Official Meetings Not Allowed Online From Jul 2023 If Physical Attendance Is Legally Required: MinLaw

MinLaw Orders Cessation Of Alternative Arrangements Including Online Medium For Entity Meetings

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) will no longer allow alternative meeting arrangements with entities through electronic means, such as Zoom, from 1 Jul 2023.

This is because Singapore is opening up and restrictions have eased. Meetings can thus take place physically again, MinLaw said in a press release today (15 Dec).

The announcement gives entities six months of advance notice to resume meeting arrangements physically.

Alternative arrangements for meetings will cease from Jul 2023

Parliament first passed the Meetings Orders in Apr 2020, shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began. Back then, authorities were encouraging minimal physical interactions.

Source: xFrame

This gave entities the temporary option to conduct meetings required by law without the need for personal attendance. The Meetings Orders bypassed any written law or legal instrument that may have disallowed such virtual meetings.

Examples of entities that could host such meetings are:

• Variable capital companies
• Corporate insolvency
• Individual insolvency
• Management corporations
• Town councils
• Annual general meetings

A full list of the various entities is available here.

Although the Meetings Order was supposed to expire on 30 Sep 2020, MinLaw extended it until the Covid-19 situation had eased.

From 1 Jul 2023, such meetings will have to take place physically, although other provisions may allow for them to resume electronically. At this time, however, no such order exists.

The announcement provides entities with six months’ advance notice to resume meeting arrangements in accordance with written law or their governing instruments.

6 more months of virtual meetings

Though we may have gotten used to holding meetings electronically or virtually, there are certain meetings that require personal attendance.

Note that meetings within your company or workplace are still subject to your employer’s discretion and do not apply under this order cessation.