Cambodia Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Cambodia Business

TL;DR. Cambodia’s official business registry is the Online Business Registration (OBR) system operated by the Ministry of Commerce at obr.businessregistration.gov.kh. The platform launched in 2020 and covers private limited companies, public limited companies, sole proprietorships, and general partnerships. Basic status searches are available in English and Khmer. Certified extract documents cost USD 10-100. Account registration is required for document ordering. Cambodia is on the FATF grey list as of May 2026.

What is the official Cambodia business registry?

The official business registration authority in Cambodia is the Ministry of Commerce, which operates the Online Business Registration (OBR) system at obr.businessregistration.gov.kh. The OBR launched in 2020 as part of the Royal Government of Cambodia’s digital governance reform program, replacing paper-based manual registration processes that had previously required in-person visits to provincial trade offices.

The statutory authority for business registration in Cambodia derives from the Law on Commercial Enterprises (2005, as amended) and the Law on Investment (2021). The Ministry of Commerce acts as registrar for commercial entities. The General Department of Taxation under the Ministry of Economy and Finance maintains a parallel taxpayer identification system, and the two are linked at the national level.

The OBR covers:

• Private Limited Companies (Sahakor Khetdam Morokkas Nioam)
• Public Limited Companies
• General Partnerships and Limited Partnerships
• Sole Proprietorships
• Non-Governmental Organizations (with a separate registration pathway)
• Branch Offices and Representative Offices of Foreign Companies

The Cambodia Securities Exchange Commission (CSEC) maintains a separate register of listed companies and licensed securities firms. The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) at nbc.gov.kh maintains registration records for financial institutions, microfinance institutions, and payment service providers.

What can you search?

The OBR platform at obr.businessregistration.gov.kh allows searches by:

• Company name in Khmer or English transliteration
• Business Registration Number (BRN)
• Owner or director name (limited coverage)

Data returned on a basic search includes: entity type, registration number, registration date, business address (province/city level), principal activities, and current status (active, suspended, or deregistered). Contact details and capital information are partially displayed without authentication.

For the full extract, account holders can access:

• Complete shareholder list with capital contributions
• Director names and identification data
• Registered capital amount
• Filed annual returns (where submitted)
• Branch and subsidiary relationships

Data freshness on the OBR is event-driven: records are updated when the company files a change notification or annual return. The platform does not guarantee real-time synchronization and some entries reflect data as of the most recent filing.

How much does it cost?

Pricing is based on the Ministry of Commerce fee schedule published on the OBR platform as of May 2026. Cambodia’s official pricing is denominated in USD for online transactions; KHR (Cambodian Riel) is also accepted at physical offices. USD/KHR conversion rate used: 1 USD = approximately KHR 4,100 (NBC rate). Fee schedules may change; verify current pricing at obr.businessregistration.gov.kh before ordering.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Free status searches require no account. However, document ordering, including certified extracts and annual return confirmations, requires creating an account on the OBR portal. Account registration requires a valid email address and telephone number. Foreign users can register with a passport number; no Cambodian national ID is required for the standard account tier.

For certified documents, the account tier determines which document types are accessible. Foreign compliance buyers generally can complete online ordering without local credentials for most standard extracts. Complex requests, such as historical filings or notarized documents for court or banking use, may require engagement with a local service provider or liaison office given that the physical Ministry of Commerce office in Phnom Penh processes some high-complexity requests by in-person appointment.

Is the website in English?

The OBR platform provides an English language option covering the main search and registration functions. Menu navigation and core data fields display adequately in English. However, some administrative notices, fee schedule documents, and downloadable forms remain in Khmer only.

Official certified extracts are issued in Khmer as the primary language. English translations are not provided by the Ministry of Commerce as standard. Foreign compliance buyers requiring English-language documentation for institutional or regulatory purposes typically commission certified translation from a licensed Cambodian translator or bilingual legal firm.

The National Bank of Cambodia website (nbc.gov.kh) provides full English coverage for financial institution licensing information.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic company status information is available instantly through the OBR portal for any user. Standard electronic extracts ordered through an account are processed within 2-3 business days in most cases. Certified extracts with official stamps, required for cross-border use including banking presentations and court filings, take 3-5 business days.

Physical certified documents with an apostille under the Hague Apostille Convention require additional processing time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and may take 5-10 business days from the date the Ministry of Commerce issues the base document. Cambodia acceded to the Hague Convention on Apostilles, and apostillized company documents are accepted in signatory countries.

Is there an API?

No public API is currently available from the OBR for third-party compliance or data integration purposes. The Ministry of Commerce has not published API documentation for external access as of May 2026. Bulk data access agreements for financial institutions or government bodies may be arranged through direct negotiation with the Ministry of Commerce.

The ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA) and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) do not directly govern registry data access but the broader ASEAN digital governance harmonization agenda is driving member states toward standardized e-registry APIs. Cambodia’s participation in these frameworks may support future API availability.

What you legally cannot do

The Law on Commercial Enterprises prohibits systematic commercial exploitation of registry data without authorization from the Ministry of Commerce. Automated bulk extraction from the OBR portal is not permitted under the platform’s terms of service.

Cambodia enacted the Law on Telecommunications (2015) and the Sub-Decree on Electronic Commerce (2019) as the primary digital law framework. A standalone Personal Data Protection Law was drafted and was in parliamentary review in early 2026. In the interim, data processors handling Cambodia entity and director data are subject to existing civil liability provisions and sectoral data regulations under the NBC and CSEC frameworks.

