official address on the ACRA register. It is the address to which all official communications and notices may be sent, and where the company’s statutory registers and records are, by default, kept and made available for inspection. It appears on the company’s Business Profile and is publicly searchable.
Importantly, the registered office does not have to be where the company actually carries on business. A company can trade from one location and maintain its registered office at another, commonly at the office of its corporate secretary or a professional services firm. What matters is that the address is a real, physical location in Singapore that can receive mail and be accessed by the public.
The Legal Requirements: Sections 142 and 143
Section 142 — Registered Office and Office Hours
Section 142 of the Companies Act 1967 requires every company to have a registered office within Singapore from the date it commences business or from the fourteenth day after incorporation, whichever is earlier. The registered office must be open and accessible to the public for at least three hours during ordinary business hours on each business day. This accessibility rule exists so that members of the public, creditors and regulators can serve documents or inspect records during working hours.
Section 143 — Publication of Name and Registration Number
Section 143 requires the company to display its registered name and Unique Entity Number (UEN) at its registered office and place of business, and to state its name and UEN on its business letters, invoices, official publications and other documents. This is how third parties confirm they are dealing with the correct legal entity.
What Can and Cannot Be Used
The registered office must be a physical address in Singapore. A Post Office Box cannot be used as a registered office, because a PO Box cannot receive personal service of documents or be accessed by the public. The address can be a commercial office, a serviced office, the premises of a corporate secretarial firm, or in some cases a residential address.
A residential address may be used as a registered office only under the Home Office Scheme, which requires prior approval from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) for HDB flats, or the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for private residential properties. Using a home address without that approval is a breach. Many small companies avoid this issue entirely by using their corporate secretary’s registered office address as a service, which also keeps the owner’s home address off the public register.
Keeping Statutory Registers at the Registered Office
By default, the company’s statutory registers and minute books are kept at the registered office and must be available for inspection there. The Companies Act allows registers to be kept at another location in Singapore, provided ACRA is notified of that alternate address. For a full breakdown of which records must be maintained, see our guide to the statutory registers every Singapore company must maintain and our overview of how long to keep accounting and statutory records.
How to Change Your Registered Office Address
You can change the registered office address at any time, but you must notify ACRA of the change within 14 days by filing the relevant transaction on BizFile+. The change takes effect from the date ACRA records it. Until the new address is registered, official notices sent to the old address are still validly served, so file promptly.
The steps are straightforward: pass a directors’ resolution approving the new address, ensure the company has the right to occupy or use the new premises, file the change of registered office on BizFile+ within 14 days, and update the address on the company’s letterhead, invoices and website to comply with Section 143. Your company secretary usually handles the filing. For the wider process of updating ACRA when company particulars change, see our guide on updating ACRA company details.
Consequences of Getting It Wrong
Failing to maintain a proper registered office, or failing to notify a change within 14 days, is an offence under the Companies Act and can attract penalties for the company and its officers. More practically, if your registered office is not accessible or not kept current, you risk missing court documents, statutory demands or ACRA notices, because service to the registered office is legally effective even if no one reads the letter. A missed statutory demand, for example, can escalate into winding-up proceedings before the company even realises it has been served.
Practical Tips
Use an address where mail is genuinely monitored, not a location that sits empty. Many companies use their corporate secretary’s address precisely so that official mail is received, scanned and acted on quickly. Keep the address accessible for the required three hours each business day. Display your name and UEN as Section 143 requires. And whenever you move, treat the 14-day ACRA notification as a hard deadline, not an afterthought.
For related compliance obligations, see our Singapore company compliance calendar, which sets out every ACRA, IRAS, CPF and MOM filing deadline in one place.
Conclusion
The registered office is a small compliance item with outsized consequences. Keep it physical, accessible and current, notify ACRA within 14 days of any change, and display your name and UEN as required. If you would rather keep your home address private and never worry about missing an official notice, using a professional registered office address through your corporate secretary is a simple and reliable solution.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services