Singapore's nominee disclosure and controller verification rules take effect
From 16 June 2025, Singapore companies and LLPs must verify their registrable controllers every year, new companies must give ACRA controller and nominee details on incorporation, and nominee directors and shareholders are flagged on the public register. Existing companies had until 31 December 2025 to file their nominee information with ACRA. CSP registration became mandatory the same month.
The Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2024, passed in July 2024, came into force on 16 June 2025. It came in alongside the Corporate Service Providers Act 2024, which made registration with ACRA mandatory for corporate service providers.
What changed
- Register of controllers: all companies, including foreign companies, and LLPs must keep a register of registrable controllers from incorporation, and verify it every year with signed and dated confirmations from controllers. The deadline for updating the private register is now seven calendar days instead of two business days.
- Nominees: companies must tell ACRA about nominee directors and nominee shareholders and their nominators. ACRA shows publicly who is a nominee, but not who nominated them. Foreign companies keep a register of nominee directors.
- New entities file controller and nominee information when they are incorporated or registered.
- Existing companies had until 31 December 2025 to file nominee director and shareholder information.
- Penalties for register offences rose to S$25,000, and giving ACRA false or misleading information is an offence.
Who is affected
All Singapore companies, LLPs and registered foreign companies, nominee directors and shareholders, and corporate service providers.
What to do
Set up the annual controller verification. Make sure nominee arrangements are recorded and filed, and that any nominee director is arranged through a registered CSP.