Debt Collection Act 2022

• Act Code: DCA2022
• Version as at: 22 Aug 2026
• Enacted by: Parliament

Section 1 — Short title and commencement

This Act is the Debt Collection Act 2022 and comes into operation on a date that the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.

Section 2 — General interpretation

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —“Assistant Licensing Officer” means a public officer appointed under section 3(1)(b); “authorised officer” means a public officer appointed under section 3(3); “class licence” means a

Section 3 — Appointment of officers

(1) The Minister may, for the purposes of this Act, appoint —(a) a public officer as the Licensing Officer; and (b) any number of public officers as Assistant Licensing Officers that the Minister considers necessary. (2) The Licensing Offic

Section 4 — Compliance officers

(1) The Licensing Officer may, with the general or specific approval of the Minister, appoint an individual who —(a) is at least 18 years of age; (b) is not an employee of a public authority; (c) is not a public officer; and (d) has suitabl

Section 5 — Protection from personal liability

No liability shall lie personally against the Licensing Officer, an Assistant Licensing Officer, an authorised officer, a compliance officer, a police officer or any other person acting under the direction of the Licensing Officer for anyth

Section 6 — Regulation of debt collection businesses and debt collection activities relating to regulated businesses

(1) A person must not, on or after the start date, carry on a debt collection business, or carry out any debt collection activity in the course of the business, unless the person is an entity which is authorised to carry on the debt collect

Section 7 — Application for or to renew licence

(1) An application for or to renew a licence must be made to the Licensing Officer in accordance with this section.(2) An application under subsection (1) must —(a) be in the form and manner required by the Licensing Officer; (b) be accompa

Section 8 — Grant or renewal of licence

(1) After considering an application for or to renew a licence, the Licensing Officer may —(a) on payment of a licence fee or renewal fee (if prescribed), grant or renew the licence, as the case may be; or (b) refuse (without compensation)

Section 9 — Form and validity of licence

(1) Every licence is to be in the form that the Licensing Officer determines.(2) Every licence granted or renewed under this Act continues in force for the period specified in the licence unless it is earlier revoked under section 22(1) or

Section 10 — Licence conditions

(1) In granting or renewing a licence under section 8, the Licensing Officer may impose any condition that the Licensing Officer considers requisite or expedient having regard to the purpose of this Act.(2) The Licensing Officer may impose

Section 11 — Modification of conditions of licence

(1) The Licensing Officer may modify the conditions of a licence in accordance with this section without compensating the licensee to whom the licence is granted.(2) Before modifying any condition of a licence, the Licensing Officer must gi

Section 12 — Lapse of licence

(1) Unless expired or earlier revoked under section 22(1), a licence lapses —(a) when the licensee ceases to exist; or (b) if the licensee is a sole proprietorship of which the sole proprietor is an individual — on the death of the sole pro

Section 13 — Register of licensees

The Licensing Officer must cause to be kept and maintained a register of licensees, in the form and manner and containing the information that the Licensing Officer thinks fit.

Section 14 — Class licence

(1) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, determine a class licence that authorises any person who carries on a regulated business to carry out any debt collection activity to collect any debt that is owed to the person in the course o

Section 15 — Variation and revocation of class licence

(1) Subject to this section, the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, vary a class licence determined under an order made under section 14(1) by —(a) varying or revoking any condition specified in the class licence; or (b) specifying addi

Section 16 — Codes of practice

(1) The Licensing Officer may, with respect to all or any of the matters in subsection (2), from time to time —(a) issue one or more codes of practice applicable to all licensees or class licensees or a specified class of licensees or class

Section 17 — Individuals acting as debt collectors

(1) An individual must not, on or after the start date, act as a debt collector for a person who carries on a debt collection business unless —(a) the person is a licensee which is approved to deploy the individual as the licensee’s debt co

Section 18 — Deployment of individuals to perform debt collection activities by licensees

(1) A licensee must not deploy an individual as the licensee’s debt collector unless the Licensing Officer has granted approval under section 20 for the individual to be deployed as a debt collector by the licensee.(2) A licensee who contra

Section 19 — Application for approval

(1) An application for approval for a licensee to deploy an individual as a debt collector of the licensee must be made jointly by the licensee and the individual to the Licensing Officer in accordance with this section.(2) To avoid doubt —

Section 20 — Grant of approval

(1) After considering an application for approval for an individual to be deployed as a debt collector of a licensee, the Licensing Officer may —(a) on payment of a fee (if prescribed), grant the approval; or (b) refuse (without compensatio

Section 21 — Conditions of approval

(1) In granting any approval under section 20 in respect of an individual, the Licensing Officer may impose any condition on the licensee or the individual (or both) that the Licensing Officer considers requisite or expedient having regard

Section 22 — Regulatory action against licensees and class licensees

(1) Subject to section 23, if the Licensing Officer is satisfied that —(a) a licensee or class licensee has contravened or not complied with —(i) any condition of its licence or class licence; (ii) any provision of this Act applicable to th

Section 23 — Proceedings for regulatory action against licensees and class licensees

