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

TL;DR. Companies House Gibraltar, operated by HM Government of Gibraltar, is the official business registry for Gibraltar-registered companies. Basic searches are free; certified documents cost GBP 5-30 (approximately USD 6-38). The portal is fully in English with no account required for basic searches. Gibraltar left the EU in January 2020 following Brexit and is gradually aligning its company law regime with UK standards.

What is the official Gibraltar business registry?

Companies House Gibraltar is the statutory body responsible for company registration and record maintenance in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. The Registry operates under the Companies Act 2014 (Gibraltar), as amended, along with the Partnership Act and related legislation. Companies House Gibraltar is an agency of HM Government of Gibraltar.

The Registry’s public portal is at www.companieshouse.gi, providing search and document access to the public. Gibraltar’s legal system is based on English common law with local adaptations, and the Companies Act 2014 closely follows the UK Companies Act 2006 in structure and requirements.

A significant regulatory context for Gibraltar companies is the territory’s departure from the European Union. Gibraltar left the EU as part of the UK withdrawal effective 1 January 2020. Unlike the UK mainland, Gibraltar was part of the EU Customs Union (but not the single market in full) until Brexit. Since 2020, Gibraltar has been implementing a new relationship with the EU; the territory’s regulatory alignment with the EU in financial services (including the MIFID passporting regime that Gibraltar previously accessed) is subject to ongoing negotiations. Gibraltar companies are no longer part of EU regulatory frameworks by default.

Entity types registered with Companies House Gibraltar include:

• Private limited companies (Ltd): the dominant form for trading, holding, and financial services purposes. Gibraltar private limited companies are widely used in online gaming, financial services, and cross-border holding structures.
• Public limited companies (PLC): available for listed or larger entities.
• Limited liability partnerships (LLPs): professional and business partnership structures.
• Foreign companies: overseas companies registered to maintain a presence in Gibraltar.
• Branch offices: registered branches of non-Gibraltar companies.

Gibraltar has a significant online gaming and digital assets sector, and a notable number of Gibraltar-registered entities are in the fintech, crypto-asset, and distributed ledger technology space, supervised by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC).

What can you search?

Companies House Gibraltar provides the following search capabilities, with some functions available without an account:

• Company name search (exact or partial)
• Company number search
• Director name search
• Current status: active, struck off, in administration, dissolved

For each located company, the portal returns:

• Registered company name and company number
• Date of incorporation
• Entity type
• Current status
• Registered office address
• Director and officer names as filed
• Filed documents available for download (confirmation statements, accounts, constitutional documents)

Annual confirmation statements (previously annual returns) filed by Gibraltar companies are publicly viewable. Accounts filed with the Registry are also publicly accessible, although the extent of disclosure depends on company size and type.

Data updates on a filing-event basis. Directors and officers are searchable, and the portal allows searches by director name across all registered companies.

How much does it cost?

GBP/USD conversion used: 1.27 (approximate; verify at point of purchase). Pricing based on Companies House Gibraltar published fee schedules as of May 2026. Gibraltar uses GBP as its official currency (Gibraltar also issues its own Gibraltar pound at 1:1 parity with GBP).

Do you need a local account or ID?

Basic company searches and publicly available document viewing do not require an account. An account is needed only to place certified document orders or access enhanced search features. Account registration uses an email address; no Gibraltar identity document or local credentials are required. Foreign compliance buyers can complete registration with a standard email address.

Is the website in English?

Yes. Gibraltar’s official language is English, and Companies House Gibraltar operates entirely in English. All company filings, certificates, and official documents are in English. The portal has no parallel language interface.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic search results and publicly available documents are available instantly via the online portal. Certified document orders (certified copies, certificates of good standing) are typically processed and delivered electronically within one to two business days. Companies House Gibraltar operates on Gibraltar time (CET, UTC+1 in summer; GMT in winter).

Is there an API?

No. Companies House Gibraltar does not offer a public API for programmatic data access as of May 2026. All access is through the web portal. Companies needing programmatic lookup should use commercial data aggregators with Gibraltar coverage.

What you legally cannot do

Gibraltar has enacted the Data Protection Act 2004 (as amended) and has implemented GDPR-aligned standards following Brexit. As a British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar adopted data protection legislation based on the UK GDPR model. Director names and other personal data extracted from Companies House Gibraltar records are personal data subject to the Act’s principles on lawful processing, purpose limitation, and data minimization.

Bulk scraping or automated downloading from the Companies House Gibraltar portal is prohibited under the portal’s terms of use.

