Search Bahamas Registrar General's Department (CARS)

TL;DR. The Bahamas Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is at https://www.rgd.gov.bs, titled Registrar General’s Department | Bahamas Government Services. The service page https://www.rgd.gov.bs/service/company-search, titled Registrar Generals Dept | Online Company Search Tool, states Related Fee(s) $100.00 per company search and says the general public may use it with a valid credit or debit card, through the CARS portal. https://cars.rgd.gov.bs is online under the title CARS, but it builds its screens in the browser. https://pub.rgd.gov.bs is a different service, titled BDR Online Public Services. The service page gives turnaround as Customer-driven rather than immediate, and it names no card brands. No certified-extract or IBC incorporation fee is published there; confirm at source.

What is the official Bahamas business registry?

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) operates the Bahamas’ central corporate registry under the Companies Act 1992 (domestic companies) and the International Business Companies Act 2000 (IBCs). The department portal is https://www.rgd.gov.bs. Its home page lists the CARS Platform and links to https://cars.rgd.gov.bs, titled CARS, which builds its screens in the browser. https://pub.rgd.gov.bs is a separate service titled BDR Online Public Services, not CARS.

The registry covers domestic limited liability companies, International Business Companies (IBCs), external company registrations, partnerships, and registered foundations.

The Bahamas financial services industry is regulated separately by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB), the Central Bank of the Bahamas, the Insurance Commission, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

What can you search?

The live Company Search service page describes this path: register at the CARS Portal, select Company Search, enter company details, enter credit or debit card information, then print a receipt after approval. The search screen inside CARS at cars.rgd.gov.bs builds in the browser, so its fields could not be read from the page as delivered.

The service page does not list the fields a search returns. Name and registration-number search have been described historically, but neither is confirmed here; confirm at source.

IBC officer and shareholder detail, and any beneficial-ownership register, could not be confirmed on rgd.gov.bs or in CARS.

How much does it cost?

BSD is pegged 1:1 to USD. The Company Search page states $100.00 per company search. No certified-extract fee, IBC incorporation fee or annual IBC fee is published there, so those rows read unknown; confirm at source.

Do you need a local account or ID?

The service page says the general public with a valid credit or debit card is eligible, and the process includes Registration at the CARS Portal (receive access codes). No Bahamian identity document is named on that page, and no card brands are named either: the page says credit or debit card.

Is the website in English?

Yes. rgd.gov.bs, the Company Search service page, and the CARS entry page are in English.

What’s the turnaround time?

The service page gives Turn-around time Customer-driven, rather than a stated number of days; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

No public API is published on rgd.gov.bs.

What you legally cannot do

The RGD’s terms of use and the Bahamas’ Data Protection (Privacy of Personal Information) Act 2003 apply:

• Automated bulk scraping or harvesting of CARS records is prohibited
• Certified documents and search results may not be commercially redistributed without authorisation
• Using registry data for unsolicited marketing or spam is not permitted

No beneficial-ownership register, public or otherwise, is described on the RGD site, so its access rules are not set out here; confirm at source.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• BSD is pegged 1:1 to USD. The published search fee of $100.00 is USD 100 at par.
• CARS is not BDR. cars.rgd.gov.bs is CARS; pub.rgd.gov.bs is BDR Online Public Services.
• IBCs are not the same as domestic companies. The IBC Act 2000 creates a distinct entity class, and how CARS handles entity types could not be confirmed.
• FATF and EU list status is not stated on the RGD site. Check fatf-gafi.org.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Registrar General’s Department directly

• Aggregator search (indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Bahamas filings. Coverage for IBCs is limited. Not for compliance-grade verification.
• Licensed registered agents: Every IBC must have a licensed registered agent in the Bahamas.

Local data suppliers

• Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) (bfsb-bahamas.com). Industry body directory of licensed service providers.

Use the Registrar General’s Department and CARS for the corporate registry record. Engage a licensed registered agent for documents that are not on the public search path.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Bahamas registry directly?

Yes. The Company Search page states eligibility for the general public with a valid credit or debit card, through CARS registration. CARS itself builds its screens in the browser, so this guide does not walk through them.

What is the company registration number in the Bahamas?

Each entity registered with the RGD receives a unique registration number assigned at incorporation. The service page does not set out the format rules; confirm at source.

What entity types are registered with the Registrar General’s Department?

The RGD home lists domestic/regular Bahamian companies, IBCs, segregated accounts companies, exempted limited partnerships, non-profits, and foundations among Registry of Companies services.

Does the Bahamas have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

No beneficial ownership register could be confirmed on rgd.gov.bs or in CARS, and no public UBO search is offered; confirm at source.

How current is the data in the CARS registry?

Not stated. CARS builds its screens in the browser and publishes no currency statement; confirm at source.

Is the Bahamas on the FATF grey list?

FATF status is not stated on the RGD site. See fatf-gafi.org.

What’s the difference between the RGD and the Securities Commission of the Bahamas?

The RGD is the corporate registry. The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) licenses investment managers, fund administrators, broker-dealers, and digital asset service providers, on its own site rather than through the RGD.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: rgd.gov.bs; rgd.gov.bs/service/company-search ($100.00, credit or debit card); cars.rgd.gov.bs, titled CARS, which builds its screens in the browser; pub.rgd.gov.bs, titled BDR Online Public Services. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.