What is a UEN?
Singapore's Unique Entity Number (UEN) is the permanent, government-issued identifier for every registered business — the corporate equivalent of an NRIC.
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The Standard Identifier for Singapore Entities
Introduced in 2009, the UEN replaced the patchwork of different registration numbers that businesses had to maintain across multiple government agencies. Today, one number — your UEN — is used for everything from filing corporate taxes to registering for PayNow Corporate.
Every entity registered with ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) or another authorised issuance agency receives a UEN. For ACRA-registered businesses and companies, the ACRA registration number is the UEN.
UEN Formats
There are three distinct formats depending on the entity type and when it was registered.
Businesses registered with ACRA (pre-2009)
Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and businesses registered before the UEN system launched.
Pattern: nnnnnnnnX · Example: 12345678A
Local Companies (Pte Ltd, Ltd)
Companies incorporated with ACRA after 2009 — the year is baked directly into the UEN.
Pattern: yyyynnnnnX · Example: 199012345X
All Other Registered Entities
LLPs, foreign companies, societies, representative offices, and other entities issued after 2009.
Pattern: TyyPQnnnnX · Example: T08LL1234A (LLP)
| Format | Length | Pattern | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 9 | nnnnnnnnX | Businesses registered with ACRA before 2009 |
| B | 10 | yyyynnnnnX | Local companies (Pte Ltd, Ltd) incorporated after 2009 |
| C | 10 | TyyPQnnnnX | LLPs, foreign companies, societies, representative offices, and all other entities |
Entity Type Codes (PQ)
In Format C UENs (TyyPQnnnnX), the two-letter PQ segment indicates the entity type. Common codes include:
| Code | Entity Type | Issuing Agency | Example UEN |
|---|---|---|---|
| LL | Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) | ACRA | T08LL0001A |
| LP | Limited Partnership | ACRA | T09LP0001B |
| FC | Foreign Company | ACRA | T10FC0001C |
| RF | Representative Office of Foreign Company | Enterprise Singapore (ESG) | T11RF0001D |
| NB | Miscellaneous / Other Entities | Various agencies | T12NB0001E |
The full list of entity type codes is maintained by ACRA. The codes above represent the most commonly encountered types.
Who Issues the UEN?
ACRA issues most UENs, but other government agencies are also authorised to issue UENs to the specific entity types they govern.
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority
Businesses, local companies, LLPs, limited partnerships, foreign companies
Registry of Societies
Societies, clans, welfare organisations, religious groups
Enterprise Singapore
Representative offices of foreign companies, foreign trade associations
Ministry of Law, Ministry of Defence, MUIS, and more
Foreign law practices, foreign military units, foreign madrasahs
Where Must a UEN Be Displayed?
Singapore law requires entities to display their UEN on a range of official documents and communications.
How to Look Up a Company's UEN
Find any Singapore company's UEN in under a minute using SGP Directory — powered by official ACRA data.
Visit the Singapore Business Directory
Go to sgpdirectory.com/search or click Search in the navigation bar.
Enter the company name or partial UEN
Type the legal company name, a keyword, or a known UEN into the search box.
Read the UEN from the results
The UEN appears next to every company name in the results list — no account required.
Verify the registration status
Click the entity profile to confirm its ACRA status, entity type, and incorporation date.
What Can You Do with a UEN?
Beyond identification, the UEN unlocks access to essential business services.
Government Digital Services
Log in to GovTech platforms, CorpPass, and all other government digital services using your UEN as the entity identifier.
Corporate Tax Filing
IRAS uses the UEN to process corporate income tax returns, GST registration, and other tax matters.
Import & Export Permits
Singapore Customs and TradeNet require the UEN for all import/export permit applications.
PayNow Corporate
Link your UEN to your business bank account to receive instant PayNow payments without sharing account numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UEN in Singapore?▾
A Unique Entity Number (UEN) is Singapore's standard, permanent identification number for all registered business entities — the corporate equivalent of a citizen's NRIC. It is a 9- or 10-character alphanumeric code issued by ACRA or another authorised government agency.
What are the different UEN formats?▾
There are three formats. Format A (9-digit, nnnnnnnnX) is for businesses registered with ACRA before 2009. Format B (10-digit, yyyynnnnnX) is for local companies like Pte Ltd incorporated after 2009, where the first 4 digits are the year of incorporation. Format C (10-digit, TyyPQnnnnX) is for all other entities — LLPs, foreign companies, societies, representative offices — where T is a prefix, yy is the 2-digit year, PQ is a 2-letter entity type code, and X is a check alphabet.
Is the ACRA registration number the same as the UEN?▾
Yes. For businesses and local companies registered with ACRA, the ACRA registration number is the UEN. It also doubles as the entity's GST registration number once the entity is GST-registered.
Can I change my UEN?▾
No. A UEN is permanent and cannot be changed, even when the business name changes. It stays with the entity for its entire registered life. If you want a different UEN, you would need to dissolve the entity and register a new one.
What is a Special UEN (SUN)?▾
A Special UEN (SUN) is a reserved, memorable UEN that entities can choose for an additional fee during incorporation or registration. It follows the same format rules but lets the entity owner pick a distinctive number sequence — for example, one ending in 8888.
Which entities are exempt from having a UEN?▾
Entities are generally exempt if they only have one-off or occasional interactions with government agencies, are offshore companies with no local government interactions, or are branches/divisions of an existing Singapore entity (which uses the parent's UEN instead).
What happens if I don't display my UEN on official documents?▾
Failing to display the UEN on required documents such as invoices, letterheads, and business signs can result in penalties under Singapore law. All registered entities should ensure their UEN appears on every required communication.
How do I verify a company's UEN?▾
You can search for any Singapore company by name or UEN on SGP Directory (sgpdirectory.com/search), which is powered by official ACRA data. The results show the entity's UEN, registration status, entity type, and incorporation date.
Look up any Singapore company
Search our database of over 500,000 ACRA-registered entities. Get the UEN, registration status, entity type, and more — instantly.
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