Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. www.ipa.gov.pg
- Check access requirements. Account required: No. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published; confirm at source.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Yes.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: Unknown.
- Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Papua New Guinea’s official business registry is the IPA Online Registry System at https://www.ipa.gov.pg, titled Papua New Guinea Registry Services. The home page states that both the Business Entities Registry and the PPSR are “searchable by the general public free of charge”. The Business Entity Search sits at https://www.ipa.gov.pg/corp/search.aspx, which loads an empty application frame, so the fields it offers could not be confirmed. Beyond that free-search statement, kina fees are unknown rather than free. Papua New Guinea is named on the FATF increased-monitoring list of 19 June 2026; confirm at source.
What is the official Papua New Guinea business registry?
The Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) is the statutory body responsible for company registration and regulation in Papua New Guinea. It operates under the Companies Act 1997 and administers registrations of companies, business names, foreign companies, overseas companies, and personal property securities through its IPA Online Registry System, accessible at https://www.ipa.gov.pg.
The IPA was established under the Investment Promotion Act 1992. Its mandate covers both investment facilitation and corporate governance. The Companies Act 1997 governs the legal framework for company formation, director duties, and annual filing obligations in PNG.
The home page describes a fully electronic solution hosting both the Business Entities Registry and the Personal Property Securities Registry (PPSR), accessible 24/7 and searchable by the general public free of charge.
Coverage includes companies incorporated in PNG, foreign companies registered to operate in PNG, and business names registered by individuals and sole traders.
What can you search?
Navigation on ipa.gov.pg lists:
- Business Entity Search at
/corp/search.aspx, which loads an empty application frame - Name Availability Search at
/corp/namesearch.aspx - Name Reservation Search at
/namereservations/search.aspx - PPSR Search at
/str/search.aspx
The result fields behind /corp/search.aspx (officer lists, shareholders, historical filings) could not be confirmed, because the page loads an empty frame. Log In and Create Account links sit in the navigation; confirm at source.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (PGK) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Public search (home page: free of charge) | Unknown (page says free of charge) | Unknown |
| Detailed entity search (with account) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Business name registration | Unknown | Unknown |
| Company incorporation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Foreign company registration | Unknown | Unknown |
The home page is the source for public search being “free of charge”. No incorporation fee schedule and no payment methods are published on the search pages, so the rest of the table reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
Do you need a local account or ID?
The home page has Create Account and Log In links, though the account rules behind the search itself could not be confirmed. A free client account has been reported as requiring photo identification; confirm at source.
Is the website in English?
Yes. The site is titled “Papua New Guinea Registry Services”, and its navigation and help labels are in English.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown. No download path could be reached on the search page; confirm at source.
Is there an API?
No. IPA does not offer a public API for programmatic access to registry data. OpenCorporates indexes PNG filings as a secondary aggregator and should not be used for compliance-grade verification.
What you legally cannot do
The IPA’s terms of service restrict bulk scraping and unauthorized reproduction of registry data. Commercial redistribution of IPA data without authorization is prohibited. Use of company search results for unsolicited marketing or spam is not a permitted purpose.
PNG does not have a standalone data protection act equivalent to GDPR, but the use of IPA data must align with the stated purpose of the search. Compliance buyers conducting KYC, AML, or counterparty due diligence are within the scope of legitimate use; document this purpose in your audit trail.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- FATF. Papua New Guinea is named on the FATF increased-monitoring list of 19 June 2026, published with the black and grey lists at fatf-gafi.org. That entry records a February 2026 high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG; confirm at source.
- Anchor identifier is the registration number. PNG company numbers are assigned at incorporation by IPA and do not change with name changes.
- Beneficial ownership. No public beneficial ownership register could be confirmed on the search pages. IPA has been reported as implementing Companies Act amendments covering it; confirm at source.
- Foreign company filing is separate. Overseas companies operating in PNG register as foreign companies with IPA under Chapter 8 of the Companies Act.
- APG mutual evaluation (2024). The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering adopted PNG’s third-round Mutual Evaluation Report in September 2024. See apgml.org.
Alternatives if you cannot access the IPA registry directly
- Aggregator search (indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes PNG filings but lags official data.
- OCCRP Aleph (aleph.occrp.org) maintains a Papua New Guinea Company Registry dataset drawn from IPA data; confirm at source.
Local data suppliers
- Schmidt and Schmidt (schmidt-export.com). A European registry data reseller that offers company extracts from PNG. Output is based on IPA data and should be cross-checked against the live registry.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Papua New Guinea registry directly?
Yes. https://www.ipa.gov.pg is publicly reachable. The Business Entity Search loads an empty application frame, so the fields it offers could not be confirmed; confirm at source.
What is the TIN or company number format in Papua New Guinea?
IPA assigns a registration number at incorporation. Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) are issued separately by the Internal Revenue Commission and are not part of the IPA record; confirm at source.
What entity types are registered with IPA?
IPA registers companies limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee, unlimited companies, business names registered by individuals, foreign companies (overseas entities operating in PNG), and overseas companies.
Does Papua New Guinea have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No public beneficial ownership register could be confirmed on the IPA site; confirm at source.
How current is the data in the IPA registry?
Not stated, beyond the home page saying the system is accessible 24/7; confirm at source.
Is Papua New Guinea on the FATF grey list?
Yes. Papua New Guinea is named on the FATF increased-monitoring list of 19 June 2026, published with the black and grey lists at fatf-gafi.org. The entry records a February 2026 high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG; confirm at source.
What’s the difference between the registry and tax/financial filings?
IPA holds corporate registry data. Tax records are managed by the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) and are not publicly accessible. The Bank of Papua New Guinea supervises financial institutions and maintains a separate licensing register.
Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: ipa.gov.pg, whose home page describes public search as free of charge; /corp/search.aspx, which loads an empty application frame; the FATF black and grey lists as of 19 June 2026. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.