ACRA Company Name Search — How It Works

ACRA company name search: what it actually checks

When a buyer in Singapore runs an acra company name search, the official starting point is BizFile entity search, described in the ACRA guide to BizFile search functions as the free route to check basic information such as live status and registered address. You do not need to log in for that first check, which makes it practical to screen a supplier, subcontractor, or takeover target before you request a paid profile. For a fuller pre-deal routine, pair this page with the BizFile company search guide and the check company legitimate Singapore guide.

Scale matters because similar names are common. The ACRA register snapshot (data.gov.sg, monthly) used for this guide counts 624,271 live companies within 2,124,508 total entities, alongside 523,699 struck-off records in the October 2026 cut. Those figures explain why a short keyword such as marine, dental, or logistics can return long result lists, and why buyers should move from a broad partial search to an exact UEN-anchored check before paying a deposit or signing. The live count changes as new entities register and others are struck off, so treat any name result as a point-in-time signal and confirm status again close to payment.

A registry mirror cannot tell you whether to trust a counterparty, and neither can a name hit alone. The free search confirms that a name exists on the register and whether its status reads live, but it does not show directors, shareholders, capital, charges, filing history, or whether the business at that address still answers the phone. ACRA frames the free entity search as step one of a basic risk assessment, followed by a paid Business Profile for detail, which is the same sequence a careful buyer should follow for any material order, tenancy deposit, renovation contract, or acquisition approach. See also the company background check Singapore guide for what comes after the name hit.

• Free entity search shows current entity name, UEN, entity type, live status, and registered address detail sufficient for an initial match.
• Free search does not show officers, shareholders, financial statements, compliance history, or former names in full.
• A live status means the entity remains on the register on the search date, not that it is solvent, active at its address, or authorised for a regulated activity.
• A missing name can mean a spelling variant, a former name, a reserved but unregistered name, or an unregistered trading name rather than proof of non-existence.
• Always anchor the final decision to the UEN with the UEN check tool, because names can change while the UEN stays with the entity.

Exact versus partial search: Name containing, Name starting with, and UEN

BizFile offers four search functions covering entities, industry, people, and reserved names, and buyers will use entity search most. Under Keyword match type, ACRA documents three name modes plus a UEN mode: Name containing for a broad sweep, Name starting with for a narrowed prefix, Name exact match for a precise string, and UEN including previous UEN for the definitive record. That choice is the difference between spotting lookalike entities and missing them. Start broad when you suspect variant spellings, then finish exact and UEN-based when you need to name the correct counterparty in a purchase order or agreement.

Consider a fictional example such as Merlion Marine Services Pte. Ltd., labelled here as a fictional example. A Name containing query for Merlion Marine may surface Merlion Marine, Merlion Marine Services, Merlion Marine Engineering, and similarly prefixed businesses across entity types, while Name starting with trims suffix noise and Name exact match tests one full legal name. If the quotation shows a UEN, search that UEN directly, including previous UEN where offered, because a company that converted structure or changed its name can still be traced through its number. When the name on the invoice differs by even one word from the registry result, pause and ask for the current Business Profile before you transfer funds.

ACRA-registered entities covered by entity search include companies, foreign companies, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, public accounting firms, and variable capital companies, alongside registered business names such as sole proprietorships and partnerships. Suffixes matter here: Pte Ltd, Ltd, LLP, LP, and VCC each imply a different liability and continuity regime, so a near-identical name with a different suffix is a different legal counterparty. Browse live examples through registered companies and recent additions via new companies to see how suffix and UEN combine to identify the correct entity.

1. Run Name containing on the distinctive core words, without Pte Ltd, Singapore, Asia, or International, to catch lookalikes.
2. Run Name starting with on the full opening phrase to filter to the relevant family of names.
3. Run Name exact match on the full legal name as printed on the quotation, plus a UEN search to lock the record.
4. Compare status, entity type, and registered address across hits, then buy the Business Profile for the single UEN you intend to pay.

Availability is not registrability: why ACRA can still reject a clear name

Finding no exact hit does not guarantee that ACRA will approve your proposed name. ACRA separates the informal availability look-up from the formal name application decision, and its choosing a business name rules direct applicants to avoid names that are identical to an existing or reserved name, undesirable through vulgar, obscene, or offensive terms, or similar to government bodies and names protected by legislation such as Temasek. Identical is assessed in substance, not only letter for letter, so adding a generic trailing word rarely rescues a name whose distinctive core collides with an existing registration.

