Aspiring and existing business owners in Singapore can soon apply for relevant licences and grants from a one-stop platform: the enhanced GoBusiness portal.
From early 2022, business owners can log into the GoBusiness portal using their Singpass and select their company’s UEN or business entity to access a personalised dashboard.
Since the dashboard provides an integrated and easy access to over 300 Government-to-Business services, it allows users to register for a new business and incorporate their business within the same transaction. Once the registration is completed, they will receive recommendations on the next steps needed.
Additionally, business owners can access and apply for more than 200 licences administered by various government agencies via the dashboard without having to visit separate portals for different licences. They can also keep track of their licence application status, as well as amend, renew or cancel existing licenses through the dashboard.
Besides the dashboard, the enhanced GoBusiness portal will offer GoBusiness e-Advisers that allows business owners to get recommendations on:
- Business structure – By answering a few simple questions, new business owners can receive information that helps them decide on the business structure that best suits their needs.
- Starting a business – New businesses can check the availability of their preferred business name, the availability of proposed business names as usernames on social media channels, find out about the Singapore Standard Industrial Classification Code for their business activities, as well as receive recommendations on the steps to register their business in Singapore.
- Premises-use checks – Businesses can conveniently check premises-use and change in land use with the e-Adviser. It points businesses to the right government agency to get approval for the use of commercial spaces. Businesses can find out if change-of-use approval is required by entering the addresses of their shortlisted properties and answering a few simple questions.
- Event organisation – Businesses looking to organise events in Singapore can use the e-Adviser to navigate the regulatory landscape. By answering a few simple questions, businesses can receive a curated set of licence and Safe Management Measures recommendations for their event.
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These enhancements on GoBusiness were developed in close collaboration with the business community in Singapore. By facilitating regular feedback from businesses, the Pro-Enterprise Panel under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has been instrumental in ensuring that new features introduced on GoBusiness were developed in line with what enterprises need.
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More than 500 business users across multiple sectors – including food services, e-commerce, retail and events – were consulted over the last two years through research, user-testing and independent studies.
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Jointly developed by MTI and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG), GoBusiness was first launched in 2019 as GoBusiness Licensing to simplify licence applications for the food services sector in Singapore. In 2020, it was expanded to include GoBusiness Government Assistance, which helps businesses navigate Government support schemes.
Photos: GoBusiness
