Oxaide Research • 28 Sep 2026
BizFile company search: free lookup in 2 minutes
BizFile is ACRA's official company search. Free, no account, two minutes. This walkthrough covers the exact steps, what each result field means, the name-vs-UEN mistakes that waste your S$5.50 later, and what to do after a hit.
Search any company in 4 steps
- Go to bizfile.gov.sg. No login needed for search. (Old guides call it BizFile+; the portal relaunched as BizFile in December 2024.)
- Enter the UEN if you have it. Exact, one result. Otherwise enter the company name and pick the match type carefully; name search returns lookalikes.
- Read the result row: registered name, UEN, status (Live / Struck Off / others), entity type. Open the entity for address and activities.
- Copy the UEN from the result, not from memory. Then compare it against your quotation, invoice and bank payee, character for character.
Shortcut: our free UEN lookup returns the same identity layer. Name, status, type, incorporation date. Without the portal's search form. Use either; never skip the match step.
What each free result field tells you
| Field | What it means | Buyer action |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | The legal name. Often differs from the shop sign or website brand | Must match invoice + bank payee exactly |
| UEN | The single identifier across ACRA, IRAS and corporate PayNow | Copy from result; use for all further checks |
| Status | Live, Struck Off, dissolved, cancelled and others | Only Live on payment day counts. Recheck, don't trust memory |
| Entity type | Pte Ltd, sole proprietorship, partnership, LLP and others | Decides who bears the debt and how you recover |
| Address + activities | Registered address and SSIC business activity codes | Check fit with the job; residential + bulk supply = ask questions |
The 3 search mistakes that cost money
- Searching by name, stopping at the first lookalike. Similar trading names with different UENs are the norm. Always confirm the UEN matches your invoice. There is no refund if you then buy the wrong S$5.50 profile.
- Reading a cached third-party summary instead of the register. Old statuses linger on aggregator sites. The free BizFile result is authoritative and takes the same two minutes.
- Treating Live as a clean bill of health. Live proves existence, not honesty, solvency, or GST registration. Officers, charges, filings, GST and payee match are separate checks. See below.
After the free hit. What next?
- Need officers, shareholders, capital? That's the S$5.50 business profile. Buy it for the exact UEN you just confirmed.
- Invoice charges GST? Run the free GST checker. A live UEN does not mean GST-registered.
- Paying a deposit? Follow the full legitimacy routine. Payee match, charges, reviews, staged payments.
- Want it read for you? The S$49 quick check answers whether records support paying that payee now, cited, in about 5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions about BizFile search
Is BizFile company search free?
Yes. Name, UEN, status, type, address and activities, no account. Only profiles and extracts cost money.
Should I search BizFile by name or UEN?
By UEN. It's exact. Name search returns lookalikes; always confirm the result UEN matches your invoice.
What is the difference between BizFile and BizFile+?
BizFile is the current portal (December 2024 relaunch); BizFile+ was its predecessor. Same register underneath.
The company shows Live. Is it safe to pay?
Live proves existence only. Match name and UEN against invoice and payee, read officers and charges, verify GST, or order a S$49 cited check first.
Research, not advice. Portal flow per ACRA's published guides; confirm specifics on BizFile before acting.