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MHA | Registry of Societies Registry of Societies

We are migrating to a new system to serve you better!

To facilitate the migration, our e-services will be unavailable from 24 April 2024, 2359hrs, to 2 May 2024, 0859hrs. The new system will be available from 2 May 2024, 0900hrs. Please submit all your applications / submissions before 24 April 2024 or on or after 2 May 2024.

For any enquiries, please contact us at 6391 6325 or email us at MHA_ROS_feedback@mha.gov.sg.

1) From 1 July 2023, ROS counter services will be available by appointment only and our service hours will be from 9.00am to 5.00pm. 2) We will be closed on 16 April 2024 from 1200hrs onwards. Please contact us at mha_ros_feedback@mha.gov.sg.

Information On Registering A Society

Information On Registering A Society
1. View the frequently asked questions on registering a new society.
2. There are two types of registration processes - Automatic and Normal. Click it to know if your society qualifies for Automatic Registration or Normal Registration.
3. Proposed name of society
(i) The society's proposed name should not be the same or similar to that of another entity that is already registered. To check, you may refer to the Unique Entity Number (UEN) website www.uen.gov.sg.
(ii) The name of the society must be spelt out in full. Acronyms/abbreviations are not encouraged. Where acronyms/abbreviations are used, its meaning must be clearly explained.
(iii) Please provide a letter of support from the relevant authorities if you are using any of the following words as part of the name of the proposed society:

Agency Words
Ministry of Education /
Council for Private Education 		Academy, College, Institute (with exception of an alumni)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asean
National Heritage Board Bras Basah.Bugis
Urban Redevelopment Authority Bayfront, Marina Centre, Marina South, Marina East, Straits View, Greater Southern Waterfront, Downtown Core, Raffles Place, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay, Empress Place, Civic District, CBD, Orchard Road, Mount Sophia, Fort Canning, Emerald Hill, Kallang Riverside, Paya Lebar Central, Jurong Lake District, Lakeside, Jurong Gateway, Rail Corridor, Southern Ridges, Gillman Village, Round Island Route, Marina Bay, Singapore River, Kampong Glam.
Singapore Tourism Board Orchard, Tanglin, Somerset, Scotts, Sentosa, HarbourFront, Merlion.
Urban Redevelopment Authority /
Singapore Tourism Board 		Little India, Chinatown, Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, Bukit Pasoh, Ann Siang Hill, Duxton.
Spring Singapore Standards Board
Any relevant authority Council, Government, Ministry, National, Republic, Registry, State, Temasek

(iv) The word "Singapore" or its abbreviation is allowed to be used within brackets at the end of the society's name, eg. ABC Society (Singapore) to indicate the society's place of registration.
(v) A society will only be allowed to use the word "Foundation" in its name if it is an institution or association with a permanent fund dedicated to charitable, educational, religious, research or other benevolent purpose, and the society is financed by a donation or legacy to aid the society's intended charitable purposes or an endowment for such society.
4. Proposed Place of Business
(i) The Place of Business is defined in the Societies Act as the place where the records and books of accounts of a society are kept.
(ii) Registered societies should ensure that their place of business is updated with the Registry.
(iii) The following addresses are prohibited from use as the society's place of business:
  • (a) HDB flat
  • (b) PO Box
  • (c) Undeveloped sites, eg. Mukim Lot 8
  • (d) Mobile premises, eg. Containers
  • (e) Unofficial addresses, eg. Rooftops, void decks
  • (f) Public places, eg. hawker stalls/stores
  • (g) Embassy / High Commission
  • (h) Virtual Office which is an internet website
(iv) Provide a letter of consent from the relevant authorities if the following addresses are used as the society's place of business:
  • (a) Community Centre
  • (b) Government agencies or statutory boards, schools and hospitals
5. The proposed constitution (guidelines and sample) (DOCX, 0B) should be submitted in word format.
6. For societies affiliated to another entity, the following is required:
- A copy of the affiliated body constitution
- A letter from the affiliated body supporting the registration of the society
7. For Alumni or Parent-Teacher societies, the following is required:
- A letter from the school supporting the formation of the society.
- If the Place of Business of the society is that of the school address, a letter from the school approving the society to use the school premises as the societyš place of business.
8. For societies that want to be the controlling body of a sport i.e. National Sports Association, the following is required:
- A letter from the Sport Singapore supporting the registration
9. For societies supporting a personality i.e. Fans Club, the following is required:
- A letter of authorization from the personality concerned for the use of the name. The personality can be the name of a person, for e.g. Dick Lee, or the name of an inanimate object, for e.g. Toyota.
10. The President, Secretary and Treasurer of the society are required to verify the application using their individual SingPass or iROSES account before the system can accept the application for processing.
11. The file size of each attachment should not exceed 5Mb.
12. A fee is payable upon approval of application.
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