To start a business in Singapore, you need to have a UEN. It stands for Unique entity number. The Singapore government issues a UEN to every business owner dealing with the government agencies of Singapore. Here is a complete guide about this 9 to 10-digit code. Keep reading!
What does UEN mean?
UEN is a number provided by ACRA (Accounting and corporate regulatory authority) to recognize businesses working in the lion region. ACRA is a statutory board of Singapore. It regulates the public service provider, public accountants, and business entities of Singapore.
In 2009, ACRA made it necessary to use UEN for every business in Singapore. Before that, Companies had to go through other registration methods. The UEN meaning, in a nutshell, is a character code that comprises 9 to 10 digits. Its main objective is to help business entities with several private and government agencies with a standard recognition number.
Entities in Singapore that mandatorily need a UEN:
All the local organizations and companies that got their registration before 2009 could use the ACRA registration numbers as their unique entity number. Now, these following entities mandatorily need a UEN.
- Branch office
- Healthcare organizations
- Trade union
- LLPs or Limited representative offices
- Society
- Businesses
- All the representative offices
- Local Companies
Who are not eligible to get a UEN?
The individuals and companies mentioned below are exempted from having a unique entity number.
- Foreign-based organizations don’t directly or indirectly deal with local government agencies.
- Individuals
- Business owners without a business license and identity proof.
- Sub-entities or branches of any Singapore-based company.
Some Singapore-based government companies use their sub-entity codes as their UEN when they recognize and interact with other branches.
What are the advantages of having a UEN?
UEN helps businesses to maintain seamless communication with government agencies. You can effortlessly accomplish the tasks such as applying for export or import permissions or filing the returns of corporate taxes. You can exclude the hassles of dealing with multiple government agencies for these. Your UEN will be your savior in all those cases.
Government agencies that can provide you with a UEN:
We already mentioned that ACRA could issue the local business their UEN. However, this regulating body is not the only one who holds that right. Have a look at the government bodies that can give you a UEN.
- Smart Nation and Digital Government Office
- Registry of Societies
- Monetary Authority
- Ministry of Manpower
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Defense
- Ministry of Communications and Information
- International Enterprise Singapore
- Singapore Land Authority
- People’s Association
- Ministry of National Development
- Ministry of Law
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth
- Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Where do you need to display your UEN?
Singapore law has made it mandatory for businesses to show their UEN properly. The documents mentioned below must have the UEN visible on them.
- Printed promotional documents
- Brochures
- Invoices
- Official emails
- Leaflets
- Order forms
- Receipts
What’s next?
That’s pretty simple. There are many profound organizations, such as Aspire, that help business owners to get their UEN. So, feel free to talk with their knowledgeable consultation experts to know in detail.
