British Virgin Islands company search: BVI FSC (bvifsc.vg)

TL;DR. The British Virgin Islands Registry of Corporate Affairs sits with the BVI Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC). https://www.bvifsc.vg is online, titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. The paths /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist; the working addresses are https://www.bvifsc.vg/public-search, titled Public Search & BO Search, and https://www.bvifsc.vg/company-searches, titled Searches BVI Registered Entities. Both are landing pages rather than an extract-order screen, and they publish no extract prices, payment methods or turnaround time, so fees in this guide read unknown rather than free; confirm at source. Beneficial ownership data sits in BOSS, which is not a public register.

What is the official British Virgin Islands business registry?

The British Virgin Islands Registry of Corporate Affairs (RCA) is the statutory body responsible for incorporating and maintaining records of BVI business companies. The Registry operates under the BVI Business Companies Act (as revised, 2004 and subsequent amendments), the Limited Partnership Act, and related legislation. The Registry is an arm of the BVI Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC), the territory’s integrated financial services regulator.

Public access is described through VIRRGIN (Virgin Islands Registry General Information Network). The homepage is online, titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. The paths /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist; /public-search (Public Search & BO Search) and /company-searches (Searches BVI Registered Entities) are the working addresses. Both are English landing pages rather than an extract-order screen.

Entity types registered with the RCA include:

• BVI Business Companies (BCs): the dominant form, introduced under the BVI Business Companies Act 2004. BCs replaced the earlier International Business Company (IBC).
• Limited partnerships: available under the Limited Partnership Act.
• Foreign companies: overseas companies registered to maintain a presence or registered office in the BVI.
• Restricted purposes companies (RPCs) and segregated portfolio companies (SPCs): specialized vehicles for specific financial structures.

The BVI is one of the largest offshore incorporation jurisdictions globally.

What can you search?

The paths /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist. /public-search, titled Public Search & BO Search, describes a public search tool and says ownership details can be requested through links on that page. /company-searches is titled Searches BVI Registered Entities. Both are landing pages rather than a results screen, so the VIRRGIN fields reported for them (registered agent, good standing, M&A, incumbency) could not be confirmed, and no turnaround time is published; confirm at source.

No beneficial ownership results screen could be seen. The /public-search title includes BO Search and the landing says ownership details can be requested, but that is not a public UBO register. BOSS is not a public register.

How much does it cost?

No extract prices are published on the homepage, /public-search or /company-searches, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. No payment methods and no turnaround time are published there either.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No. The homepage, /public-search and /company-searches are English pages that present no account wall and no local-ID wall. VIRRGIN has been reported as requiring an email account for ordering; confirm at source.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The homepage is titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission, /public-search is titled Public Search & BO Search, and /company-searches is titled Searches BVI Registered Entities, all in English. The BVI is a British Overseas Territory and English is the official language.

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. /public-search and /company-searches are landing pages and publish no turnaround time. One to three business days has been reported for extracts; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

No. The Registry of Corporate Affairs does not offer a public API for programmatic data access.

What you legally cannot do

The BVI Data Protection Act 2021 applies to personal data processing in the territory. Director and officer names extracted from Registry documents are personal data subject to purpose limitation, data minimisation, and security.

Automated scraping of FSC/VIRRGIN portals is prohibited under portal terms of use.

The BOSS (Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System) is the BVI’s beneficial ownership framework. Under the Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System Act (BOSS Act) 2017 and its amendments, BVI business companies must maintain beneficial ownership registers through their licensed registered agents. These registers are submitted to BOSS, a government-operated secure database accessible to BVI authorities and, under bilateral arrangements, UK law enforcement. BOSS is not a public register, and there is no public UBO search. FATF Recommendation 24 is implemented in the BVI through this non-public centralized model.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• The homepage is online, titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission.
• /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist. They are not the search addresses.
• /public-search and /company-searches are the working addresses (Public Search & BO Search; Searches BVI Registered Entities). Both are landing pages rather than a search that returns a record in one step.
• No payment methods are published on those pages.
• No extract prices are published. Confirm any quoted figure at source.
• The registered agent is the gateway. Every BVI business company must have a licensed BVI registered agent.
• Good standing certificate is the primary compliance artifact where an official order route exists. Its fee is not published; confirm at source.
• Annual government fee determines status. Companies that fall into arrears are struck off.
• Memorandum and articles do not always show current directors. A certificate of incumbency reflects the position as registered at that date, when it can be ordered.
• FATF status. The FATF “Black and grey” lists page and the Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring list of 13 February 2026 both load, and Virgin Islands (UK) is named on that monitoring list; confirm at source.

For the global due diligence framework applying to offshore jurisdictions, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

• Aggregator search (indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes BVI filings but coverage is limited and lags official data. Useful for a quick name check only.
• Licensed BVI registered agents: Licensed agents can order certified Registry documents on behalf of clients where no official order screen is available.
• BVI FSC public register (bvifsc.vg): For regulated entities (investment funds, financial services licensees), the BVI FSC maintains public registers of licensed and registered entities separate from the Registry of Corporate Affairs. This guide covers the homepage and the search-path landings, not a walkthrough of the licence list.

Local data suppliers

• Dun & Bradstreet (dnb.com). Global data provider with BVI coverage, primarily for entities with commercial trading activity. Reports on pure holding or SPV structures with no trading revenues will have limited financial depth.

Use the Registry of Corporate Affairs for the official company record where an official search exists. Use a commercial provider when payment behavior or operational risk data is needed.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the BVI registry directly?

The homepage bvifsc.vg is online, titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. The paths /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist; /public-search (Public Search & BO Search) and /company-searches (Searches BVI Registered Entities) do. No payment method and no extract price is published on any of them; confirm at source.

What is the company number format in the BVI?

BVI business company registration numbers are numeric, assigned sequentially by the Registry at incorporation. The number is permanent and does not change. Legacy International Business Companies (IBCs) incorporated before 2004 have a different numbering format.

What entity types are registered with the Registry of Corporate Affairs?

The Registry covers BVI Business Companies (the dominant form), limited partnerships, foreign companies, restricted purposes companies, and segregated portfolio companies.

Does the BVI have a beneficial ownership registry?

Yes, but it is not public. BOSS holds BVI companies’ beneficial ownership data, submitted through licensed registered agents, and access is restricted. /public-search is titled Public Search & BO Search and says ownership details can be requested, but that landing is not a beneficial ownership results screen; confirm at source.

How current is the data in VIRRGIN?

Not stated. /public-search and /company-searches are landing pages and publish no statement of how current VIRRGIN’s data is.

Is the BVI on the FATF grey list?

Yes. The FATF “Black and grey” lists page and the Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring list of 13 February 2026 both load, and Virgin Islands (UK) is named on that monitoring list; confirm at source.

What is the difference between the Registry of Corporate Affairs and the BVI FSC register?

The Registry of Corporate Affairs records incorporated entities. The BVI Financial Services Commission maintains a separate register of entities licensed or registered to conduct regulated financial services activities. A BVI fund structure will appear in both when both records exist.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: the bvifsc.vg homepage, titled British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission; /public-search, titled Public Search & BO Search; and /company-searches, titled Searches BVI Registered Entities. The paths /publicsearch and /entity-search no longer exist, and no extract prices or payment methods are published. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.