Overview
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Turks and Caicos Islands and submit them as strings on the application body.
Tax ID: The Turks and Caicos Islands levies no corporate income tax, capital gains tax, or VAT. The primary fiscal/administrative identifier for businesses is the Business Licence Number issued under the Business Licensing Ordinance. All individuals and corporations engaging in business activity in or from TCI must obtain a licence from the Revenue Department (exceptions: banks, insurance providers, and licensed company managers/agents). The licence expires annually on 31 March and must be displayed at the place of operation. Fee schedule ranges from 7,500 depending on the business category. No fixed-format licence number has been confirmed in public documentation.
Registration number: Unique identifier assigned by the Registrar of Companies at incorporation under the Companies Ordinance (Chapter 16.08, as revised and amended through 2025). Appears on the Certificate of Incorporation and all subsequent registry filings. The online Kregistry portal (kregistry.tcifsc.tc) is the official system of record. No fixed public format specification has been confirmed; numbers are assigned sequentially by the registry management system.
Sector regulators
Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission (TCIFSC) · Revenue Department (business licensing) · Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA)
Legal structures
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.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.Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by the Registrar of Companies (TCIFSC Registry Department) upon successful filing of Memorandum and Articles of Association under the Companies Ordinance (Chapter 16.08). Serves as conclusive evidence of incorporation and compliance. Issued typically within 48 business hours. The certificate records the company name, registration number, type of company, and date of incorporation, and is sealed with the official seal of the Registry. Processing through the Kregistry online portal (kregistry.tcifsc.tc). Apostilled copies available for international use.
- Constitutive Documents: Filed with the TCIFSC Registry at incorporation. The Memorandum sets out the company name, registered office, type/liability, and authorized capital. The Articles prescribe the internal regulations of the company (governance, share transfers, director powers). Both documents must be signed by every subscriber and filed in triplicate with the Registrar under the Companies Ordinance (Chapter 16.08). For international/exempt companies a standard template is commonly used. Post-2017 filings may also be consolidated into a single Articles of Association document.
- Tax Registration: TCI has no corporate income tax, capital gains tax, or VAT. The Business Licence issued by the Revenue Department under the Business Licensing Ordinance serves as the fiscal/operating credential. Mandatory for all individuals and corporations engaging in business in or from TCI (exceptions: banks, insurance providers, licensed company managers/agents). Expires annually on 31 March; renewal window February–April. Fee range 7,500 depending on business category (15 categories; 200+ prescribed activities). The licence must be displayed conspicuously at the place of operation.
- Operating Permit: The Business Licence issued by the Revenue Department under the Business Licensing Ordinance also serves as the general operating permission to carry on business in or from TCI. The same licence satisfies both tax_certificate and operating_license requirements; see tax_certificate slot for full details.
- Sector-Specific License: The TCIFSC is the integrated regulator for all financial services in TCI. Sector-specific licences required include: Banking Licence (national or overseas) under the Banking Ordinance; Insurance Licence (insurer, broker, agent, or manager) under the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 16.06) and Insurance Regulations 1999; Trust Company Licence (restricted or unrestricted) under the Trust Companies (Licensing and Supervision) Ordinance 2016; Money Transmitter/MSB Licence under the Financial Services Commission Ordinance; Investment Dealer/Mutual Fund Administrator Licence under relevant investment legislation; Company Management Licence under the Company Management (Licensing) Ordinance. These licences are required only for regulated entities and are not a general KYB document.
- Governance Records: All TCI companies must maintain a Register of Directors at or accessible from the registered office. For domestic companies, director information is subject to annual reporting requirements. For international/exempt companies, directors are registered with the TCIFSC but the register is not publicly accessible — changes must be reported to the registered agent within approximately 15 days of occurrence. No requirement to file the register on any public record for exempt companies.
- Signing Authority: No statutory form prescribed. A board resolution authorizing a named signatory, passed at a duly constituted meeting or by written resolution of directors, is the standard instrument. A notarized Power of Attorney may also be used where broad ongoing authority is required. Companies commonly use company letterhead resolutions.
- Address: Standard English common-law practice: a utility bill or bank statement dated within 90 days, or a signed lease agreement (no time limit). Utility providers in TCI include FortisTCI (electricity) and Turks and Caicos Water Co. (water). For registered offices, the registered agent’s address is commonly used as the corporate address.
- Good Standing: Issued by the Registrar of Companies (TCIFSC Registry Department) upon request by any person, in approved form, confirming that the company is in good standing. Conditions for issuance: company has paid all fees and penalties due under the Companies Ordinance; no documents, proceedings, or notices have been filed to strike the company’s name off the register or wind up its affairs. Available via the Kregistry online portal or on written application to the Registry. Standard processing is typically 3–5 business days; apostilled versions available for international use.
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.
Notes
- TCI levies no corporate income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, or VAT. Revenue derives from customs duties, accommodation tax, and business licence fees. TCI does not issue tax identification numbers (TINs) or equivalent identifiers for tax purposes (OECD CRS TIN guidance). The Business Licence Number is the closest operational identifier for a business but is not a TIN.
- International (exempt) companies receive a 20-year statutory tax exemption guarantee from their date of incorporation. There is no requirement to file directors or shareholders on any public record for these entities.
- Economic substance requirements apply to companies and limited partnerships conducting ‘relevant activities’ (banking, insurance, fund management, financing, leasing, HQ, shipping, IP, distribution/service centres) under the Companies and Limited Partnerships (Economic Substance) Ordinance (Chapter 16.19, as amended through 2024); failure to comply may result in striking off.
- Documents are commonly in English. Apostilles are available from the TCIFSC Registry for international recognition of incorporation documents.
- Banks and insurance providers are exempt from the Business Licensing Ordinance requirement and are regulated exclusively by sector-specific TCIFSC licences.
- The Kregistry online portal (https://kregistry.tcifsc.tc/kregistry/) is the official system for company name reservation, incorporation filings, and registry searches.
- As of 17 February 2026, TCI is listed on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (Annex I) following OECD Forum on Harmful Tax Practices findings of deficiencies in economic substance enforcement and compliance reporting. Counterparties subject to EU anti-avoidance rules (ATAD 3, DAC6, or domestic equivalents) should treat TCI-resident entities accordingly. TCI authorities have announced remedial measures (revised economic substance reporting tool, expanded FTIE enforcement powers) and the list will next be reviewed in October 2026.