(1) Before exercising any power under section 22, the Licensing Officer must give written notice to the licensee or class licensee concerned —(a) stating that the Licensing Officer intends to take regulatory action against the licensee or c

Section 24 — Immediate suspension of licence or application of class licence

(1) This section applies if —(a) a licensee or class licensee is subject to criminal proceedings in respect of —(i) an offence under this Act; (ii) an offence, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, involving dishonesty or the conviction for wh

Section 25 — Regulatory action in respect of approved individuals

(1) Subject to section 26, the Licensing Officer may (without compensation) cancel an approval granted under section 20 for an individual to be deployed as a debt collector of a licensee on any of the following grounds:(a) any ground that w

Section 26 — Proceedings for regulatory action in respect of approved individuals

(1) Before exercising any power under section 25, the Licensing Officer must give written notice to the licensee and the individual concerned, respectively —(a) stating that the Licensing Officer intends to take regulatory action under sect

Section 27 — Immediate suspension of approval

(1) This section applies if —(a) an individual in respect of whom approval has been granted under section 20 for the individual to be deployed as a debt collector of a licensee, is subject to criminal proceedings in respect of —(i) an offen

Section 28 — Notification of cessation of deployment of debt collectors

(1) A licensee must notify the Licensing Officer of the cessation of the deployment of any individual as a debt collector of the licensee not later than the prescribed time after the cessation of the deployment.(2) On receipt of a notificat

Section 29 — Purpose for which enforcement powers are exercisable

(1) An inspecting officer may exercise the powers set out in this Division for any of the following purposes:(a) to determine compliance with this Act, including whether an offence under this Act has been committed; (b) to determine complia

Section 30 — Powers of entry, etc., at premises

(1) An inspecting officer or a compliance officer may, in accordance with subsections (3) and (4), enter any premises occupied by a relevant person which the inspecting officer or compliance officer reasonably believes are used for or in co

Section 31 — Powers of investigation

(1) An inspecting officer or a compliance officer may do all or any of the following:(a) where the inspecting officer or compliance officer reasonably believes a person to have committed an offence under this Act or contravened any provisio

Section 32 — Application of Criminal Procedure Code 2010

Sections 370, 371 and 372 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 apply, with the necessary modifications, when an inspecting officer seizes any thing under this Division.

Section 33 — Offences to be arrestable

Every offence under the following provisions is arrestable for the purposes of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010:(a) section 6(5) in respect of a contravention of section 6(1); (b) section 17(3).

Section 34 — Offences

(1) A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to do anything required of the person by an inspecting officer or a compliance officer under section 30(1) or 31(1)(a) or (b), or by notice under section 31(1)(c), shall be guilty of an off

Section 35 — Composition of offences

(1) The Licensing Officer or an authorised officer may compound any offence under this Act that is prescribed as a compoundable offence by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding the

Section 36 — Interpretation of this Part

In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires —“appealable decision” means any of the following decisions of the Licensing Officer:(a) a decision refusing the grant or renewal of a licence under section 8; (b) a decision under section

Section 37 — Appeal to Minister

(1) An appellant who is aggrieved by an appealable decision may appeal to the Minister against the decision in accordance with this section.(2) An appeal under this section must be in writing and specify the grounds on which it is made, and

Section 38 — Designation of others to hear appeals

The Minister may designate a Second Minister, Minister of State or Parliamentary Secretary to hear and determine, in the Minister’s place, any appeal or a specific appeal under section 37; and any reference in that section to the Minister i

Section 39 — Offences by corporations

(1) Where, in a proceeding for an offence under this Act, it is necessary to prove the state of mind of a corporation in relation to a particular conduct, evidence that —(a) an officer, employee or agent of the corporation engaged in that c

Section 40 — Offences by unincorporated associations or partnerships

(1) Where, in a proceeding for an offence under this Act, it is necessary to prove the state of mind of an unincorporated association or a partnership in relation to a particular conduct, evidence that —(a) an employee or agent of the uninc

Section 41 — Jurisdiction of courts

Despite the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, a District Court or a Magistrate’s Court has jurisdiction to try any offence under this Act and has the power to impose the full punishment for that offence.

Section 42 — Service of documents

(1) A document that is permitted or required by this Act to be served on a person may be served as described in this section.(2) This section does not apply to documents to be served in proceedings in court. (3) A document permitted or requ

Section 43 — General exemption

The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, exempt any person or class of persons from all or any of the provisions of this Act, either generally or in a particular case and subject to the conditions that the Minister may impose.

Section 44 — Amendment of Schedules

(1) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, amend, add to or vary Part 1 of the First Schedule or the Second Schedule.(2) The Minister may, in an order under subsection (1), make provisions of a saving or transitional nature consequent o

Section 45 — Regulations

(1) The Minister may make regulations necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.(2) In particular, the Minister may make regulations for any of the following:(a) classes of licences; (b) the form

Section 46 — Saving and transitional provisions

(1) Despite anything in this Act, every person who —(a) immediately before the section 6 start date was carrying on a debt collection business or any debt collection activity in the course of the business; and (b) on or after the section 6