Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. www.rgd.gov.bs
- Check access requirements. Account required: Optional. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 100.00-500.00. Payment methods: Credit card, Debit card.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Yes.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: Instant download.
- Verify recency. Last verified: 6 May 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. The Bahamas Registrar General’s Department (RGD) maintains the corporate registry, accessible through the Corporate Administrative Registry Services (CARS) platform at pub.rgd.gov.bs. A company search costs BSD 100 (~USD 100, 1:1 peg) per query, payable by credit or debit card without a registered account. The Bahamas is a major offshore centre under the International Business Companies (IBC) Act; beneficial ownership data is held in a non-public registry accessible only to designated authorities.
What is the official Bahamas business registry?
The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) operates the Bahamas’ central corporate registry under the authority of the Companies Act 1992 (for domestic companies) and the International Business Companies Act 2000 (for IBCs). The RGD sits within the Ministry of Finance and operates from the Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley and Charlotte Streets, Nassau.
The digital access platform is CARS (Corporate Administrative Registry Services), accessible at pub.rgd.gov.bs for public search and at rgd.gov.bs for the main department portal. CARS was introduced to consolidate name reservation, company filings, and public searches into a single electronic platform.
The registry covers domestic limited liability companies (under the Companies Act), International Business Companies (IBCs, under the IBC Act), external company registrations (foreign branches), partnerships, and registered foundations. The IBC structure is the Bahamas’ flagship offshore vehicle: non-resident-owned, tax-exempt on non-Bahamas income, with bearer shares abolished and nominee directorships now prohibited following June 2025 amendments to the IBC Act.
The Bahamas is one of the world’s principal offshore financial centres. Its financial services industry is regulated by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB), the Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBB), the Insurance Commission, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
What can you search?
CARS supports public company searches by:
- Company name (full or partial)
- Company registration number
Per entity, the search result returns: company name, registration number, entity type, incorporation date, and status (active, struck off, dissolved). For domestic companies, director information may be accessible. For IBCs, detailed officer and shareholder information is not part of the public record: the IBC structure is designed to provide privacy for non-resident owners, and beneficial ownership data is held in the non-public Register of Beneficial Ownership accessible only to designated competent authorities.
Data freshness is event-based: the CARS platform is updated when filings are processed by the RGD.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (BSD) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Company name search (CARS) | BSD 100 | ~USD 100 |
| Certified extract / status certificate | BSD 100 to 300 | ~USD 100 to 300 |
| IBC incorporation (via licensed provider) | BSD 300 to 800+ | ~USD 300 to 800+ |
| Annual IBC government fee (base) | BSD 350 | ~USD 350 |
The BSD (Bahamian dollar) is pegged 1:1 to the USD: BSD 1 = USD 1 exactly. No conversion calculation is needed. All fees are effectively USD-equivalent. Company search at BSD 100 is at the higher end of the Caribbean registry cost range, reflecting the offshore-centre positioning of the Bahamas registry. Fees are as reported by the CARS platform and third-party providers as of 2025-2026; verify at point of purchase.
Do you need a local account or ID?
A registered CARS portal account is not required for a basic company search. The CARS public search at pub.rgd.gov.bs accepts a valid credit or debit card for payment without prior account creation.
For licensed providers (law firms, trust companies, corporate service providers) who file on behalf of clients, CARS registration provides an account for ongoing access, name reservation, and bulk filing. Foreign compliance buyers doing one-off searches can proceed with card payment only.
Is the website in English?
Yes. CARS and all RGD digital services are fully English. The Bahamas’ official language is English. All search interfaces, result displays, document labels, and correspondence from the RGD are in English.
What’s the turnaround time?
Company search results through CARS are returned immediately upon payment confirmation. Basic status information is available as an instant download or on-screen result.
For certified extracts, status certificates, or historical documents, turnaround depends on whether the filing is digitised: most post-2000 records are accessible quickly; older records may require additional RGD processing time. Contact the RGD directly at +1 242 397 8950 for records with complex retrieval needs.
Is there an API?
No public API is available from the Registrar General’s Department as of May 2026. CARS is a portal-only platform without documented machine-readable access. Bulk data queries and platform-level integrations are not supported through an official developer programme. Licensed providers who need bulk access should engage the RGD directly. Screen scraping CARS is not permitted under its terms of use.
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
- Beneficial ownership information from the non-public Register of Beneficial Ownership is accessible only to designated authorities; disclosure outside authorised channels violates the Register of Beneficial Ownership Act 2018
- Using registry data for unsolicited marketing or spam is not permitted
The Register of Beneficial Ownership Act 2018 (and its 2025 amendments) created a secure, non-public UBO database managed by licensed providers. Penalties for non-compliance with beneficial ownership obligations include administrative penalties of up to USD 50,000 and criminal liability, following the International Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2025.
For a thorough discussion of what this means for cross-border due diligence, see the global due diligence guide.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- BSD is pegged 1:1 to USD. The Bahamian dollar is pegged to the US dollar at par. BSD 100 is exactly USD 100. No conversion risk or approximation is needed when budgeting for registry searches.
