Every business needs a name to differentiate itself from other businesses.
Choosing a name
Once you have chosen a suitable name for your business, conduct a search on Bizfile to determine if the name is available. When selecting a name, avoid those that are:
- Identical to an existing business.
- Undesirable (e.g. vulgar, obscene, or offensive).
- Prohibited by order of the Minister for Finance.
Note: Please read ACRA's Policy Statement on the Treatment of Business Names and Name Complaints (PDF, 433KB) for more guidelines on the selection of names.
Registering a name
You must first register a business name via Bizfile before you can register your business entity. The name application costs $15. After the name application is approved, the name will be reserved for 120 days. If you do not proceed to register the business or incorporate the company within this period, the reservation will expire and the name will be released for anyone to register.
Some name applications may be referred to Referral Authorities for approval. For example, if your proposed business name includes the word “school”, it may be referred to the Ministry of Education.
Find out more about Referral Authorities.
If you intend to apply for charity status, visit the Charity Portal for more information on the naming criteria and other guidelines.
Specifying your business activity
As part of the name application, you must specify the primary and secondary activities of your business by choosing the most relevant Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) code corresponding to your intended business activity.
The SSIC is the national standard developed by the Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) to classify all registered firms into their respective industries based on their principal economic activity.