A second filter is referral. If the name contains a controlled word or implies a regulated activity, ACRA may route the application to a referral authority for clearance. The choosing page uses school with possible referral to the Ministry of Education as its worked example and notes that referral can add 14 to 60 days to processing, while the referral authorities guide notes review which may take up to 15 working days depending on agency and SSIC code. Words that suggest architecture, banking, education, finance, law, media, medicine, property agency, or a regulated profession deserve an early check against that referral list before you print stationery, sign a lease in the new name, or promise a launch date to customers.

The formal step is the name application on BizFile, covered in the reserving a business name via BizFile guide and the applying for a new business entity name guide. ACRA lists the application fee as 15 dollars, non-refundable if the name is unavailable, rejected, or withdrawn, and an approved name is reserved for up to 120 days while you complete incorporation or registration. Buyers rarely file this step, yet the 120-day window explains an odd search result: a name that looks taken today may be a reserved but unincorporated name that later lapses, while a name that looks free today may already be under application. For founders, run trademark and domain checks in parallel, because ACRA approval does not clear infringement risk.

• Identical or confusingly similar to a live or reserved name, after generic suffixes and place words are discounted.
• Undesirable, offensive, misleading about legal form, or implying government sponsorship or a regulated licence.
• Protected or directed against registration, including names similar to statutory bodies or reserved words such as Temasek.
• Referral-triggering words or SSIC codes that need another agency approval before ACRA can decide.
• Already reserved by another applicant within the 120-day hold, even though no incorporated entity yet appears.

What a name hit tells you before you pay, sign, or meet

For a buyer, the name hit is a triage tool. A live company with a stable UEN, a plausible Singapore registered address, and a name that matches the quotation letter for letter is a green light to proceed to document checks. A live business name with cancelled, ceased, or struck-off history, a recently changed name, or an address that does not match the site you visited is a cue to slow down and verify. Cross-check the struck-off population through struck-off entities and read the ACRA business profile guide before you treat any free result as diligence.

ACRA prices the next layer clearly in its information products guide: Business Profile at 5.50 dollars, Corporate Compliance and Financial Profile at 50 dollars, People Profile at 33 dollars, and Extracts from 11 dollars. The buying a Business Profile guide adds that delivery is typically within 15 minutes and that there are no refunds for incorrect purchases, which is why UEN-anchored searching matters. The Business Profile answers buyer questions the free hit cannot: incorporation or registration date, former names, officers and owners or partners, registered address, principal activities with SSIC codes, and capital structure for companies. The basic risk assessment guide then advises buyers to confirm live status and a contactable registered address, and to exercise caution where the counterparty cannot be reached there.

Name signals also catch common Singapore deal pitfalls. A renovation or fit-out quote in a personal name while the BizFile hit shows a Pte Ltd with a different spelling may indicate that the contracting party is unclear. A supplier that recently switched from a sole proprietorship to a new Pte Ltd with a similar name may have reset its contracting history, so warranties, deposits, and retention terms should reference the new UEN explicitly. A foreign company branch name that omits its home jurisdiction detail on the invoice should be reconciled to the registry spelling before any Letter of Award. In each case the fix is inexpensive: confirm the exact legal name and UEN, buy the profile for that UEN, and write that spelling into the payment and contract records.

• Mismatch between invoice name, bank account name, and registry legal name is a stop-and-clarify flag.
• Frequent name changes, recent incorporation, or a residential-style address may be legitimate but warrant staged payments.
• Regulated words in the name without a matching licence reference warrant an extra check with the sector regulator.
• Where the deal value justifies it, add the Corporate Compliance and Financial Profile and past Extracts to the file.

Entity types and suffixes that change your risk

The suffix at the end of a BizFile hit changes who you can sue, who owns the assets, and what survives if an owner exits. A private limited company, shown as Pte Ltd, is a separate legal person from its directors and shareholders, while a public company limited by shares or by guarantee, shown as Ltd or with guarantee language, follows company law with different capital and governance consequences. For buyers this separation is usually protective, because the contract sits with the company rather than an individual, provided you have named the correct company and UEN in the order and paid its account rather than a personal account.

