Honduras Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Honduran Business

TL;DR. Honduras’s official commercial registry is the Registro Mercantil, managed by the government at registromercantil.gob.hn. The interface is Spanish-only. Basic name searches are free; certified extracts are HNL-denominated (low USD equivalent). Honduras is a Northern Triangle country; apply enhanced due diligence for high-risk sectors including construction, real estate, and money services. [VERIFY: Confirm FATF grey list status before use.]

What is the official Honduras business registry?

The Registro Mercantil (Mercantile Registry) of Honduras is the official authority for commercial entity registration. It operates under the Secretaría de Estado en el Despacho de Gobernación y Descentralización (Secretariat of State for Governance and Decentralization). The primary legislation governing company registration is the Código de Comercio de Honduras (Commercial Code) and the Ley del Registro Mercantil (Mercantile Registry Law).

The Registro Mercantil maintains registration records for all commercial entities operating in Honduras: sociedades anónimas (SA, joint-stock companies), sociedades de responsabilidad limitada (SRL/Ltda., private limited companies), sociedades en nombre colectivo (general partnerships), sociedades en comandita (limited partnerships), sole traders (comerciante individual), and branches of foreign companies (sucursales). Companies are also required to register with the Servicio de Administración de Rentas (SAR), the tax authority, for their Registro Tributario Nacional (RTN) number.

Honduras has a decentralised registry structure: the Registro Mercantil has offices in each department (state equivalent) of Honduras, not just the capital Tegucigalpa. Material commercial activity also takes place through the Registro Mercantil in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’s industrial capital. Records for a specific company should be sought at the registry office corresponding to the company’s registered domicile.

The online portal at registromercantil.gob.hn provides online access to company name searches across the national registry network.

What can you search?

The Registro Mercantil online portal supports:

• Company name search (búsqueda por denominación social)
• RTN (Registro Tributario Nacional) number lookup for cross-referencing
• Basic registration status

Results include: company name, commercial name, registration number, legal form, registered domicile (department), date of registration, and current status. For detailed records, including director and shareholder information, share capital, registered address, and filing history, a certified extract (certificación) from the relevant Registro Mercantil office is required.

Honduras introduced Sociedades por Acciones Simplificadas (SAS) in recent years, a simplified joint-stock company structure inspired by similar reforms in Colombia and other Latin American countries. SAS companies have lower minimum capital requirements and simplified governance, making them popular for startups and SMEs.

How much does it cost?

The Honduran lempira (HNL) has experienced gradual depreciation against the USD; the exchange rate is approximately HNL 24–25 = USD 1.00 as of 2025–2026. Fees quoted in HNL are modest in USD terms. Verify the current exchange rate and fee schedule directly with the Registro Mercantil before any transaction.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No Honduran identity document is required for basic online name searches. Online portal registration may be required for some document download services. For certified extracts, requests can be made in person at the relevant Registro Mercantil office or through a local attorney or corporate service provider. No local bank account is required for most fee payment options.

Is the website in English?

No. The Registro Mercantil portal and all official documents are in Spanish. Honduras’s official language is Spanish and no English interface is provided. Foreign compliance buyers need Spanish-reading capability or translation assistance, or should engage a Honduran attorney to retrieve and translate registry records.

What’s the turnaround time?

Online name searches are available immediately. Certified extracts from the relevant Registro Mercantil office typically take 3–10 business days under normal conditions. Processing times vary by office location; the Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula offices handle the highest volumes and may have longer queues. A local attorney can often expedite retrieval.

Is there an API?

No public API is available from the Registro Mercantil for programmatic access as of May 2026. Web-based search only. Compliance platforms requiring systematic Honduras entity lookups should engage a local data partner or law firm.

What you legally cannot do

Honduras’s data protection framework is governed by the Ley sobre Justicia Constitucional and sector-specific regulations; a complete data protection statute has been under development. The Registro Mercantil terms of use and applicable law prohibit:

• Automated bulk scraping of registry records for commercial redistribution
• Using personal data from registry records for unsolicited marketing or profiling
• Misrepresenting uncertified searches as certified official documents for legal or regulatory submissions

Honduras’s AML/CFT framework is supervised by the Unidad de Información Financiera (UIFHonduras) and the Comisión Nacional de Bancos y Seguros (CNBS) for financial institutions. The primary AML legislation is the Ley Contra el Lavado de Activos.

