A UEN (Unique Entity Number) is the free identifier that ACRA or another issuing agency gives a business at registration (ACRA, as of 5 November 2026). A sole proprietorship UEN has 9 characters, and a company UEN has 10. You find any entity's UEN by searching its name in Bizfile, ACRA's filing portal. A Special UEN costs S$1,000 or S$3,000 and is chosen only while registering.
Accurate as of 5 November 2026. Every figure, date and rule on this page was checked against its source on that date, and the page is rechecked monthly.
A UEN identifies your business to customers and agencies, and registration issues it free
ACRA states that a UEN identifies your business when you deal with customers, partners and government agencies, and you get one free when you register a business.
Other systems key on the number. GovTech's Corppass requires the company's UEN during account setup, GoBusiness Licensing signs you out without a valid UEN, and IRAS defines a company's tax reference number as its UEN. A Singapore Land Authority practice circular dated 13 January 2009 sets out the UEN format and states that existing ACRA registration numbers for businesses and local companies were kept as their UENs. You receive the number when the filings in the How to Register a Business in Singapore guide are approved.
Source: GovTech, November 2026
Source: GoBusiness Licensing, November 2026
Source: Singapore Land Authority, November 2026
Is a UEN the same as a tax reference number?
For a company, yes: IRAS's corporate tax phone service FAQ defines the tax reference number as the company's UEN issued by ACRA.
That FAQ, which carries no date, tells callers to key in the UEN without the letters, so 200401234A is entered as 200401234. It adds that a company needs a UEN to use the phone service's self-help options.
Is a UEN the same as a GST registration number?
No: IRAS's public GST Registered Business Search treats the UEN and the GST Registration Number as separate search fields.
GST registration is a separate step triggered by turnover above S$1 million, and the GST Singapore Explained guide covers it.
Does a freelancer have a UEN?
A freelancer gets a UEN only by registering a business, and ACRA does not require registration when you trade only under your full NRIC name.
ACRA issues the UEN at registration, and its requirements page exempts a business that uses only the owner's full NRIC name. A freelancer who adds a brand name registers, and the UEN arrives with the approval.
Sixteen agencies issue UENs, and ACRA issues them to businesses, companies and LLPs
ACRA issues the UEN for businesses and local companies, and ACRA's dataset on data.gov.sg lists 16 issuing agencies in total.
The 16 agencies are ACRA, the Attorney-General's Chambers, IE Singapore, MUIS, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of National Development, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the People's Association, the Registry of Societies and the Singapore Land Authority.
| Entity | Issuing agency | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business (sole proprietorship or partnership) | ACRA | nnnnnnnnX | 534 99999 V |
| Local company | ACRA | yyyynnnnnX | 2018 88888 A |
| Limited liability partnership | ACRA | TyyPQnnnnX | T18LL 7777 F |
| Limited partnership | ACRA | TyyPQnnnnX | T18LP 2222 J |
| Management corporation | Singapore Land Authority | TyyPQnnnnX style, with an S year code | S79MC0442A |
Issuing agency and pattern by entity type, with examples from ACRA's Special UEN guide and the SLA 2009 circular, checked 5 November 2026.
Source: Data.gov.sg, November 2026
Source: Singapore Land Authority, November 2026
A UEN has 9 or 10 characters, and each block tells you the entity type and the year
A business UEN is 8 digits plus a check letter, a local company UEN is a 4-digit year, 5 digits and a check letter, and every other entity starts with R, S or T followed by a 2-digit year.
| Entity type | Pattern | Characters | How to read it | Worked count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | nnnnnnnnX | 9 | 8 digits, then a check letter | 53499999V: 8 + 1 = 9 |
| Local company | yyyynnnnnX | 10 | Year of incorporation, 5-digit serial, check letter | 2018 88888 A: 4 + 5 + 1 = 10 |
| All other entities | TyyPQnnnnX | 10 | R, S or T plus a 2-digit year, a 2-character entity type, a 4-digit serial, a check letter | T18LL7777F: 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 10 |
UEN patterns from the SLA 2009 circular, with the worked counts added up here, checked 5 November 2026.
Source: Singapore Land Authority, November 2026
How do you read the UEN T18LL7777F?
