🇸🇬How to verify a supplier in Singapore
To verify a supplier in Singapore, look the company up for free in the official ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror) and confirm it is registered and currently active. The registry returns entity name, UEN, entity type, registration date, primary SSIC activity code, and status; the full register is also downloadable free on data.gov.sg (ACRA Information on Corporate Entities).
The official registry
- Registry
- ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror)
- Company ID
- UEN (Unique Entity Number, e.g. 193800054G)
- Cost
- Free basic lookup
- Active status
- Status reads "Live Company" / "Live" for an operating entity vs "Struck Off" or "Ceased Registration"; the SSIC code shows whether the declared activity actually is manufacturing or wholesale.
- Singapore is outside the EU, so there is no VIES check; the ACRA status plus a GST-registration check on IRAS (mytax.iras.gov.sg) together stand in for it.
Verify it in four steps
1. Open the ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror)
ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror) is the official government record of companies in Singapore. Basic name or number search is free.
2. Search the exact legal name or ID
Search the supplier's registered name or its UEN (Unique Entity Number, e.g. 193800054G). If the name does not match cleanly, treat it as a red flag, it may be a trade name, a different entity, or wrong.
3. Confirm it is active, not struck off
Status reads "Live Company" / "Live" for an operating entity vs "Struck Off" or "Ceased Registration"; the SSIC code shows whether the declared activity actually is manufacturing or wholesale.
4. Check it makes what it sells
A real factory carries a manufacturing activity code and a consistent trade history; a middleman reselling everything is the most common mismatch.
This is a factual pointer to public records, not legal advice. For the full method, see the 7 checks that separate a real supplier from a scam.
We do this check for you
On every Singapore company we list, we show what the open record says, each linked to its free public source so you can re-check it yourself, no paid badge. And we go past the big directories to the local and craft makers who are too small for them but real, then verify and sort them, so you find genuine Singapore suppliers, not just the loudest.
Questions
Is checking a Singapore supplier free?
Yes. A basic name or number lookup in the ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror) is free. Some full official extracts are paid, but confirming a company exists and is active costs nothing.
What ID does a Singapore company have?
Its UEN (Unique Entity Number, e.g. 193800054G). Ask the supplier for it, then confirm it in the ACRA BizFile+ (with the free data.gov.sg open-data mirror) and check the registered name matches.
How do I know a Singapore supplier is a real manufacturer, not a reseller?
The registry's activity code is the tell: a manufacturing code means a real maker, a wholesale or retail code means a trader. Singapore is outside the EU, so there is no VIES check; the ACRA status plus a GST-registration check on IRAS (mytax.iras.gov.sg) together stand in for it.