How to Strike Off a Company in Singapore: Process and Requirements

Last Updated: June 2026

To close a dormant or ceased Singapore company, you apply to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) to strike its name off the register. You submit the application online through BizFile, the company must meet every eligibility requirement first, and ACRA then reviews it before publishing the gazette notices that finalise the closure.

The whole process usually takes about 4 to 6 months, because ACRA publishes a First Gazette notice, allows a 60-day objection window, then publishes a Final Gazette notice. This guide covers who qualifies, how to apply, the timeline, the IRAS tax clearance you need first, what happens to directors afterwards, and how strike-off differs from winding up.

Key Takeaways

• Strike-off is the simplest way to close a Singapore company that has stopped trading, applied for under section 344 of the Companies Act through ACRA.
• The company must have ceased business, have no assets or liabilities, no outstanding charges, no ongoing legal proceedings, and be fully cleared with IRAS.
• You apply online via BizFile, and a company officer or an appointed filing agent submits the application.
• The full process takes about 4 to 6 months, covering ACRA review, a First Gazette notice, a 60-day objection period, and a Final Gazette notice.
• Once struck off, the company no longer legally exists, though it can be restored by a court order within the prescribed period.
• Strike-off suits dormant or asset-free companies, while members’ voluntary winding up is used when there are assets to distribute and a liquidator to appoint.

What Does It Mean to Strike Off a Company in Singapore?

Striking off means asking ACRA to remove your company’s name from the official register of companies. It is the most common and most cost-effective way to close a company that has stopped operating or never really started. When the strike-off completes, the company is dissolved and ceases to exist as a legal entity.

The power comes from section 344 of the Companies Act, which lets ACRA remove a company that is no longer carrying on business. Most small and dormant companies ask ACRA to do this voluntarily. The ACRA guidance on striking off a local company sets out the conditions and the process in full.

Strike-off is best suited to a dormant company or one that has ceased trading, cleaned up its affairs, and has nothing left to distribute. If the company still holds assets or owes money, strike-off is not the right route, and you should look at winding up instead.

What Are the Requirements to Strike Off a Company?

ACRA will only approve a strike-off application if the company meets every eligibility condition. Miss one and the application is rejected, so check each item before you apply.

• The company has ceased business, or has never started, and is not carrying on any trade.
• It has no outstanding assets and no outstanding liabilities of any kind.
• There are no outstanding charges recorded in the company’s charge register.
• The company is not a party to any ongoing or pending legal proceedings, in Singapore or elsewhere.
• It has no outstanding tax liabilities or filing obligations with IRAS, and is not under any IRAS audit or investigation, as the IRAS guidance for companies applying for strike off requires.
• It is not subject to any ongoing regulatory action or disqualification by any government agency.

The directors also need to settle housekeeping first: file any outstanding annual returns, close the corporate bank account, and resolve any ACRA late penalties sitting against the company. Keeping a clean compliance record right up to closure makes the application far smoother. The full list of conditions is on the ACRA page on closing a local company.

How Do I Apply to Strike Off (BizFile)?

You apply online through BizFile, ACRA’s electronic filing portal. The application is submitted by a company officer, such as a director or the company secretary, or by an appointed filing agent. There is no filing fee for a voluntary strike-off application.

Before you file, the directors should confirm that the company meets all the eligibility conditions, since ACRA relies on that declaration. In practice the steps look like this:

• Confirm the company qualifies against every requirement above, including IRAS tax clearance.
• File any overdue annual returns and settle outstanding penalties so the record is clean.
• Pass the necessary internal resolutions and prepare the strike-off application in BizFile.
• Submit the application online and wait for ACRA to review it.

Many directors ask their corporate secretarial provider to handle the filing, since the same provider holds the registers and knows the company’s status. Strike-off is not for routine updates: a company name change or a share transfer have their own separate filings, and a company you intend to keep using is one you register and maintain, not strike off.

How Long Does Strike-Off Take?

From the day you submit to the day the company is struck off usually takes about 4 to 6 months. The wait is built into the law because ACRA gives interested parties, such as creditors and government agencies, time to object before the closure is finalised. The chart below maps the five stages from application to dissolution.

After you apply, ACRA reviews the application. If it is in order, ACRA publishes a First Gazette notice in the Government Gazette announcing the intended strike-off. From that notice, a 60-day objection period runs, during which anyone with a valid objection can ask ACRA to halt the process. If no objection is raised, ACRA publishes a Final Gazette notice, and the company is struck off the register on the date stated there. At that point the company is dissolved.

