Yes, a home address can be used as the registered office address of a Singapore company.
This is fairly common for newly incorporated companies, particularly where the director works remotely, operates a small business, or does not require a separate office. However, there are several requirements to consider before using a residential address.
A company’s registered office address is also public information. Founders should therefore consider both the regulatory requirements and the privacy implications before registering their home address with ACRA.
What Is a Registered Office Address?
Every Singapore company must maintain a registered office address from the date of incorporation.
This is the company’s official address for receiving correspondence, government notices and legal documents. Certain statutory registers and company records may also be kept at the registered office.
The registered office must:
- Be a physical address in Singapore
- Not be a P.O. box address
- Be open and accessible to the public during the company’s registered office hours
- Be open for at least 3 hours during normal business hours on each business day
The registered office does not have to be the place where the company carries out its day-to-day business activities. For example, a company may use one address as its registered office while operating from another location.
Can You Use Your Home Address?
A residential address can be entered as a company’s registered office address with ACRA.
However, ACRA’s acceptance of the address does not replace the residential property rules administered by HDB or URA. Where an HDB flat or private residential property is used for business registration or as a home office, the applicable Home Office Scheme should also be considered.
| Property Type | Relevant Authority |
|---|---|
| HDB flat | HDB Home Office Scheme |
| Private residential property | URA Home Office Scheme |
In practice, a director may use the home address mainly for receiving company correspondence, without carrying out substantial business activities there. Even so, HDB’s published guidance specifically provides for the use of an HDB flat for business registration under the Home Office Scheme.
The prudent approach is therefore to complete the applicable HDB or URA registration before using the residential property as the company’s registered office.
Important distinction: Registering an address with ACRA and obtaining permission to use residential premises for business purposes are separate matters. An address being accepted in Bizfile does not necessarily mean that all HDB or URA requirements have been met.
Using an HDB Flat as a Company Registered Address
If you live in an HDB flat, you should register under the HDB Home Office Scheme before using the flat as the company’s registered office.
The scheme allows a resident to carry out administrative business functions from the flat while continuing to use it primarily as a home.
Who may register
The person operating the business from the flat should generally be the flat owner, registered occupier or tenant. The applicant must also continue residing at the flat.
If the applicant is renting the property, the owner’s written consent should be obtained before the registration is submitted.
Main conditions
The flat must remain primarily residential. Business use should be small-scale and should not cause inconvenience or disturbance to neighbouring residents.
The main conditions generally include:
- Business activities must remain within the flat
- The flat must continue to be used as the applicant’s residence
- No business signage may be displayed outside the unit
- The business must not cause noise, traffic, nuisance or other inconvenience to neighbours
- Up to 2 non-residents, including employees, partners or directors, may work from the flat
- The business must fall within the activities permitted under the Home Office Scheme
Permitted business activities
The Home Office Scheme is mainly intended for businesses carrying out office-based or administrative work.
Examples include:
- Accountancy services
- Business, management, education, engineering or IT consultancy
- Design and advertising services
- Technology and other knowledge-based businesses
- Insurance and financial planning services
- Trading offices, excluding car trading
Business activities conducted at the flat should be administrative in nature. Clients and customers should not visit the flat for business purposes.
Activities such as retail, manufacturing, food preparation, repair work, clinics, employment agencies and businesses involving regular customer visits are generally not permitted under the Home Office Scheme.
Note: A company may carry out its operational activities elsewhere while using the residential address as its registered office. However, the company should still observe the applicable HDB conditions concerning business registration and the use of the flat.
How to register
Registration can be submitted through GoBusiness Singapore. A separate Home Office Scheme registration should be made for each business or company using the flat.
Register for the HDB Home Office Scheme through GoBusiness Singapore.
Using a Private Residential Property as a Company Registered Address
For a condominium, landed property or other private residential property, the Home Office Scheme is administered by URA.
The scheme allows an owner, tenant or authorised occupant to carry out small-scale administrative business activities from the property, provided that it remains primarily a residence.
The main conditions are broadly similar to those applying to HDB flats:
- The applicant must continue residing at the property
- Business activities must remain within the residential premises
- Up to 2 non-residents may be engaged in the business at the property
- No business signage may be displayed outside the premises
- There should be no sale of physical goods at or around the property
- The business must not disturb neighbours or change the residential character of the property
- Clients and customers should not visit the premises for business activities
A tenant or authorised occupant who does not own the property must obtain the owner’s written consent before registering for the scheme.
Register for the URA Home Office Scheme through GoBusiness Singapore.
Home Office Scheme and Home-Based Business Scheme
The Home Office Scheme should not be confused with the Home-Based Business Scheme.
The Home-Based Business Scheme generally allows residents to carry out certain small-scale activities from home without applying for formal approval. Examples may include small-scale baking, sewing, private tuition and freelance creative work, subject to the applicable conditions.
The Home Office Scheme is intended for office-based and administrative businesses. It also expressly allows up to 2 non-residents to work from the property.
Where a residential address is being used for the registration of a company or as an administrative office, the Home Office Scheme is generally the more relevant scheme.
Your Company Registered Address Is Public Information
It is important to note that the company’s registered office address is public information.
The address may appear in ACRA searches and information products such as the company’s Business Profile. Customers, suppliers, banks and other members of the public may therefore be able to identify that the company is registered at a residential property.
