Registry
The Registrar acts as the Registrar of International and Foreign Companies, Limited Liability Companies, International Trusts, International Partnerships and Foundations. The Registry went online as of December 2011.
Registry figures as at 31 December 2018 were:
- International Companies - 937
- International Partnerships - 4
- International Trusts - 2,141
- Limited Liability Companies - 359
- Foundations - 55
Registration requirements
Only licensed trustee companies are able to register international entities on the Registry. For a list of licensed trustee companies please click here.
Prior to the registration of an international entity, a licensed trustee company must complete KYC procedures to establish a business relationship with any new client in accordance with the law and their internal procedures. The on-boarding process for new clients can vary in length depending on the needs of the client and the trustee companies procedures.
Once completed, a licensed trustee company may register international entities on behalf of its clients. The registration process typically takes less than 24 hours. The requirements for registration for the different international entities can be found here.
Further information relating to the types of entities registered by the Registrar can be found on the FSDA website here.
To contact the Registrar please click here.
Policy on Bearer Shares
The Financial Supervisory Commission's approved policy to phase out Bearer Shares can be found here.
For any requests seeking information held on the registry relating to registered entities, the Registrar may confirm the name of an entity, date of registration, registration number, registered office and the relevant administering trustee company contact details. Any further queries should be directed to the administering trustee company.
Requests for information that relate to law enforcement purposes such as a criminal investigation or a regulatory purpose can be made by an appropriate competent authority to either:
- the Financial Supervisory Commission - attention: Commissioner - cheryl.mccarthy@fsc.gov.ck; or
- the Cook Islands Financial Intelligence Unit - attention: the Head of FIU Cook Islands Financial Intelligence Unit - fiuhead@cifiu.gov.ck
Any request must set out in writing the matter being investigated, the legal authority of the competent authority to deal with that matter, and the information being sought.
To request information from the Registrar please click here.