When ACRA removes a company from the register, it typically does so because the entity appears dormant, violates compliance rules, or skips annual return filings for two consecutive years. The company immediately ceases to exist as a legal body in Singapore. Yet reinstatement remains possible—and it happens more frequently than most business owners realise.

Understanding the Consequences of Removal

A struck-off company loses its legal personality. Its bank accounts are frozen. Its contracts become void. Its name is erased from the public register.

Directors and shareholders can no longer act on the company's behalf. Any assets the entity held may vest in the government as bona vacantia—property without an owner that the state claims by default.

ACRA typically initiates the process after compliance deadlines pass, official notices go unanswered, or no known officers occupy the registered address. A formal warning precedes the actual strike-off. Unfortunately, many directors only learn of the problem after the damage is done, often when a bank account stops working or a business partner flags the issue.

You retain six years from the date of striking off to seek restoration. Beyond that window, the process becomes significantly more difficult and may no longer be available.

Who Can Petition for Reinstatement

Former directors, shareholders, creditors, or any party aggrieved by the removal may apply to ACRA. Most petitions come from directors or shareholders who need the company reinstated to deal with unresolved assets, live contracts, or pending regulatory matters.

A company struck off voluntarily can also be restored. However, ACRA will only approve reinstatement once the original reasons for removal are fully resolved.

Steps in the Restoration Process

Applications are filed through BizFile+, ACRA's online portal. Several conditions must be met before submission.

Appoint a Registered Filing Agent or Company Secretary

Because the company no longer appears in the register, individual directors often cannot file directly without a CorpPass account linked to the defunct entity. Most applicants therefore engage professional company secretary services at this stage. A qualified company secretary knows what ACRA expects, which documents are required, and how to avoid the most common grounds for rejection.

Resolve All Outstanding Compliance Failures

ACRA will not restore a company that still carries unresolved breaches. Overdue annual returns must be filed. Outstanding penalties must be paid. Any issues with IRAS must be sorted. Financial statements also need to be brought up to date.

Directors commonly misjudge this step. They assume ACRA will overlook past failures once the application is submitted. It will not.

Prepare Supporting Documents

The application requires a written explanation of why the company should be reinstated. It needs evidence of the applicant's standing. It also requires a declaration of the company's intended purpose going forward.

If the striking-off was involuntary, documentation showing the company was still active at the time strengthens the case considerably.

File and Pay the Fee

The application fee is S$60 for administrative restoration and S$200 for court-ordered restoration. ACRA processes most straightforward administrative applications within 14 to 30 working days. Court-ordered restorations, which involve a formal court application and a hearing, take considerably longer.

Administrative Restoration Versus Court-Ordered Restoration

Administrative restoration applies when the company was struck off within the last six months. ACRA handles it directly with no court involvement. This is the faster route, and for most applicants who act quickly, it is the only route they need.

Court-ordered restoration applies when more than six months have passed since striking off, or when ACRA rejects an administrative application. You file an originating summons in the High Court, serve it on the Registrar of Companies, and attend a hearing. The strength of the case you present matters significantly here. Most directors in this position work with a lawyer alongside their provider of secretarial services Singapore to build a persuasive argument.

Why Professional Support Is Essential at Every Stage

A company secretary in Singapore is not merely an administrative formality. Under the Companies Act, every Singapore-incorporated company must appoint a qualified company secretary. During restoration, the company technically lacks one because it has ceased to exist. Reappointing a qualified secretary is one of the first actions required after reinstatement.

Before reinstatement, professional secretarial services Singapore handle the preparation work. They review what outstanding filings exist, coordinate with IRAS if needed, structure the application letter, and file on your behalf. Directors who attempt this without help frequently get rejected on procedural grounds—missing documents, incomplete statements, or undiscovered penalties.

After reinstatement, ongoing company secretary services keep the company compliant going forward. This means managing annual return filings, maintaining statutory registers, and making sure AGM deadlines are not missed. In many cases, the compliance failure that led to striking off was preventable with the right support in place from the start.

Moving Forward After Reinstatement

Restoration returns the company to the register as if the striking-off had not occurred. The company regains its legal standing. Bank accounts can be unfrozen. Contracts become enforceable again. Property that vested in the government during the struck-off period can be reclaimed, though this sometimes requires a separate application.

The practical priority after reinstatement is getting all statutory obligations current fast. Annual returns, director updates, registered address confirmations—these need to happen immediately so the company does not slip back into the same position.

A structured handover from your company secretary services provider, with a compliance calendar going forward, is what makes reinstatement stick.

Restoration is a real option for most struck-off companies, but the window is limited and the paperwork is unforgiving. Acting early, resolving compliance issues before filing, and working with qualified secretarial services Singapore throughout the process are what separate successful applications from rejected ones.