Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. www.businessregistries.gov.ws
- Check access requirements. Account required: No. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published; confirm at source.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Yes.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: Unknown.
- Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Samoa’s domestic company registry is MCIL, at https://www.businessregistries.gov.ws, titled Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour - Samoa. Its search screen is titled Company Search and takes one required field, Company Name or Number, with no password on that form; a separate Logon page asks for a username and password. The fees page at fees-and-penalties gives $15 for inspection of documents in a single file and $25 for certification of a copy or extract. International companies sit instead with the Samoa International Finance Authority at https://sifa.ws and https://www.sifa.ws, whose site is an authority home with professional directories rather than a name-search form.
What is the official Samoa business registry?
MCIL administers domestic companies under the Companies Act 2001. The public site is https://www.businessregistries.gov.ws. Its How to search and Searching for a company pages are instructions; the search itself is the separate screen titled Company Search.
International Companies under the International Companies Act 1988 are administered through the Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA). Its home at https://sifa.ws and https://www.sifa.ws is titled Samoa International Finance Authority. The page describes SIFA as established under the Samoa International Finance Authority Act 2005, mandated to provide registry services for international entities licensed and registered in Samoa, and lists Professional Directories (Trustee Companies, Registered Liquidators, Registered Auditors, Law Firms, Accounting Firms, Embassies). The international-companies page, titled International Companies - Samoa International Finance Authority, says all international companies are registered through a licensed trustee company. There is no public name-search form for international companies on that page.
What can you search?
The Company Search form asks for Company Name or Number, and a Director and Shareholder Search is labelled alongside it. What the results contain, and whether any beneficial-ownership view exists, is not shown on that form; confirm at source.
The how-to pages describe a quick search and advanced filters. Those filters do not appear as fields on the Company Search form itself.
SIFA’s home includes a Professional Directories listing of licensed trustee companies and registered liquidators. That is a licensee directory, not a company-search form.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (WST) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Company Search form | Unknown | Unknown |
| Inspection of documents in a single file | $15 | Unknown |
| Certification of a copy or extract | $25 | Unknown |
Figures are from https://www.businessregistries.gov.ws/companies/fees-help-support/fees-and-penalties/, titled Fees and Penalties. That page also lists registration and penalty amounts, which are filing fees rather than search prices. No US dollar equivalent is published; confirm at source.
The international-companies page gives USD100.00 as the fee to re-domicile to Samoa. That is an international-company filing fee, not an MCIL search price.
Do you need a local account or ID?
No Samoan identity document is stated on the Company Search form. That form has Company Name or Number and no password field. Logon / Register is a separate Username and Password step for dashboard services.
SIFA’s home includes a complaint form labelled for Registered International Companies and/or their Registered Office only. That is not an MCIL search login.
Is the website in English?
Yes. The registry site, the Company Search page, and the fees page are in English, as is the SIFA home page.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown. Neither the Company Search form nor the fees page publishes a turnaround time; confirm at source.
Is there an API?
No public API is published. The site’s wp-json links are content-management endpoints, not a company-register API.
What you legally cannot do
Use of registry data is subject to the laws of Samoa. Commercial redistribution without MCIL authorization is not permitted. Document the stated purpose for each search.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- Company Search is not the site search. The header “Search for:” box searches the website’s own pages. The register is the screen titled Company Search.
- Logon is for dashboard services. The Logon page asks for a username and password. The Company Search form does not.
- SIFA is the authority for international companies. Its site is titled Samoa International Finance Authority, and international companies file through licensed trustee companies. It publishes no public search address.
- The MCIL site does not publish FATF or EU list status. Check fatf-gafi.org and consilium.europa.eu.
Alternatives if you cannot access the Samoa registry directly
- Aggregator search (indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Samoa filings. Not for compliance-grade verification.
- SIFA publishes a home page titled Samoa International Finance Authority. International-company incorporation still goes through a licensed trustee company.
Local data suppliers
- Licensed trustee companies are the channel named in SIFA’s Professional Directories and on its international-companies page for documentation.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Samoa registry directly?
The Company Search form has no password field. Logon / Register is a separate username and password step. SIFA’s site is reachable, and international-company filing goes through a licensed trustee company.
What is the company number format in Samoa?
The form does not publish a number format; its label is Company Name or Number. Confirm at source.
What entity types are registered with MCIL and SIFA?
MCIL’s site covers companies, including how-to pages for overseas companies. SIFA’s international-companies page names International Company, Limited Life International Company, and Foreign Companies under the International Companies Act 1988.
Does Samoa have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No public beneficial-ownership search appears on the Company Search form or the fees page; confirm at source.
How current is the data in the Samoa Business Registry?
The Company Search form does not say how current its data is; confirm at source.
Is Samoa on the FATF grey list?
The MCIL site does not publish FATF status. See fatf-gafi.org.
What’s the difference between the registry and tax/financial filings?
MCIL holds the domestic companies register. Tax and central-bank systems are separate and are not covered here.
Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: sifa.ws and www.sifa.ws, the Samoa International Finance Authority home; businessregistries.gov.ws, whose Company Search screen takes Company Name or Number; and its fees-and-penalties page, which gives $15 and $25. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.