Samoa runs two entirely separate corporate registries with different regulators, statutes and disclosure rules. The domestic register is the Samoa Register of Companies, kept by the Registrar of Companies at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) under the Companies Act 2001, with a free online search. The international register is administered by the Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA) under the International Companies Act 1988, and it is not public at all.

The company registries in Samoa

The domestic register

MCIL maintains the Samoa Register of Companies under the Companies Act 2001 and the Companies Amendment Act 2006, with the operational filing and search portal at businessregistries.gov.ws. That portal carries two modules — Companies and Secured Transactions — while the registers of business names, incorporated societies, charitable trusts and co-operative societies are administered by MCIL’s registry but are not exposed as online public search modules; verification of those requires a request to the ministry.

Sole traders are covered by business name registration at MCIL rather than by a dedicated sole-trader register.

The international register

SIFA, established under the Samoa International Finance Authority Act 2005, is the Registrar of International and Foreign Companies. An important point of accuracy: the International Companies Act 1988 has not been repealed and replaced — it remains current law in the Attorney General’s consolidation and continues to be cited by SIFA, having been amended repeatedly rather than superseded. All filings under it must be made through a licensed trustee company, which is the mandatory gateway to the international regime.

What did change is the tax treatment. The ring-fenced regime was ended by the Miscellaneous (Removal of Tax Exemption for International Companies) Amendment Act 2026, enacted in January 2026, and the Council of the European Union removed Samoa from its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions on 17 February 2026.

Legal forms that can be registered in Samoa

Domestic forms, registered by MCIL:

  • Company limited by shares — Companies Act 2001; shareholder liability is limited to the unpaid capital, and the Act distinguishes private companies, whose membership is capped, from public companies. The standard trading vehicle.
  • Company limited by guarantee — Companies Act 2001; members guarantee a fixed amount, used by clubs and non-profit bodies.
  • Overseas company registered in Samoa — Part 11 of the Companies Act 2001; a foreign body with a place of business in Samoa must register and file annual returns. It has no separate legal personality.
  • Business name — registered with MCIL; it creates no liability shield, so the sole trader or partners remain personally liable.
  • Incorporated society — Incorporated Societies Ordinance 1952; a members’ body with separate legal personality, subject to a statutory minimum number of members.
  • Charitable trust board — Charitable Trusts Act 1965; an incorporated trust board for public-benefit purposes.
  • Partnership — Partnership Act 1975; unlimited joint liability, typical of professional practices.
  • Co-operative society — Co-operative Societies Ordinance 1952; producer and trading cooperatives.
  • Trust — Trusts Act 2014, the domestic trusts statute.

International forms, administered by SIFA:

  • International company — International Companies Act 1988; limited by shares, by guarantee, or by both. It must be incorporated through a licensed trustee company and must have a resident secretary or resident agent.
  • Limited life international company — under the same Act; limited by shares only, with a finite life, used for joint ventures and fund structures.
  • Long-term international company — registration for a fixed multi-year term under the same Act.
  • Foreign company — registration or redomiciliation of an existing foreign entity into the international regime.
  • Segregated fund international company — Segregated Fund International Companies Act 2000; statutorily ring-fenced cells for fund and insurance use.
  • Special purpose international company — Special Purpose International Companies Act 2012; securitisation and structured finance.
  • Trustee company — Trustee Companies Act 2017; the licensed corporate service provider through which all international filings pass.
  • International partnership and limited partnership — International Partnership and Limited Partnership Act 1998; limited partners’ liability is capped.
  • Foundation — Foundations Act 2016; an orphan legal person used for succession and asset holding.
  • International bank, international insurer and international mutual fund — under the International Banking Act 2005, the International Insurance Act 1988 and the International Mutual Funds Act 2008.

Information available from the Samoan registers

The domestic register is open

The registry states that most searches are free and require no login or registered account. Four search types are offered: by company, by director, by shareholder, and over the secured transactions register. Search results show the name, company number, status, registered address and date of incorporation, with status flags for registered, amalgamated, removed, in receivership or in liquidation, and a company details screen showing the related individuals, that is the directors and shareholders. Many documents filed with the Companies Office can be viewed online as PDF files. The statutory basis lies in the Companies Act 2001, which provides for the keeping of the registers, for inspection, for certified copies and for their evidentiary use, and separately for public inspection of company records and for annual returns.

Business names, incorporated societies and charitable trusts have no online public search; their particulars must be requested from MCIL.

The international register is closed

The International Companies Act 1988 restricts inspection of a company’s documents to its officers and members, requires notice before any disclosure to third parties and imposes statutory confidentiality. An international company is not even required to keep a register of its directors and secretaries unless it chooses to. There is no public online search of the SIFA register; SIFA publishes only a directory of licensed trustee companies, not an index of companies.

Beneficial ownership

Neither track has a public beneficial ownership register. Beneficial ownership information is held at the gatekeeper level under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2007 with its regulations and guidelines, supervised by the Central Bank of Samoa and the financial intelligence unit. For international companies the licensed trustee company holds the customer due diligence and beneficial ownership records, and access is by law-enforcement, competent-authority or exchange-of-information request. The Companies Act 2001 itself contains no express beneficial ownership filing duty; the obligations sit in the anti-money-laundering framework rather than in company law.

Documents that can be obtained from the register

  • Certificate of incorporation — issued on registration under the Companies Act 2001 and retrievable from the online register, showing the company name, number and date of incorporation. The basic proof of legal existence.
  • Company extract or company search report — generated from the online register, showing the name, company number, status, registered address, date of incorporation, directors and shareholders, with links to the filed documents. The standard due diligence and counterparty verification document.
  • Certified copies of the constitution and of filed documents — issued under the certification provisions of the Companies Act 2001 and admissible in evidence; used for court, notarisation and bank onboarding.
  • Annual return copies — showing the registered office, directors and shareholdings as at the date of the return; the route to historical ownership and officer verification.
  • Certificate of good standing — issued by the Registrar to confirm that a company remains on the register, is not struck off or in liquidation and is current on its filings; used for banking, cross-border transactions and legalisation chains. It is not described as a product on the ministry’s public pages, so availability should be confirmed with the Registrar.
  • Business name certificate — issued by MCIL on registration of a business name, evidencing the trading name and the proprietor behind it. It is not obtainable online.
  • International company documents — obtainable only by the company, its officers or members, or through its licensed trustee company; third parties cannot order them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many business registers does Samoa have?

Two. The domestic Companies Register kept by the Registrar of Companies at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour, and the international register administered by the Samoa International Finance Authority.

Is the Samoan company register free to search?

The domestic register is. Most searches are free and require no account, and searches can be run by company, by director, by shareholder and over the secured transactions register.

Can I search Samoan international companies?

No. The international regime imposes statutory confidentiality, restricts inspection of documents to officers and members, and provides no public online search. SIFA publishes only a directory of licensed trustee companies.

Was the International Companies Act 1988 replaced?

No. It remains current law and has been amended over time. What changed is the tax treatment: the exemption for international companies was removed by a 2026 amendment act, and Samoa was removed from the EU list in February 2026.

Where do sole traders register in Samoa?

Through business name registration with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour. A business name gives no limited liability and the proprietor remains personally liable.

Does Samoa have a beneficial ownership register?

Not a public one. Beneficial ownership information is held by gatekeepers, in particular licensed trustee companies for international entities, under the anti-money-laundering legislation supervised by the Central Bank of Samoa.

Sources

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