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

TL;DR. Samoa’s official business registry is operated by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) and is publicly searchable at businessregistries.gov.ws. Basic searches are free and require no account. Samoa’s offshore International Companies (IC) sector, governed by the International Companies Act 1988, has contracted materially since FATF and OECD pressure intensified from 2018 onward. Samoa was removed from the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes in February 2026.

What is the official Samoa business registry?

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) is responsible for company registration and regulation in Samoa. The online registry is accessible at businessregistries.gov.ws. MCIL administers registrations under the Companies Act 2001 for domestic companies and the International Companies Act 1988 (amended) for offshore international companies, which are registered and administered through the Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA) at sifa.ws.

The Companies Act 2001 governs domestic companies, requiring at least one director and a registered office in Samoa. International Companies are administered by SIFA, which handles all IC filings through licensed trustee companies. The two regimes are distinct in purpose: domestic companies operate within Samoa; ICs are incorporated in Samoa for use outside it.

Samoa’s offshore financial sector began in the late 1980s and expanded through the 1990s and 2000s. From 2018 onward, sustained pressure from FATF, the OECD Global Forum on Tax Transparency, and the EU led Samoa to implement major reforms including mandatory economic substance requirements, automatic exchange of tax information (CRS/AEOI), and enhanced beneficial ownership disclosure obligations. These reforms, combined with heightened due diligence requirements imposed by correspondent banks on Samoa-connected transactions, contributed to a contraction in the active IC population. As of 2024, Samoa’s IC sector remains operational under the International Companies Act 1988, managed by SIFA through licensed trustee companies.

All companies must maintain a registered office and a resident agent in Samoa, which for ICs must be a licensed trustee company.

What can you search?

The Samoa Business Registry supports the following search types:

• Quick search: company name (current or previous) or incorporation number
• Advanced search: by entity type, entity status, incorporation date range, address type, and address keywords

Search results display company name, incorporation number, entity type, and status for both domestic and overseas-registered companies. The registry covers local companies and foreign companies registered to operate in Samoa. IC data managed by SIFA is held separately and may have different public disclosure levels.

The registry is publicly accessible; no account is required to perform searches.

How much does it cost?

Basic searches and entity profiles are available at no charge via the online registry. Fees for certified extracts or formally issued documents should be confirmed with MCIL directly, as the public fee schedule was not published on the portal at the time of verification (May 2026). WST (Tala) / USD conversion: 1 WST = approximately USD 0.36 (May 2026; verify at point of use). For IC-related searches, SIFA handles requests separately.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No. The Samoa Business Registry is publicly accessible without account registration or a Samoan national identity document. Foreign buyers can search directly using the public portal. For formal document orders or certified extracts, contacting MCIL directly may be required, and proof of identity may be requested for those purposes.

Is the website in English?

Yes. Samoa’s registry portal and MCIL’s business services are in English. Samoa’s official languages are Samoan and English; government digital services are available in English. All search results, entity status labels, and filing type descriptions are displayed in English.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic search results are instant. Entity profiles are viewable online in real-time. For certified extracts or formally issued documents, contact MCIL directly; turnaround time for physical documents is typically several business days. SIFA manages IC documents on a separate timeline through licensed trustee companies.

Is there an API?

No. The Samoa Business Registry does not currently offer a public API. Compliance platforms requiring automated lookups must use the web portal. Automated scraping of the public portal is not a recommended approach and may violate MCIL’s terms of use.

What you legally cannot do

Use of registry data is subject to the laws of Samoa. Commercial redistribution of registry data without MCIL authorization is not permitted. Director and officer personal data obtained from the registry should not be used for unsolicited marketing or data brokering. Samoa’s legal framework requires companies and their agents to maintain accurate filings; knowingly filing false information is a criminal offense under the Companies Act 2001.

