Company Registry Spotlight: Gibraltar

Exploring the Company Registry in Gibraltar: Insights into Business Landscape and Business KYC Compliance

In Gibraltar, the official business registry is known as Companies House Gibraltar, operating under the oversight of the Government of Gibraltar’s Companies Registry, administered by the Registrar of Companies. It plays a crucial role in managing company formation, statutory filing, and public disclosure.

A major strength of the registry is its emphasis on modernisation and digitisation. Through its e-Registry platform, Companies House Gibraltar enables online filings, accounting professionals’ access, and electronic document archives, reflecting a push toward efficiency and remote accessibility.

The primary online portal is the e-Registry of Companies House Gibraltar—a web-based system that allows users to search and file company documents, submit annual returns, and manage compliance digitally via unique identifiers.

Key functionalities include:

• Company name or profiles via e-Search (expanding soon to foundations, partnerships, trademarks).

• Unique Identifier for e-Filing annual returns and documents by accountants or secretaries.

• Digitised archives for company records, patents, and more.

To access the portal, visit: https://www.companieshouse.gi/

The Companies House Gibraltar provides detailed company data vital for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) verification processes. Information available includes:

• Company name, registration number, status, and address.

• Directors and company secretaries (including appointments and resignations).

• Shareholder information (names, shareholdings, and issued capital).

• Beneficial ownership data (subject to approved access conditions).

• Filing history such as incorporation documents, annual returns, and financial accounts.

This high level of disclosure positions Gibraltar as one of the more transparent jurisdictions among offshore centres, promoting strong due diligence and compliance with AML standards.

The Gibraltar Companies House provides useful incorporation documents and corporate data on a variety of entity types. The main entity types listed in the registry are:​

• Private limited companies

• Exempt companies and qualifying companies (under tax-favoured regimes for non-local activity)

• Partnerships, LLPs, foundations, and trade names

In addition to these documents, the registry offers valuable data on the company itself, its officers, and its shareholders. Sectors like financial services and gaming come with specific rules, while exempt companies keep taxes low and setup quick—making Gibraltar a draw for fintech and international players.

Gibraltar is known to host a significant number of registered companies. According to an August 2024 Financial Times report, there are over 14,000 registered companies, of which approximately 12,600 are active—offering a clear, though high-level, snapshot of the territory’s business landscape.

Gibraltar’s Companies House has rolled out key upgrades to its e-Registry, making it easier for accountants to handle filings with a Unique Identifier (UID) and expanding e-Search to include foundations, partnerships, trademarks, and annual returns.​

Document digitisation efforts are also ramping up, bringing more statutory and legacy records online for faster access. These changes cut down on delays, smooth out the filing process, and boost transparency for everyone from compliance teams to business owners.

Though most official company registries are open to the public, accessing multiple company registries manually can be a highly time-consuming task for compliance officers. Every country tends to use different systems to display different types of data. There are often language barriers to contend with too. Gibraltar’s e-Registry stands out with its digital push, but not all match that speed.

It’s for this reason that many compliance teams depend on automated KYB to streamline compliance processes. Real-time access to company registries also has the advantage of providing details on any newly incorporated entities. These may not be listed in traditional corporate information databases, which tend to be static and only updated occasionally.

Know Your Customer automatically accesses company registries worldwide to retrieve required official documents and data. This significantly simplifies the business verification process across any onboarding journey.​

The platform delivers real-time information from Gibraltar’s Companies House alongside standardised access to local registries in over 140 countries—all through a single platform or API. Whilst automation handles the verification process, saving substantial time while ensuring compliance obligations are met.