You can withdraw a Bizfile name application only while it is still pending approval, only from the login that submitted it, and the $15 application fee is not refunded. Withdrawal takes about a minute: open My transactions, find the name application, click Withdraw, check the details, then confirm with Proceed.
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.
Two conditions do all the work there. The application must not yet have been approved, and you must be the person who filed it, using the same Singpass or Corppass credentials. If either fails, the withdraw button is not the route you need.
Most people arrive at this page for one of three reasons: they typed the name wrong, they picked the wrong entity type, or the deal the entity was for has fallen through. The right answer is slightly different in each case, so it is worth being clear about what withdrawal does and does not achieve.
When you can withdraw, and when you cannot
| Situation | Can you withdraw? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Application submitted, still pending ACRA’s review | Yes | Withdraw in Bizfile, then reapply if needed |
| Application referred to a referral authority, still pending | Yes, while it remains unapproved | Withdraw, but expect nothing back on the fee |
| Application already approved | No | The name is reserved. Either register the entity within 120 days or let the reservation lapse |
| Application rejected because the name is unavailable | Nothing to withdraw | Submit a name review request if you have good grounds, or apply for a different name |
| You are not the person who filed it | No | The original applicant must withdraw, using the same credentials |
ACRA’s review of a proposed name takes up to three working days, and up to 15 working days where the application is sent to a referral authority. That is your actual window. If you filed at 9am and realised the mistake at 11am, you almost certainly still have time. If you filed a plain, uncontroversial name last Friday, assume it has already been approved and check before you plan around a withdrawal.
The fee is gone either way
The $15 name application fee is non-refundable. ACRA says so explicitly on its name reservation page, both where the name is unavailable and where you choose to withdraw.
So withdrawal is not a way of recovering money. It is a way of releasing the name and closing the transaction. The only financial reason to withdraw rather than simply ignoring a mistaken application is that you may want the name itself back in the pool, which matters if the name you want is the one you fat-fingered.
The steps, in order
- Log in to Bizfile using the same credentials you used to apply. Singpass if you filed personally, Corppass if you filed for an entity. A different login will not see the transaction, and this is the commonest reason people conclude the withdraw option “is not there”.
- Open your transactions. Either click Go to My Transaction from the acknowledgement message shown immediately after submission, or click your profile in the top menu bar and select My transactions.
- Find the name application. Having the transaction number from the original application makes this much faster, particularly if you have filed several names in one sitting.
- Click Withdraw against that application.
- Check the details on the confirmation screen. Read the proposed name and the entity type before you go further. This is the step that stops people withdrawing the good application and leaving the typo running.
- Click Withdraw, then click Proceed in the pop-up to confirm.
- Check for the confirmation. You will see an on-screen confirmation message, and a notification will arrive in your Bizfile Inbox. Keep it. It is your evidence that the transaction was closed deliberately.
If you are new to the portal generally, our notes on your first fifteen minutes in Bizfile and on what Bizfile is and is not cover the navigation this sits inside.
What happens after the withdrawal
Three things, all of them immediate:
The application stops being processed. ACRA will not review it and will not approve it.
The name is released. It goes back into the pool and anyone else may apply for it. That is usually the point, but it has a sharp edge: if you withdrew a name you still want, you are now in a queue with everyone else for it. Withdraw and reapply in the same session rather than sleeping on it.
You can apply for a new name. A fresh application, a fresh $15, a fresh transaction number.
Which login can withdraw, and why that trips people up
Only the person who submitted the original application can withdraw it, using the same Singpass or Corppass credentials.
This is straightforward when one founder files one name. It is not straightforward in the two situations we see most:
The corporate service provider filed it. If your provider applied for the name on your behalf under its own Corppass, you cannot withdraw it from your personal Singpass. Ask them to withdraw it. Foreigners registering a business must engage a corporate service provider, so this will be the position for most inbound applications.
