Kiribati company search: Registrar of Companies (mtcic.gov.ki)

TL;DR. Kiribati’s company registry sits with the Registrar of Companies under the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives. https://www.commerce.gov.ki forwards to https://mtcic.gov.ki/, titled Ministry of Commerce in Kiribati, with the company-registration page using the full ministry name. There is no self-service online search form anywhere on that site. The Business and Companies Regulatory Division page gives Companies Ordinance (Cap. 10A) fees: inspection of any register 50 cents; copy of any document 50 cents per page. That 50 cents is a counter fee rather than a price for a remote certified extract, and no remote-extract tariff is published; confirm at source.

What is the official Kiribati business registry?

Kiribati’s company registration function sits within the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives. The site is https://mtcic.gov.ki, and https://commerce.gov.ki forwards to it.

The Registrar of Companies operates under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 10). The BCRD page also cites the Registration of Business Names Act 1988. Pages on the site include Company Registration, Business Name Registration, and Business and Companies Regulatory Division (BCRD). None of them offers a query form for remote name search.

Kiribati is a dispersed Pacific nation. Government services are concentrated on South Tarawa and Kiritimati. The site lists a BCRD contact email (ttamoa@commerce.gov.ki) and an assistant business registration officer contact.

Kiribati uses the Australian dollar (AUD) as its official currency.

What can you search?

There is no publicly accessible self-service search portal anywhere on mtcic.gov.ki. Foreign compliance buyers cannot query the registry online.

Information historically available through formal request to the Registrar of Companies includes confirmation of registration and status, registered office, directors, shareholders where filed, annual return status, and date of incorporation. Those field lists do not appear on any online search-results page; confirm at source.

No public beneficial-ownership registry is described on mtcic.gov.ki.

How much does it cost?

Source: https://mtcic.gov.ki/business-and-companies-regulatory-division-bcrd/. The same page also lists incorporation-scale fees (name reservation AUD 50; share-capital filing scale with a AUD 250 minimum). Those are registration products rather than search products. No agent estimate and no US dollar conversion appears on that page, and payment methods are not published there; confirm at source.

Do you need a local account or ID?

There is no online account system on the site. Direct engagement with the Registrar of Companies requires a written request. The BCRD page gives email contacts. A local agent with an established relationship with the ministry can typically obtain information faster than an unsolicited foreign email.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The mtcic.gov.ki pages are in English. Kiribati’s legal and corporate framework is English-language by default.

What’s the turnaround time?

Expect several business days to two weeks for a verified response from the Registrar of Companies. There is no same-day online option on the site.

Is there an API?

No. There is no API for programmatic access to Kiribati company data.

What you legally cannot do

Kiribati’s data protection framework is limited relative to larger jurisdictions. Use of personal information from registry records (director names, addresses) for commercial purposes unrelated to the stated search purpose is not permitted. The Companies Ordinance does not explicitly permit bulk extraction or redistribution of registry data.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Engage a local agent. The Registrar of Companies has limited capacity to respond promptly to unsolicited email from foreign parties. Budget several business days minimum.
• AUD is the functional currency. Kiribati uses the Australian dollar.
• The inspection fee is 50 cents. That is a counter fee set by the ordinance and listed on the BCRD page, not a remote self-service product.
• FATF status. Kiribati is not on the FATF grey list as of the prior FATF language in this guide. See apgml.org and fatf-gafi.org.
• Registry records may be incomplete. Paper-based registries often have gaps for older entities.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Kiribati registry directly

• OpenCorporates has limited or no Kiribati company data. Do not rely on aggregator platforms for Kiribati verification.
• Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII) (paclii.org) publishes Kiribati legislation and case law.
• Direct company disclosure. Request certified copies of incorporation documents from the entity when the registry is slow to answer independently.

Local data suppliers

No commercial credit bureau or business information provider with verified retail access to Kiribati company data operates at scale. Local law firms and accounting practices in South Tarawa are the primary source of verified company information for foreign compliance buyers.

FAQ

Can a foreign company verify a Kiribati business remotely?

It is possible but slow. Send a written request to the Registrar of Companies using the contacts on mtcic.gov.ki, including the company name, registration number if known, and the purpose of the search. There is no self-service online option on the site.

What company types are registered in Kiribati?

Under the Companies Ordinance, Kiribati registers private limited companies, public companies, and sole trader business names. Branches of foreign companies operating in Kiribati require registration with the Registrar of Companies.

Does Kiribati have a beneficial ownership registry?

No public beneficial-ownership registry is described on mtcic.gov.ki. UBO declarations have to come from the counterparty directly.

Is Kiribati on the FATF grey list?

No. Kiribati is not on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring as of the prior FATF language in this guide. See fatf-gafi.org.

What currency does Kiribati use?

Kiribati uses the Australian dollar (AUD) as its official currency. There is no Kiribati national currency.

Last verified: September 2026. Sources: commerce.gov.ki, which forwards to mtcic.gov.ki; mtcic.gov.ki/company-registration/; mtcic.gov.ki/business-and-companies-regulatory-division-bcrd/, which carries the Cap. 10A 50-cent inspection and per-page copy fees. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.