Have you recently or not so recently formed a potential business and need to make things official? There’s a few things to note when applying for a business certificate via the Companies Office of Jamaica online. To make things easier, we’ve listed 5 things for you to be aware of before beginning your application process. We appreciate that the Companies Office of Jamaica has allowed for businesses to be registered 100% online since the start of COVID19 and despite the technical issues (which they claim to be aware of) have seen an increase in registration activity in recent times.
According to JIS, Entrepreneurs and investors in 2020 registered 12,809 Business Names and 3,935 companies. This reflects an increase of 12% for business names and 3% for companies over the previous year, 2019.
Let us know if you’ve recently registered your business and if there’s any tips you’d like to share for new applicants.
1. You have to reserve your business name before beginning any registration for companies and/or business names.
This is obviously to ensure your name is readily available. We admired the feature that showcased similar names to keep you aware of what’s already registered. You can reserve your name anywhere from 2-30 days. During this time it’s best to complete and submit your applications.
2. Have all company info along with contact details for all involved readily available to submit.
Of course you’ll have the opportunity to save your application and return to it when you’re ready, however due to ongoing technical issues/glitches and also the temporary suspension of their mobile lines, it can be a very drawn out process. Which is why we believe the more you’re able to fill in the application, the better you’ll be able to identify specific issues and gather your questions for when you are able to reach a technician and hopefully solve all the issues on one phone call instead of the dozen some persons have to put in.
Here’s the contact for the ORC’s Website Support for when you face those annoying glitches (you’ll probably have to try a few times):
Website Technical Support Contact:
Telephone : (876) 920-1990
Email : techsupport@orcjamaica.com
3. KNOW YOUR ARTICLES!
If this is your first time registering a business, this one might stump you. Thankfully this is something the technical support team can give you some insight on. Articles of incorporation are a set of formal documents filed with a government body to legally document the creation of a corporation. These articles can be chosen and compiled by the business owner. There’s a dropdown box of the different sets of articles you can choose from however be VERY careful and read each article thoroughly to ensure you cover what your business may need now and in the future. What you choose can determine whether or not your business can apply for a loan or even specify shareholder rights. Choose carefully!
4. Upload all document photos to ‘Document Library’ as PDF
This is also something that can drive you crazy - and we hope the ORC can fix this asap!
When you’re uploading a copy of your I.D or Utility Bill etc. Somehow it will continuously say that there’s an error. We noticed that they’d first like for these documents to be uploaded and labeled in the ‘Document Library’ listed in the Filing Portal. But wait - you’re still seeing an error message right? Try converting these JPG images to PDF (using any image converter you see on Google). Finally, you should be able to get through successfully.
5. Know who else you’re registered with....
Once approved, your new company will be registered with the COJ, TAJ, NIS, NHT and HEART Trust. Your incorporation certificate will include your Company #, NIS & TRN # Keep note of these when applying for bank accounts and other platforms on behalf of your business. Get to know entities like NHT and HEART Trust and how they can work with your new business!
We hope your application process is smoother after reading, congratulations on your new business venture and stay tuned with us for more tips and tools on achieving your business goals.
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