UEN and SSIC Codes in Singapore: What Foreign Founders Need to Get Right at Incorporation
Your UEN is your Singapore company's identity number and your SSIC code tells every agency what it does. What a UEN is, how to choose an SSIC code, and why the wrong code costs foreign founders licences, grants and passes.
What a UEN is#
The Unique Entity Number is the single identification number a Singapore-registered entity uses with every government agency. Introduced in 2009 to replace the separate numbers that ACRA, IRAS, CPF and other bodies used to issue, it is assigned automatically at registration and never changes for the life of the entity. Your company's UEN in Singapore is issued the moment incorporation completes and is what appears on the certificate of incorporation, the Bizfile business profile, tax filings, CPF submissions, GST registration, grant applications, bank account forms and, increasingly, on invoices and contracts.
For a company incorporated with ACRA the format is ten characters: the four-digit year of incorporation, five digits, and a check letter — for example, a company registered in 2026 will have a UEN beginning "2026". Older businesses registered before 2009 kept their existing nine-character registration number as their UEN, and entities registered with other agencies — societies, trade unions, foreign companies' representative offices — carry ten-character UENs beginning with a letter.
Three things follow:
- There is no separate "company registration number". The UEN is the registration number. A counterparty asking for your "ACRA number" wants the UEN.
- Anyone can look it up. ACRA's Bizfile portal and the government's UEN search return the registered name, status and UEN of any entity. Customers, banks and providers use this to verify that you exist and are live.
- It is not a licence. Having a UEN means the entity is registered, not that it is authorised to carry on a regulated activity. That is where the SSIC code comes in.
What an SSIC code is#
The Singapore Standard Industrial Classification is the national system for classifying economic activities, maintained by the Department of Statistics and used by ACRA to record what each registered entity does. Every company declares a principal activity at incorporation, identified by a five-digit SSIC code, and may declare one secondary activity. Two codes is the maximum.
The code is not decorative. Agencies read it:
- ACRA and licensing bodies use it to flag activities that need a licence before or after incorporation — financial services, employment agencies, education, food, travel, telecoms, and dozens more. A company whose code sits in a regulated category will be asked for the licence.
- IRAS uses it as context for GST registration, tax incentives and industry-specific schemes.
- The Ministry of Manpower reads the sector when assessing Employment Pass applications, including which qualifying salary benchmark applies and how the company scores on the COMPASS framework.
- Enterprise Singapore and other grant agencies restrict several schemes to particular sectors.
- Banks compare the registered activity against the business description in your account application and against the transactions they later see. A mismatch is one of the most common reasons an application stalls.
SSIC 2025: what changed#
ACRA adopted the revised classification, SSIC 2025, for all new registrations from 9 May 2026. The revision introduced and reorganised more than 1,500 activity codes to reflect how the economy now works: dedicated codes for artificial-intelligence development, cybersecurity, blockchain and digital-asset services, cloud hosting, online retail across product categories, renewable energy and platform-based services. Existing companies were mapped to the closest new code automatically; those whose activities had drifted since incorporation were expected to review and update their codes on Bizfile.
For a founder incorporating now, the practical effect is positive — the codes match modern business models more closely than the 2020 list did — with one caveat: descriptions that look similar can sit in different regulatory categories. "Development of software" and "provision of payment services" are different worlds to MAS, and the code you pick declares which one you are in.
How to choose the right codes#
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Describe the revenue | Write one sentence per revenue stream you expect in year one | Codes follow money, not ambition |
| 2. Search the SSIC list | Use the search on Bizfile or the Department of Statistics' SSIC page for the activity, not the industry | "Retail sale via internet" is a different code from "wholesale of the same product" |
| 3. Check for licensing flags | Look up whether the code triggers a licence through GoBusiness Licensing | Regulated codes add weeks and cost to setup |
| 4. Pick primary and secondary | Primary is the largest revenue source; secondary only if a second activity is material | Two codes maximum; more activities do not need more codes |
| 5. Align with everything else | Use the same description in the bank application, the Employment Pass application and the website | Consistency is what agencies and banks test |
A few patterns from foreign-founder incorporations:
- SaaS and software: a software development or publishing code as primary. Add an IT consultancy code only if you will bill for services.
