A Section 58 notification is how a Malaysian company tells SSM that a director, manager or company secretary has joined, left or changed their personal details. It does the job of the old Form 49. The Companies Act 2016 gives the company fourteen days, and since 14 July 2026 it is lodged online through SSM's Corporate Registry System (CRS).
Key takeaways
- Section 58(1) of the Companies Act 2016 sets a fourteen-day deadline. The old return under the Companies Act 1965 allowed one month.
- A new home address or passport number for an existing director needs a notification too, with no resolution. Appointing or removing a director needs an extract of resolution.
- Late lodgement can cost a private company RM50 to RM200 in fees, waived for CRS lodgements until 31 December 2026. The section 58(4) offence carries a fine of up to RM50,000.
- Each Section 58 shows only what changed, and its PDF can be downloaded from CRS for only seven days.
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What does Section 58 of the Companies Act 2016 require?
A company must notify the Registrar of Companies within fourteen days of four kinds of event: its incorporation, a change in an officer's particulars, a person becoming or ceasing to be a director, and a person becoming or ceasing to be a manager or secretary.
| What happened | Section 58(1) | What goes with the notification |
|---|---|---|
| The company was incorporated | (a) | The particulars kept in the section 57 register |
| An officer's name, home address or other prescribed particulars changed, or a director's service address changed | (b) | The new details. No resolution is needed |
| Someone became a director | (c) | Their full particulars, their consent to act and an extract of resolution |
| Someone ceased to be a director | (c) | On a removal, an extract of the general meeting resolution |
| Someone became a manager or secretary | (d) | Full name, address and any other occupation |
| Someone ceased to be a manager or secretary | (e) | Notice of that fact |
The service address catches people out. SSM's FAQ says a director who has only a home address must still notify “that the residential address and the service address are the same address”.
Our page on changing a company secretary walks through one common case. The company's own register is a separate duty:section 57(4) also gives it fourteen days.
Is a Section 58 notification the same as Form 49?
It does the same job, with three differences. SSM calls section 58 “similar to the previous Form 49 - with additional info on service address”. The deadline fell from one month under the Companies Act 1965 to fourteen days. And each Section 58 shows only the change, where practitioners told SSM that Form 49 listed the existing directors.
That last difference causes the confusion. At SSM's 2022 Annual Dialogue, participants put it directly:
“The format of Section 58 should be similar to the Form 49 with the particulars of ALL existing directors without having to refer to too many sheets of papers.”
— A participant at SSM's Annual Dialogue 2022
Another wrote: “Banks wants all S58 but it is difficult for them to interpret / read too.” A third said Immigration and Customs refused Section 58 documents and asked for Borang 49. SSM replied, in Malay, that there is no need to restate details that have not changed, and that earlier records stay in its database.
Other old forms were renamed the same way. Corpso's list maps Form 44 to section 46(3), change of registered address; Form 24 to section 78, return of allotment; and Form 9 to section 17, the certificate of incorporation.
How is a Section 58 notification lodged in CRS?
Online, under Company Information Update in CRS. Practice Directive 1/2017, revised on 14 July 2026, moved all notifications to CRS, and SSM says no fees changed with it. The steps in SSM's manual show no payment for this form, and one secretarial firm states there is no SSM filing fee for a change of secretary.
- Open the form. Go to Application, Register of Company (ROC), Company Information Update, Company Officer, then Notification of Particulars and Changes of Directors, Managers and Secretaries (Section 58(1)).
- Find the company and check the details CRS fills in.
- Record the change: add, update or cease the director, manager or secretary.
- Tick the declaration that the minimum number of directors is met.
- Upload the supporting documents, then preview and submit. CRS confirms in the system and by email.
The CRS manual marks the supporting documents section optional. For a director's appointment or removal, follow Practice Note 9/2024, which Practice Directive 1/2017 keeps in force: the notification “shall be accompanied with the relevant extract of resolution”. Our page on appointing or removing a director covers who signs it. Guides that still send you to MyCoID, or treat the resolution as something to keep on file only, are out of date on these points.
