British Virgin Islands

Data Sources
Company Identifiers
Search Capabilities
Quirks & Gotchas
Mappings
Data Availability
Example API Responses

Data Sources

BVI company data is sourced from the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC), the autonomous regulatory authority established in December 2001 under the Financial Services Commission Act. The FSC operates the Registry of Corporate Affairs, which administers the BVI Business Companies Act 2004 and maintains the Register of Companies. The system uses a two-tier data model: a fast public search API for basic data, and a paid trade register extract (Certificate of Good Standing) for comprehensive company details.

All entity types

BVI FSC Public Search API (publicsearch.bvifsc.vg) — Free REST API providing basic company information: legal name, company number, entity type, status, and previous names. No authentication required. Used as the primary source for onboarding profiles and search results. Returns data instantly.
Trade Register Extract (Certificate of Good Standing) — Paid document purchased from the BVI FSC portal. Provides comprehensive data including directors, shareholders, share capital, registered address, registered agent, and incorporation date. This is the primary source for full company profiles. Requires manual retrieval (documents are ordered through the FSC portal and uploaded by a human operator). The company profile is then AI-extracted from the PDF.

Manual document retrieval: The BVI FSC does not provide a programmatic API for document downloads. Trade register extracts must be purchased manually through the FSC portal at publicsearch.bvifsc.vg. When a company profile is requested, a Slack notification is sent with step-by-step retrieval instructions. The document is then uploaded and AI-parsed. This process can take up to 7 days depending on operator availability and FSC processing times.

How does the two-tier model work?

Onboarding Profile (onboardingProfile): Uses only the BVI FSC Public Search API. Returns basic company data (name, status, legal form, identifiers) instantly via a simple HTTP call. No document purchase required. Ideal for quick verification, lead qualification, and initial KYB checks.
Company Profile (companyProfile): Requires purchasing and AI-parsing the Certificate of Good Standing from the FSC portal. Returns comprehensive data including directors, shareholders, addresses, and share capital. Slower (up to 7 days) and paid.

Key Takeaway: Use onboardingProfile for fast, free verification. Use companyProfile only when you need directors, shareholders, addresses, or other detailed data not available in the public search.

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Company Type	Source	Format	Example	Notes
BVI Business Company (BC)	BVI FSC	Numeric digits	`1378562`	Most common format; incorporated under BCA 2004
International Business Company (IBC)	BVI FSC	Numeric digits	`132006`	Legacy type, pre-BCA 2004
Local Company	BVI FSC	Letter prefix + digits	`L658`	Incorporated under old Companies Act

ID Format Breakdown: Most BVI company numbers are pure numeric (e.g., 18412, 1987245). Local companies (type 7) use a letter prefix format (e.g., L658, L732, L7805). Both formats are accepted by the search API.

Identifiers in API Response

Once you retrieve company data, the identifiers object contains:

Identifier Type	Format	Example	Notes
`companyNumber`	Numeric or alphanumeric	`1378562` or `L658`	Official registration number from BVI FSC

BVI companies do not have VAT numbers, tax IDs, or other secondary identifiers in the public registry. The Company Number is the sole identifier.

Search Capabilities

Search Type	Pattern	Example	Match Type	Expected Results
By Company Number (numeric)	Digits only	`18412`	Exact	Single company (1 result)
By Company Number (prefixed)	Letter + digits	`L658`	Exact	Single company (1 result)
By Name	Text string (min 2 chars)	`"BANKIM"`	Fuzzy	Multiple results

Search uses live registry lookups only. Both name and ID searches query the BVI FSC Public Search API in real time. There is no cached index for BVI — all searches go directly to the FSC registry.

