Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. oarg.gov.sl/
- 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: 19 Oct 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Sierra Leone’s company registry is the Office of the Administrator and Registrar General (OARG), at https://oarg.gov.sl/, titled Home - Office of Administrator and Registrar General. The home page lists land, marriage, intellectual property and estate services but links to no company search, and it publishes no search fee; costs are unknown rather than free. A separate OARG page, the Business Name Search, is a business name search; whether it also returns incorporated companies is not stated, so confirm at source. For a company record, use Freetown counsel. https://bsl.gov.sl is titled Bank of Sierra Leone, not OARG.
What is the official Sierra Leone business registry?
OARG is the registrar under the Companies Act, based in Freetown. Its official site is https://oarg.gov.sl/, titled Home - Office of Administrator and Registrar General. The home page lists land, marriage, intellectual property and estate services, and no company search link.
What can you search?
No public online company search could be confirmed. Registration number, status, director and filing details for companies are not shown on the OARG home page or the Business Name Search page; confirm at source.
For business names, OARG runs a separate Business Name Search page, headed Office of the Administrator and Registrar General Business Name Search. It has a single business-name field and a Search button, and no login. It is a business-name lookup, not the company register, and the home page does not link to it.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (NLE) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic company search | Unknown | Unknown |
| Status certificate | Unknown | Unknown |
| Certified extract | Unknown | Unknown |
No fee figures appear on the OARG home page or the Business Name Search page, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
Do you need a local account or ID?
No for the business-name lookup: the Business Name Search page has a name field and a Search button, and no login form. Requirements for company extracts are not published; confirm at source.
Is the website in English?
Yes. The OARG home page title is in English, and the Business Name Search heading is in English.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown for extracts; confirm at source.
Is there an API?
No. No API is published on the OARG home page or the Business Name Search page.
What you legally cannot do
Sierra Leone’s Data Protection Act 2022 governs personal data, and bulk extraction without authorisation is not permitted. Record the purpose of a search once a fuller extract path is available.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- Start at the OARG site, oarg.gov.sl. It is the official registrar, but the OARG home page links to no company search.
- Treat the Business Name Search as a business-name lookup. Whether it also returns incorporated companies is not stated, so confirm at source; go to https://oarg.gov.sl/Name_SEARCH/search.php directly, since the home page does not link to it.
- The Bank of Sierra Leone site at bsl.gov.sl is titled Bank of Sierra Leone. It is not the companies registry.
- OARG publishes no FATF status. Check fatf-gafi.org.
- Freetown counsel remains the extract path for companies.
Alternatives if you cannot access OARG directly
- Local legal firms in Freetown for certified extracts.
- Aggregator search: OpenCorporates coverage is limited. Indicative only.
Local data suppliers
No standalone Sierra Leone commercial credit bureau could be confirmed.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Sierra Leone registry directly?
The OARG site at oarg.gov.sl is open without an account, but the OARG home page links to no company search. The separate Business Name Search also needs no account; it is a business name search, and whether it also returns incorporated companies is not stated, so confirm at source.
What entity types are registered with OARG in Sierra Leone?
Ltd, PLC, guarantee companies, unlimited companies, external companies and partnerships are the statutory set; confirm at source.
Does Sierra Leone have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No public beneficial-ownership search could be confirmed; confirm at source.
Is Sierra Leone on the FATF grey list?
OARG publishes no FATF status. See fatf-gafi.org.
What is the difference between OARG company registration and business name registration?
Companies and business names are different OARG registrations. Business names have a public lookup, the Business Name Search page with a single name field. No public online company search could be confirmed; confirm a company through counsel.
Last verified: 2026-10-19. Sources: oarg.gov.sl, titled Home - Office of Administrator and Registrar General; oarg.gov.sl/Name_SEARCH/search.php, headed Office of the Administrator and Registrar General Business Name Search; bsl.gov.sl, titled Bank of Sierra Leone. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.