Companies Act 1967 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Administration of This Act
12. Registers
Last amended by an amending law of 2025. 3 amendments in all.
Official textFrom Singapore Statutes Online, unchanged
The Registrar is, subject to this Act, to keep such registers as the Registrar considers necessary in such form as he or she thinks fit.
Registrar
“Registrar” means the Registrar of Companies appointed under this Act and includes any Deputy or Assistant Registrar of Companies;
Any person may, on payment of the prescribed fee —
[Deleted by Act 24 of 2025 wef 06/05/2026]
subject to subsection (2AA), require a copy of the notice of incorporation of a company, any certificate issued under this Act, any document or extract from any document kept by the Registrar to be given or certified by the Registrar;
have access to any register of directors, chief executive officers, secretaries or auditors of a company kept by the Registrar under section 173(1) by obtaining a copy of or an extract from it; or
have access to the electronic register of members of a private company kept by the Registrar under section 196A by obtaining a copy of or an extract from it.
A certificate of confirmation of incorporation mentioned in section 17(9) or 19(7) may only be issued to the company upon an application made in accordance with those provisions.
company
“company” means a company incorporated under this Act or under any corresponding previous written law;
Subsection (2)(b) does not apply to any document prescribed as an excluded document for the purposes of this subsection.
document
“document” includes summons, order and other legal process, and notice and register;
Where a document is submitted on or after the date of commencement of section 28 of the ACRA (Registry and Regulatory Enhancements) Act 2024 using a form on the electronic transaction system, the references to the document in subsection (2)(b) exclude the following entries in the form:
a means of notification provided by a person for the purposes of section 28A(1)(b) of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004;
Authority
“Authority” means the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority established under the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004;
an individual’s date of birth obtained under this Act or section 28(1A) of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004;
any other prescribed information.
Subsection (2)(b) and (d) does not apply to such exempt private company that is wholly owned by the Government as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, specify where the Minister considers that it would not be in the public interest for —
exempt private company
“exempt private company” means —(a)a private company in the shares of which no beneficial interest is held directly or indirectly by any corporation and which has not more than 20 members; or(b)any private company, being a private company that is wholly owned by the Government, which the Minister, in the national interest, declares by notification in the Gazette to be an exempt private company;
[Deleted by Act 24 of 2025 wef 06/05/2026]
any certificate or copy of or extract from any document relating to any such company to be given or certified to any member of the public.
Despite the cancellation of any notification mentioned in subsection (2A) in respect of a company, subsection (2)(b) and (d) does not apply to any document or certificate relating to that company that is filed or lodged with the Registrar, or issued under the Act, before the date of such cancellation, whether or not that company remains an exempt private company wholly owned by the Government, and whether or not it has been wound up.
filed
“filed” means filed under this Act or any corresponding previous written law;
Despite subsection (2), a director, chief executive officer, secretary, auditor or member of a company may, without charge —
director
“director” includes any person occupying the position of director of a corporation by whatever name called and includes a person in accordance with whose directions or instructions the directors or the majority of the directors of a corporation are accustomed to act and an alternate or substitute director;
[Deleted by Act 24 of 2025 wef 06/05/2026]
obtain from the Registrar a copy of or an extract from the register of directors, register of chief executive officers, register of secretaries and register of auditors of that company kept by the Registrar under section 173(1).
Despite subsection (2), a director, chief executive officer, secretary, auditor or member of a private company may, without charge —
chief executive officer
“chief executive officer”, in relation to a company, means any one or more persons, by whatever name described, who —(a)is in direct employment of, or acting for or by arrangement with, the company; and(b)is principally responsible for the management and conduct of the business of the company, or part of the business of the company, as the case may be;
[Deleted by Act 24 of 2025 wef 06/05/2026]
obtain from the Registrar a copy of or an extract from the register of members of that company kept by the Registrar under section 196A.
A copy of or an extract from any document (including a copy produced by way of microfilm) filed or lodged with the Registrar using a non‑electronic medium that is certified to be a true copy or extract by the Registrar is in any proceedings admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the original document.
lodged
“lodged” means lodged under this Act or any corresponding previous written law;
In any legal proceedings, a certificate issued by the Registrar that a requirement of this Act specified in the certificate —
had or had not been complied with at a date or within a period specified in the certificate; or
had been complied with upon a date specified in the certificate but not before that date,shall be received as prima facie evidence of the matters specified in the certificate.
