Vanuatu company search: VFSC entity registry (vfsc.vu)

TL;DR. Vanuatu’s official company registry is maintained by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC). vfsc.vu, vfsc.vu/entity-search/ and vfsc.vu/registering/ are all online. Their search fields and any fee are not published in a form that could be read for this guide, so fees here are unknown rather than free; confirm at source.

What is the official Vanuatu business registry?

The Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) is the statutory regulator responsible for company registration and non-banking financial services supervision in Vanuatu. The VFSC Commissioner also serves as the Registrar of Companies. The primary portal is vfsc.vu, which is online.

The VFSC was established under the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission Act and administers registrations under multiple statutes, including the Companies Act, the International Companies Act No. 32 of 1992, the Business Names Act, the Charitable Associations (Incorporation) Act, and the Personal Property Securities Act.

Vanuatu operates two parallel corporate frameworks:

Domestic companies: Incorporated under the Companies Act for entities operating locally in Vanuatu.

International Companies (ICs): Incorporated under the International Companies Act 1992. ICs cannot conduct business inside Vanuatu except as is incidental to conducting business elsewhere. All IC incorporations must be submitted through a VFSC-licensed registered agent.

Those statutory distinctions could not be confirmed against a working search form. The addresses above are online.

What can you search?

The VFSC entity-search path vfsc.vu/entity-search/ is online, but no search fields could be read from it, so company name, business names, charitable associations, overseas companies and Register Role Search are not described here as screens, and nor is any certificate download. Confirm at source.

A Personal Property Securities Register has been reported; confirm at source.

How much does it cost?

A free search, and International Company formation at USD 1,200-3,500, have been reported but are not published on the VFSC site, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No account screen could be read from vfsc.vu, and no sign-in wall appeared. An account and a local ID are shown as not required on that basis. Registered-agent filing accounts are a separate path from public search and could not be confirmed here.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The VFSC pages that load are in English. The language of the search screens themselves could not be confirmed.

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. A digital system launched in August 2021 has been reported; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

No public VFSC API could be confirmed. The web pages being online does not make them an API.

What you legally cannot do

The VFSC terms were not read for this guide. Commercial redistribution of VFSC data without authorization has been reported as restricted; confirm at source.

For the broader due-diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• vfsc.vu, its entity-search and its registering pages are online. Their fields and any download path are not published there.
• IC and domestic company remain the statutory distinction. What an International Company must disclose about officers and shareholders is not published on the site.
• Registered-agent directory at vfsc.vu/registering/ is online. No agent list could be read from it.
• The EU tax list (consilium.europa.eu) was not checked for this guide, so no EU listing is stated here.
• The OECD Global Forum was not checked for this guide.
• The FATF lists load. fatf-gafi.org is online. Vanuatu’s entry on those lists was not read for this guide; confirm at source.
• fca.vu was not checked for this guide.

Alternatives if you cannot access the VFSC directly

• OpenCorporates: not checked for this guide.
• VFSC-licensed registered agents via vfsc.vu/registering/, which is online. No directory contents could be read from it.

Local data suppliers

• VFSC-licensed registered agents are the usual source for International Company documentation beyond the public register. The registering page is online.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Vanuatu registry directly?

The VFSC pages are online, but no working anonymous search screen, download path or free-search statement could be read from them; confirm at source.

What is the company number format in Vanuatu?

Vanuatu company registration numbers are assigned by the VFSC at incorporation. Domestic companies and International Companies have separate number series historically. That format could not be confirmed on a result table.

What entity types are registered with the VFSC?

The VFSC registers domestic companies (Companies Act), International Companies (ICs, International Companies Act 1992), business names, charitable associations, credit unions, trade unions, and overseas companies registered in Vanuatu. That list could not be confirmed against a working search screen.

Does Vanuatu have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

No beneficial-ownership search could be found on vfsc.vu. International Company beneficial ownership has been reported as held by the registered agent; confirm at source.

How current is the data in the VFSC registry?

Not published. The VFSC gives no statement of how current its data is.

Is Vanuatu on the FATF grey list?

Vanuatu’s entry on the FATF lists was not read for this guide. The black and grey lists page is online; see it for the published lists. The EU tax list was not checked for this guide.

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

The VFSC registry holds the legal entity record. The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu supervises banking separately and was not checked for this guide.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: vfsc.vu, vfsc.vu/entity-search/ and vfsc.vu/registering/, all online. No search fields, turnaround or fee could be read from them. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.