Gibraltar’s beneficial ownership framework operates under the Beneficial Ownership Act 2019, which requires Gibraltar companies to maintain beneficial ownership registers. These registers are held by licensed company service providers and submitted to a central database accessible to law enforcement, the GFSC, and competent authorities. Access is not public. Gibraltar’s beneficial ownership regime has been developed post-Brexit with reference to both UK and FATF standards, including FATF Recommendation 24. Gibraltar is not an EU member state and is not bound by the EU’s 5AMLD or 6AMLD beneficial ownership public access provisions. The November 2022 CJEU ruling (Cases C-37/20 and C-601/20) does not apply to Gibraltar directly, though the territory’s framework takes a similar non-public approach.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Post-Brexit regulatory status matters. Gibraltar companies previously accessed EU financial services passports via the EEA. Post-Brexit, this passporting ended. A Gibraltar-based financial firm presenting EU access credentials issued before 2020 is presenting stale authorization. Always verify current authorization through the GFSC for any entity claiming regulated financial services activity in or from Gibraltar.
• GFSC register for regulated entities. The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (fsc.gi) maintains a public register of authorized financial services firms, including banking, insurance, investment firms, DLT providers, and collective investment schemes. For any Gibraltar entity in financial services, check the GFSC register in addition to Companies House Gibraltar.
• Gibraltar company number is the anchor identifier. The company number assigned at incorporation is permanent and does not change through name changes or structural amendments. Always record and use the number for unambiguous identification.
• DLT regulation. Gibraltar introduced the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Regulatory Framework in 2018, one of the earliest purpose-built crypto-asset regulatory regimes globally. Gibraltar-registered entities with DLT provider licenses are listed in the GFSC DLT register. If the counterparty is a crypto-asset service provider claiming Gibraltar regulation, verify the DLT license status directly with the GFSC.
• UK Companies House is separate. Companies House Gibraltar and UK Companies House are distinct registries. A Gibraltar-registered company does not appear in the UK Companies House database and vice versa. Do not confuse the two.
• OECD CRS participation. Gibraltar participates in the OECD Common Reporting Standard and the UK FATCA-equivalent framework. Financial institutions in Gibraltar are enrolled for automatic information exchange.

For the global due diligence framework and how offshore and near-shore jurisdictions like Gibraltar fit into entity verification, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Gibraltar filings. Coverage is partial and may lag official data. Useful for a quick name check only.
• GFSC public register (fsc.gi): For regulated financial services entities, the GFSC provides a free public register. This is the primary compliance source for financial counterparties in Gibraltar.
• Commercial data providers: Dun & Bradstreet and other global providers have some Gibraltar coverage, primarily for entities with commercial trading histories.

Local data suppliers

• Dun & Bradstreet (dnb.com). Global business data provider with Gibraltar coverage for entities with trading operations. Reports on holding or dormant companies will have limited depth.

Use Companies House Gibraltar for the official incorporation record and company status. Use the GFSC register for regulatory status. Use a commercial provider when financial or operational risk data is needed beyond the registry record.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Gibraltar registry directly?

Yes. The Companies House Gibraltar portal is accessible globally. Basic company searches require no account and no Gibraltar credentials. Certified document orders require a simple account registration with an email address, accessible to any foreign buyer.

What is the company number format in Gibraltar?

Gibraltar company numbers are numeric sequences assigned by the Registrar at incorporation. The number is permanent. Gibraltar numbers are distinct from UK Companies House numbers; a Gibraltar-registered entity will not be found on UK Companies House using its Gibraltar number or vice versa.

What entity types are registered with Companies House Gibraltar?

Companies House Gibraltar covers private limited companies, public limited companies, limited liability partnerships, foreign companies, and branch registrations. The private limited company is the dominant form across Gibraltar’s trading, holding, online gaming, financial services, and DLT sectors.

Does Gibraltar have a beneficial ownership registry?

Yes, but it is not public. Under the Beneficial Ownership Act 2019, Gibraltar companies must maintain beneficial ownership registers held by licensed company service providers and submitted to a secure central database. Access is restricted to law enforcement, the GFSC, and competent authorities. There is no public search function. FATF Recommendation 24 on transparency of legal persons is implemented through this private centralized model.

How current is the data in Companies House Gibraltar?

Companies House Gibraltar reflects filings processed by the Registrar, including annual confirmation statements and event-driven filings. Confirmation statements are due annually; the most recent filing date visible in the portal indicates how recently the company confirmed its registered details. For compliance purposes, a freshly ordered certified extract provides a point-in-time confirmed status.

Is Gibraltar on the FATF grey list?

No. Gibraltar is not on the FATF increased monitoring (grey) list as of May 2026. As a British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar’s AML/CFT framework is subject to UK oversight and FATF assessment. For current status, verify at fatf-gafi.org. Gibraltar is not on the EU’s list of high-risk third countries for AML purposes.

What changed for Gibraltar after Brexit?

Gibraltar left the EU effective 1 January 2020 as part of the UK withdrawal from the European Union. This ended Gibraltar-registered financial firms’ ability to passport into EU markets using the EEA financial services framework. Since 2020, Gibraltar and the EU have been negotiating a new treaty relationship. For compliance buyers, the key practical consequence is that Gibraltar entities can no longer be treated as having EU market access by default; verify any claimed EU authorization independently for the specific activity in question.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Companies House Gibraltar (companieshouse.gi), Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (fsc.gi), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), Gibraltar Companies Act 2014, Beneficial Ownership Act 2019 Gibraltar.