ACRA Central Registers for Nominee Directors and Shareholders: What Companies Must Do

Last Updated: June 2026

If a director or shareholder of your Singapore company is acting on behalf of someone else, the law expects you to record that fact. Every company and registered foreign company, unless exempt, must keep a Register of Nominee Directors (ROND) and a Register of Nominee Shareholders (RONS), then lodge the particulars with ACRA’s central register. This is an ongoing duty, not a one-off task tied to a single past deadline.

The registers capture who is a nominee and who they really answer to. The nominee must tell the company, the company records it, and the same details are filed centrally with ACRA so the authorities can see the real people behind the company. This guide explains what ROND and RONS are, who must keep and lodge them, what particulars go in, who is exempt, and how this sits next to the separate Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC).

Key Takeaways

• Singapore companies and registered foreign companies, unless exempt, must keep a Register of Nominee Directors (ROND) and a Register of Nominee Shareholders (RONS).
• A director or shareholder who is a nominee must inform the company of their nominee status and provide their nominator’s full particulars.
• The registers record the nominee’s name together with the nominator’s name and identifying details, and the particulars are lodged with ACRA’s central register.
• The information is filed with ACRA through BizFile and must be kept up to date whenever the nominee arrangement or any particular changes.
• Certain entities, such as listed companies and some regulated entities, are exempt from keeping these registers.
• ROND and RONS are separate from the Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC), which records who ultimately owns or controls the company; failing to comply is an offence, with the RORC breach carrying a fine of up to S$25,000.

What Is the Register of Nominee Directors (ROND) and Register of Nominee Shareholders (RONS)?

A nominee director or nominee shareholder holds the role or the shares on behalf of someone else, the nominator. On paper they are the director or member; in substance they act for another party who stays in the background. That gap between the named person and the real party is what these registers are designed to close.

The Register of Nominee Directors records each director who is a nominee, along with the person or entity they act for. The Register of Nominee Shareholders does the same for shareholders who hold shares as nominees. Together they make the true controllers visible to the company and the authorities, supporting Singapore’s anti-money-laundering and corporate-transparency aims. The ACRA guidance on the Registers of Nominee Directors and Shareholders sets out the duty in full, and the obligation flows from the Companies Act 1967.

If you work with a nominee arrangement, understand the wider risk first. Our guides on the nominee director crackdown and new rules and the risk of using a friend as a nominee director explain why these arrangements draw close scrutiny.

Who Must File ROND and RONS With ACRA?

The duty falls on the company. Every locally incorporated company and every registered foreign company, unless exempt, must set up and maintain a ROND and a RONS and lodge the particulars with ACRA’s central register. The company does not need to have a nominee for the obligation to exist; it must keep the registers ready and record any nominee the moment one is identified.

The trigger that fills the register comes from the individual. A nominee director or nominee shareholder must tell the company that they are a nominee and give the nominator’s particulars. The company then records that information and files it centrally. In practice this work is handled by the company’s corporate secretary or a corporate service provider, who knows the lodgement mechanics and keeps the filings current.

• The company keeps the ROND and RONS and lodges the particulars with ACRA.
• The nominee director or nominee shareholder must declare their status and supply the nominator’s details.
• The corporate secretary or corporate secretarial service usually prepares and files the records.
• Changes must be passed on promptly so the register and the central filing stay accurate.

What Particulars Go Into the Register?

Each entry links a nominee to the person they act for. The register records that the director or shareholder is a nominee and captures the nominator’s identifying particulars, so anyone reading the record can connect the named office-holder or member to the real party behind them.

The recorded details generally include the nominee’s name and the nominator’s name and identifying information, such as identification or registration details and an address. Because the same particulars are lodged centrally, accuracy matters; an out-of-date or incomplete entry defeats the purpose of the register and can expose the company to enforcement.

Directors should treat this as part of their core duties. Our guide to the key responsibilities of a director explains why staying on top of statutory registers protects both the company and the individual.

Are Any Companies Exempt?

Not every entity has to keep a ROND and RONS. The exemptions broadly cover entities that are already transparent or already regulated elsewhere, so a second nominee register would add little. These include listed companies and certain regulated entities whose ownership and control are already disclosed under other regimes.

Exemption is specific, so do not assume your company qualifies. The categories and conditions are set out in ACRA’s guidance on setting up and maintaining ROND and RONS. If you are unsure, confirm it against that guidance or ask your corporate secretary before deciding to skip the registers, because getting it wrong counts as non-compliance.