T18LL7777F is an LLP issued in 2018: T stands for 20xx, 18 is the year, LL is the LLP entity type, 7777 is the serial and F is the check letter.
The SLA circular maps R to 18xx, S to 19xx and T to 20xx for the year code. ACRA's Special UEN guide shows LL for an LLP, LP for a limited partnership and PF for a public accounting firm. The management corporation example S79MC0442A reads the same way: S for 19xx, 79 for 1979, MC for the entity type, 0442 for the serial and A for the check letter.
Source: Singapore Land Authority, November 2026
Bizfile entity search finds any UEN free and shows live status and registered address
Open Bizfile's Entity tab and search by name or UEN, and ACRA shows the entity's live status and registered address without a fee.
To search by UEN, enter the number, pick UEN (including previous UEN) under Keyword match type and apply filters. To search by name, choose Name starting with, Name exact match or Name containing. If Bizfile reports more than 250 matching results, type the first character to open filters such as entity type or status. The Bizfile Singapore guide covers logins and fees.
How do you check that a UEN is genuine?
Search the number with the UEN match type and confirm that the name, live status and registered address match what the other party gave you.
For a society, charity, trade union or healthcare institution, pick the issuing agency under the Issuance agency filter, because ACRA does not issue those UENs. A registered corporate service provider shows its CSP details at the bottom of its profile. A Business Profile costs S$5.50 for more detail, and ACRA shows limited information for ceased entities.
How do you check whether a supplier is GST-registered?
Use IRAS's GST Registered Business Search, which needs no login and accepts a UEN or a GST Registration Number.
The search also takes a business name of at least the first five characters, or an NRIC for a sole proprietorship, and handles up to four tax reference numbers at a time.
A Special UEN costs S$1,000 or S$3,000 and is chosen only at registration
Tier one costs S$3,000 for repeated digits or any number containing 8, tier two costs S$1,000 for repeating patterns without 8 or a three-digit ending such as 999, and neither fee is refundable.
| Tier | Fee | Pattern rule | Example digits | Multiple of the S$300 company incorporation fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier one | S$3,000 | Consecutive identical digits, or any combination that includes the digit 8 | 9999, 88888 | 10 times (3,000 divided by 300) |
| Tier two | S$1,000 | Repeating patterns that exclude 8, or a number ending in three identical digits | 222, 555, 999 | 3.3 times (1,000 divided by 300) |
Special UEN tiers as ACRA lists them, with the multiples calculated here, checked 5 November 2026.
You apply only while registering a new entity, because ACRA does not accept a Special UEN application once your business is registered. The option appears at the payment stage. ACRA generates the prefix and the suffix, so you choose only the middle block of digits. Fees are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Check the list of available numbers on Bizfile first, register the entity, then select the Special UEN option at payment.
LLPs and LPs show the UEN on invoices and official documents
ACRA requires an LLP to show its name, UEN and a limited-liability statement on invoices and official correspondence, and an LP to show its name and UEN on invoices, official receipts and letters to government agencies.
| Entity | What to display | Where | ACRA page last updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited liability partnership | Name, UEN and a statement that it is registered with limited liability | Invoices and official correspondence | 27 March 2026 |
| Limited partnership | Name and UEN | Invoices, official receipts and letters to government agencies | 20 July 2026 |
UEN display rules on ACRA's LLP and LP pages, checked 5 November 2026.
An LLP converted from a partnership or company also displays a conversion statement for 12 months, starting 14 days after the LLP registration date. ACRA's post-registration guides for sole proprietorships and local companies do not state a display rule.
Four checks vet a business partner by UEN, and the only fee is the optional S$5.50 Business Profile
Search the UEN in Bizfile, confirm the issuing agency, check IRAS if the partner charges GST, and buy a Business Profile only when you need more detail.
- Search the UEN in Bizfile with the UEN match type and compare the name, live status and registered address with the contract (free).
- For a society, charity, trade union or healthcare institution, filter by Issuance agency to find the right record (free).
- If the partner charges GST, search IRAS's GST Registered Business Search by UEN or GST Registration Number (free, no login).
- Buy a Business Profile for S$5.50 when you need more than status and address.
General guidance as of 5 November 2026, not legal advice.