Certificate of Incorporation

A certificate of incorporation is an official document issued by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) confirming that a company has been incorporated in Singapore. On Bizfile it is listed as the “Certificate Confirming Incorporation of Company”.

Notice of incorporation vs certificate

When a company registration is approved, ACRA sends a Notice of successful incorporation, the company’s UEN, and a link to download a free Business Profile. These are not the same as the certificate.

The certificate is a separate document that an authorised company officer or representative purchases through Bizfile, under Buy Information. It is issued digitally only, and ACRA does not provide paper copies.

What it shows

The certificate confirms the company’s name, UEN, company type and date of incorporation.

When you need it

You may be asked for the signed certificate when:

• Opening a corporate bank account
• Applying for loans or financing
• Dealing with overseas banks, authorities or counterparties
• Proving the company’s legal existence in a commercial transaction

For most day-to-day checks, the free Business Profile or a Bizfile entity search is enough.

Checking a certificate

ACRA-issued certificates can be checked against ACRA’s records. Anyone doing due diligence can also confirm a company’s status through Bizfile’s entity search.

HeySara’s incorporation service handles registration through Bizfile and can arrange the certificate for you.