Yemen company search: Ministry of Industry and Trade (mit.gov.ye)

TL;DR. Yemen’s Commercial Register sits nominally with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the internationally-recognised government. mit.gov.ye did not respond when last checked, and no replacement search address could be found. The UN Security Council 2140 page at un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/2140 and fatf-gafi.org are both online, for sanctions and FATF context only. Fees are unknown rather than free; confirm at source. This page does not prescribe enhanced due diligence.

Political context

Yemen’s civil war, which escalated in 2015 with Saudi-led coalition intervention, has created a divided administrative reality:

• Internationally-recognised government (IRG): The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), based in Aden, is recognized by the UN and most Western governments as the legitimate authority. The PLC nominally governs the Commercial Register through the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
• Houthi administration (Ansar Allah): The Houthis control Sanaa, Hodeidah, and the northern highlands where the majority of Yemen’s pre-war commercial activity was concentrated. The Houthis operate their own administrative structures in controlled areas.

Reports of the current conflict status and of ceasefires could not be confirmed for this guide; confirm at source.

What is the official Yemen business registry?

Yemen’s Commercial Register is maintained by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) (وزارة الصناعة والتجارة) of the internationally-recognised government. The named host is mit.gov.ye, which did not respond when last checked, so no online search path is documented here. This guide still points at the official MIT address, which is not currently a working search, and no replacement address could be found.

Yemen’s company law framework is based on the Commercial Companies Law No. 22 of 1997 (Republic of Yemen). Historic registered entity types include public shareholding companies, limited liability companies (شركة ذات مسؤولية محدودة), partnerships, sole establishments, and branches of foreign companies. That list could not be confirmed, because no MIT page could be reached.

OFAC and UN 2140: published lists

ofac.treasury.gov is online. OFAC has been reported as designating Ansar Allah (the Houthis) a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in January 2024; that designation, and the difference between an FTO and an SDGT listing, were not read for this guide. Confirm at source. This page does not prescribe a territorial-control analysis.

The UN Security Council Yemen Sanctions Committee (UNSCR 2140) page at un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/2140 is online, for sanctions context only. It is not a Yemen company registry and not a replacement for MIT.

FATF status

fatf-gafi.org and its black and grey lists page are online. Yemen’s entry on those lists was not read for this guide, and Yemen has been reported as grey-listed since 2010; confirm at source. This page does not prescribe enhanced due diligence.

What foreign buyers can access

Not through mit.gov.ye, which did not respond. Certified records, the Aden office, Dun & Bradstreet, Kompass and the Chamber of Commerce were not checked for this guide, and no working remote search could be confirmed.

Practical tips for compliance buyers

• mit.gov.ye did not respond. MIT is not a working search, and no replacement address could be found.
• The UN 2140 page is online. Sanctions-committee context only. Not a company registry.
• The FATF lists load. Yemen’s entry on those lists was not read for this guide; confirm at source.
• OFAC is online. ofac.treasury.gov. This page does not prescribe a screening workflow.
• IRG and Houthi administration remain the political distinction for document provenance. Neither offers a working MIT search.

FAQ

Can I search Yemeni company records online?

Not at mit.gov.ye, which did not respond when last checked.

Are all Yemeni companies sanctioned?

No. Designated persons and entities appear on published lists. Non-designated private companies are not presumptively listed. OFAC at ofac.treasury.gov is online. This page does not prescribe a screening workflow.

Is Yemen on the FATF grey list?

Yemen’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.

What is the difference between the IRG and Houthi administrations for compliance purposes?

The internationally-recognised government (Presidential Leadership Council, Aden) is the authority recognized under international law for Yemeni company-law acts. The Houthi administration in Sanaa is not internationally recognized as that government. The OFAC and UN 2140 pages are online. MIT did not respond, so there is no working search for either administration.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: mit.gov.ye, which did not respond; un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/2140 (sanctions context only), ofac.treasury.gov and fatf-gafi.org, all online. No replacement registry address was found. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide. An account and a local ID are shown as not required only because there is no online company search to gate, not because open access was confirmed.