List of entities to notify when you change your registered address in Singapore?
4 minute read
When businesses in Singapore change their address, they have to notify a couple of entities. We’ve compiled a list of entities you need to notify when you change your registered address, why, and how you can tell them about it.
Overview:
- ACRA and IRAS
- Ministry of Manpower
- Other government agencies
- Your bank
- Your suppliers
- Your investors
- Your customers/followers
ACRA and IRAS
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is an arm of the Ministry of Finance of the Singapore government. In a nutshell, ACRA is tasked as the national regulator of corporate service providers, business entities, and public accountants in Singapore. Anything that is related to businesses and their operations usually falls under the jurisdiction of ACRA. As such, they keep a database of all the businesses in Singapore.
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is another arm of the Ministry of Finance that focus mostly on tax collection.
While you do need to update your registered address on both departments, you can do it in one shot by going to www.bizfile.gov.sg. A change in the ACRA Bizfile database will reflect on the IRAS file on a weekly basis. For example, any changes made during 3 March 2019 to 9 March 2019 will be updated by 15 March 2019.
However, if you need to do a change of address in IRAS for urgent matters (like receiving a tax refund or correspondence from IRAS soon), you can send over an email via the myTax Mail that contains the documents/information like:
- Tax reference number of the company
- Name of the company
- New Address as updated with ACRA
No other supporting documents will be needed to be sent to IRAS.
Ministry of Manpower
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore, handles labour policies and everything labour/workforce related in Singapore. For startups in Singapore that have foreign workers or are owned by a foreigner, you need to acquire an Employment Pass (EP) first before being allowed to work.
If there is a change in the company’s registered address, you should also update your EP as well. To do this, you need to go to EP Online and update your address. If you are a CPF account holder, you also need to inform and update the CPF board about the change in registered address.
Other government agencies
Once you have updated your registered address on ACRA, If you would like the mailing address to be changed to your new registered address, you may wish to liaise with the respective agency for the changes.
Your bank
Once you have updated your registered address on ACRA, If you would like the mailing address to be changed to your new registered address, you may wish to contact your respective bank(s) to have that updated for you.
Your suppliers
If you have had a change in address, it’s best to let your suppliers know as soon as possible. This is to make sure they can easily adjust their schedule in delivering what they are supposed to do for you on time without having to disrupt their routine.
Your investors
While they might be one of the first people to know of a potential move, sending out a document informing when and where you are moving is always a good move. Be reminded that not all your investors check on your business on a daily basis. Majority of bigger investors get updates every now and then while there are others who get a monthly report.
This not only shows the respect you have for your investors but also reassures them of their importance in your business.
Your customers/followers
While this varies from one business to another, informing your followers (on your website or social media) and prospective customers is necessary. You wouldn’t want them going to the old office when you’ve already shifted, right? Informing them is also important if you often receive documents from your clients which may get messy if they send a document to your old address and get the document sent back due to the wrong address.
First, change your address on your website. Next, change your address and announce your transfer on your social media accounts. Lastly, you might want to check for any listings you have on online directories and update accordingly. Make sure that all the places where your company appears, has the correct and updated address.
Next steps
At Sleek, we offer registered address services. This makes life way easier for founders who are setting up in Singapore from overseas. All your mail will be scanned and uploaded directly to your Sleek dashboard. Get in touch to find out more.
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