What is a Unique Entity Number (UEN) in Singapore?
A Unique Entity Number, or UEN, serves as the standard identification number for entities. Like how NRIC identifies Singapore citizens, the UEN uniquely identifies registered entities.
What are the benefits of having a Unique Entity Number (UEN) in Singapore?
Having a UEN simplifies your interactions with government agencies. Instead of using multiple numbers for different agencies, your UEN serves as a single identifier.
As a result, with your UEN, you can easily carry out tasks such as submitting corporate tax returns or requesting import and export licences.
Who issues the UEN?
When you complete a registration process with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), a UEN will be automatically assigned to you as part of the standard procedure for incorporation or registration.
Apart from ACRA, various other agencies are responsible for providing different business entities with the appropriate UENs. You can find a list of these agencies on the UEN website.
Do I need a Unique Entity Number (UEN) in Singapore?
UEN will be provided to entities, including businesses, local companies, representative offices, LLPs, and societies that:
- Engage in multiple interactions with government agencies.
- Are recognised by a UEN Issuance Agency such as ACRA or ROS (Registry of Societies).
Here are some key points regarding UEN issuance:
- Individuals will not be issued a UEN. Instead, they will use their NRIC numbers to interact with government agencies.
- Entities with no or only occasional interactions with a single government agency, such as overseas companies making one-off sales to government agencies, will not be issued a UEN.
- Sub-entities with branches and divisions of an entity will not be assigned a separate UEN.
For a comprehensive list of entity types eligible for UEN issuance and their corresponding UEN Issuance Agencies, refer to official websites.
