What is the penalty for calling a number on the Do Not Call Registry?
The penalty for a Do Not Call breach is a financial penalty imposed by the PDPC. This article does not quote a cap figure, because none of the sources it cites states the current one.
In a closing note on the public consultation on the draft Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, the government said it intends to have tiered financial penalty caps for breaches of the Do Not Call provisions, scaled to how serious the breach is. Before you rely on any figure, check the current text of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 on Singapore Statutes Online and the PDPC's Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions, and speak to a lawyer about your own case. This article gives general information only.
How often does the PDPC actually fine businesses for DNC breaches?
Rarely, going by the latest published figures. In a parliamentary reply dated 6 March 2026, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information reported about 1,700 Do Not Call complaints in 2024 and about 1,380 in 2025. The PDPC investigated 122 cases in 2024 and 176 in 2025. The reply states that none of these cases warranted a financial penalty.
That does not make the rules optional. The same reply says complaints have continued to decline since the Do Not Call regime was updated in 2021, and that the PDPC investigates complaints and engages businesses on compliance. An investigation still takes time from your team, even when no penalty follows.
How long is a Registry check valid?
A Registry check result is valid for 21 days. Checks are made through the DNC Registry Portal at dnc.gov.sg, as set out on the PDPC's check-numbers page.
If your list sits for a month before anyone dials, check it again. A sensible habit is to write down the date of each check and keep the result with the list, so you can show when you checked if a complaint arrives.
Do the Do Not Call rules apply to business-to-business calls?
Often they do not, but the exception is narrow. Calls made to an organisation for that organisation's own purposes are generally outside the DNC rules. That protection is lost once the call is about the person's own needs, for example when the pitch is about a personal policy or the contact's own finances rather than the company's.
If you are unsure whether a call falls inside the exception, check the number anyway. The PDPC's Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions cover the exception, and a lawyer can advise on a specific list.
Who should check the list when someone else makes the calls?
The simplest order is to check the list first, record the date of the check, and then hand it over for calling. Who is liable if something goes wrong is a legal question, so ask a lawyer before you rely on any arrangement with a third party.
Greetsby, an appointment-setting service, works this way. The client checks the list against the Registry before sending it and confirms that they have done so when they upload it. Greetsby does not run the check for clients. Anyone who asks not to be called again is not called again, and Greetsby passes that on to the client. Calls show a Singapore number, and every call is recorded, so the client can play back any call on their list.
If you want to know how a batch would work, a batch of 1,000 numbers costs S$1,800, which is S$1.80 a number for up to 4 attempts each, paid before calls start with no contract. Write to hello@greetsby.com, or pick a batch on the Get started page.
Questions
How long is a Do Not Call Registry check valid?
A check result is valid for 21 days. Some older pages say 30 days, which was the position before 1 February 2021. Check the list again if you call after the 21 days have passed.
Where do I check numbers against the Registry?
Checks are made through the DNC Registry Portal at dnc.gov.sg, which the PDPC's check-numbers page points to. Keep a record of the date and result for each list you check.
Does the PDPC fine every business that breaches the rules?
No. According to the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, none of the 122 cases investigated in 2024 or the 176 investigated in 2025 warranted a financial penalty.
Are calls to a company's main line covered by the DNC rules?
Calls made to an organisation for its own purposes are generally outside the DNC rules. The protection is lost once the call is about the person's own needs. Check with a lawyer for a specific case.
Can financial advisory representatives hire an appointment-setting service themselves?
No. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, as revised on 22 May 2026, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must be the one to sign up.
Sources
- Ministry of Digital Development and Information: Reply to PQ on statistics on Do Not Call complaints, investigations and fines
- Ministry of Digital Development and Information: Closing Note to the Public Consultation on draft Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill
- PDPC: Check Numbers Against Do Not Call (DNC) Registry
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.