For compliance and KYC use cases, Cambodia company data obtained from the OBR for documented counterparty due diligence purposes falls within generally permitted commercial use. Buyers should maintain documented records of the stated lawful purpose for each query, particularly for AML-driven KYC workflows, consistent with FATF Recommendation 25 on legal arrangements.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Use the Business Registration Number (BRN) as the anchor identifier. The BRN is the stable unique identifier assigned at registration. Company names may appear differently depending on whether Khmer transliteration or English translation was used during registration. Always retrieve and record the BRN before proceeding with due diligence.
• Cambodia is on the FATF grey list. As of May 2026, Cambodia is under FATF Increased Monitoring. Financial institutions should apply enhanced due diligence (EDD) when onboarding Cambodian counterparties, consistent with FATF Recommendation 19. The FATF Mutual Evaluation Report on Cambodia is available at fatf-gafi.org.
• Check NBC licensing for financial sector counterparties. Banks, microfinance institutions, forex bureaus, and payment service providers require NBC licenses. Verify active licensing status at nbc.gov.kh in addition to the commercial register check.
• Branch offices require separate registration. Foreign companies operating in Cambodia must register their branch or representative office separately with the Ministry of Commerce. The parent company registration in the home jurisdiction does not confer legal recognition in Cambodia; confirm the Cambodian-registered branch entity.
• Annual return filing compliance is uneven. Not all Cambodian companies file annual returns consistently. An active registration status does not necessarily indicate recent filing compliance. Request annual return filing history if available; absence of recent filings is a risk indicator.
• Entity type distinctions matter. Private limited companies (Co., Ltd.) and public limited companies (Plc.) have different disclosure obligations. Microfinance institutions are regulated separately by NBC and may not appear in the OBR commercial register. For the full global due diligence framework, see the pillar guide covering cross-jurisdictional UBO and entity verification.

Alternatives if you cannot access the OBR directly

• OpenCorporates indexes some Cambodian company filings sourced from the OBR but coverage lags official data and certified document retrieval is not possible through OpenCorporates. Suitable for initial name-checking only.
• ADB Business Registration Database: The Asian Development Bank (adb.org) maintains regional business environment monitoring including Cambodia-specific data for development finance due diligence.
• Local legal and accounting firms: Cambodian law firms and Big Four affiliates in Phnom Penh routinely conduct company searches and retrieve certified documents as part of legal due diligence services for foreign clients.

Local data suppliers

• Credit Bureau Cambodia (CBC) (creditinfo.com.kh). The sole licensed credit bureau in Cambodia, operated under a concession agreement with the National Bank of Cambodia. Provides individual and commercial credit reports for NBC-licensed financial institutions. CBC membership is required for direct access; foreign institutions use CBC through local bank correspondent arrangements.

Use the OBR for registry-based entity verification and legal standing. Use CBC when you need payment behavior or credit history for an entity with bank relationships in Cambodia.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Cambodia registry directly?

Yes. The OBR portal is publicly accessible internationally without geographic restriction. Free status searches require no account; document ordering requires account registration, which foreign users complete with a passport number and email address. Certified extracts for cross-border use may still require engagement with a local agent for apostillization.

What is the Business Registration Number (BRN) in Cambodia?

The Business Registration Number (BRN) is assigned by the Ministry of Commerce at the time of registration. It is the primary unique identifier for all commercial entities registered in Cambodia. The format is a sequential numeric string; the length and prefix conventions vary by entity type and registration year. The BRN appears on all official Ministry of Commerce documents and must be cited for any subsequent government filing or licensing application.

What entity types are registered with the OBR?

The OBR covers private limited companies, public limited companies, general and limited partnerships, sole proprietorships, and foreign company branch offices and representative offices. Non-governmental organizations and associations have a separate registration pathway with the Ministry of Interior. Financial institutions are supervised by the National Bank of Cambodia (nbc.gov.kh) and may have dual registration.

Does Cambodia have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Cambodia does not have a publicly accessible UBO registry as of May 2026. Under the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (2020), reporting entities are required to collect and verify UBO information as part of customer due diligence. However, this data is held by financial institutions and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) at the NBC, not in a searchable public database. Implementation of FATF Recommendation 24 on legal persons is part of Cambodia’s ongoing FATF action plan under Increased Monitoring.

How current is the data in the OBR?

The OBR reflects data as of the most recent filing by the company or an official action by the Ministry of Commerce. Active companies in good standing with regular filings will have reasonably current records. Companies that have not filed annual returns may have stale data on shareholders, directors, and addresses. There is no commitment to real-time synchronization with paper-based filings processed at provincial offices.

Is Cambodia on the FATF grey list?

Yes. Cambodia has been under FATF Increased Monitoring since 2019. As of May 2026, Cambodia remains on the grey list. Compliance buyers should apply enhanced due diligence to Cambodian counterparties as required under FATF Recommendation 19 and their own institutional AML policies. Monitor the FATF website at fatf-gafi.org for updates to Cambodia’s status.

What is the difference between the OBR and tax registration in Cambodia?

The OBR handles commercial entity registration under the Ministry of Commerce. Tax registration is handled separately by the General Department of Taxation (GDT) under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which issues the Tax Identification Number (TIN) and maintains the taxpayer registry at gdt.gov.kh. The GDT and OBR systems are linked at the national level, but the two registries serve different functions. For full counterparty due diligence, check both the commercial registration status (OBR) and the tax registration status (GDT).

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Ministry of Commerce Cambodia, OBR (obr.businessregistration.gov.kh), National Bank of Cambodia (nbc.gov.kh), FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.