.sg vs .com.sg: Which Domain Should a Singapore Business Get?

Quick answer: .sg or .com.sg?

• Choose .com.sg if you are a registered business and want an address that reads clearly as a Singapore company. You need to be registered (or in the process of registering) with ACRA, Enterprise Singapore or a Singapore professional body.
• Choose .sg if you want a shorter address, are a sole trader or freelancer without such a registration, or the .com.sg name is taken.
• Register both if the name matters to you, so nobody else can take the other one. Point the second domain at your main site.
• Consider the .com as well if you sell overseas or customers might type it by habit.

Google does not rank a .com.sg above a .sg or the other way round. Both are Singapore country-code domains, and both tell search engines the site is aimed at Singapore.

The SGNIC rules for each .sg extension

SGNIC (the Singapore Network Information Centre) runs the .sg registry. Its categories and rules page lists 8 extensions. The ones a business is likely to use:

The name itself can be 1 to 63 characters (not counting the .sg or .com.sg part), using only letters, numbers and hyphens for Latin names, per SGNIC's domain FAQ. Chinese characters are allowed in all categories.

VerifiedID@SG: the 21-day check that catches people out

Every .sg domain has an administrative contact, who must be an individual with Singpass or an organisation with Corppass. According to SGNIC's VerifiedID@SG FAQ:

• the administrative contact must complete verification within 21 calendar days of registration, through the VerifiedID@SG portal;
• if they don't, the domain is suspended, so its website and emails stop working;
• anyone can ask for a one-time 7-day extension of the deadline;
• the check itself takes under 5 minutes: log in with Singpass or Corppass and confirm the details.

The common mistake is letting a web designer or overseas agency register the domain with their own details, or with a contact who never sees the verification email. Make sure the administrative contact is someone in your business who will act on it.

How to register a .sg or .com.sg domain

1. Check the name is free with SGNIC's WHOIS search or any registrar's search box.
2. Pick a registrar from SGNIC's list of accredited registrars. SGNIC does not sell domains to the public directly.
3. Register it in your company's name (or your own name for .sg), with your own email address as the contact. Do not use your designer's email.
4. Choose who the administrative contact is, and make sure they have Singpass or Corppass ready.
5. Complete VerifiedID@SG within 21 days.
6. Turn on auto-renew and keep a working card on file.
7. Add the DNS records for your website and email. If you are setting up email, our guide to setting up business email in Singapore lists the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records you need.

Costs, renewals and transfers

SGNIC's FAQ says it does not charge registrants directly: you pay the registrar, and each registrar sets its own price. Compare a few registrars on the list, and compare the renewal price too, not just the first-year offer.

Three rules from SGNIC's FAQ worth knowing:

• Renewal: each renewal can add up to 2 years, as long as the new expiry date is no more than 3 years from when SGNIC receives the renewal.
• Transfers between registrars: you get a transfer authorisation code from your current registrar and give it to the new one. If the losing registrar does not approve or reject the request, SGNIC approves it after 7 days.
• Uniqueness: once a name is registered, nobody can register it again through another registrar.

Your business also pays for DNS hosting if the registrar does not include it, and for email and hosting separately. Our guide to website costs covers those.

Domains you don't control: how to get them back

If a previous designer or employee registered your domain under their own name or email, sort it out before it becomes urgent:

• Look up who the registrar is, using SGNIC's WHOIS search.
• Ask the person who controls it to change the registrant and contacts to your business, or to give you the transfer code so you can move it to a registrar account you own.
• Update the administrative contact to someone in your business and complete VerifiedID@SG again if prompted.
• Check the DNS records still point to your website and email after any change.

If they will not cooperate, SGNIC has a domain dispute process, and your registrar can explain your options. Keep proof that the name belongs to your business, such as your ACRA registration and invoices for the domain.

Do it yourself or get help?

Registering a domain yourself takes about 20 minutes, plus the Singpass or Corppass check. Do it yourself if you are comfortable with a registrar's control panel and DNS records.

If you would rather hand it over, Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) registers or transfers the domain in your name, sets the records for your website and email, checks HTTPS and turns on auto-renew. Pair it with Business Email Setup (S$249) to get info@ and your team's mailboxes working on the new domain. You can also run your current domain through our free domain check.