Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. serve.gov.tl
- Check access requirements. Account required: No. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published on the SERVE list page; confirm at source.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Partial.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: PDF lists download from the list page.
- Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
Timor-Leste Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Timor-Leste Business
TL;DR. Timor-Leste’s business registry is SERVE I.P. https://serve.gov.tl is online as SERVE,I.P., with English and Portuguese toggles. There is no interactive company-search form on the home page, only a site search. The lists are at https://serve.gov.tl/listcompaniesregistered/, under the heading LIST COMPANIES REGISTERED, as PDFs for ENIN, Unipessoal Lda, Lda, S.A., R.P., and E.P. https://www.lic.mci.gov.tl no longer resolves, while https://lic.mci.gov.tl does. Certified-extract fees are not published on the list page, so fees here read unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
What is the official Timor-Leste business registry?
SERVE I.P. (Servico de Registo e Verificacao Empresarial, Instituto Publico) is Timor-Leste’s public institute for business registration. The host is https://serve.gov.tl, titled SERVE,I.P. The home page names Business Registration, the phone numbers (+670) 3110116 and (+670) 78122222, and info@serve.gov.tl.
Statutory basis remains Decree-Law No. 16/2017 on Business Registration.
An EMOLUMENT PDF is linked from the home page at https://serve.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/recibo-emolumento-F.pdf. Its amounts are not reproduced here; confirm at source.
What can you search?
No name or number search form for the Companies Register appears on the home page. The route is static PDFs:
Files on https://serve.gov.tl/listcompaniesregistered/:
- Data-ENIN-september.pdf (ENIN)
- Data-UNIPESOAL-LDA-september.pdf
- Data-LDA-september.pdf
- Data-SA-september.pdf
- Data-RP-september.pdf
- Data-EP-LAST.pdf
The filenames are as published. The contents of those PDFs are not reproduced here, and there is no interactive search by registration number or director name on that page.
TIN cross-reference with the tax authority is not covered here, and the publication frequency of the PDFs is not stated on that page. The lists are a starting point rather than real-time status.
No beneficial ownership fields appear on the list page.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF company lists | Unknown (files are linked without a paywall) | No tariff table on that page |
| Company registration | Unknown | Not on the list page |
| Certified extract | Unknown | Not on the list page |
Claims of zero-fee registration and certified-letter prices are not published on the list page, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. The EMOLUMENT PDF carries amounts that are not reproduced here. The home page prints info@serve.gov.tl as the contact.
Do you need a local account or ID?
No account field appears on the list-companies page, and the PDF links are reachable without a login. Registration and filing requirements for new companies are not covered here.
Is the website in English?
Partial. The home page has EN and PT toggles and English body copy. Some PDFs and legal labels remain in Portuguese or Tetum. The list page is titled SERVE,I.P. under the heading LIST COMPANIES REGISTERED.
What’s the turnaround time?
The PDF lists download from the list page. Timings for certified extracts and status letters are not published there.
Is there an API?
No developer API is published on the SERVE site.
What you legally cannot do
SERVE’s terms of use are not published in detail on the site. Bulk harvesting of the PDFs for resale without permission is not allowed. Timor-Leste data-protection law is not covered on that page.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- PDFs, not a search box. Download the relevant entity-type file and search inside it.
- Entity type matters. Unipessoal Lda, Lda, S.A., R.P., ENIN, and E.P. are separate live PDF groups.
- www.lic.mci.gov.tl no longer resolves. https://lic.mci.gov.tl does, though it is not confirmed here as a working licensing search.
- Language. Official documents may be Portuguese or Tetum. Machine translation is not a legal review.
- No public beneficial ownership data. None appears on the list page.
Alternatives if you cannot access SERVE directly
- OpenCorporates: sparse. Name-check only.
- Email SERVE at info@serve.gov.tl, the address on the home page, for status letters.
Local data suppliers
No commercial credit bureau for Timor-Leste is confirmed.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Timor-Leste registry directly?
Yes for the PDF lists: https://serve.gov.tl/listcompaniesregistered/ has no login. Certified extracts are not a self-service checkout on that page.
What is the primary company identifier in Timor-Leste?
NIPC is the statutory collective identifier. It is not a search field on the list page.
What entity types are registered with SERVE?
The PDF groups are ENIN, Unipessoal Lda, Lda, S.A., R.P., and E.P.
Does Timor-Leste have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No beneficial ownership search appears on the SERVE site.
How current is the data in SERVE?
The PDF filenames include “september”, with upload paths dated 2020 and 2022 in the address. No update frequency is published. Contact SERVE for current status.
Is Timor-Leste on the FATF grey list?
The FATF country page for Timor-Leste is online and records Timor-Leste as an APG member. It does not give grey-list placement or removal dates here; confirm at source.
What is the difference between SERVE and the licensing authority?
SERVE is the Companies Register host. The previously cited www.lic.mci.gov.tl hostname no longer resolves; lic.mci.gov.tl does.
Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: serve.gov.tl and the PDF links on listcompaniesregistered. www.lic.mci.gov.tl no longer resolves. Extract tariffs are not published there. The FATF Timor-Leste country page is online. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.