Upon business registration in Malaysia, arguably the most significant identifier that will be issued is the 12-digit registration number by SSM or (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia). The number itself is not a random sequence, this is a special corporate identity number which is key in business operations, legal compliance, tax, bank, and credibility checks.
In this article, we will be looking at all there is to know about the SSM registration number that is the 12-digit number on the top, how they are used, what their structure is and how to verify and retrieve registration numbers as you must be well informed of this important business identifier within Malaysia.
The 12-digit SSM registration number is a simple business registration number assigned by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) to all businesses, enterprises, and limited liability partnerships registered in accordance with the regulation of the Malaysian law.
As part of the effort to streamline and computerize the tracking of business registrations across agencies, SSM has since 2019 made its registration uniformly structured into a 12-digit number.
The 12-digit number is in a standardized format as shown below:
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Where:
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This structure creates a business structure with no identical number among the businesses and this makes it easy to be knowledgeable to the authorities, partners and the customer to confirm legitimacy.
After a business has been registered successfully, the SSM provides the registration certificate, where it will show clearly the twelve digit registration number. This number under consideration can be retrieved also:
A registered business has the SSM number which is the legal backbone of this business. It is mandated to:
Where this number lacks, no business is able to establish the legitimacy in any official sense.
To be sure that you are transacting with a registered business, make a quick check on SSM using the 12 digit number in these steps:
Banks, procurement officers and prospective business partners mostly utilize this method to find out whether a business is active or not.
Prior to the formulation of the 12-digit format, the SSM numbers were shorter and differentiated according to type of entity. For instance:
These formats have now been officially updated. Since 2019, all active companies and businesses have been assigned new 12-digit numbers, which are displayed alongside the old 7-digit company numbers for verification purposes during the transition.
To maintain consistency in documentation and compliance, all businesses that were registered prior to 2019 is encouraged to download the new 12 digit number through SSM e-Info.
On any business verbal or written communication, the SSM registration number should be clearly indicated:
This does not only increase the credibility relating to the business but also satisfies the need of the regulation especially the SSM Act 2001 and the Companies Act 2016.
It is against the law to conduct a business in Malaysia without the registration by SSM. Entrepreneurs can experience:
These penalties affect local citizens and foreigners doing businesses in Malaysia without proper business registration.
Steps to registering 12-digit SSM registration number If you do not already possess a 12-digit SSM registration number, please do the following to get registered:
Yes, but it's advisable to update your systems and documents to reflect the 12-digit format for consistency and official verification purposes.
No. The SSM number identifies your legal business entity, while LHDN issues tax numbers separately.
Absolutely not. Every SSM number is unique and permanently assigned to a single entity.
No. It is permanent once issued. If the business closes and re-registers, a new number will be generated.
Malaysia