For cross-border due diligence principles, see the Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Northern Triangle AML and DEA overlay. Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala form the Northern Triangle of Central America, a region with material challenges from drug trafficking (particularly cocaine transit from South America), MS-13 and other gang activity, public corruption, and money laundering risk. Standard enhanced due diligence is appropriate for counterparties in high-risk sectors including construction, real estate, money services, logistics and transport, and cash-intensive businesses. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has historically operated extensively in Honduras and has sanctioned Honduran political figures and business networks.
• Former President designated under US sanctions. The 2022 extradition and 2024 conviction of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández in the US on drug trafficking charges was a landmark case illustrating the depth of state-cartel corruption in Honduras. Counterparties with political connections should be screened carefully against OFAC SDN and other lists.
• RTN as the tax identifier. The RTN (Registro Tributario Nacional) is Honduras’s universal tax identification number for both individuals and legal entities. It serves as the cross-reference identifier between the Registro Mercantil and the SAR tax authority. Always collect the RTN from a Honduran counterparty as part of basic KYC.
• Decentralised registry structure. Honduras has 18 departments, each with its own Registro Mercantil. A company’s records are held at the registry of the department where it is registered, not necessarily the capital. When requesting extracts, confirm which departmental office holds the relevant records.
• CNBS for financial services. If your counterparty is a bank, insurance company, securities firm, or money transfer business, check the CNBS register at cnbs.gob.hn. Financial institution licensing status is a critical compliance data point.
• FATF status. [VERIFY: Confirm Honduras’s current FATF grey list status at fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/detail/Honduras.html before use. Honduras participates in GAFILAT (Financial Action Task Force of Latin America) mutual evaluations.]
• HNL is not freely convertible internationally. The Honduran lempira is a managed currency; conversion to USD is available through the Banco Central de Honduras (BCH) and commercial banks but the lempira is not traded on international FX markets. Fees and costs should be budgeted in USD using the approximate exchange rate.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Registro Mercantil directly

• Local attorneys: The Colegio de Abogados de Honduras lists licensed practitioners. Law firms in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are the most practical route for certified extracts and due diligence.
• OpenCorporates: May index some Honduras company data; limited coverage and lags official records.
• CNBS (cnbs.gob.hn): For financial services entity verification.

Local data suppliers

No major independent commercial credit bureau operates specifically in the Honduras market as of May 2026. The CNBS maintains credit registry data accessible to licensed financial institutions. For trade credit risk assessment on Honduran entities, the most practical approaches are: engaging a local law firm or due diligence firm, requesting audited financial statements, or using a global trade credit insurer with Central American coverage. The Cámara de Comercio e Industrias de Cortés (San Pedro Sula) can provide trade references for members.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Honduras Registro Mercantil directly?

Yes. The online portal at registromercantil.gob.hn is accessible internationally. Basic name searches are free. Certified extracts require formal requests to the relevant departmental Registro Mercantil office, typically arranged through a local attorney. All materials are in Spanish.

What is a Sociedad Anónima (SA) in Honduras?

The Sociedad Anónima (SA) is Honduras’s joint-stock company, the most common structure for medium and large commercial enterprises. SAs have a minimum capital requirement, must have a minimum of two shareholders, and are required to file annual accounts. Directors and officers are registered with the Registro Mercantil and changes must be formally recorded.

What is the RTN (Registro Tributario Nacional)?

The RTN is Honduras’s universal tax identification number, assigned by the SAR (Servicio de Administración de Rentas) to all individuals and legal entities that have tax obligations in Honduras. For companies, the RTN is a 14-digit number. It appears on invoices, tax returns, and all formal commercial documents. The RTN is the primary cross-reference identifier between the commercial registry and the tax authority.

Is Honduras on the FATF grey list?

[VERIFY: Confirm Honduras’s current FATF status at fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/detail/Honduras.html before use. Honduras is a GAFILAT member and participates in the Latin American AML/CFT mutual evaluation process.]

What are the main anti-money laundering red flags for Honduran counterparties?

Red flags include: connections to former government officials or their families (given documented state-cartel links); operating in high-risk sectors (construction, real estate, logistics, money services, gaming) without clear business rationale; complex ownership structures spanning multiple jurisdictions with Honduran entities at the bottom; and cash-intensive business models. Apply EDD as the baseline for any Honduran counterparty in these sectors.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Registro Mercantil de Honduras (registromercantil.gob.hn); Comisión Nacional de Bancos y Seguros (cnbs.gob.hn); FATF Honduras country page, [VERIFY current status]; GAFILAT (gafilat.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.