From 9 December 2024, ACRA requires affected individuals to provide one contact address. It can be local or overseas but must be a physical address in the same jurisdiction as the residential address where the person can be contacted by post; it cannot be a PO box. This guide is for a director, shareholder, business owner or partner deciding what address will appear in acra public records and resolves one task: provide a valid contact address without confusing it with the confidential residential address or registered office. The material claims were checked against ACRA contact-address announcement and ACRA company-information update guide.
Choose the route that matches your case
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Residential address is acceptable for public display | Use it as the contact address |
| You want privacy and have a reachable office | Use that physical address if it meets the jurisdiction rule |
| Only a PO box is available | Do not use it; choose a qualifying physical address |
| You hold several positions | Maintain one contact address per individual, not one per company |
Separate three different addresses
A contact address is the public-facing location for an individual. It is not automatically the company’s registered office, and ACRA still keeps and uses the residential address for official correspondence. According to ACRA contact-address announcement, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Label all three fields in your compliance file so an update to one is not assumed to update the others.
Meet the physical-location test
ACRA’s FAQ says the contact address must be a place where the individual can be found and contacted by post, in the same jurisdiction as the residential address. According to ACRA company-information update guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
An email address or PO box fails that test. A service-provider office works only if the arrangement is genuine and mail can reach the person.
Know who is covered
The regime protects individuals associated with business entities, including directors, shareholders, owners and partners, as well as relevant public accountants. According to ACRA contact-address announcement, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Corporate shareholders do not use the regime because it protects personal residential addresses.
Use one address consistently
ACRA states that only one contact address per individual can be provided. The address follows the individual across relevant records rather than becoming a different alias for each appointment. According to ACRA company-information update guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Check every active appointment after an update instead of assuming the public output changed everywhere immediately.
Keep the residential record current
The contact address does not replace the duty to keep the confidential residential address accurate. ACRA says official correspondence continues to go to the residential address. According to ACRA contact-address announcement, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
For Singapore citizens and permanent residents, also follow the ICA-linked update route where applicable.
Plan mail handling
Privacy is lost if the substitute address cannot actually receive time-sensitive mail. Agree who opens, scans, escalates and retains correspondence. According to ACRA company-information update guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Do not place personal identity documents in an unsecured shared mailbox.
Run the numbers or sequence
A director living in Singapore may use a Singapore office that can receive post as the contact address while ACRA retains the home address confidentially. A Singapore PO box alone is not acceptable.
The calculation or sequence above is an LBRD working example. Replace every example input with the amount, date, access condition or document from your own case. Keep the official rate or threshold beside the working so another person can reproduce the answer.
Build a verification note another person can check
Before acting, create a one-page case note headed with the task, the date checked and the person responsible. Copy only the facts that affect your decision, then attach the statement, booking, application, receipt, map record or screenshot that supplies your own input. This separates a published rule from a personal assumption. If the official page changes, keep the earlier dated record but rework the decision with the live version.
| Controlling source | What to verify | What to retain |
|---|---|---|
| ACRA contact-address announcement | Transition from alternate addresses, public-display purpose and affected position holders. | Record the page date, the exact rule used and the case input it governs. |
| ACRA company-information update guide | Public display, same-country requirement, P.O. Box exclusion and residential-address correspondence treatment. | Record the page date, the exact rule used and the case input it governs. |
Read the source in context, including definitions, exceptions and effective dates. A relevant page is not proof by itself: the cited passage must contain the particular rate, deadline, eligibility condition, access rule or warning used here. Where two official channels appear inconsistent, pause and ask the authority about the exact case rather than choosing the more convenient answer.
Use the guide with its limits
For a business, the person who knows the rule is not always the person who controls payroll, Bizfile, the bank guarantee or the grant file. Assign an owner and reviewer, preserve the submission acknowledgement and schedule a check after the external system has processed the change.
No interview, personal use, fresh field visit, survey result or price check is claimed unless explicitly stated. Availability, fees and procedures can change. Reopen the linked authority page immediately before payment, travel, filing or emergency use.
Before you act
- List every current appointment
- Choose a physical reachable address
- Confirm the same-jurisdiction rule
- Update the confidential residential record separately
- Check the public Bizfile output
- Document mail handling
- Review after any move
Mistakes that change the outcome
- Using a PO box
- Treating contact address as registered office
- Ignoring residential-address updates
- Creating one contact address per company
- Using an address without mail consent
Continue with the relevant LBRD guide
Next, check the separate registered-office rule. You can also secure the company’s digital filing access.
Questions readers ask
Is a contact address optional?
No. ACRA states that it is mandatory for affected individuals.
Can it be overseas?
Yes, if it is in the same jurisdiction as the residential address and meets the physical-contact test.
Does ACRA send official mail there?
ACRA says official correspondence continues to go to the residential address.