- IBCs are not the same as domestic companies. The IBC Act 2000 creates a distinct entity class designed for non-resident ownership and offshore use. IBCs cannot trade within the Bahamas or own Bahamas real estate. Domestic companies under the Companies Act 1992 can do both. Your counterparty’s entity type tells you a lot about its intended scope of operations.
- Nominee directorships are prohibited from June 2025. The IBC (Amendment) Act 2025 abolished nominee directorships from 19 June 2025. A nominee director is broadly defined as anyone acting under direction, instruction, or influence outside proper fiduciary duties. This is a major structural change affecting IBC governance; compliance buyers should verify that any IBC counterparty has updated its board composition to reflect this change.
- Beneficial ownership: non-public but mandatory. The Bahamas’ non-public UBO register means that counterparty beneficial ownership is not accessible through the CARS platform. However, licensed registered agents are legally required to hold and file UBO data. Competent authorities (FIU, Securities Commission, police, Central Bank) can access the register. For AML/KYC purposes, request beneficial ownership declarations directly from the counterparty or their licensed registered agent.
- FATF and EU status. The Bahamas was removed from the FATF grey list in December 2020 after completing its AML/CFT action plan. It was removed from the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions in February 2024. As of May 2026, The Bahamas is not on either list. The Bahamas’ next CFATF mutual evaluation is expected in 2026. See fatf-gafi.org and consilium.europa.eu for current status.
- Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB). Fund administrators, investment managers, and digital asset service providers operating through a Bahamas IBC may also be licensed by the SCB under the Securities Industry Act or the DARE Act (Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act). Check the SCB register at scb.gov.bs separately if your counterparty is in financial services or digital assets.
Alternatives if you cannot access the Registrar General’s Department directly
- Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Bahamas company filings but coverage is limited for IBCs, which are the dominant structure. Not suitable for compliance-grade verification.
- Licensed registered agents: Every IBC must have a licensed registered agent in the Bahamas. The registered agent is the authoritative point of contact for UBO data and can provide certified extracts as part of the corporate maintenance relationship. A list of licensed agents is available from the SCB.
Local data suppliers
- Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) (bfsb-bahamas.com). Industry body that promotes the Bahamas as an international financial centre and maintains a directory of licensed service providers, including registered agents, law firms, and trust companies. Use the BFSB directory to identify reputable agents for IBC due diligence.
Use the Registrar General’s Department and CARS for the authoritative corporate registry record. Engage a licensed registered agent for beneficial ownership declarations and certified extracts on IBCs.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Bahamas registry directly?
Yes. The CARS public search portal accepts credit and debit card payments without account registration. Foreign compliance buyers can search any company name or registration number and pay BSD 100 per search. No Bahamian identity document or licensed agent relationship is required for a basic public search.
What is the company registration number in the Bahamas?
Each entity registered with the RGD receives a unique registration number assigned at incorporation. For IBCs, the number typically follows a sequential format. This number appears on the certificate of incorporation and is the primary identifier for cross-referencing across RGD records.
What entity types are registered with the Registrar General’s Department?
The registry covers: International Business Companies (IBCs) under the IBC Act 2000, domestic companies under the Companies Act 1992, external companies (foreign branches), limited partnerships, partnerships, foundations (under the Foundations Act 2004), and registered business names. IBCs are the most common structure for offshore holding, investment, and trading purposes.
Does the Bahamas have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
Yes, but it is not public. The Register of Beneficial Ownership Act 2018 created a non-public UBO database. Licensed registered agents are required to hold and upload beneficial ownership data for entities they manage. The register is accessible to designated competent authorities (FIU, Securities Commission, Central Bank, police) but not to the general public or compliance buyers directly. The 2025 amendment to the act introduced further requirements alongside the abolition of nominee directorships. For UBO data in a compliance context, request declarations directly from the counterparty or their registered agent.
How current is the data in the CARS registry?
CARS records are updated when filings are processed by the RGD. The processing timeline depends on whether the filing is made electronically through CARS (faster) or submitted in paper form. Most routine status changes, annual renewals, and name changes filed electronically are reflected within a few business days. The Bahamas is preparing for its next CFATF mutual evaluation cycle in 2026, which is expected to include assessment of data quality and registry effectiveness.
Is the Bahamas on the FATF grey list?
No. The Bahamas was removed from the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring in December 2020, after completing its AML/CFT action plan. The Bahamas was also removed from the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions in February 2024. As of May 2026, The Bahamas is not on either list. Current FATF status is confirmed at fatf-gafi.org.
What’s the difference between the RGD and the Securities Commission of the Bahamas?
The RGD is the corporate registry: it handles company formation, annual filings, and the non-public UBO register for all companies including IBCs. The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) is the financial services regulator: it licenses investment managers, fund administrators, broker-dealers, and digital asset service providers under the Securities Industry Act and the DARE Act. An IBC engaged in financial services must hold both a valid RGD registration and an SCB licence. Check both the CARS platform and the SCB register (scb.gov.bs) for a complete compliance picture.
Last verified: May 2026. Source: Registrar General’s Department of the Bahamas (rgd.gov.bs); FATF delisting statement December 2020 (fatf-gafi.org); EU Council press release February 2024 (consilium.europa.eu); IBC (Amendment) Act 2025 and Register of Beneficial Ownership (Amendment) Act 2025 (laws.bahamas.gov.bs). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.