Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Latin America |
| ISO 3166-1 | JM / JAM |
| Registry | Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Jamaica and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TRN | Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Company Number | Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) |
Sector regulators
BOJ · FSC · FID
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Company Limited by Shares | Ltd | Closely-held share-capital company; shares are not freely transferable and the company may not offer shares to the public. The default SME and subsidiary vehicle in Jamaica. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company whose shares may be offered to the public and listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange; minimum three directors and mandatory audited financials. Equivalent to a US C-Corp. |
| Unlimited Company | — | Incorporated company with no limit on members’ liability; used primarily for tax-planning structures or holding vehicles. Recognized under the Companies Act 2004. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp (without liability cap). |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | — | Non-share company where members guarantee a nominal sum on winding up; used for charities, NGOs, professional associations, and clubs. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| General Partnership | — | Two or more persons carrying on business together with unlimited joint and several liability; registered under the Registration of Business Names Act. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| Limited Partnership | LP | One or more general partners with unlimited liability and one or more limited partners whose liability is capped at their capital contribution; formed under the Partnerships (Limited) Act. Equivalent to a US Limited Partnership. |
| Sole Trader | — | A single natural person carrying on business; no separate legal entity. Must register a trading/business name under the Registration of Business Names Act if using a name other than their own surname. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned autonomous association registered under the Co-operative Societies Act and supervised by the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies; common in agriculture, credit, and housing. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
| Branch of a Foreign Company | — | A foreign corporation conducting business in Jamaica through a registered branch; must register with the Companies Office of Jamaica and file annual returns. Not a separate legal entity from the parent. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation |
| Constitutive Documents | Articles of Incorporation |
| Tax Registration | TRN Registration Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Trade Licence |
| Ownership Records | Register of Members |
| Governance Records | Register of Directors |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: Board Resolution · Power of Attorney |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Letter of Good Standing |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation | Legal Registration |
| Articles of Incorporation (Form 1A profit / Form 1B non-profit) | Constitutive Documents |
| TRN Registration Certificate | Tax Registration |
| Trade Licence | Operating Permit |
| Register of Members | Ownership Records |
| Register of Directors (Form 23, COJ) | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Power of Attorney | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Letter of Good Standing | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | Bank of Jamaica Licence (Banking Services Act / Securities Act), FSC Licence (Financial Services Commission — securities/insurance) |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by COJ within ~4 working days; contains company name, number, and date of incorporation.
- Constitutive Documents: Replaced dual Memorandum + Articles structure under Companies Act 2004; filed at COJ on incorporation.
- Tax Registration: Issued by TAJ; 9-digit TRN; businesses also receive NHT, NIS, and HEART numbers simultaneously.
- Operating Permit: Issued annually by the Collector of Taxes at parish level under the Licences on Trades and Business Act (1908).
- Sector-Specific License: BOJ for banks, payment services, cambios, remittance; FSC for securities dealers, insurers, pension administrators, trust/corporate service providers.
- Ownership Records: The Register of Members records all current shareholders and their shareholdings. Changes must be notified to COJ. The register is not publicly searchable.
- Governance Records: Changes in directors must be notified to COJ within 14 days; 2023 amendments require incoming directors to disclose other directorships held.
- Signing Authority: POA must be executed before a justice of the peace (in Jamaica) or notary public (abroad); company may empower attorneys under its common seal (Companies Act 2004).
- Address: Lease agreement (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement dated within 90 days. The same document satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
- Good Standing: Issued by the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ); certifies the company is current with its filing requirements and has not been struck off. Available online via the COJ portal; printed on security paper with QR code and unique certificate reference number. Can be apostilled.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Appointed to manage day-to-day affairs; filed on Form 23. |
| Chairman of the Board | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Presides over board; governance role distinct from executive management. |
| Attorney / Agent (POA holder) | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Authorised under board resolution or power of attorney to bind the company. |
Notes
- Jamaica acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 2 November 2020; Convention entered into force for Jamaica on 3 July 2021 — apostilles are now valid in lieu of full consular legalisation.
- Corporate and trust service providers must hold an FSC licence under the Trust and Corporate Services Providers Act 2017; only licensed persons may commercially provide incorporation services.