A colleague filed it and has left, or is on leave. The transaction sits under their credentials. There is no self-service transfer. Plan your name applications so the filer is someone who will still be reachable next week.
Our notes on logging in to Bizfile with Singpass and logging in as a business user through Corppass explain which identity you are actually using, which is the root of most of this confusion.
What goes wrong in practice
People try to withdraw an approved name. Once approved, the name is reserved and the withdraw route closes. You then have 120 days to register the entity, after which the name is released for others to use anyway. If you have changed your mind, the cheapest course is usually to let the reservation run out rather than to hunt for a cancellation button that does not exist.
People withdraw and then cannot get the name back. Releasing the name is the whole effect of a withdrawal. In a competitive sector, do not withdraw one version of a name in order to apply for a tidier version an hour later. File the new one, confirm it is approved, then withdraw the old one.
People withdraw when the real problem is the SSIC code. The name application is where you pick your Singapore Standard Industrial Classification code, and picking the wrong one feels like a reason to start again. It usually is not. The activity code can be changed later, and your bank’s view of your business is driven by what you tell the bank, not solely by the code.
People withdraw because they wanted brand protection. Registering a business name with ACRA is not a trade mark. It gives no exclusive rights and no intellectual property protection, and it does not secure a matching domain. If that is what you were after, the application to make is a separate one to IPOS, and withdrawing the ACRA name application achieves nothing for you.
People assume withdrawal cancels the incorporation too. It does not, because there is no incorporation yet. A name application is a separate transaction that precedes registration. If you have already registered the entity, withdrawing a name application is not the tool you need and closing an entity is a different exercise entirely.
People forget the fee is sunk. Withdrawing does not refund $15, and neither does a rejection. If you are working through several candidate names, the cost of being careless is $15 a go.
The wrong application gets withdrawn. If you filed three candidate names in one sitting, the transaction list is three near-identical rows. Use the transaction number, and read the confirmation screen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I withdraw a business name application after it has been approved?
No. Withdrawal is only available while the application is still pending. Once ACRA approves the name it is reserved, and you then have 120 days to register the entity. If you no longer want it, let the reservation lapse: the name is released for others to use after 120 days.
Do I get my $15 back if I withdraw a name application?
No. ACRA states that the application fee is non-refundable both where the name is unavailable and where you choose to withdraw. Withdrawal releases the name and closes the transaction; it does not recover the fee.
Who is allowed to withdraw a Bizfile name application?
Only the person who submitted it, using the same Singpass or Corppass login. If your corporate service provider filed the application under its own Corppass, you cannot withdraw it yourself and must ask the provider to do it.
How long do I have to withdraw before ACRA approves the name?
ACRA’s review of a proposed name takes up to three working days, and up to 15 working days where the application goes to a referral authority. So the window is short for a straightforward name. Act the same day if you have spotted a mistake.
What happens to the name after I withdraw?
It becomes available for anyone else to apply for. The application stops being processed, and you are free to submit a new name application. If you still want the same name in a slightly different form, file the new application before withdrawing the old one.
Can I withdraw just to change the SSIC code or entity type?
You can, but check first whether you need to. The activity code is not fixed for life, and a change of entity type before registration is usually cheaper to handle by filing a fresh name application for the correct structure than by trying to salvage the existing transaction.
Choosing the name once, properly
Withdrawals are a symptom. Almost every one we see traces back to a name chosen quickly, an entity type chosen before the tax and liability position was settled, or an application filed by whoever happened to be at a keyboard.
Our guide to name reservation rules and how to improve your odds of ACRA approval covers the checks worth doing before you pay the $15, including the identical-name and controlled-word problems that send applications to referral authorities.
Raffles Corporate Services files name applications and entity registrations daily, and we will tell you before you pay whether a name is likely to clear, whether it needs a letter of consent, and whether the structure you have in mind is the right one. It is a cheaper conversation than a string of withdrawn applications.
You can reach us through Raffles Corporate Services, or read more on Singapore corporate secretarial practice at Singapore Secretary Services.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services
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