Register of Nominee Shareholders (RONS)

The Register of Nominee Shareholders (RONS) is a record companies must maintain identifying shareholders who hold shares on behalf of someone else — known as the nominator. Alongside the Register of Nominee Directors (ROND), it helps mitigate money-laundering risks, enhance transparency in company ownership and control, and prevent misuse of nominee arrangements.

Who counts as a nominee shareholder

A shareholder is a nominee if they either vote according to someone else’s instructions, or receive dividend payments on behalf of another person. A nominee shareholder must inform the company of their status — on the date of incorporation if already a nominee, or within 30 days of becoming one afterward.

Who must comply

Unless exempted, all companies and foreign companies must set up and maintain a private RONS and file with ACRA’s Central RONS. This applies even if the company has no nominee shareholders, or is dormant or undergoing winding up, striking off, receivership, or judicial management.

Exempted companies

Exemptions apply to listed public companies, Singapore financial institutions, government-owned companies, statutory body-owned companies, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the above, and companies listed on an overseas exchange subject to equivalent disclosure standards. Exempted companies still must inform ACRA of their exempt status via ACRA’s Update Registers eService, and declare the exemption when filing annual returns.

Maintaining your RONS

No annual update is needed if nothing has changed. Private registers must be updated within 7 days of any of these events: a shareholder becomes or ceases to be a nominee, or a nominator’s particulars change. The company must then file the update with the Central RONS within 2 business days of updating the private register.

Central RONS filing deadlines

ACRA has maintained a Central RONS (alongside a Central ROND) since 16 June 2025. Filing deadlines:

• Companies incorporated before 16 June 2025: first-time filing due by 31 December 2025
• Companies incorporated from 16 June 2025: filing is due the same day the company incorporates, via Bizfile
• Any update to an existing filing: within 2 business days

No extensions are available for ROND/RONS filings. Missing the deadline can lead to prosecution and fines of up to $25,000.

What’s public

When nominee information is filed with ACRA, the nominee status appears publicly in the company’s Business Profile — but the underlying RONS/ROND details themselves aren’t available for public purchase.

Setting up and maintaining a compliant RONS — and meeting the Central RONS filing deadlines — is exactly the kind of ongoing obligation HeySara’s corporate secretarial service manages for clients.