The timeline can stretch if the company’s affairs are not in order, if IRAS clearance is still pending, or if someone objects. Getting the accounting and compliance tidy before you apply is the best way to keep the 4-to-6-month estimate on track.

What Happens to the Directors and the Company After Strike-Off?

Once the Final Gazette notice takes effect, the company no longer legally exists. It cannot trade, hold assets, sign contracts, or sue and be sued in its own name. The directors and company secretary are released from their ongoing filing duties for that entity, because there is no longer a company to file for.

Directors should still keep the company’s books and records, because the law requires records to be retained for a set period after dissolution. Striking off one company does not affect a person’s ability to be a director of another Singapore company, provided the strike-off was clean and the person is not otherwise disqualified.

A strike-off is not always permanent. If the company was struck off in error, or a creditor or member has a legitimate reason, an application can be made to court to restore it to the register within the prescribed period. Restoration brings the company back as if it had never been struck off, which is why you should never strike off a company that still has unresolved claims against it.

What Is the Difference Between Strike-Off and Winding Up?

Both routes end a company, but they suit different situations. Strike-off is the light-touch option for a company that has already stopped trading and has nothing left to deal with. Winding up, also called liquidation, is a formal process used when a company has assets to realise and distribute, or debts that need orderly resolution. The clearest practical differences are these:

• Strike-off requires no assets and no liabilities, while members’ voluntary winding up is the route when the company is solvent and has assets to distribute to shareholders.
• Winding up requires appointing a liquidator to realise assets, settle claims, and distribute any surplus, whereas strike-off needs no liquidator.
• Strike-off is faster and cheaper, taking about 4 to 6 months with no professional liquidator fees, while winding up is more involved and more costly.
• Winding up gives a more formal and final close-out, which can matter when there are creditors, multiple shareholders, or significant assets in play.

If your company still has paid-up capital or other assets on its books, you generally cannot strike off until those are dealt with, and members’ voluntary winding up is the appropriate path. For a simple dormant shell with a clean slate, strike-off is almost always the better choice. A quick review of the balance sheet usually decides which route applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to strike off a company in Singapore?

Striking off means applying to ACRA to remove the company’s name from the register of companies under section 344 of the Companies Act. It is the simplest way to close a company that has ceased trading or is dormant. Once the strike-off is finalised through the gazette process, the company is dissolved and no longer exists as a legal entity.

What are the requirements to strike off a company?

The company must have ceased business or never started, have no outstanding assets and no outstanding liabilities, no outstanding charges in its charge register, and must not be a party to any legal proceedings. It must also have no outstanding tax liabilities or obligations with IRAS and not be subject to any ongoing regulatory action. ACRA will reject the application if any condition is not met.

How long does it take to strike off a company in Singapore?

It usually takes about 4 to 6 months. After ACRA reviews and approves the application, it publishes a First Gazette notice, allows a 60-day objection period, and then publishes a Final Gazette notice, on which date the company is struck off. The timeline can be longer if affairs are not in order or if someone objects.

Do I need tax clearance from IRAS before strike-off?

Yes. The company must have no outstanding tax liabilities or filing obligations with IRAS and must not be under any IRAS audit or investigation before ACRA will approve a strike-off. IRAS sets out what a company should settle before applying on its companies applying for strike-off guidance, so clear any returns and assessments first.

What happens to the company after it is struck off?

Once the Final Gazette notice takes effect, the company no longer legally exists and cannot trade, hold assets, or enter contracts. The directors are released from their ongoing filing duties for that company, though they must keep its records for the required retention period. A struck-off company can be restored by a court order within the prescribed period if there is a valid reason.

What is the difference between strike-off and winding up?

Strike-off is for a company that has already stopped trading and has no assets or liabilities, and it needs no liquidator. Members’ voluntary winding up is for a solvent company that still has assets to distribute, and it requires appointing a liquidator to realise assets and settle claims. Strike-off is faster and cheaper, while winding up gives a more formal close-out.

Talk to Us About Closing Your Company

Closing a company cleanly is mostly about getting the order right: settle IRAS, clear the registers, confirm there are no assets or liabilities, then file the strike-off and let the gazette timeline run. A missed tax obligation or an unfiled annual return is what usually turns a 4-month closure into a much longer one. If you want your strike-off handled end to end, from IRAS tax clearance to the BizFile application, talk to us and we will close the company properly the first time.