Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. oarg.gov.sl/company-search/
- 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: 7 Oct 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Sierra Leone’s company registry is the Office of the Administrator and Registrar General (OARG). The name lookup at https://oarg.gov.sl/company-search/ loaded, titled Company Search Office of Administrator and Registrar General (OARG). It has a name field and a submit button, not a certified extract. The OARG home at https://oarg.gov.sl returns a site error rather than a search, so fees cannot be read there; costs are unknown rather than free. https://bsl.gov.sl is titled Bank of Sierra Leone, not OARG.
What is the official Sierra Leone business registry?
OARG is the registrar under the Companies Act, based in Freetown. Its public name lookup is https://oarg.gov.sl/company-search/, titled Company Search Office of Administrator and Registrar General (OARG). The OARG home page currently returns a site error rather than the site.
What can you search?
A company name. The company-search page has a name field and a submit button, and no login. Registration number, status, director and fee fields are not on that landing page; confirm at source.
A separate name-search address at https://oarg.gov.sl/Name_SEARCH/search.php also loaded. Results from that form were not confirmed.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (NLE) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic company search | Unknown | Unknown |
| Status certificate | Unknown | Unknown |
| Certified extract | Unknown | Unknown |
No fee figures appear on the company-search page, and the OARG home returns a site error, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
Do you need a local account or ID?
No. The company-search page has a name field and a submit button, and no login form.
Is the website in English?
Yes. The company-search title is in English. The error page on the OARG home is also in English.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown for extracts; confirm at source.
Is there an API?
No. No API is published on the company-search page.
What you legally cannot do
Sierra Leone’s Data Protection Act 2022 governs personal data, and bulk extraction without authorisation is not permitted. Record the purpose of a search once a fuller extract path is available.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- Use /company-search/ for the name lookup. The OARG home page returns a site error, not a block screen with a search behind it.
- The Bank of Sierra Leone site at bsl.gov.sl is titled Bank of Sierra Leone. It is not the companies registry.
- OARG publishes no FATF status. Check fatf-gafi.org.
- Freetown counsel remains the extract path while the home page is down and the public page lists names only.
Alternatives if you cannot access OARG directly
- Local legal firms in Freetown for certified extracts.
- Aggregator search: OpenCorporates coverage is limited. Indicative only.
Local data suppliers
No standalone Sierra Leone commercial credit bureau could be confirmed.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Sierra Leone registry directly?
The name lookup at oarg.gov.sl/company-search/ loaded without an account. The OARG home at oarg.gov.sl returns a site error.
What entity types are registered with OARG in Sierra Leone?
Ltd, PLC, guarantee companies, unlimited companies, external companies and partnerships are the statutory set; confirm at source.
Does Sierra Leone have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No public beneficial-ownership search could be confirmed; confirm at source.
Is Sierra Leone on the FATF grey list?
OARG publishes no FATF status. See fatf-gafi.org.
What is the difference between OARG company registration and business name registration?
Companies and business names are different OARG registrations. The company-search page is a name field. A separate name-search address also loaded; results from that form were not confirmed.
Last verified: 2026-10-07. Sources: oarg.gov.sl/company-search/, titled Company Search Office of Administrator and Registrar General (OARG); oarg.gov.sl, which returns a site error; oarg.gov.sl/Name_SEARCH/search.php; bsl.gov.sl, titled Bank of Sierra Leone. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.