How to start a business in Jamaica as a foreigner (2026)

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen announced that a draft bill amending the Companies Act was being finalised to strengthen company efficiency and create an enabling environment for business. The amendment was listed among the government's highest legislative priorities for the 2024/2025 parliamentary year.

Act No. 4 of 2023 required all companies to appoint an officer responsible for verifying and maintaining a beneficial ownership register, aligned with FATF recommendations; non-compliance carries fines up to J$5 million. The reform was designed to meet international AML/CFT obligations and expand MSME access to global trade and financial services.

Act No. 19 of 2021 amended the Companies Act to allow AGMs and other general meetings to be conducted fully virtually or in hybrid format, and empowered the Registrar to extend AGM deadlines during declared public disasters. The change was triggered by COVID-19 restrictions under the Disaster Risk Management Act that prevented in-person gatherings.

Jamaica enacted the Limited Liability Companies Act 2021, adding the LLC as a distinct legal structure that blends features of partnerships and corporations. This broadened the choice of business entities available to entrepreneurs at the point of registration.

The Companies Office of Jamaica launched the eBRF portal, enabling entrepreneurs to register a business name or company entirely online, 24 hours a day, from anywhere in the world, with integrated online payment. The system was developed under the Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation Programme with Inter-American Development Bank funding.

The World Bank's Doing Business 2019 report ranked Jamaica 6th in the world on the 'Starting a Business' indicator, noting only two procedures and three days required to formally operate a new business. The result reflected the cumulative effect of reforms implemented since 2014.

The Companies Office of Jamaica reinstated next-day (same-day) processing for company incorporation as a standard service at no additional fee, reversing an earlier rollback of the service. The reform was recognised in the World Bank Doing Business 2018 report and contributed to further improvement in Jamaica's global ranking.

The World Bank's Doing Business 2015 report recognised Jamaica as the economy with the highest ranking improvement in Latin America and the Caribbean, implementing three reforms including streamlining business-start requirements, lifting its overall ranking to 58th among 189 economies.

The Companies Office of Jamaica, with the National Competitiveness Council, deployed the Business Registration Form, consolidating 13 separate forms into one application that simultaneously registers a company or business name and obtains TRN, GCT, NIS, and NHT numbers. Registration time was cut from six days to 24 hours.

Act No. 10 of 2004 replaced the colonial-era Companies Act, establishing the current framework for incorporation, regulation, and winding-up of companies in Jamaica and formalising the role of the Companies Office of Jamaica as national registrar. The Act has been amended in 2013, 2017, 2021, and 2023.

Jamaica enacted the Registration of Business Names Act, requiring sole traders and partnerships trading under a business name to register with the Registrar of Companies. The Act remains operative today alongside the Companies Act 2004, forming the foundational legal basis for non-corporate business registration in Jamaica.