Quirks & Gotchas

Quirk	Details
Privacy jurisdiction	BVI is a well-known privacy jurisdiction. Shareholder and director information may not always be publicly disclosed, even in official documents. Many companies use nominee shareholders and directors.
Manual document retrieval	Trade register extracts require manual retrieval via the BVI FSC portal with payment. Initial requests may take up to 7 days. This is a limitation of the BVI FSC portal, which does not offer programmatic document access.
Two-tier data model	`onboardingProfile` uses the fast public search API (instant, free). `companyProfile` requires purchasing a document (slow, paid). Legal representatives, shareholders, and addresses are only available in `companyProfile`.
No registration date in search	The BVI FSC public search API does not return registration/incorporation dates. This data is only available from the trade register extract.
No address in search	Registered addresses are not available in the public search API. Only the trade register extract provides address information.
All profile data is AI-parsed	Company profile data (beyond basic search fields) is AI-extracted from the trade register extract PDF. Data quality depends on document quality and AI parsing accuracy.
Entity type codes are coarse	The API `type` field (`1`, `3`, `4`, `5`, `7`) only provides broad entity categories. Detailed legal forms (e.g., “Company Limited by Shares” vs. “Company Limited by Guarantee”) require AI extraction from documents.
Activity codes often unavailable	BVI has no national industry classification system in its registry. Many holding companies and SPVs have no stated business description, so activity codes cannot be inferred.
Nominee structures common	Many BVI companies use nominee shareholders and directors. The entities shown in official documents may be nominees rather than beneficial owners.
IBC to BC transition	The International Business Company (IBC) type was superseded by the BVI Business Company (BC) under BCA 2004. Existing IBCs were grandfathered but may have been re-registered as BCs.
UBOs not publicly available	Unlike EU jurisdictions, BVI does not have a public UBO register. Beneficial ownership information filed with the FSC is not accessible through the public search.
Wholly-owned subsidiary pattern	Many BVI companies have a single parent company owning 100% of issued shares. This is a common holding structure, not a data anomaly.

Mappings

Company Status

Company status is determined from the BVI FSC registry. The public search API returns a free-text status string. For onboardingProfile, status mapping is deterministic using a codelist. For companyProfile, status is AI-enriched from the trade register extract.

Local Status	Standardized Status	Active	Notes
Active	Active	Yes	Company is in good standing
In Good Standing	Active	Yes	Company is current on all filings and fees
In Penalty - Non filing of Beneficial Ownership	Inactive	No	Company has outstanding beneficial ownership filing penalties
In Liquidation (insolvent)	Under Insolvency Proceeding	No	Company is being wound up due to insolvency
In Liquidation (solvent)	In Liquidation	No	Voluntary winding up while solvent
Dissolved	Closed	No	Company has been formally dissolved
Dissolved (10 year non-pmt)	Closed	No	Dissolved after 10 years of non-payment of annual fees
Dissolved (7 year non-pmt)	Closed	No	Dissolved after 7 years of non-payment of annual fees
Struck off - Dissolved	Closed	No	Company struck from register and dissolved
Struck off - Non Pmt A/Fee	Closed	No	Struck off for non-payment of annual fee

The status codelist above covers all known values returned by the BVI FSC API. If an unrecognized status is encountered, the system infers active/inactive from keywords: statuses containing “dissolved”, “struck off”, “liquidation”, or “penalty” are treated as inactive; “active” and “good standing” are treated as active. The standardized status (statusDetails) is AI-enriched for both onboarding and company profiles.

Legal Forms

The BVI FSC public search API returns only a numeric type code (e.g., 1, 5, 7) indicating a broad entity category. Detailed legal forms (e.g., “Company Limited by Shares”) are only available when AI-extracted from the trade register extract. ISO 20275 assignment is AI-enriched.

