SingaporeCan I ask a company to delete my personal information?
Yes, you can ask a company in Singapore to delete your personal data if it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and the company has no legal obligation to retain it — under section 25 of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012.
What the Law Says
The Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) gives individuals rights over their personal data held by organisations in Singapore. Section 25 specifically addresses the retention and disposal of personal data.
Under the PDPA, organisations must not keep personal data longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected — unless required or authorised by law. Once that purpose ends, the organisation must cease retention and securely dispose of the data.
While the PDPA does not give individuals an explicit 'right to erasure' like the EU’s GDPR, section 25 places the legal obligation on organisations to destroy or anonymise personal data when it is no longer needed. This means you may request deletion, and the organisation must comply if no exception applies — for example, if a law requires them to keep the data (e.g., tax records for 5 years under the Income Tax Act), or if the data is needed for legal proceedings.
There is no statutory fee for making such a request, and organisations are expected to respond within a reasonable time — typically interpreted as within 30 days. While not mandatory, submitting your request in writing helps create a clear record.
Statutory TextAn organisation shall not retain personal data for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless retention is required or authorised by law.
— Personal Data Protection Act 2012, s. 25 — Retention of personal data
What to Do
Contact the organisation in writing (email or letter) and clearly state your request to delete your personal data, including your name and any identifiers (e.g., account number).
Ask them to confirm in writing whether they will comply — and if not, the reason (e.g., legal requirement to retain).
If they refuse without valid justification, you may file a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) at https://www.pdpc.gov.sg/Complaints.
Keep copies of all correspondence and note dates for follow-up.
Sources
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JapanNot legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: 2026-06-08.