BVI Formation

Check a company name

Free, and no obligation. Give us the name you want and we check it against the BVI Register by hand, then reply by email, usually the same working day.

The names

Give us up to three, in order of preference. The Registry takes the first one that is free, so a second and third choice save a round trip.

Where to send the answer

A check is not a reservation.

Availability is a snapshot: a name that is free this morning can be taken this afternoon by someone else. The name is only yours once the company is incorporated. If you need it held, ask us. The Registry can reserve a name for a limited period, and we will quote for it.

What gets a name refused

It is already taken, or too close to one

The Registrar refuses a name that is identical to one already registered, and one so similar that it would be likely to confuse. Adding or dropping a word like “Group” or “International” often does not make enough difference.

It has no approved ending

A company limited by shares must end with Limited, Corporation, Incorporated, Société Anonyme or Sociedad Anónima, or the abbreviations Ltd., Corp., Inc. or S.A. An unlimited company ends with Unlimited or Unltd. We add the ending for you if you leave it off. Just tell us which you prefer.

It uses a word that needs a licence

Words such as bank, insurance, assurance, reinsurance, trust, trustee, fund, chartered and similar suggest a regulated activity. They are restricted: the Registrar will not allow them without the appropriate consent or licence, and the licence is a far larger exercise than the name.

It implies a connection it does not have

Names suggesting the patronage of, or a connection with, a government or a royal house are refused, as are names the Registrar considers offensive or otherwise objectionable.

Can I have a name in another language or script?

Yes. A company may have a foreign character name in addition to its English name, registered alongside it. Tell us the script you want and we will deal with the additional filing.