A BVI company search names the directors and leaves out the owners.
The BVI public record gives a company's status, agent and directors' names. Ownership sits with the registered agent, and beneficial ownership opens only on a legitimate-interest application.
By Matthew Lee
US$50 buys a BVI company search. US$75 adds the names of its directors. Neither tells you who owns the company.
BVI business companies are registered with the Registry of Corporate Affairs, a division of the BVI Financial Services Commission (FSC), under the BVI Business Companies Act. Since 2025 the FSC's Public Search Function has sold search reports, public registers and certificates to anyone. Other documents are requested from the Registry by email on its form R820.
What the search report shows
- Identity: company name, company number, type and date of incorporation.
- Status: the current status with its date.
- Agent and office: the registered agent and its address, and the registered office.
- Capital: share or capital information, and previous names.
- Filings: the transactions and certificates on file, each of which can then be ordered as a certified or uncertified copy.
The list of directors
Since 1 January 2023, under the BVI Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2022, the Registrar keeps a copy of each company's filed register of directors and makes available, on request, a list of the directors in it.
The list gives names only. It has no addresses or dates of birth, and it reflects the register as last filed.
What it does not show
- Members: companies file their register of members with the Registrar under the amended regime. It is not generally available on an ordinary public search unless the company elects public access. Obtain the relevant certified record through the registered agent.
- Beneficial owners: registered agents file them with the Registrar through VIRRGIN under the Beneficial Ownership Regulations 2024, in force since 2 January 2025. They are not on an ordinary public search.
Beneficial ownership by application
From 1 April 2026, a person who shows a legitimate interest can apply to the Registrar for beneficial ownership information on a named entity. The FSC's revised guidelines of 2 January 2026 set three grounds:
- Investigation: the request is to investigate, prevent or detect money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing.
- A connected conviction: the entity is connected to a person convicted of, or facing criminal proceedings for, one of those offences.
- Due diligence: the applicant is an obliged entity carrying out customer due diligence under BVI anti-money laundering law. The guidelines list the businesses that generally qualify.
An approved request returns, for each beneficial owner holding 25% or more, holding the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board, or otherwise controlling management: full legal name, month and year of birth, nationality, and the nature of the interest or control. Obliged entities must report material discrepancies to the Registrar within 14 days.
Registry fees
The Registry's form R820 sets these fees, payable in US dollars.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Company search (business company, limited partnership, foreign company) | US$50 |
| List of directors | US$75 |
| Certificate of good standing, business company | US$100 |
| Certified copy of a certificate of incorporation, restoration, merger or similar | US$75 |
| Copy of the memorandum and articles, or another document | US$100 |
| Physical copy of a certificate issued electronically | US$50 extra |
Which document answers which question
| Question | Document | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| Does the company exist, and who is its agent? | Company search report | The Registry, to anyone |
| Who are its directors? | List of directors | The Registry, to anyone |
| Is it current with the Registry? | Certificate of good standing | The Registry |
| Who are its directors and shareholders today? | Certificate of incumbency or certified register of members | The registered agent, on the company's instruction |
A certificate of good standing is issued under section 235 of the Act. It confirms that the company is on the register, has paid its fees and penalties, and is not in liquidation or struck off. It is issued electronically and can be checked on the FSC's certificate verification page. It says nothing about solvency or litigation.
A certificate of incumbency comes from the registered agent, so it needs the company's cooperation. For ownership it is usually the document that matters. Our glossary entry sets out what a good standing certificate does and does not prove.
How Fill Easy fits in
We return the BVI company search, the list of directors and a certificate of good standing as PDFs, by email to agent@fill-easy.com or through the API. Price and turnaround are confirmed with the order, and every result records the source, retrieval time and request ID. Where the client has the company's authority, we request ownership documents from the registered agent. CorpVerify follows offshore holding companies through each layer to the people behind them. The BVI jurisdiction page lists every document, and the Cayman article covers the other common offshore register.
How many BVI holding companies in your client files have only a search report behind them?