Solomon Islands Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Solomon Islands Business

TL;DR. The Solomon Islands Companies Office operates under the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in Honiara and provides partial online access to entity information. Basic name searches may be accessible online; certified extracts and detailed filing records typically require in-person or agent-assisted requests. The Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) is the official currency. The country is not on the FATF grey list but has received APG mutual evaluation findings noting AML/CFT capacity constraints.

What is the official Solomon Islands business registry?

The Companies Office of the Solomon Islands operates within the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and administers company registration under the Companies Act 2009. The Ministry is headquartered in Honiara, Guadalcanal. The Companies Act 2009 replaced the earlier Companies Act (Cap. 175) and introduced a modernized corporate framework, including new provisions on foreign company registration and annual return requirements.

The Solomon Islands is an archipelago nation of approximately 900 islands across the southwestern Pacific. With a population of around 700,000 and an economy centered on logging, fishing, agriculture, and growing mining activity, the commercial company sector is small by regional standards. Honiara concentrates most formal commercial activity.

The Solomon Islands has received ongoing international support for public financial management reform, including from the Asian Development Bank, Australia (DFAT), and New Zealand (MFAT). Registry digitization has been part of broader public financial management improvement efforts, though progress has been incremental.

The country has been a member of the Commonwealth since independence in 1978, and its legal and corporate framework follows the Commonwealth pattern used across former British Pacific territories.

What can you search?

The Companies Office provides some degree of public online access to entity search through the Ministry of Finance and Treasury’s web services. As of May 2026, users can search by company name or registration number to obtain:

• Company name and registration number
• Registration date and current status (active, struck off, under voluntary administration)
• Company type (local, overseas, or unlimited)
• Registered office address

Detailed filing records, officer lists, and certified extracts require direct contact with the Companies Office or engagement of a local registered agent. The Companies Office in Honiara accepts in-person requests and correspondence via email.

Data freshness reflects the timing of annual return filings and change notifications processed by the office. Given the mixed digital-paper workflow, there may be a lag between a filing event and its appearance in the public system.

How much does it cost?

SBD/USD: 1 SBD = approximately USD 0.12 (May 2026; verify at point of use with the Central Bank of Solomon Islands). Fees cited are indicative; confirm current schedules at mof.gov.sb or by contacting the Companies Office directly.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No Solomon Islands identity document is required for foreign compliance buyers conducting a basic entity search. Online access is available without account creation for basic name lookups. For certified extracts or detailed filings, direct contact with the Companies Office by email or letter is possible without a local account, though a local registered agent can materially reduce friction.

Is the website in English?

Yes. English is the official language of Solomon Islands government and business administration. All company registration documents, the Companies Act, and the Ministry of Finance website at mof.gov.sb are in English. Solomon Pidgin (Pijin) is the widely spoken creole language but is not used in official company registration.

What’s the turnaround time?

Online entity name searches return results promptly if the portal is functional. Certified extracts and detailed filing retrievals from the Companies Office take several business days via correspondence, or same-day to next-day if handled by a local agent presenting in person at the Honiara office.

Is there an API?

No. There is no public API for the Solomon Islands Companies Office registry.

What you legally cannot do

Registry data obtained from the Companies Office is for the stated purpose of the requesting party. Redistribution or commercial resale of certified extracts without Companies Office authorization is not permitted. Use of director or officer personal data for unsolicited commercial solicitation is prohibited under the Solomon Islands Data Protection policy and applicable home-jurisdiction standards. Document the KYC or due-diligence purpose for each search.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Partial online access — verify current portal status. The Solomon Islands Companies Office’s online portal availability has been inconsistent due to intermittent IT infrastructure and technical maintenance. Before relying on an online search result, confirm that the portal was accessible and the search returned a live result rather than a cached or incomplete one. When in doubt, request a certified extract from the Companies Office directly or through a local agent.
• FATF status: not grey-listed. The Solomon Islands is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. The APG conducts mutual evaluations of Solomon Islands AML/CFT systems. APG evaluation reports have noted capacity constraints in financial intelligence, law enforcement investigation, and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing offenses. See apgml.org for the current evaluation status.
• Logging and natural resource sectors. The Solomon Islands economy has a material logging and natural resources sector with a complex network of concession holders, export companies, and foreign-invested operators. Due diligence on companies in this sector requires enhanced attention to beneficial ownership, given documented instances of beneficial ownership concealment and related compliance issues in extractive industries globally.
• Foreign investment framework. Foreign-invested companies in the Solomon Islands require approval from the Foreign Investment Division under the Foreign Investment Act. This is a separate process from company registration. For foreign-invested counterparties, confirming both Companies Office registration and Foreign Investment Division approval status is best practice.
• ADB country partnership. The Asian Development Bank maintains an active country program in the Solomon Islands. ADB program documents and country reports at adb.org/countries/solomon-islands/overview provide useful governance and business environment context.
• No beneficial ownership registry. No public UBO register exists. Enhanced due diligence requiring UBO declarations directly from the counterparty is the standard approach for Solomon Islands-registered entities.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Solomon Islands registry directly

• Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII) (paclii.org) publishes Solomon Islands legislation including the Companies Act 2009, useful for understanding the registration framework.
• OpenCorporates has limited Solomon Islands coverage due to partial digitization of the registry.
• Direct company disclosure. Requesting certified incorporation documents and director lists from the counterparty directly is a common and practical approach.

Local data suppliers

No commercial credit bureau or business information provider with verified retail access to Solomon Islands company data is operating at scale as of May 2026. Local law firms and corporate secretarial providers in Honiara are the primary source of certified company information for foreign compliance buyers.

FAQ

Can a foreign company verify a Solomon Islands business remotely?

Partially. Basic online name searches may be available through the Companies Office portal or Ministry website. For certified extracts or officer details, a written request to the Companies Office or engagement of a Honiara-based agent is required.

What entity types are registered in Solomon Islands?

Under the Companies Act 2009, Solomon Islands registers private companies limited by shares, public companies, companies limited by guarantee, unlimited companies, and overseas (foreign) companies. Business names registered by sole traders operate under a separate business names regime.

Does Solomon Islands have a beneficial ownership registry?

No public UBO registry exists in the Solomon Islands as of May 2026. Beneficial ownership information must be obtained directly from the counterparty through certified declarations.

Is Solomon Islands on the FATF grey list?

No. The Solomon Islands is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. The APG covers Solomon Islands in its evaluation program. See fatf-gafi.org for current status.

What currency does Solomon Islands use?

The Solomon Islands uses the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD). USD 1 = approximately SBD 8.3 (May 2026; verify at the Central Bank of Solomon Islands before any transaction).

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Solomon Islands Companies Office / Ministry of Finance and Treasury (mof.gov.sb); Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (apgml.org); Asian Development Bank Solomon Islands (adb.org/countries/solomon-islands/overview); FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.