Published: 11 November 2026 · Reviewed by Ray Tay, Co-Founder & Director, VIVOS PTE. LTD. (ACRA Filing Agent FA20240323 · MOM EA Licence 24S2425)
Singapore · 2027 Rule Changes · Episode 10
Singapore registered office opening hours: since 20 October 2026, a Singapore registered office no longer has to be open to the public three hours each business day. Section 52 of the Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 deleted that wording from section 142(1) of the Companies Act. Company records open to inspection must be available two or more hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on reasonable notice.
What some pages still say: "A Singapore company's registered office must be open to the public for at least three hours on each business day (section 142 of the Companies Act), and non-compliance can lead to a fine of up to S$5,000."
What ACRA says: the second phase of the Act commenced on 20 October 2026 and removes the minimum opening hours requirement, to give companies flexibility to set their registered office's opening hours (ACRA announcement, 6 October 2026).
Key facts (27 October 2026)
Section 396A(1), as replaced by section 99 of the Act. Every company record that the Companies Act requires to be available for inspection must be available for 2 or more hours between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. of each business day, at the place where the record is to be kept. A person who wishes to inspect must give the company reasonable notice (new section 396A(1A)).
Every company still needs a registered office in Singapore. A change in the registered office, including its address, must be lodged with ACRA within 14 days (section 143, as replaced by section 53). Default is an offence, with a fine up to $5,000 and a default penalty.
Service of documents at the registered office is not affected (second reading speech, 5 November 2025, para 21).
The Act commenced in two phases. The first (S 199/2026) brought most of it into force on 6 May 2026 but excluded sections 52, 53 and 99. The opening hours change came with the second phase on 20 October 2026.
Where your registers are kept, who answers an inspection request, and whether your own website still quotes the old rule.
VIVOS Pte. Ltd. (UEN 202416468C), an ACRA Registered Filing Agent (FA20240323), provides registered office and corporate secretarial services in Singapore. Talk to us on WhatsApp at +65 8827 7870 or book a free consultation. Most firms compare countries. VIVOS connects them.
This is Episode 10 of 2027 Rule Changes: What Most Pages Still Get Wrong, a VIVOS video series on dated rule changes for companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UAE. For the full evergreen guide, read Singapore registered address. Every dated change, with official sources, is on the 2026 to 2027 Rule Changes Tracker.
Must a Singapore registered office be open to the public three hours a day? Not since the twentieth of October 2026. Records still have to be available for inspection.
I'm Ray Tay, co-founder of VIVOS. Many pages still say a registered office must be open to the public at least three hours each business day. Section 52 of the amending Act deleted those words from section 142.
What replaces it? Section 396A. Company records that the Act says must be open to inspection must be available for two or more hours between nine a.m. and six p.m. each business day, at the place they are kept. Anyone inspecting must give reasonable notice.
What has not changed? Every company still needs a registered office in Singapore. A change of address must be filed within fourteen days. Late filing is an offence, with a fine up to five thousand dollars.
Document service at the registered office is unaffected. So check three things: where your registers are kept, who answers an inspection request, and whether your own website still quotes the old rule.
Sources are in the description. VIVOS in Singapore. Most firms compare countries. VIVOS connects them. General information, not legal advice.
Most of our clients are foreign founders who need two things at once: a new Singapore company and an Employment Pass (EP) so they can live in Singapore and run it. The order matters. The company is incorporated first, with a resident director, and then applies for your EP as your employer.
VIVOS PTE. LTD. incorporates companies as an ACRA Registered Filing Agent (FA20240323) and handles EP applications under MOM Employment Agency Licence 24S2425. See Singapore company incorporation for foreigners and our Employment Pass application service, or read Can a company shareholder apply for an EP through their new Singapore company.
Singapore registered office opening hours: since 20 October 2026, a Singapore registered office no longer has to be open to the public three hours each business day. Section 52 of the Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 deleted that wording from section 142(1) of the Companies Act. Company records open to inspection must be available two or more hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on reasonable notice.
Section 396A(1), as replaced by section 99 of the Act. Every company record that the Companies Act requires to be available for inspection must be available for 2 or more hours between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. of each business day, at the place where the record is to be kept.
Every company still needs a registered office in Singapore. A change in the registered office, including its address, must be lodged with ACRA within 14 days (section 143, as replaced by section 53).
The Act commenced in two phases. The first (S 199/2026) brought most of it into force on 6 May 2026 but excluded sections 52, 53 and 99.
Where your registers are kept, who answers an inspection request, and whether your own website still quotes the old rule.
Reviewed by Ray Tay, VIVOS. Ray Tay is co-founder of VIVOS, a corporate services group with its own licensed entities in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UAE. General information only, not legal or tax advice. The video is presented by an AI-generated avatar and voice of Ray Tay; content written and fact-checked by VIVOS.
2 January, 2025
2 January, 2025
Yes, a shareholder can get an Employment Pass through their own new Singapore company. Here is what MOM checks when the company has no track…
ACRA does not issue a certificate of incumbency in Singapore. This guide explains what to use instead, what a certificate of good standing proves, what…
A two-way comparison of a Singapore and a Hong Kong company for founders doing business in Asia: tax, officers, audit, banking and founder visas, with…