Partnership forms behave differently. A limited liability partnership, shown as LLP, gives the firm separate personality with partners shielded from firm debts in the ordinary course, whereas a general partnership and a sole proprietorship, often shown without a corporate suffix, leave the owners personally exposed and dissolve more easily on exit or death. A limited partnership, shown as LP, blends general and limited partners and is common in fund and holding structures rather than high street contracting. A variable capital company, shown as VCC, is an investment fund vehicle under its own regime, and a foreign company branch is an extension of an overseas parent rather than a standalone Singapore company. When a fictional example such as Orchard Tuition Hub LLP, labelled as a fictional example, quotes alongside Orchard Tuition Hub Pte. Ltd., also a fictional example, treat them as distinct counterparties and diligence the one that will sign.

Status history completes the suffix read. The 523,699 struck-off records in the October 2026 snapshot cut underline how often entities exit the register, whether after a formal strike-off, a business cessation, or a conversion to a new vehicle. A live hit with a clean continuity story is stronger than a live hit that reuses a recently struck-off name with a new UEN and no explanation. Use company records, new incorporations, and struck-off records together with UEN validation and GST registration checks to place the name hit in its full lifecycle before you agree to credit terms.

• Pte Ltd and Ltd: separate company person; confirm officers, capital, and filing currency in the Business Profile.
• LLP: separate firm person; confirm partners and managers and who holds authority to bind the firm.
• LP, sole proprietorship, and partnership: owner-linked risk; confirm the individuals behind the registration.
• Foreign company and VCC: specialist forms; confirm home registration or fund status and the Singapore signing authority.

ACRA company name search FAQs

These answers summarise the registry mechanics buyers ask about most when a name search sits on the critical path to payment or signing. They assume Singapore law and the current BizFile search design, where free entity search precedes any paid profile.

Is the ACRA company name search free

Yes for the basic entity search. ACRA states that BizFile free search functions show basic information such as status and registered address without login, which is enough to confirm live existence and to shortlist the correct UEN. Detail such as officers, owners, activities, and history requires a paid product, starting with the Business Profile at 5.50 dollars as listed in the information products guide.

If my exact name query returns nothing, can the name be registered

Not necessarily. A clear exact search is encouraging, but ACRA may still reject the formal application as identical in substance, undesirable, protected, or requiring referral clearance. Generic additions such as Singapore, Asia, International, or a different suffix rarely overcome a collision on the distinctive core. File the 15-dollar name application and await approval rather than treating the free search as permission to trade.

How long is an approved Singapore business name reserved

Up to 120 days from approval, as set out in the reserving via BizFile guidance. Use that window to complete incorporation or registration, and expect the fee to be non-refundable if you withdraw or let the hold lapse. A name that appears unavailable today may therefore reflect a live reservation rather than a live company.

Can two entities hold the same name with different suffixes

In general ACRA will treat the distinctive name as identical despite different legal endings, so Atlas Ventures Pte Ltd and Atlas Ventures LLP with the same core would normally collide. Minor punctuation, spacing, or generic word differences do not reliably distinguish names. Where you see close variants live on the register, assume a crowded namespace and pick a more distinctive core plus a trademark search.

What should a buyer do when the supplier name does not match the UEN

Stop the payment and reconcile in writing. Ask the supplier to state its current registered legal name and UEN exactly as shown on BizFile, re-run the UEN search yourself, and buy the Business Profile for that UEN before you amend the purchase order. Where the bank account name still differs from the registry name, request evidence of the account holder relationship or pay only the verified legal entity. The legitimacy checklist and Business Profile explainer show the document sequence.

For any material commitment, keep the sequence tight: broad partial search to find lookalikes, exact and UEN search to isolate the counterparty, paid profile to confirm officers and activities, and contract language that repeats the registry spelling and UEN. That routine costs little and prevents the most common Singapore deal error, which is paying the right amount to the wrongly named entity.

• Confirm the UEN with the UEN check tool before every first payment.
• Review officers and activities via the Business Profile guide and background check guide.
• Screen new and exited names through new companies and struck-off records.