Licenses and Permits
Depending on the type business you would like set up in Singapore, it is sometimes necessary to obtain a license and/or permit when you register your business with Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). ACRA’s automated system will indicate if another approving authority is required to grant a license or permit during the application for name approval.
Although most businesses do not require licenses or permits to operate, there are a handful that do as they are regulated by the approving authorities. Some of these are private schools, travel agencies, liquor distributors, moneylenders, banks, childcare centres, importers/exporters, wholesalers and retailers of liquors.
For more information on how to apply for licenses and permits for your business please email us or call our Business License Specialist at +(65) 6438 8887.
We have also included a series of articles on the setup of various types of businesses and where to obtain the necessary licenses and permits to operate.
For a quick guide to find out the approving authority for a specific business, please refer to our Referral Authority Chart below.
| Cases Requiring Referrals | Referral Authority |
|---|---|
| If company name or service is related to architectural services | Board of Architects (BOA) |
| If company name or activities are related to real estate. | Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) |
| If company name or activities are related to commodities futures trading, brokerage, clearing etc. | International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore) |
| If the proposed activities involve community services for the elderly, families, youths, disabled and children | Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) |
| If the proposed business name contains terms such as “Military” or “Defense”. | Ministry of Defense – Defense Technology and Resource Office |
| Organization rendering educational or training services of academic nature. Names of such establishments containing terms such as ‘college’, ‘national’, ‘Singapore’, ‘university’ etc. | Ministry of Education – Private Schools Section |
| If the proposed name contains the acronym ASEAN | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| If the proposed company is to be engaged in financial services and with name containing terms related to financial services such as ‘Bank’ ‘Futures Exchange’, ‘Clearing House’ and ‘Securities Exchange’ or other similar terms | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) |
| If the name and activities contain or involve “Islam” and “Muslim” | Majlis Ugama Islam of Singapore (MUIS) |
| If the business activities are related to arms, explosive chemicals and ammunition | Singapore Police Force – Licensing Division |
| If the proposed name or tourism related activities involve the term “Merlion” | Singapore Tourism Board (STB) |
| If the proposed name or activities are related to law or legal services | The Law Society of Singapore |
Certain business activities require prior approval from the relevant authorities before registration with ACRA:
| Cases Requiring Referrals | Referral Authority |
|---|---|
| If the proposed name and activities contain accounting services | Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (ICPAS) |
| If the proposed name and activities contain the term “Co-op” or “Co-operative” | Registry of Co-operative Societies |
| If the proposed name and activities contain the terms ‘Medical’ or ‘Clinic’ | Ministry of Health (MOH) |