- Trading and e-commerce: distinguish wholesale from retail, and physical retail from online retail. If you will sell to Singapore consumers online, the online retail code is correct and carries no shop-front licensing.
- Holding companies: a holding-company code. Do not register a holding company under the operating subsidiary's activity; it confuses banks and makes the substance analysis harder.
- Consulting: management consultancy is a broad code that banks scrutinise because it is also the code of choice for shell companies. Be specific if a more precise code exists.
- Regulated activities: payments, lending, wealth, insurance intermediation, employment agencies, private education and food and beverage all need licences. Confirm the licensing path before you incorporate, because some licences require the company to exist first and some require capital and local staff you may not have planned for.
Changing a code later#
Codes can be changed. The company files an update of its business activities on Bizfile, and the change is reflected on the business profile once processed. ACRA expects the register to be current, so a company that has moved into a new line of business should update within the period ACRA prescribes for changes to particulars rather than leave a stale code in place.
What a change does not do is retroactively fix a mismatch that has already caused a problem. A bank that has flagged a discrepancy, or a pass officer who has queried the sector, will want an explanation as well as a corrected register.
Where the UEN and SSIC code show up next#
Once incorporated, you will use the UEN within days: to register for CorpPass, the digital identity through which the company transacts with government; to open a bank or digital business account, where the UEN and business profile are the first documents requested; to apply for an Employment Pass, where MOM reads both identifiers; and to register for GST if you choose to or must. Each of those steps is covered in our post-incorporation checklist.
A filing agent who asks you the right questions about revenue and licensing before submitting the incorporation is doing the SSIC work for you. Tell us what your company will sell and to whom, and we will introduce you to three vetted Singapore corporate service providers who will register it — with the right codes — within 24 hours, free and with no obligation.
Common questions
What is a UEN in Singapore?
The Unique Entity Number is the single identification number a Singapore-registered entity uses with all government agencies, banks and counterparties. It is issued automatically at registration, never changes, and doubles as the company registration number. For companies incorporated with ACRA it is ten characters: the year of incorporation, five digits and a check letter.
How do I find a company's UEN?
Search the entity name on ACRA's Bizfile portal or the government's UEN search. Both return the registered name, UEN and status. Your own UEN is on the certificate of incorporation and the Bizfile business profile.
What is an SSIC code?
A five-digit code from the Singapore Standard Industrial Classification that identifies a company's principal business activity. It is declared at incorporation, recorded on the business profile, and read by ACRA, IRAS, MOM, grant agencies and banks. A company may declare one primary and one secondary code.
How many SSIC codes can a company have?
Two: one primary activity, representing the main source of revenue, and one optional secondary activity. A company with more than two lines of business registers the two most significant.
Can I change my SSIC code after incorporation?
Yes. File an update to the company's business activities on Bizfile; the change is reflected on the business profile once processed. Keep the register current when the business changes direction, and align the new code with bank, work-pass and licensing records at the same time.
Does my SSIC code affect my Employment Pass application?
Yes. The Ministry of Manpower reads the company's registered sector when applying the Employment Pass qualifying salary and the COMPASS framework, and compares it with the role described in the application. A code that does not match the job creates queries and delays.
Darren Chew
Webmaster, Expand With Asia
Expand With Asia is an independent information platform — not a corporate service provider. Our editorial desk verifies every figure against primary sources (ACRA, IRAS, MOM, EDB) before publication.
Sources & verification: ACRA (Unique Entity Number introduced in 2009; ten-character format for ACRA-registered companies of year, five digits and check letter; UEN search and Bizfile business profile; principal and secondary SSIC activities, maximum of two; adoption of SSIC 2025 for new registrations from 9 May 2026 with automatic mapping of existing entities; update of business activities via Bizfile). Department of Statistics Singapore (Singapore Standard Industrial Classification 2025 revision introducing and reorganising more than 1,500 activity codes). GoBusiness Licensing (licence requirements linked to business activities). MOM (Employment Pass qualifying salary and COMPASS framework applied by sector). Filing timelines and fees for updating particulars should be confirmed on Bizfile at the time of filing.