A new company's first secretary has its own menu item, Notification of Appointment of First Secretary (Sections 58(1) and 236(2)), for a company with “no CoSec yet appointed”. Section 236(2) sets thirty days from incorporation for that appointment, and our page on appointing a company secretary has the steps.
What happens if a Section 58 notification is late?
Two separate things. SSM charges a private company a late lodgement fee of RM50 to RM200, which it has waived for CRS lodgements until 31 December 2026. Separately, breaching section 58 is an offence: under section 58(4) the company and every officer who contravene it face a fine of up to RM50,000, plus up to RM500 a day after conviction.
| How late (private company) | Late lodgement penalty |
|---|---|
| More than 7 days, up to 90 days | RM50 |
| More than 90 days, up to 180 days | RM100 |
| More than 180 days, up to 365 days | RM150 |
| More than 365 days | RM200 |
SSM's CRS FAQ, updated on 5 October 2026, states that “SSM has extended the waiver period for late lodgement fees until 31 December 2026.” It speaks only to the fee and is silent on the section 58(4) offence.
Breaching the section 57 register duty carries its own fine of up to RM10,000. SSM's Section 58 form also warns that a knowingly false statement is an offence under section 591, with up to ten years' imprisonment, a fine of up to RM3 million, or both.
Does the annual return cover a Section 58 change?
No. Practice Directive 5/2018 says “The lodgement of annual return does not absolve a company from its obligations to update any changes”. A change that arises before the company's incorporation anniversary is lodged before the annual return. For a change made after the anniversary, the company lodges the annual return first.
Our page on the SSM annual return deadline sets out the date, and our guide to company secretarial compliance has the wider calendar.
How do you get a copy of a Section 58, or show who is on the board today?
Download the PDF from your CRS dashboard soon after lodging, because SSM says it “will only be available for download for seven (7) days.” To show the current board later, SSM's 2022 reply points to the Particulars of Director/Officer product on its e-Info and MyData portals, or to the company's register at its registered office.
The PDF at the preview stage carries a draft watermark, so save the one from the dashboard after you submit.
SSM's notice of 21 July 2026 names SSM e-Info, MyDATA SSM and SSM Search as the channels for company profiles and corporate information, so check the current products there. Under section 57(3), the register is free for members to inspect and costs anyone else RM10 or less per inspection.
If a bank or agency asks for Form 49, ask whether it wants each Section 58 or the current list of officers. One accounting firm's guide says banks should request the current officer record, such as an e-Info company profile.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company have two company secretaries on Section 58?
Section 235(1) says a company “shall have at least one secretary”, which sets a minimum. The Section 58 form in CRS keeps a list of secretaries with an option to add a new one, and each needs written consent under section 236(3). The first-secretary item is for a company with no secretary yet, so a second one goes through the ordinary form.
Who lodges the Section 58 if the company secretary has resigned?
Not the secretary who resigned. SSM's FAQ says “any changes with SSM can be carried out by the directors or by the newly appointed secretary”.
What does CRS ask for when the director is a foreigner?
SSM's CRS FAQ says “Foreign National ID information is mandatory for foreign directors in CRS.” The passport number stays mandatory too. An existing foreign director's ID does not need to be updated.
Sources
- Companies Act 2016 (Act 777): sections 57, 58, 235 and 236.
- Companies Act 1965 (Act 125): section 141(6).
- SSM Practice Note 9/2024, 31 December 2024.
- SSM Practice Directive 1/2017 (Revised 14 July 2026).
- SSM Practice Directive 5/2018.
- SSM, FAQ on the Corporate Registry System (Q13, Q78, Q143 to Q146, Q149).
- SSM, CRS External User Manual: Company Information Update (sections 5.1 and 5.3).
- SSM, FAQs on the Companies Act 2016, Part E.
- SSM, Section 58 notification form.
- SSM, Dialog Tahunan 2022 Q&A: Section 58.
- SSM announcement, 21 July 2026: availability of corporate information.
- Corpso, Statutory Forms of Sdn Bhd under the Companies Act 2016.
- Bestar, Notification of Change in the Register of Secretaries.
- 3E Accounting Malaysia, Form 49 Malaysia.