How to Check Singapore Company Name Availability Online Before Registering

Could your chosen company name be the one thing standing between you and a registered Singapore company? A single rejected name application can delay incorporation by days or even weeks, yet many founders never search the national register before filing.

In this blog, we discuss the steps to run a Singapore company name availability check through the ACRA Bizfile system. We then break down the naming restrictions under the Companies Act 1967 and the applicable ACRA fees in 2026. We also explain how 3E Accounting Singapore can manage the process from the initial lookup through to full incorporation.

Why Does Company Name Availability Matter Before You Register in Singapore?

ACRA routinely refuses names that are identical to existing companies, too similar, or simply undesirable. An unchecked name is therefore a rejected application waiting to happen.

Under section 27 of the Companies Act 1967, the Registrar must refuse to register certain names. These include:

• names that are undesirable
• names identical to another business entity's name
• names identical to a reserved name
• names of a kind the Minister has directed the Registrar not to accept

Every Singapore company setup runs through the ACRA online registry. The name decision is therefore the first formal step in the process.

Applicants who skip the preliminary lookup risk refused applications, repeated name application fees and postponed banking, licensing and employment arrangements. Our team therefore helps clients shortlist two or three candidate names ahead of any submission. A fallback then exists if the first choice fails. Five minutes of verification protects weeks of planning.

Once a name clears, professional Singapore incorporation services can complete the registration itself within a day. That speed is exactly why the name stage deserves proper attention rather than an afterthought.

How Do You Check Singapore Company Name Availability Online Using Bizfile?

ACRA's Bizfile portal offers a free basic entity search that anyone can use without logging in.

Bizfile is the online platform ACRA uses for all registry transactions. It went live on 9 December 2024, taking over from the earlier BizFile+ system. Today every name lookup, name application and incorporation submission runs through this one-stop portal. The basic lookup costs nothing, while formal name applications and incorporation transactions require a Corppass or Singpass-enabled account plus payment of the applicable fee.

The free lookup shows whether a matching entity already exists on the register, including its status and entity type. It is indicative rather than binding. Only a formal name application gives a definitive decision from ACRA. The full process involves five steps.

Step 1: Access the Bizfile portal

Visit the Bizfile portal at bizfile.gov.sg from any browser. No login is required for the informational entity search, which makes the first check genuinely free.

Step 2: Open the entity search function

On the Bizfile home page, select the Entity tab to search registered entities and the Reserved name tab to check existing name reservations.

Step 3: Enter your intended name exactly

Type the preferred business name without a legal suffix such as Pte Ltd, then select the intended entity type separately. Searches are not case-sensitive. When ACRA screens proposed names, punctuation carries no weight, and filler terms are treated the same way, so two names that differ only by these elements can still be viewed as matching.

Step 4: Review matching entities and former names

Examine every near match, including live, struck-off and former names. A struck-off predecessor does not automatically free a name, because ACRA retains discretion over names of recently dissolved entities.

Step 5: File a formal name application when confident

If the search is clear, apply to reserve the name through Bizfile. ACRA charges S$15 for each name application under its current fee schedule for 2026, and the fee applies whether or not the name is approved.

What Naming Rules Can Stop Your Company Name from Being Approved?

Four categories account for most refusals: identical or near-identical names, undesirable names, restricted words requiring referral to another authority, and names that mislead the public.

ACRA applies the Companies Act 1967 together with its Second Schedule when assessing name applications. Understanding these categories before filing reduces the risk of a refusal and of losing the S$15 application fee. In our experience serving more than 10,000 clients, most refusals fall into one of the following four categories.

1. Identical or near-identical names

Registration fails where the proposed name matches an entity already on the register, or where it resembles one closely enough to cause confusion. The statutory test for an identical name is narrower than the other checks ACRA applies:

• resemblance to a name already registered
• impressions likely to mislead the public
• conflicts with registered trademarks

One name may therefore pass a single check yet stumble at another. Plurals, altered spelling and different punctuation rarely provide enough separation. Availability on the register also says nothing about trademark clearance, so founders should verify relevant IP rights separately before locking in their branding.