Entity Types from Public Search API

Type Code	Local Name	Standardized	Notes
`1`	BVI Business Company	Limited Liability Company	Most common; incorporated under BCA 2004
`3`	Limited Partnership	Limited Partnership	Partnership with limited and general partners
`4`	Foreign Company	Branch or Representative Office	Foreign entity registered in BVI
`5`	International Business Company	Limited Liability Company	Legacy type; pre-BCA 2004, grandfathered
`7`	Local Company	Limited Liability Company	Incorporated under old Companies Act

Detailed Legal Forms (AI-extracted from Trade Register Extract)

Under the BVI Business Companies Act 2004, the following detailed legal forms exist. These can only be determined from the trade register extract document, not from the public search API:

Local Name	Standardized	ISO 20275	Notes
Company Limited by Shares	Limited Liability Company	AI-assigned	Most common BVI entity type
Company Limited by Guarantee (authorized to issue shares)	Limited Liability Company	AI-assigned	Guarantee company with share issuance
Company Limited by Guarantee (not authorized to issue shares)	Limited Liability Company	AI-assigned	Pure guarantee company
Unlimited Company (authorized to issue shares)	Unlimited Company	AI-assigned	Unlimited liability with shares
Unlimited Company (not authorized to issue shares)	Unlimited Company	AI-assigned	Unlimited liability, no shares
Restricted Purpose Company	Limited Liability Company	AI-assigned	Specialized bankruptcy-remote vehicle
Segregated Portfolio Company	Limited Liability Company	AI-assigned	Ring-fenced asset management vehicle

Legal form standardization and ISO 20275 code assignment are AI-enriched for all BVI entities. The local name from the registry or document is always preserved verbatim. The type code from the public search API provides only a coarse categorization.

Legal Representatives

Legal representatives are AI-extracted from the trade register extract PDF. They are only available in companyProfile, not in onboardingProfile. Role classification (legal representative vs. other key person) is AI-enriched based on the role name and company context.

Role	English Translation	Classification	Notes
Director	Director	Legal Representative	Member of the board of directors
Managing Director	Managing Director	Legal Representative	Executive director with day-to-day management

Both individuals and corporate entities can serve as directors in BVI companies. The BVI Business Companies Act 2004 requires at least one director but does not mandate that directors be natural persons.

Other Key Persons

Role	English Translation	Classification	Notes
Secretary	Company Secretary	Other Key Person	May be individual or corporate entity
Registered Agent	Registered Agent	Other Key Person	Required for all BVI companies; handles regulatory compliance

The Registered Agent is a corporate service provider required by law for all BVI companies. It is not an officer or director of the company. Registered agent information appears in the public search results (agentNo, agentName fields) but is not included in the standardized API response as a key person.

Shareholders

Shareholders are AI-extracted from the trade register extract PDF when shareholder information is disclosed in the document.

Field	Description	Source
`name`	Shareholder name (individual or corporate)	AI-extracted from PDF
`type`	`individual` or `company`	AI-inferred from name format (Ltd, Inc, Corp = company)
`sharePercentage`	Ownership percentage	AI-calculated from shares held vs total issued

BVI is a privacy jurisdiction. Shareholder data is frequently unavailable or limited to nominee entities. The Certificate of Good Standing typically does not contain shareholder details. Shareholders are only extracted if explicitly listed in the document. If no shareholder information is found, an empty array is returned.

Activity Code Mapping

BVI does not use a national industry classification system in its public registry. Activity information, when available, is extracted from the business description in the trade register extract and mapped via AI:

Business Description (free text from PDF) --> AI --> NACE Rev. 2 + ISIC Rev. 4

Classification	Source	AI Inferred?
Business Description	Trade register extract (when available)	No (official text)
NACE	AI-derived from business description	Yes (always)
ISIC	AI-derived from business description	Yes (always)

Many BVI companies (particularly holding companies and special purpose vehicles) may not have a detailed business description. In these cases, activity codes will not be available. Both NACE and ISIC codes are always AI-inferred for BVI companies.

