Understanding the Different Types of Addresses Registered with ACRA

Updated at: May 28, 2025

When registering a business entity in Singapore, it's essential to understand the various address types required by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). Each serves a distinct purpose and has specific requirements.

📍 Registered Office Address (For companies and LLPs)

This is the official address where all communications and notices to the company are sent, and where the company's registers and records are kept.

Key Points:

• Must be a physical address in Singapore (P.O. Boxes are not permitted).
• The office must be operational and accessible to the public for at least three hours during ordinary business hours on each business day.
• It need not be the place where the company conducts its actual business activities. Example: A company may have its registered office in Raffles Place while its factory operates in Tuas.

🏢 Business Address (For Sole Proprietorships and Partnerships)

This is the address where the business's activities are conducted.

Key Points:

• Must be a physical address in Singapore (P.O. Boxes are not permitted).
• If operating from a residential property, approval under the Home Office Scheme from HDB (for HDB flats) or URA (for private properties) is required.

🏠 Residential Address

All business owners and company officers are required to provide their residential address to ACRA at the point of registration.

Key Points:

• This address is used for official correspondence from ACRA.
• It is part of the public records accessible through ACRA's BizFile+ system.

📬 Contact Address

To enhance personal data protection, ACRA allows business owners and company officers to provide a Contact Address, which will be displayed in public records instead of the residential address.

Key Points:

• The Contact Address must be a physical address where the individual can be contacted (e.g., an office or a corporate service provider's office).
• It must be within the same jurisdiction as the residential address.
• P.O. Boxes are not permitted.
• All official correspondence from ACRA will still be sent to the residential address.
• There is no fee for filing a Contact Address.
• Filing of Contact Addresses is mandatory.

Note: It's crucial to keep all address information up to date with ACRA. Any changes to the registered office address must be updated within 14 days to avoid penalties.

🧾 What This Means for Our Customers

• As a VOfficeSingapore customer, you may use the virtual office address as your company’s Registered Office Address (for companies) or Business Address (for sole proprietorships/partnerships). The entity must be the one covered under the valid subscription.
• All company officers of an entity with a valid subscription are entitled to use our address as their Contact Address, free of charge.
• Please note that misuse of our address without a valid subscription may result in compliance issues, including possible ACRA penalties.

For more detailed information, please refer to ACRA's official guidelines: https://www.acra.gov.sg/how-to-guides/before-you-start/addresses

The information shared above is sourced from government agencies and other authoritative sources. While we strive to provide accurate and useful summaries, we do not guarantee that the content is fully up-to-date or free of errors. For the most accurate and current information, please refer to the original sources, which are linked at the end of each article whenever possible.