2. Undesirable names

Names that are vulgar, obscene or contrary to the public interest may be refused under the Second Schedule. Names suggesting connection with the Government or a public authority are treated with particular caution.

3. Words requiring referral to other authorities

Some terms fall under another regulator's oversight, so the application must first be routed to that body, and ACRA signs off only once clearance comes through. Banking and finance vocabulary is passed to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), while education-related terms go to the Ministry of Education (MOE). Expect a longer wait than the standard one-day turnaround whenever this extra step applies.

4. Misleading impressions

A name implying activities the company is not authorised to carry out, including quasi-government status or professional licensure, may be rejected. Words carrying statutory protection — including references to the Singapore Armed Forces and to state-linked institutions like Temasek — cannot be used without special approval.

What Happens Once You Reserve a Company Name with ACRA?

A successful name application reserves the name for 120 days, during which the company must complete incorporation before the reservation lapses.

The S$15 application fee is not refunded if the name is refused, so care at the lookup stage pays for itself. Once approval comes through, the reservation holds the name for 120 days, and incorporation must be completed inside that window. A further fee buys an extension, provided the request is filed before the reservation runs out. Registering the company itself carries a S$300 fee under the 2026 schedule.

Every company must appoint at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore, together with a registered office address and a company secretary named within six months. A Corporate Services Provider that ACRA has registered as a filing agent, such as 3E Accounting, manages the online submission, but this appointment does not by itself satisfy the residency rule. Foreign founders without a local director of their own typically arrange one through our independent director services, and we then complete the filing through ACRA's Bizfile comfortably inside the reservation window.

The same route serves multinational companies in Singapore establishing local subsidiaries. It equally suits founders who will later depend on corporate secretarial services for startups to keep their compliance calendar on track.

Tax duties begin the moment registration completes. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) expects an Estimated Chargeable Income return within three months of the financial year end, unless an administrative exemption applies. The compliance clock starts on day one.

What Common Mistakes Should You Avoid When Choosing a Company Name?

Most name rejections are avoidable, and they usually stem from reliance on a single candidate name, phonetic similarity or unvetted sensitive words.

In our experience, the missteps that trip up most founders are procedural rather than creative, and each one is preventable. Work through this checklist before you file:

• Trusting a Google search rather than the official register. Search engines surface only a small share of what the register actually holds.
• Overlooking a candidate that sounds alike or is spelled nearly the same as a name already on the register; the regulator sees such near-matches as confusing.
• Opting for sensitive terms, such as finance or banking vocabulary, and reaching the referral stage with no justification prepared.
• Allowing the 120-day reservation to expire while paperwork is still outstanding.
• Leaving out the compulsory suffix, such as Private Limited, or proposing a short form the registry has never cleared.

Working through these points takes under half an hour and safeguards the S$15 application fee. A Corporate Services Provider such as 3E Accounting can also pre-vet a shortlist on Bizfile, testing every candidate against the registry's naming conventions ahead of any submission.

Conclusion

Running a quick availability check on ACRA's Bizfile platform takes only minutes. Turning that cleared name into a properly registered entity, however, calls for:

• a well-prepared application
• the right supporting details
• a working knowledge of the naming rules in the Companies Act 1967

The official fees are modest, but the delays caused by repeated rejections are not.

Since 2011, 3E Accounting Singapore has supported more than 10,000 startups, SMEs and multinational clients. It does so as a full-service Corporate Services Provider. Our approach combines a 120-strong team with technology-enabled processes and 24/7 support across time zones. We handle name pre-vetting, reservation, incorporation and post-registration compliance as one continuous engagement.

For professional assistance with a name application and incorporation in 2026, reach 3E Accounting Singapore through our contact page. We will walk you from the initial check through to the final certificate.

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