ACRA Bizfile Singapore: What It Is, What It Does & How to Use It

Every Singapore business owner interacts with Bizfile+ — ACRA’s official online portal — whether they realise it or not. Bizfile+ is where you register your company, purchase a business profile, file your annual returns, and update your company records with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). This guide covers exactly what Bizfile+ does, what you can buy from it, and how to use it without wasting time.

Key Takeaways

• Bizfile+ is ACRA’s official online portal for company registration, annual returns, and purchasing business profiles in Singapore.
• An ACRA business profile costs S$5.50 and is the standard document used to verify a company’s legal existence.
• Company registration via Bizfile+ costs S$315 and typically completes within one business day.
• Annual returns are mandatory for all Singapore companies — late filing penalties start at S$300.
• Sole proprietorships and partnerships must renew their registration; Pte Ltd companies do not.
• Bizfile+ uses Singpass (individuals) and Corppass (company representatives) for authentication.

What Is ACRA Bizfile+?

ACRA Bizfile+ (accessible at bizfile.gov.sg) is Singapore’s national business information and filing portal, operated by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. It replaced the original BizFile system and serves as the single platform where business entities in Singapore register, update, and maintain their corporate records.

Bizfile+ handles three broad categories of activity:

• Information retrieval — searching for and purchasing business profiles, company documents, and people profiles
• Statutory filings — submitting annual returns, updating company particulars, filing changes in directors or shareholders
• Business registration — incorporating new companies and registering business entities

Every Singapore-registered company, sole proprietorship, partnership, and limited liability partnership (LLP) has a record on Bizfile+. The platform is the authoritative public source for Singapore company data.

What Is an ACRA Business Profile?

An ACRA business profile (also called a Bizfile business profile or company Bizfile) is an official document that shows the registered details of a business entity in Singapore. It is the primary document used to verify a company’s legal existence.

An ACRA business profile includes:

• Company name and Unique Entity Number (UEN)
• Registered address
• Business activity (SSIC code)
• Date of incorporation
• Directors’ names and identification numbers
• Shareholders and their shareholdings
• Paid-up capital
• Company status (live, struck off, or under judicial management)

Banks, investors, government agencies, and counterparties routinely request an ACRA business profile before entering a transaction or business relationship. It is the Singapore equivalent of a certificate of good standing.

How to Purchase an ACRA Bizfile Business Profile

You can buy an ACRA business profile directly through Bizfile+ at bizfile.gov.sg. The fee is S$5.50 per business profile. You do not need to be the company owner or director to purchase another entity’s business profile — it is a public document.

Steps to purchase an ACRA business profile:

1. Go to bizfile.gov.sg
2. Click “Search” in the top navigation
3. Enter the company name or UEN in the search bar
4. Select the correct entity from the results
5. Click “Buy” next to “Business Profile”
6. Log in using your Singpass or Corppass account to complete the transaction
7. Pay the S$5.50 fee via credit card or eNETS
8. Download the PDF immediately or retrieve it from your purchase history

The downloaded Bizfile business profile is a certified document you can use for official purposes. ACRA does not issue physical certificates by default — the PDF is the standard format.

Note: You can also purchase a People Profile (personal business history of a director or sole proprietor) and company Financial Statements if they have been filed. These are separate purchase items on the Bizfile+ platform.

How to Register a Company Using ACRA Bizfile+

Registering a new company in Singapore happens through Bizfile+. The process is fully online and typically completes within one business day if your application is straightforward.

Pre-registration requirements:

• At least one director who is a Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an eligible work pass
• A locally registered Singapore address (not a PO Box)
• A minimum of one shareholder
• A proposed company name that passes ACRA’s name availability check

Step-by-step company registration process:

1. Check your proposed company name — use the ACRA name check tool on Bizfile+ or at grof.co/sg/name-check. Names must not be identical to existing entities or contain restricted words.
2. Log in to Bizfile+ — use Singpass (for individuals) or Corppass (for authorised company representatives).
3. Select “Incorporate a Company” — under the “Start a Business” section.
4. Complete the application form — provide the company name, SSIC business activity code, registered address, director details, shareholder details, and share capital information.
5. Upload required documents — including the company constitution (you can adopt ACRA’s Model Constitution or submit a customised one).
6. Pay the incorporation fee — S$315, payable online.
7. Receive ACRA confirmation — ACRA issues a notification of incorporation via email. Your company’s UEN becomes active immediately upon approval.

In practice, most straightforward applications receive approval within one working day. Applications flagged for additional review — typically those involving foreign directors, restricted activities, or name objections — may take longer.