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Data Type	Onboarding Profile	Company Profile	Notes
Company Name	✅ Instant	✅ Async	Available in both profiles
Company Number	✅ Instant	✅ Async	Primary identifier
Company Status	✅ Instant	✅ Async	Mapped from FSC status codes; AI-enriched
Legal Form	✅ Instant (coarse)	✅ Async (detailed)	Search API provides type code only; PDF may have detailed form
Previous Company Names	✅ Instant	✅ Async	Available in public search results
Registration Date	❌	✅ Async	Only available in trade register extract
Incorporation Date	❌	✅ Async	Only available in trade register extract
Legal Address	❌	✅ Async	Only available in trade register extract; address enriched via geocoding
Share Capital	❌	✅ Async	Only available in trade register extract
Legal Representatives	❌	✅ Async	AI-extracted from PDF; directors and managing directors
Shareholders	❌	⚠️ Async	AI-extracted when disclosed; privacy jurisdiction limits availability
Ultimate Beneficial Owners	❌	❌	Not publicly available in BVI
Activity Codes	❌	⚠️ Async	AI-inferred from business description when available
Establishments	❌	❌	Not available from BVI FSC

Legend: ✅ Available | ❌ Not Available | ⚠️ Conditionally Available | Instant = Real-time API | Async = Requires document retrieval (up to 7 days)

Documents by Company Type

Document Type	API Category	Format	SKU	Availability	Notes
Certificate of Good Standing	`tradeRegisterExtract`	PDF	`VGB_REGISTER_EXTRACT`	✅ All companies	Manual retrieval via BVI FSC portal; requires payment

The Certificate of Good Standing is the only document type currently available for BVI companies. It requires manual retrieval through the FSC portal. There are no automated document downloads. The document serves as the basis for the full company profile (AI-parsed).

Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data.

Onboarding Profile - Active BVI Business Company

Query: POST /company with { "id": "1987245", "countryCode": "VG", "dataPoints": ["onboardingProfile"] }

{
  "company": {
    "id": "1987245",
    "countryCode": "VG",
    "identifiers": {
      "companyNumber": "1987245"
    },
    "legalName": "PACIFIC VENTURES INC.",
    "status": {
      "localName": "Active",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "ACTIVE"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "BVI Business Company",
      "englishTranslation": "British Virgin Islands Business Company",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    }
  }
}

Note: Onboarding profile returns only basic data from the public search API. No address, registration date, directors, or shareholders. Response is instant and free.

Onboarding Profile - Dissolved Company

Query: POST /company with { "id": "18412", "countryCode": "VG", "dataPoints": ["onboardingProfile"] }

{
  "company": {
    "id": "18412",
    "countryCode": "VG",
    "identifiers": {
      "companyNumber": "18412"
    },
    "legalName": "OCEANVIEW CORPORATION",
    "status": {
      "localName": "Dissolved (10 year non-payment)",
      "active": false,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "CLOSED"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "BVI Business Company",
      "englishTranslation": "British Virgin Islands Business Company",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    }
  }
}

Note: Dissolved companies have active: false and a descriptive status indicating the dissolution reason (e.g., non-payment of annual fees).

Onboarding Profile - Local Company (type 7)

Query: POST /company with { "id": "L658", "countryCode": "VG", "dataPoints": ["onboardingProfile"] }

{
  "company": {
    "id": "L658",
    "countryCode": "VG",
    "identifiers": {
      "companyNumber": "L658"
    },
    "legalName": "TORTOLA TRADING (UNLIMITED)",
    "status": {
      "localName": "Dissolved",
      "active": false,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "CLOSED"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "Local Company",
      "englishTranslation": "Local Company (pre-BCA 2004)",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    }
  }
}

Note: Local companies use a letter-prefixed company number (e.g., L658). These were incorporated under the old Companies Act before the BCA 2004.