This may not be a concern for every business owner. However, it can be a significant consideration for those with families at home or who would prefer not to associate their private residence with their company.
Do not confuse this with an individual’s contact address: Directors, secretaries and certain other individuals may provide ACRA with a contact address for display instead of their residential address. This does not conceal or replace the company’s registered office address.
Where privacy is a priority, a commercial registered office address or virtual office service may be more suitable. This allows the company to use a business address for its public ACRA records instead of placing the owner’s residential address on the company profile.
Prefer to keep your home address private?
Leftright Corporate provides a fairly priced Singapore virtual office and registered address service at our office located just a 3-minute walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT. It gives your company a central business address for its ACRA registration while helping you keep your residential address separate from the company’s public records.
Registered Office Access Requirements
A company’s registered office must be open and accessible to the public for at least 3 hours during normal business hours on each business day.
The company declares its office hours to ACRA. These hours allow official correspondence and legal documents to be delivered and provide access where inspection of company records is permitted by law.
This requirement should be considered carefully when using a private home. A residential address should not be used merely because someone is able to collect the mail occasionally. The company must be able to comply with its declared office hours and the applicable statutory requirements.
Home Address vs Registered Office Address Service
| Home Address | Registered Office Service | |
|---|---|---|
| May be registered with ACRA | Yes, subject to the applicable requirements | Yes |
| Residential privacy | Home address becomes publicly associated with the company | Home address is not used as the company’s registered office |
| Business image | A residential address will appear on the company record | Usually provides a commercial business address |
| Additional cost | Usually lower | Service fees apply |
| Mail handling | Handled personally at home | Usually received and managed by the service provider |
| Address stability | Must be updated if the resident moves | May remain unchanged while the service continues |
| HDB or URA considerations | Applicable Home Office Scheme requirements should be considered | Generally managed by the address provider |
A home address may be suitable where: the business is small and mainly administrative, the applicable HDB or URA requirements can be met, the declared office hours can be maintained, and the owner is comfortable with the address being publicly associated with the company.
A registered office service may be more suitable where: privacy is important, the owner moves regularly, no one is reliably available at the home during office hours, or the company prefers to use a commercial address.
For business owners who prefer a centrally located address, Leftright Corporate’s virtual office service in Singapore is located just 3 minutes from Dhoby Ghaut MRT and is priced with small businesses and newly incorporated companies in mind.
Changing the Registered Office Address
A company must update ACRA within 14 days of any change to its registered office address or registered office hours.
The change is filed through Bizfile. The new address must satisfy the registered office requirements from its effective date.
Companies using a director’s home should remember to update the address promptly when the director moves out of the property or when the company no longer has permission to use it.
Failure to maintain a compliant registered office may constitute an offence and may result in a fine of up to S$5,000.
Common Questions
Does the company have to operate from its registered office?
No. The registered office does not have to be the same location where the company carries out its business operations. It remains the company’s official address for notices, correspondence and applicable record-keeping purposes.
Can I use my home only as a mailing address?
A company may mainly use the address to receive correspondence, without conducting substantial business activities there. However, it remains the company’s registered office rather than merely an informal mailing address. The company must still comply with ACRA’s registered office requirements and consider the applicable HDB or URA rules.
Will ACRA ask for HDB or URA approval during incorporation?
ACRA and the residential property authorities administer different requirements. An address being accepted in Bizfile should not be treated as confirmation that HDB or URA requirements have been satisfied.
Can I apply for the Home Office Scheme after incorporation?
A company may first be incorporated using another compliant registered address and later change its registered office to the home address. The applicable Home Office Scheme registration should be completed before the home address is used, followed by the required update to ACRA.
Can a tenant use the rented property?
A tenant may generally register under the Home Office Scheme, but should first obtain the property owner’s written consent and comply with the tenancy terms.
Can more than one company use the same HDB flat?
HDB allows an eligible flat to be used for the business registration of more than one company under the Home Office Scheme. Each company or business must be separately registered, and the applicable ownership, occupancy and usage conditions must be satisfied.
Can customers visit the residential address?
Under the Home Office Scheme, business activities should be administrative in nature and clients or customers should not visit the property for business purposes.
Can a director use an ACRA contact address to hide the company’s registered office?
No. A contact address protects an individual director’s or officer’s residential address in ACRA’s public records. It does not replace or conceal the company’s registered office address.
Quick Reference
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Singapore physical address | Required |
| P.O. box permitted | No |
| Minimum registered office hours | At least 3 hours during normal business hours on each business day |
| Must business operations take place there? | No |
| HDB flat | HDB Home Office Scheme should be considered |
| Private residential property | URA Home Office Scheme should be considered |
| Maximum non-residents under Home Office Scheme | 2 |
| Clients visiting under Home Office Scheme | Not permitted |
| Registered office shown publicly | Yes |
| Deadline to report an address change | Within 14 days |
| Possible fine for failing to maintain a registered office | Up to S$5,000 |
Need a registered address or have questions about using your home address?
Leftright Corporate provides a Singapore virtual office and registered address service from our office located just a 3-minute walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT. Our service is fairly priced and allows business owners to keep their residential address separate from the company’s public registered office while ensuring that official correspondence is properly received and managed.
For questions about company registration, registered office requirements or whether a home address is suitable for your business, feel free to contact us.