Compliance buyers conducting KYC, AML, or counterparty due diligence are within the scope of legitimate use. Document the stated purpose for each search in your internal audit trail.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• EU blacklist: removed February 2026. Samoa was removed from the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (Annex I) in February 2026, following confirmation of compliance with EU tax governance standards. Prior to this removal, Samoa had been on the EU blacklist since October 2022, which elevated correspondent banking scrutiny for Samoa-connected transactions. The February 2026 EU Council update confirmed Samoa now meets all agreed international standards. See consilium.europa.eu for the formal decision.
• FATF status: not currently grey-listed. Samoa is not on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring as of May 2026. The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) has conducted mutual evaluations of Samoa, with the 2023 follow-up report published by FATF covering Samoa’s progress on AML/CFT reforms. Monitor fatf-gafi.org for updates.
• Offshore IC sector: contracted but operational. Samoa’s International Companies regime remains in force under the International Companies Act 1988. Unlike some offshore jurisdictions that have repealed their IC frameworks outright, Samoa has retained the IC structure while implementing reforms: mandatory economic substance requirements for ICs with Samoa-sourced income or internationally mobile activities, automatic exchange of tax information under CRS, and enhanced beneficial ownership disclosure obligations. The practical effect is that purely administrative ICs with no economic substance face materially reduced utility. Compliance buyers encountering Samoa ICs should assess whether the entity has genuine economic activity or is a legacy structure.
• SIFA for IC searches. International Companies are registered with and administered by the Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA, sifa.ws) through licensed trustee companies, not directly through MCIL. If an entity does not appear in the MCIL registry, it may be an IC under SIFA’s administration. Contact SIFA or the trustee company of record for certified IC documentation.
• Resident agent is mandatory. All companies in Samoa, domestic and IC alike, must maintain a resident registered office or agent. The registered agent is a key contact point for additional entity documentation.
• Anchor identifier is the incorporation number. The incorporation number assigned at registration does not change with name changes. Use it as the primary search key for stable matching across systems.
• Registered office address. Registered office addresses for ICs are typically the address of the licensed trustee company, not a trading address. Compliance teams should not treat the registered office as evidence of actual operations.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Samoa registry directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Samoa company filings but lags official data and has limited IC coverage. Useful for a quick name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• SIFA (sifa.ws) for International Company information, administered through licensed trustee companies.

Local data suppliers

• Licensed trustee companies (SIFA-authorized) are the primary channel for certified IC documentation and beneficial ownership information beyond what is publicly available. A list of licensed trustee companies is published by SIFA at sifa.ws.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Samoa registry directly?

Yes. The Samoa Business Registry is publicly accessible to foreign buyers without any account or local identity document. Basic searches and entity profiles are free. For International Companies, SIFA administers a separate register through licensed trustee companies; foreign buyers should contact SIFA or the relevant trustee company for certified IC information.

What is the company number format in Samoa?

Samoa assigns incorporation numbers at registration. Domestic companies use a numeric sequence under the Companies Act 2001. ICs use a separate number series under the International Companies Act 1988 and are administered by SIFA. The incorporation number is the primary stable identifier and does not change with name changes.

What entity types are registered with MCIL and SIFA?

MCIL registers domestic companies (private and public limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee), overseas companies, and business names under the Companies Act 2001. SIFA registers International Companies under the International Companies Act 1988. Samoan Trusts and Charitable Trusts operate under separate legislation.

Does Samoa have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Samoa has implemented beneficial ownership disclosure requirements as part of its AML/CFT and tax transparency reform program. As of May 2026, a publicly accessible central UBO register is not available for either domestic companies or ICs. UBO data for domestic companies is held by MCIL; for ICs, it is held by the licensed trustee company. Compliance buyers must obtain UBO information through direct requests and documentary evidence from the entity or its agents.

How current is the data in the Samoa Business Registry?

The MCIL registry is updated as filings are processed. Annual returns and officer change filings appear after MCIL processes the submission. For ICs, SIFA relies on trustee companies to maintain filing currency. The registry does not operate in real-time; for compliance-critical decisions, request a fresh certified extract or confirmation from MCIL or SIFA directly.

Is Samoa on the FATF grey list?

No. Samoa is not currently on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring as of May 2026. Samoa is a member of the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), which monitors AML/CFT compliance across the Pacific region. Samoa’s FATF follow-up report from June 2023 documented its progress on AML/CFT reforms. Samoa was previously on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (separate from FATF) and was removed in February 2026. See fatf-gafi.org for the current grey list and apgml.org for APG resources.

What’s the difference between the registry and tax/financial filings?

MCIL holds the domestic corporate registry: incorporation documents, officer lists, annual return status. SIFA holds IC registration data. Tax matters for ICs are typically managed through Samoa’s Revenue Services Division. The Central Bank of Samoa (CBS) supervises banking and financial institutions separately. For a full global due diligence framework, compliance teams should consult all relevant sources when assessing Samoa counterparties.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (businessregistries.gov.ws); Samoa International Finance Authority (sifa.ws); EU Council (consilium.europa.eu); FATF (fatf-gafi.org); Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (apgml.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.