What is Unique Entity Number (UEN) in Singapore
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Unique Entity Number (UEN) is a 9 or 10 digit identification number that is issued by the government in Singapore to all entities that operate within the country.
Overview:
- Who will get a UEN?
- Who will be exempted form getting an UEN?
- Where can you get your UEN from?
- How do I find out an entity’s UEN?
- Benefits of UEN
Who will get a UEN?
After UEN was introduced in 2009, all entities that are registered in Singapore listed below need to have a UEN:
- Businesses
- Local companies
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- Societies
- Representative offices
- Healthcare institutions
- Trade unions
Do take note that your UEN is a permanent and unique number that cannot be changed if your business name changes. This unique number will also not be given to any other entity.
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Who will be exempted from getting a UEN?
UEN will not be issued to the following:
- Individuals (required to have their own identification number)
- Foreign-based companies with no interaction with local government agencies
- Sub-entities of a Singapore company classified as a branch
Do take note that some government agencies may choose to add sub-entity codes to UEN in their system if they need to identify and communicate with the branches.
Where can you get your UEN from?
Businesses and local companies that are registered with ACRA will retain their ACRA registration number as their UEN. You will get your UEN upon incorporation.
Below are the 3 UEN formats listed:
| Issued to | UEN format | |
| A | Businesses registered with ACRA | nnnnnnnnX (9 digits) |
| B | Local companies registered with ACRA | yyyynnnnnX (10 digits) |
| C | All other entities which will be issued new UEN | TyyPQnnnnX (10 digits) |
‘n’ = a number
‘P’= a alphabetical letter
‘Q’ = an alpha-numeric digit
‘PQ’ = Entity-type 2
‘Tyy’ / ‘Syy’ / ‘yyyy’= year of issuance 3
‘X’ = a check alphabet
For example, the UEN for a limited liability partnership (LLP)
formed on 1 January 2009 could be ‘T09LL0001B’.
if you are a foreign entity registered with ACRA, you will also be issued with a UEN with ACRA and it will look like TyyUFnnnnX.
Besides ACRA, there are many other UEN issuance agencies who are responsible for issuing the right UEN for all types of business entities. The agencies are listed below:
- The Ministry of Law;
- The International Enterprise Singapore;
- The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore;
- The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth;
- The Ministry of Defense;
- The Ministry of Education;
- The Ministry of Finance;
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- The Ministry of Health;
- The Ministry of Communications and Information;
- The Ministry of Manpower;
- The Ministry of National Development;
- The Monetary Authority;
- The People’s Association;
- The Registry of Societies;
- The Singapore Land Authority.
How do I find out an entity’s UEN?
If you are looking for another company’s UEN that has been registered with ACRA, you can search for it via the directory search here. Upon searching, you will get to see the UEN, company name, UEN status, UEN issuance agency, entity type and partial address will appear on the website.
If the company is not registered with ACRA but other agencies (listed above), you can use the same directory search to find out more information.
Benefits of UEN
With a UEN, you can have a seamless interaction with government agencies. Be it filing your corporate tax returns or applying for import/export permits, you do not have to use various numbers to interact with different government agencies. The only number that you would need is your UEN.
What now?
Well it’s simple! If you have any questions about getting your business started, get them all answered by having a free consultation call with our experts.
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