Company Records for Maldives, on demand

Company registration in the Maldives is governed by the Companies Act (Act No. 07/2023), ratified on 27 December 2023 and in force since 1 January 2024, which sets the terms for the incorporation, registration, operation and dissolution of companies and requires a register of companies to be compiled, maintained and published. Private, public, government and local authority companies may be formed under the Act, and foreign companies are required to re-register under it. A first amendment, ratified in September 2024, shortened several procedural timelines, including deadlines for appointing directors when instructed by the Registrar.

Registration runs through the Maldives Business Portal, the government's online platform for business registration and verification. The portal offers name reservation and a business registry search that lets the public check registered businesses and view their details. It is operated by the ministry responsible for economic development and trade, whose current styling on its own site is Ministry of Economic Development, Transport & Trade. Since 14 January 2024 the Registrar's Gazette, mandated by the Companies Act, has been published online through the ministry with announcements and legal notices for the general public.

Business registration more broadly, including for foreign parties, sits under the Business Registration Act (Act No. 18/2014); its second amendment, ratified on 3 September 2024, requires foreign entities doing business in the Maldives to re-register as a company or partnership under the Companies Act. The Company Records report for Maldives includes the registry extract sourced from the official register.