Schmidt & Schmidt provides extracts from the commercial register of the Bahamas with a translation and an apostille.
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a state in the Atlantic Ocean, located to the north of Cuba and the southeast of the US state of Florida. The Bahamas used to be a colony of the British Crown until 1973, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom. It has become a Commonwealth Realm, retaining Queen of England as the head of state. Elizabeth II is represented here by the Governor-General of the Bahamas. Local currency is the Bahamian dollar, while US dollars are widely accepted too.
The Bahamas are one of the richest countries in the region (by GDP per capita). Its two pillars of economy are tourism and financial services. According to the Panama Papers, the Bahamas is the territory with the most offshore entities in the world. The Bahamas are present on the EU’s blacklist of non-cooperative jurisdictions, because they did not make a commitment to respond to the EU’s concerns. The Bahamas are also on the OECD “grey list” of jurisdictions that have committed to changing their taxation systems.
Business activities in the Bahamas are regulated by, inter alia, 1992 Companies Act and 2000 International Business Companies Act.
Bahamian Corporate and Business Registry is administered by the Registrar General’s Department of the Government of the Bahamas. The first reference to the registration records dates back to 1764, when this was a task of the Secretary of Providence. The separate Register of Records was founded in 1862, and Registrar General’s Department was created in 1914. Today the Registrar General’s Department is under the supervision of the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.
The access to the commercial registers of the Bahamas is available via the official website of the Government of the Bahamas. Information about businesses in the Bahamas can also be found on the online portals created by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation.
The main type of extract available from the Bahamian business register is a company profile called Company Search Report. This document is available in English.
It contains the following information from commercial register of Bahamas:
- Name of the company
- Registration number and date
- Current status (active/inactive)
- Registered capital
- Registrar’s details (name, address, contact info)
- List of documents in the registration case
- Date of the last payment of license fee
- Other available information
NB: Information about some companies may be unavailable, or available for a fee.
Search in the register is not free of charge. Search results are sent to you within 3-5 days after request submission.
To get a required document, we will need the following information about a company:
- Full legal name
- Registration number
You can also get the following documents:
Certificate of Good Standing – an official document that confirms a company’s solvency, reliability, and right to do business in the Bahamas. This certificate is only issued to companies that fully comply with the requirements in terms of taxation and financial reports submission.
Memorandum and Articles of Association – contains, inter alia, name of the company, main activities, goals, and charter.
Certificate of Incorporation – includes registration number and date.
| Service | Price incl. German VAT 19% | Price excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price for an Electronic Extract | from 202,30 € | from 170,00 € |
| Price for an Extract with Apostille without international shipping | from 476,00 € | from 400,00 € |
Main types of businesses in the Bahamas
- Bahamas Domestic Limited Company
- Bahamas Company Limited by Guarantee
- Bahamas Public Company
- Bahamas International Business Company
BIBC is the most common type used to register an offshore business here. Foreign companies gain the right for tax exemption for 20 years, they are not required to submit financial statements or disclose information about shareholders or management.
An extract from the business register of the Bahamas can be used in order to:
- Obtain detailed information about potential business partners
- Negotiate foreign trade agreements
- File legal claims
Apostille for extracts from the Bahamas
Bahamas acceded to the The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents on 24 February 1965, as a part of the United Kingdom.
Therefore, the documents issued in the Bahamas are subject to a simplified apostilling procedure, thus the documents gain full legal value in Convention member states after notarised translation.
In addition, you can order notarised translation from English.
We provide extracts from the register in strict compliance with the legislation of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the General Data Protection Regulation.
Inquiries are processed within one working day. Courier delivery of apostilled documents is paid separately by courier service tariffs.
You can order free preliminary availability check of required information on our website.
