Amendment of rules

Registered societies are self-governing entities, bounded by their own constitutions. The constitution is a private contractual agreement governing the rights and liabilities of its members. In carrying out their activities, societies not only have to abide by the rules of their respective constitutions but also the prevailing laws in Singapore.  

Under the Societies Act, a society may only change its rules with ROS’ approval in writing. If the society is a registered Institution of a Public Character (IPC)/ Charity, it is required to seek the support of the Commissioner of Charities before submitting an Amendment of Rules application to the Registry of Societies.  

Application for Amendment of Rules user guide [PDF, 1.4 MB]

What you should know

Any amendments to the constitution should be passed at a General Meeting of members according to the society’s existing constitution before any Amendment of Rules application is submitted to the Registry of Societies.

What information you need

An Amendment of Rules application is to be submitted online at ROS eServices. The President and Secretary are required to verify and submit the application online. Proposed amendments should be submitted in Microsoft Word (docx) format, and other supporting documents should be submitted in docx or pdf format. The file size of each attachment should not exceed 5MB. 

Please ensure that your society’s outstanding Annual Returns, if any, are submitted and filed before making any application for Amendment of Rules.  

What to expect

A fee of $130 is payable upon submission of the application.  The application fee for the amendment of rules is non-refundable. 

Upon receipt of the Amendment of Rules application, the Registry of Societies will consider the application and where necessary, seek further clarification from the applicant. 

Applicants can log in to our e-services to check on the status of their application/submission.