How to File Annual Returns via ACRA Bizfile+

All Singapore-incorporated companies must file an annual return with ACRA each year. Annual returns are filed through Bizfile+ and must be submitted within the statutory deadline — for companies that hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM), the annual return is due within one month of the AGM. For companies exempt from holding an AGM, the deadline is within five months of the financial year end (for listed companies) or seven months (for non-listed companies).

Annual return filing process:

1. Prepare and finalise financial statements — your accountant or accounting services provider completes this.
2. Hold the AGM (if required) — present and approve the financial statements with shareholders.
3. Log in to Bizfile+ using Corppass — your corporate secretary typically handles this step.
4. Navigate to “Annual Return Filing” under the “Filing” section.
5. Upload your financial statements and confirm company particulars.
6. Pay the filing fee — S$60 for companies with share capital, S$60 for others.
7. Submit — ACRA confirms the filing electronically.

Late filing penalty: ACRA imposes a penalty of S$300 for filing up to three months late, S$600 for between three to six months late, and prosecution for persistent non-compliance. Grof’s corporate secretarial team tracks deadlines on behalf of clients to prevent these penalties from arising.

How to Renew a Business Registration on Bizfile+

Sole proprietorships and partnerships (but not private limited companies) must renew their business registration through Bizfile+. A Singapore private limited company (Pte Ltd) does not renew its registration — it remains active indefinitely until voluntarily struck off or wound up.

For sole proprietorships and partnerships:

• Renewal is required every one or three years
• Renewal can be done online via Bizfile+ using Singpass
• The fee is S$26 per year (one-year renewal) or S$65 for three years
• ACRA sends a renewal reminder approximately three months before expiry

To renew on Bizfile+:

1. Log in at bizfile.gov.sg with Singpass
2. Select “Renew Business Registration”
3. Confirm or update business details
4. Pay the renewal fee

Failure to renew results in automatic cessation of the business registration, which can affect banking relationships and the ability to collect payment.

How to Download a Document from Bizfile+

To download an ACRA Bizfile document — whether a business profile, financial statements, or certificate of incorporation:

1. Log in to bizfile.gov.sg with your Singpass or Corppass
2. Navigate to “My Purchase History” under your account dashboard
3. Find the relevant transaction
4. Click “Download” to retrieve the PDF

If you purchased as a guest (without login), ACRA sends the document to your registered email address. Documents expire from the purchase history after 30 days, so download promptly.

How to Get a Company’s Constitution from ACRA

A company’s constitution (formerly the Memorandum and Articles of Association) may be filed with ACRA and accessible via Bizfile+. To retrieve a copy:

1. Search for the company on Bizfile+
2. Under available documents, select “Constitution” (if filed)
3. Purchase for S$5.50 per document

Note: Companies that adopted ACRA’s Model Constitution at incorporation may not have a separately filed constitution document. In that case, the Model Constitution itself (publicly available on acra.gov.sg) governs the company’s internal rules.

Common Mistakes Singapore Business Owners Make with Bizfile+

1. Using outdated login credentials Bizfile+ requires Singpass (for individuals) or Corppass (for authorised company users). Many founders attempt to log in with old credentials from before Corppass migration. If you are acting on behalf of a company, you need Corppass — not a personal Singpass.

2. Purchasing a business profile and expecting it to stay current A Bizfile+ business profile is a snapshot of a company’s records at the moment of purchase. It does not update automatically. If you are conducting due diligence, purchase a fresh profile as close to the transaction date as possible.

3. Assuming a Pte Ltd needs to renew its registration Private limited companies do not renew. Only sole proprietorships and partnerships have renewal obligations. Confusing the two leads to unnecessary worry — or worse, genuine late renewals for the entities that do require them.

4. Missing the annual return deadline ACRA does not send automatic reminders once you are overdue. The responsibility falls entirely on the company and its corporate secretary to track the deadline. A S$300–S$600 penalty is avoidable with basic calendar management.

5. Filing company updates without a corporate secretary Directors can technically log in and update company records themselves. In practice, incorrect filings — wrong share class, incorrect dates, missing resolutions — create compliance problems that are costly to rectify. Most SMEs delegate this to a qualified corporate secretary.

How Grof Helps You Handle Your ACRA Bizfile Filings

Managing Bizfile+ filings accurately annual returns, company updates, document purchases requires staying on top of deadlines and regulatory requirements that change regularly. Grof’s corporate secretarial team handles this on your behalf, from tracking your annual return due dates to ensuring every filing reaches ACRA correctly and on time.

Our team also assists with company incorporation through Bizfile+, liaising with ACRA directly so you can focus on running your business rather than navigating government portals.

Explore Grof’s Corporate Secretary Services →

Frequently Asked Questions