If the Registrar is of the opinion that any document submitted to him or her —
contains any matter contrary to law;
by reason of any omission or misdescription has not been duly completed;
does not comply with the requirements of this Act; or
contains any error, alteration or erasure,he or she may refuse to register or receive the document and request that the document be appropriately amended or completed and resubmitted or that a fresh document be submitted in its place.
If the Registrar is of the opinion that it is no longer necessary or desirable to retain any document lodged, filed or registered with the Registrar and which has been microfilmed or converted to electronic form, the Registrar may —
registered
“registered” means registered under this Act or any corresponding previous enactment;
destroy the document with the authorisation of the National Library Board under section 17 of the National Library Board Act 1995; or
transfer the document to the National Archives of Singapore under section 16 of that Act.
In subsection (3), “non‑electronic medium” means a medium other than the electronic transaction system established under Part 6A of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004.
electronic transaction system
“electronic transaction system” means the electronic transaction system mentioned in section 12A(1);
Terms defined in this Act
Authority
Defined · s 4“Authority” means the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority established under the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004;
certified
Defined · s 4“certified”, in relation to a copy of a document, means certified in the prescribed manner to be a true copy of the document and, in relation to a translation of a document, means certified in the prescribed manner to be a correct translation of the document into the English language;
charge
Defined · s 4“charge” includes a mortgage and any agreement to give or execute a charge or mortgage whether upon demand or otherwise;
chief executive officer
Defined · s 4“chief executive officer”, in relation to a company, means any one or more persons, by whatever name described, who —(a)is in direct employment of, or acting for or by arrangement with, the company; and(b)is principally responsible for the management and conduct of the business of the company, or part of the business of the company, as the case may be;
company
Defined · s 4“company” means a company incorporated under this Act or under any corresponding previous written law;
director
Defined · s 4“director” includes any person occupying the position of director of a corporation by whatever name called and includes a person in accordance with whose directions or instructions the directors or the majority of the directors of a corporation are accustomed to act and an alternate or substitute director;
document
Defined · s 4“document” includes summons, order and other legal process, and notice and register;
electronic transaction system
Defined · s 4“electronic transaction system” means the electronic transaction system mentioned in section 12A(1);
exempt private company
Defined · s 4“exempt private company” means —(a)a private company in the shares of which no beneficial interest is held directly or indirectly by any corporation and which has not more than 20 members; or(b)any private company, being a private company that is wholly owned by the Government, which the Minister, in the national interest, declares by notification in the Gazette to be an exempt private company;
filed
Defined · s 4“filed” means filed under this Act or any corresponding previous written law;
lodged
Defined · s 4“lodged” means lodged under this Act or any corresponding previous written law;
member of the public
Defined · s 386AB“member of the public” includes —(a)in the case of a company — any member of the company acting in the member’s capacity as such; and(b)in the case of a foreign company — any member of the foreign company acting in the member’s capacity as such;
private company
Defined · s 4“private company” means —(a)any company which immediately prior to 29 December 1967 was a private company under the provisions of the repealed written laws;(b)any company incorporated as a private company by virtue of section 18; or(c)any company converted into a private company pursuant to section 31(1),being a company which has not ceased to be a private company under section 31 or 32;
register
Defined · s 386AB“register of controllers” or “register” —(a)in relation to a company to which this Part applies — means the register that the company is required to keep of its registrable controllers under section 386AF(1), (1A), (2) or (3); and(b)in relation to a foreign company to which this Part applies — means the register that the foreign company is required to keep of its registrable controllers under section 386AF(4), (4A), (5) or (6);
registered
Defined · s 4“registered” means registered under this Act or any corresponding previous enactment;
Registrar
Defined · s 4“Registrar” means the Registrar of Companies appointed under this Act and includes any Deputy or Assistant Registrar of Companies;
Part 3
Constitution of Companies
Part 4
Shares, Debentures and Charges
Part 5
Management and Administration
Part 6
Financial Statements and Audit
Part 7
Arrangements, Reconstructions and Amalgamations
Part 8
Part 8A
Part 9
Investigations
Part 10
Dissolution
Part 10A
Transfer of Registration
Part 11
Various Types of Companies, Etc.
Part 11A
Register of Controllers, Nominee Directors and Nominee Shareholders of Companies
Part 12