ACRA and BizFile: What They Are
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is Singapore's national
regulator for business entities and public accountants. It operates BizFile, the official
digital portal for company registration, annual filing, and information retrieval. The
portal was significantly upgraded in December 2024, introducing improved
navigation, data integrity enhancements, and stronger personal data protection
features.
As of mid-2025, Singapore hosts over 614,000 active business entities. ACRA's
database, which includes all registered and historically registered entities, contains
over 1.5 million records. BizFile is the public access point for this data, and it is the
first and most important check in any Singapore company verification process.
What a BizFile Check Actually Shows
When you search a company on BizFile and purchase a Business Profile (S$5.50),
you receive:
• Legal entity name and any registered trade names
• Unique Entity Number (UEN)
• Entity type (Pte. Ltd., sole proprietorship, partnership, foreign company, etc.)
• Current registration status (Live, Struck Off, Under Judicial Management,
etc.)
• Date of incorporation or registration
• Registered office address
• Principal business activity (SSIC code and description)
• Paid-up capital
• Names and identification details of directors, secretaries, and shareholders
• Details of any charges or mortgages filed against the company
This is a significant body of information. For most routine due diligence checks,
confirming that a company is live, correctly named, and led by identifiable
directors with no obvious red flags is a useful starting point.
The Documented Limitations of ACRA BizFile
Self-Reported Data, Not Verified Data
ACRA is, as one industry analysis puts it, an archive rather than an investigator. It
relies on businesses to report their own information accurately. ACRA does not
independently verify the accuracy of the information submitted. A director's
residential address, a company's stated business activity, or the identity of a
beneficial owner is recorded as filed, not as confirmed. In recent years ACRA has
deployed data analytics to detect anomalous activity and has increased
enforcement actions against non-compliant corporate service providers — but the
fundamental model remains disclosure-based, not investigation-based.
No Conduct or Complaint History
BizFile contains no information about a company's complaint history, its record with
the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), civil judgments against it, or
adverse findings in regulatory proceedings. A company can be Live on BizFile and
have dozens of unresolved consumer complaints filed elsewhere.
No Beneficial Ownership Transparency for Public Searches
Singapore's Companies Act requires companies to maintain a Register of
Registrable Controllers (RORC). However, direct public access to beneficial
ownership information is restricted — it is available to law enforcement but not to
the general public through BizFile. This limits the ability of private parties to trace
the ultimate beneficial owners of a company without engaging professional
services.
No Assessment of Current Business Activity
A company with Live status is not necessarily actively trading. It may be dormant,
winding down informally, or operating through a different entity. Over 50,000 entities were removed from the register in 2024 as part of ACRA's clean-up of
potentially misused dormant registrations, but the register still contains entities
that are technically active but not operationally engaged.
No Sector-Specific Licence Information
BizFile records the stated business activity category but does not confirm whether
the company holds the specific licences required to conduct that activity. A
company stating 'General Construction' as its SSIC code may or may not hold a
valid BCA licence. A company in financial services may or may not appear on the
MAS register. BizFile does not link to or verify these separately maintained registers.
No Reputation or Digital Footprint Data
BizFile has no mechanism for capturing information about a company's reputation,
its digital presence, review history, or conduct across customer interactions. These
signals — which are often the most immediately accessible indicators of business
quality — are entirely outside BizFile's scope.
The Verification Gap
The cumulative result of these limitations is a verification gap. BizFile tells you a
company exists, is registered, and has filed its statutory returns. It does not tell you
whether the company is trustworthy, complaint-free, actively operating as
claimed, properly licensed for its activities, or led by principals with a clean track
record.
For routine B2C transactions of modest value, a BizFile check may be sufficient. For
significant purchases, construction contracts, professional service engagements,
or supplier onboarding in a commercial context, BizFile alone is not an adequate
verification basis.
Where Scam.SG Fills the Gap
Scam.SG is designed specifically to address the limitations of registry-based
verification. Operating as an authorised agent of Data Bureau (Singapore),
Scam.SG indexes approximately 600,000 ACRA-registered entities and runs a
screening programme that draws from multiple independent data sources beyond
what BizFile captures.
The Scam.SG TrustScore combines ACRA registration data with MAS watchlist
checks, CaseTrust watchlist records, complaint history from relevant databases,
digital footprint analysis, and online reputation signals. The result is a multi-
dimensional trust band — Foundational, Evolving, Established, or Institutional — that
reflects a more complete picture of business integrity than any single registry
check.
For businesses that pass the screening threshold, a Certificate of Business
Authenticity is issued by Data Bureau (Singapore) — an independent data
institution. The certificate is verifiable by any counterparty at
databureau.com.sg/verify. This allows buyers, partners, and procurement teams to
confirm a company's verified status independently and in real time.
Using BizFile and Scam.SG Together
BizFile and Scam.SG serve complementary functions. BizFile confirms legal
existence and basic statutory compliance. Scam.SG provides a trust assessment
that draws on multiple sources of conduct and reputation data that BizFile does not
capture. A complete verification workflow for a significant business relationship
uses both:
1. Run a BizFile check to confirm registration status, UEN, directors, and entity
type
2. Check the relevant sector licence register if the company operates in a
regulated industry
3. Search Scam.SG for the company's TrustScore profile to assess its standing
against multiple integrity data sources.
4. If the company holds a Certificate of Business Authenticity, verify it at
databureau.com.sg/verify
For businesses seeking to signal their own legitimacy, the Scam.SG TrustScore
Verification and Protection Programme provides an independently assessed
credential that complements your ACRA registration. Visit www.scam.sg/business
to begin.