The two registers cover different roles, and it helps to see them side by side. The figure below compares ROND and RONS.

Where and When Do I Lodge the Registers?

The company keeps its ROND and RONS internally, usually maintained by the corporate secretary or corporate service provider, and lodges the particulars with ACRA’s central register through the BizFile portal. The central register gives the authorities a single, searchable view of nominee arrangements across companies.

Timing is ongoing rather than a one-off. You set the registers up, lodge the particulars, then keep the central record current whenever something changes, for example when a new nominee is appointed, an existing nominee ceases, or a nominator’s particulars change. When the underlying fact changes, update the register and refresh the lodgement promptly. Building this into your monthly compliance checklist keeps it from slipping, and a lapse here is one of the common compliance mistakes new companies make.

If you are still forming the company, fold this into the wider setup. See our walkthrough on how to register a company in Singapore and, for foreign founders weighing a nominee, what foreign entrepreneurs must know about nominee director services.

How Is This Different From the Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC)?

People often confuse the nominee registers with the RORC because both deal with who is really behind a company, but they answer different questions. The RORC records the registrable controllers, the individuals or entities with significant control or ownership of the company. ROND and RONS instead record that a specific director or shareholder is a nominee and identify the nominator they act for.

Put simply, the RORC asks who ultimately owns or controls the company, while ROND and RONS ask whether a named director or shareholder is fronting for someone else. They overlap in spirit but are maintained separately, and a company may need all three. Failing to comply is an offence; the RORC breach carries a fine of up to S$25,000, and ACRA has pursued non-compliant companies, as our guide to ACRA court summonses and RORC filing penalties sets out.

One more connection: if you engage a corporate service provider to maintain these registers, that provider is now itself regulated. Our explainer on ACRA’s Corporate Service Providers Act 2025 covers what to check before engaging a CSP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are ROND and RONS?

ROND is the Register of Nominee Directors and RONS is the Register of Nominee Shareholders. They record directors and shareholders who hold their position or shares on behalf of someone else, the nominator, and identify that nominator. Singapore companies and registered foreign companies, unless exempt, must keep both registers and lodge the particulars with ACRA’s central register.

Which companies must keep a Register of Nominee Directors?

Every locally incorporated company and every registered foreign company must keep a Register of Nominee Directors, unless the company falls within an exemption. The company keeps the register even if it currently has no nominee director, and it must record a nominee as soon as one is identified. A director who is a nominee must declare their status and provide the nominator’s particulars.

What information must the register contain?

The register records that a director or shareholder is a nominee and captures the nominator’s identifying particulars. This generally includes the nominee’s name and the nominator’s name along with identifying details such as identification or registration information and an address. The same particulars are lodged with ACRA’s central register and must be kept accurate and current.

Are any companies exempt from ROND and RONS?

Yes. Certain entities are exempt, broadly those that are already transparent or already regulated under other regimes, such as listed companies and some regulated entities. Exemption is specific to the category and conditions set out in ACRA’s guidance, so a company should confirm it qualifies before deciding not to keep the registers, because getting it wrong is treated as non-compliance.

Where do I lodge the registers with ACRA?

The company keeps the ROND and RONS internally, usually through its corporate secretary or corporate service provider, and lodges the particulars with ACRA’s central register through the BizFile portal. This is an ongoing duty, so the central record must be kept up to date whenever a nominee is appointed or ceases, or a nominator’s particulars change.

What is the difference between ROND, RONS, and the RORC?

The RORC, or Register of Registrable Controllers, records the individuals or entities with significant control or ownership of the company. ROND and RONS instead record whether a director or shareholder is acting as a nominee and identify the nominator. They are maintained separately, and a company may need all three. Failing to comply is an offence, with the RORC breach carrying a fine of up to S$25,000.

Talk to Us About Your Nominee Registers

The nominee registers are easy to overlook and treated seriously when missed, because they go to the heart of who really controls a Singapore company. Keeping a ROND and RONS, recording each nominee and nominator correctly, lodging the particulars through BizFile, and refreshing the central record when things change is exactly the kind of recurring work a corporate secretary should manage for you. If you want your nominee registers set up, kept current, and lodged with ACRA alongside your RORC and other statutory filings, talk to us and we will keep your company compliant.