When registering a business with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (“ACRA”), business owners must provide a Singapore business address that isn’t a P.O. Box address.
For sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited partnerships, the business address is the place where the business is carried out. For companies and LLPs, ACRA requires a registered office address — the place where all communications and notices to the company or LLP may be sent, and where the company’s or LLP’s registers and records are kept. A registered office must be open and accessible to the public for at least 3 hours during ordinary business hours on each day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, but it does not need to be the place where the company or LLP actually carries out its activities. (See our guide to registered office addresses for more on P.O. Box, HDB, and condominium restrictions.)
A business address service — commonly offered by company formation agents and company secretarial firms — is a popular option that many business owners choose to purchase, even if they already have a local address of their own. When deciding whether to purchase a business address service from an external provider, the following five factors are worth considering.
1. Your residential address stays out of the public register
Some business owners running startup companies may not want to rent an office, or to use their residential address as the office address. A registered office address is shown on the public register, and using a home address can lead to a leak of personal information or unwanted attention from third parties.
2. You won’t receive unwanted advertisement flyers in your residential mailbox
Businesses tend to receive a lot of advertisement flyers, especially newly incorporated companies. Advertisers often send flyers to promote their services, which can get irritating if you’re not looking for them.
3. A central business district address can reflect better on the company
Customers tend to look for service providers or business partners whose offices are more accessible, and the central business district (“CBD”) is usually the most accessible area in most countries. A CBD address can also lend a business a stronger sense of status.
4. Foreign directors and shareholders can still incorporate with a registered office address
ACRA requires all companies to have at least one locally resident director and a local Singapore office address. If you’re a foreign director and shareholder incorporating a company in Singapore, and the local director doesn’t want to use their own address as the office address, a business address service is a workable alternative.
5. It helps if you’re away from home or change address frequently
Business owners who travel overseas frequently, and are rarely home, risk missing important letters or bills. A business address service solves this, since the provider can keep a lookout and inform you of any letters requiring your immediate attention.
Likewise, if you change your residential address often, a business address service means you won’t miss important mail that might otherwise be sent to a previous address.