External (Foreign) Company Registration

An external company is an association, society, body or other group, formed under the laws of a country other than Trinidad and Tobago, which has been established as a body corporate with the authority, among other things, to regulate its own business, contract in its corporate name and acquire and hold real and personal property.

Where an external company establishes a place of business in Trinidad and Tobago, that external company must be registered, under the Companies Act, Ch. 81:01, within fourteen (14) days of such establishment.

How to Register an External Company

To register an external company, you are now required to:

  • Create a Companies Registry Account (CRA) to access the Companies Registry Online System (CROS)
  • Log into your CRA
  • Reserve the name of your company
  • Submit the external company registration application and pay the fee
  • Deliver original documents for registration to the Registrar to collect your certificate of registration

Registering an External Company

To register your external company, you must complete the following steps:

STEP 1: Create a Companies Registry Account (CRA)

Every person involved in the registration of an external company (directors, attorney-at-law, persons named in the Power of Attorney to act as attorney/agent for service of the company) must have a CRA. To create your CRA you will need to:

  • Apply for an individual account
  • Enter your personal details, contact, and address
  • Upload a copy of your birth certificate, two forms of photo identification (ID) and a headshot with one of the submitted IDs held beside your face.

For assistance with creating your CRA, you may email the CROS Help Desk at croshelpdesk@gov.tt

STEP 2: Reserve your Company Name

A name reservation is required to register an external company as it provides a reference number which allows Directors to approve their inclusion on the registration. To reserve the name, you must:

  • Log into your CRA and select the ‘Name Reservation’ service
  • Complete a new external company name reservation

Fee: None

Processing time: Automatic Reservation

STEP 3: Consent

All other persons/entities involved in the registration of the external company must approve their inclusion on the registration application.

  • Approvals by a person

    The individual must:

    • Log into their CRA
    • Select “My Account”, click “Approval”, and enter the:
      • Type - Yet To Be
      • Role -
        • Director
        • Statement Signatory (director/attorney-at-law that will sign the application for registration)
        • Attorney (persons named in the Power of Attorney to act as attorney/agent for service of the company)
      • Identifier - Name Reservation Number
      • Name - External Company Name
  • Approvals by a company

    A director/secretary of the company must:

    • Log into their CRA using the role of director/secretary
    • Select “My Company”, click “Approval”, and enter the:
      • Type - Yet To Be
      • Role - Director
      • Identifier - Name Reservation Number
      • Name - External Company Name

Once the approval(s), as above, have been granted, they must provide you with their surname and Account PIN/ company name and Company PIN, respectively, to complete your external company registration application to register the company.

STEP 4: File the Company Registration Application

To have your company registered, you must first electronically file an Application for Registration. To file your application:

  • Log into your CRA and select the ‘Registration/Incorporation’ service
  • Complete the external company registration application and upload:
    • Certified Copy of the Corporate Instruments
      • where instruments have been amended, include certified copies of the original and amended documents
      • where instruments are in a foreign language, include certified copies of the original instrument and the translation, Rules regarding certified copies and translations
    • Power of Attorney and Consent to Act as Attorney Form 22
  • Pay the fee

Fee: $2200.00.

Once the payment has been processed, you will receive confirmation by email that your application was successfully submitted. Your copy of the completed Application for Registration will also be included.

STEP 5: Deliver original documents for registration to the Registrar

To complete the registration of your external company, the attorney-at-law or a director will be required to deliver (in person) duplicate originals of the following, at any RGD office:

  • Certified Copy of the Corporate Instruments, uploaded at (4) above
  • Power of Attorney and Consent to Act as Attorney, uploaded at (4) above
  • Affidavit or Solemn Declaration of an Officer of the external company (sworn to before a Notary Public that verifies the particulars set out in the application) Specimen
  • Statutory Declaration (sworn by an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, that there has been compliance with the requirements for the registration of an external company) Form 32

The registration particulars at (4) and (5) above will be reviewed by the Registrar. A notification of the decision of the Registrar will be sent via email to you.

Processing time –three (3) working days

Once the application is approved, each director will receive confirmation, by email, that the company was successfully registered. Your copy of the registered Application for Registration will also be included.

The certificate of registration will be emailed as a PDF in two (2) working days to you.