Company Profile - Active BVI Business Company (with directors and shareholders)

Query: POST /company with { "id": "1378562", "countryCode": "VG", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }

{
  "company": {
    "id": "1378562",
    "countryCode": "VG",
    "identifiers": {
      "companyNumber": "1378562"
    },
    "legalName": "BANKSIA GARDENS FINANCIAL CORP.",
    "registrationDate": "2015-03-20",
    "incorporationDate": "2015-03-20",
    "status": {
      "localName": "Active",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "ACTIVE"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "BVI Business Company",
      "englishTranslation": "British Virgin Islands Business Company Limited by Shares",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    },
    "capital": {
      "amount": 50000,
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "P.O. Box 123, Registered Agent Building",
      "city": "Road Town",
      "region": "Tortola",
      "countryCode": "VG"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": {
        "localName": "Director",
        "englishTranslation": "Director",
        "standardized": "Director"
      },
      "individual": {
        "name": {
          "fullName": "John Smith",
          "firstName": "John",
          "lastName": "Smith"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "company",
      "role": {
        "localName": "Director",
        "englishTranslation": "Director",
        "standardized": "Director"
      },
      "company": {
        "legalName": "ISLAND MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD.",
        "legalAddress": {
          "city": "Road Town",
          "countryCode": "VG"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "shareholders": [
    {
      "type": "company",
      "sharePercentage": 100,
      "company": {
        "legalName": "PARENT HOLDINGS LIMITED",
        "legalAddress": {
          "countryCode": "VG"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Note: Company profile data is AI-extracted from the Certificate of Good Standing PDF. Both individual and corporate directors are supported. Shareholder data is only included when explicitly disclosed in the document. This response requires manual document retrieval (up to 7 days).

Company Profile - Company in Liquidation

Query: POST /company with { "id": "1885939", "countryCode": "VG", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }

{
  "company": {
    "id": "1885939",
    "countryCode": "VG",
    "identifiers": {
      "companyNumber": "1885939"
    },
    "legalName": "MERIDIAN ASSETS (BVI) LIMITED",
    "registrationDate": "2018-07-10",
    "status": {
      "localName": "In Liquidation (insolvent)",
      "active": false,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "UNDER_INSOLVENCY_PROCEEDING"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "BVI Business Company",
      "englishTranslation": "British Virgin Islands Business Company Limited by Shares",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "Suite 200, Corporate Trust Centre",
      "city": "Road Town",
      "region": "Tortola",
      "countryCode": "VG"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": {
        "localName": "Director",
        "englishTranslation": "Director",
        "standardized": "Director"
      },
      "individual": {
        "name": {
          "fullName": "Jane Doe",
          "firstName": "Jane",
          "lastName": "Doe"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "shareholders": []
}

Note: Companies in liquidation have active: false. Shareholder information is typically not disclosed for companies in insolvency proceedings.

Available Documents

Documents are returned when "dataPoints": ["documents"] is requested.

API Category	Document	Notes
`tradeRegisterExtract`	Certificate of Good Standing	Manual retrieval via BVI FSC portal; requires payment

{
  "documents": {
    "tradeRegisterExtract": {
      "name": "Certificate of Good Standing",
      "description": "Official certificate from BVI Financial Services Commission confirming company status",
      "format": "pdf"
    }
  }
}

Western Europe

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

Crown Dependencies & Offshore

Asia & Indian Ocean

British Virgin Islands

Table of Contents

Data Sources

All entity types

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Search Capabilities

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Legal Forms

Entity Types from Public Search API

Detailed Legal Forms (AI-extracted from Trade Register Extract)

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses

Western Europe

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

Crown Dependencies & Offshore

Asia & Indian Ocean

​Table of Contents

​Data Sources

​All entity types

​Company Identifiers

​Query Identifiers

​Identifiers in API Response

​Search Capabilities

​Quirks & Gotchas

​Mappings

​Company Status

​Legal Forms

​Entity Types from Public Search API

​Detailed Legal Forms (AI-extracted from Trade Register Extract)

​Legal Representatives

​Other Key Persons

​Shareholders

​Activity Code Mapping

​Data Availability

​Data Availability Matrix

​Documents by Company Type

​Example API Responses

Table of Contents

Data Sources

All entity types

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Search Capabilities

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Legal Forms

Entity Types from Public Search API

Detailed Legal Forms (AI-extracted from Trade Register Extract)

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses