Form a Bahamas IBC
Bahamas company search 2026

Bahamas company search: directors in the open, owners sealed

Updated 13 November 2026Fees from the IBC Act First ScheduleAbout 8 minutes to read
The short answer

Use the Registrar General's online public services portal: find the company, buy access to its record by the hour, and pay by card. No account is needed.

The record lists directors and officers with their addresses, the agent and filed documents. Shareholders and beneficial owners aren't in it.

Open the Registrar General portal What the record lists
Record accessRegistrar General
Company
Chosen from the search
Access window
1 to 48 hours
Paid by
Card
Delivered
Receipt and access token by email
Searching from your countryIllustration

The Bahamas sits in an unusual spot. Its company law has always put directors on a file the public can inspect, while ownership goes into a sealed system only six authorities can search. Since January 2026, with nominee directors banned, the names on that public file are the real ones.

Key takeaways

  • The Registrar General's portal sells access to one company's record for a chosen number of hours.
  • Section 44 of the IBC Act makes the register of directors and officers open to the public.
  • Shareholders and beneficial owners aren't public; owners sit in the agent databases behind the secure search system.
  • A certificate of good standing is US$50, and anyone can check one online with its code.
  • An IBC that hasn't paid its annual fee by 31 December is struck off from 1 January.
Chapter 1

How the Registrar General's portal works

The Registrar General's Department runs its online services at pub.rgd.gov.bs, separate from the government's main website. Company search sits there with name reservation and certificate checks.

Step 1Type the nameAt least six characters. Former names work too.
Step 2Pick the companyFrom the list of matches.
Step 3Choose the hoursHow long the record stays open to you.
Step 4See the fee, payThe portal states the fee before card payment.
Step 5Open your emailThe receipt and access token arrive there.

You give contact details so the token can reach you, and the portal asks you to pass a robot check. If you'd rather go in person, the Department sits in the Bahamas Financial Centre on Shirley and Charlotte Streets, Nassau.

1
Key takeaway

No account, but a card and a working email address.

Chapter 2

How many hours to buy

The portal offers windows from 1 to 48 hours and works the fee out on its server. The IBC Act's First Schedule charges US$15 for the first hour of inspecting a file and US$5 for each hour after. Slide to see what that schedule gives; the portal's own figure is the one you pay.

On the Act's scheduleUS$15
Per hourUS$15
Good forOne careful read

Downloading the filed documents you need takes minutes. Most people need one hour.

2
Key takeaway

Download inside your window; buy the shortest one that does the job.

Chapter 3

What a Bahamas company record lists

The portal's record screen groups an IBC's details into sections. Click through them:

3
Key takeaway

Officers come with citizenship, occupation and address.

Chapter 4

IBC or domestic company: two different files

Bahamian companies doing business at home are formed under the Companies Act, offshore ones under the IBC Act. Their files are not the same.

ItemIBCDomestic company
Directors and officersPublic, under s.44 of the IBC ActFiled with the Registrar
ShareholdersShare register kept privately, never filedA yearly list of members goes to the Registrar, and the company's own register is open to the public, subject to the directors' rules and fees
Beneficial ownersAgent's database, authorities onlySame closed system
AccountsNot filedNot public for a private company

Whether a stranger can read a domestic company's filed list of members at the Registrar isn't spelled out in the Companies Act. The company's own register is the surer route.

4
Key takeaway

Domestic companies show more about shareholders than IBCs do.

Chapter 5

Who owns a Bahamas company?

Ownership never reaches the Registrar's public file. Under the Register of Beneficial Ownership Act 2018, every registered agent keeps a database of owners holding 10% or more, linked by a secure search system. Only designated officers can search it, from secured premises in The Bahamas, for six authorities.

Agent database Agent database Agent database Secure search systemevery search logged Attorney General's Office Financial Intelligence Unit Central Bank Compliance Commission Securities Commission Insurance Commission

No public, bank or private access route exists. The system also stops anyone being told a search took place.

5
Key takeaway

Owners are known to six authorities, not to searchers.

Chapter 6

When a Bahamas IBC is struck off

A status that reads struck off usually traces back to the annual fee. The yearly cycle under the IBC Act:

October
31
Annual fee still unpaid
November
30
Registrar's notice published within 30 days
December
31
Last day to pay
January
1
Struck off if still unpaid

A struck-off IBC can't lawfully carry on business or deal with its assets. The Registrar can restore it within five years, with the fees due plus US$100 for each year it was off. Every date in the cycle is in our Bahamas annual fees guide.

6
Key takeaway

Check status in January: that's when unpaid IBCs drop off.

Chapter 7

Checking a Bahamas company before you deal with it

Test the certificate they sentEvery certified Registrar document can be tested online with its file number and the authorisation code printed by the QR code.pub.rgd.gov.bs/verify Read the record yourselfStatus, good standing flag and the officers. Compare names with whoever is signing.Registrar General portal Confirm its agent is licensedAgents are financial and corporate service providers, licensed by the Securities Commission.Securities Commission search
Ask for an incumbency certificateIssued by the registered agent, not the Registrar, listing current directors and officers. The agent sets the price.
7
Key takeaway

A forged Bahamas certificate fails the online code check.

Chapter 8

What your own Bahamas IBC shows after the 2026 rules

Nominee directors have been banned since 19 January 2026, so plan on the public file showing whoever really directs your IBC. Here's how it splits:

On the public record

Your director, a person or a company, with address. Us as registered agent and office. The share capital.

Shown with a label

A nominee shareholder, if you use one, now appears in the Memorandum marked as a nominee. The person behind it doesn't.

Sealed

You as beneficial owner, in our database behind the secure search system. The share register.

If you'd rather not appear as director yourself, a company can hold the seat. We explain the options when you order.

8
Key takeaway

Choose your director knowing the name will be searchable.

Chapter 9

Bahamas company search FAQ

?
Is the Bahamas company search free?
No. The portal charges for access to a company's record by the hour, and shows the fee before you pay by card.
Are directors of a Bahamas IBC public?
Yes. Section 44 of the IBC Act opens the filed register of directors and officers to the public.
Can I find out who owns a Bahamas company?
Not from a search. Owners sit in agent databases only six authorities can query through the secure search system.
How much is a Bahamas certificate of good standing?
US$50 for an IBC. An apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is US$20 a document, after notarisation. Banks often ask for both when you open a Bahamas company bank account.
How do I know a Bahamas certificate is real?
Enter the file number and the authorisation code from the certificate at pub.rgd.gov.bs/verify.

Changelog

  • 13 November 2026: first published.
Your own company

Weighing a Bahamas IBC of your own?

US$1,190 to start and US$990 a year, owners sealed, the annual fee paid before 31 December.

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