Business Registers in Jersey: JFSC Registry

Overview

Jersey, a Crown Dependency in the English Channel, operates a single centralised company register maintained by the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). The island's economy is heavily oriented towards financial and professional services, and the Registry holds data on over 35,000 registered entities. Core company information — name, registration number, status, legal form, and date of registration — is freely searchable through the JFSC's online portal, while director and shareholder details are contained in the purchasable Entity Profile Report rather than the free search.

For KYB and AML professionals, Jersey presents a mixed picture. Basic company data and shareholder information are accessible, but financial statements of private companies are not publicly filed. Beneficial ownership information has been centrally collected since 1989, far earlier than most jurisdictions, but access to the beneficial ownership register is restricted to competent authorities and, more recently, to obliged entities performing customer due diligence. A public consultation launched in late 2024 is considering whether to extend access to persons with a legitimate interest.

Official Registers

JFSC Registry (Companies Registry)

The JFSC Registry is Jersey's sole official register for companies and other legal entities. It is maintained by the Jersey Financial Services Commission, which acts as Registrar of Companies under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991. The Registry covers companies (private and public), limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, separate limited partnerships, incorporated limited partnerships, foundations, incorporated cell companies, and protected cell companies.

The Registry's online portal allows free public search by company name or registration number. Search results return:

• Legal name
• Registration number
• Entity status (active, dissolved, struck off, etc.)
• Legal form (company type)
• Date of registration

More detailed information is available through the Entity Profile Report, an official extract that can be purchased from the JFSC. This report includes:

• Registered office address
• Share capital
• Directors and secretary
• Shareholders (where disclosed)
• Constitutional details

The Registry is updated on a continuous basis. All Jersey companies must file an annual confirmation statement between 1 January and the end of February each year, accompanied by a filing fee (currently £220 for an ordinarily administered company or £330 for a company administered by a trust company or fund services business). Failure to file within seven months triggers potential strike-off proceedings.

Beneficial Ownership Register

Jersey has maintained a central register of beneficial ownership information since 1989, one of the longest-standing regimes of its kind. The register is overseen by the JFSC and operates under the Disclosure (Jersey) Law 2008 (as amended). All Jersey-incorporated entities must identify and report their beneficial owners, with updates required within 21 days of any change.

Information held includes the names, dates of birth, nationalities, and residential addresses of beneficial owners, along with the nature and extent of their interests.

Access to the beneficial ownership register is currently restricted:

• Competent authorities (both domestic and international) have full access for the detection and prevention of financial crime.
• Obliged entities — those required to perform customer due diligence under Jersey's Money Laundering Order — may access beneficial ownership information through the Obliged Entity Beneficial Owner (OEBO) register via the myJFSC platform, using a secure login.
• General public access is not available. However, a public consultation launched in late 2024 is examining whether access should be extended to persons with a legitimate interest, such as journalists and anti-money-laundering NGOs.

In its July 2024 Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation Report, MONEYVAL praised Jersey's approach for the accuracy and transparency of its beneficial ownership information for legal persons and arrangements.

Exemptions from beneficial ownership filing apply to entities listed on a regulated market, entities wholly owned by a listed entity, and entities wholly owned or controlled by a relevant government body. These entities must instead provide specified information about their listed parent or controlling government.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Companies (Private and Public)

All companies incorporated under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 must register with the JFSC. The main forms are:

• Private company (Registered Company Private) — the most common type
• Public company (Registered Company Public)

Incorporation requires the filing of a Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association. The Memorandum sets out the company's constitution, corporate capacity, name, and share capital. The Articles govern internal management, including decision-making, shareholders' rights, share transfers, profit distribution, and director appointments. Standard form articles are provided under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991, though bespoke articles are common.

To incorporate a Jersey company, the applicant must either be a Jersey-resident individual or use a Jersey-regulated Trust and Company Service Provider (TCSP).

Annual accounts: Every Jersey company must keep accounting records sufficient to show and explain its transactions and to disclose its financial position with reasonable accuracy. Private companies must prepare accounts within ten months of their financial year-end; public companies within seven months. However, private companies are not required to file their accounts with the Registrar or to make them public. Accounts must be available for inspection by the company's officers and shareholders.

Public companies are required to file audited accounts with the Registrar within seven months of the end of the financial period, along with the auditor's report. These filings are accessible through the Registry.

UBO obligations: All Jersey-incorporated companies must file beneficial ownership information with the JFSC, subject to the exemptions noted above.

Sole Traders and Partnerships

Sole traders in Jersey are not registered in the JFSC company register. Instead, they apply for a business licence through the relevant States of Jersey process. The JFSC provides guidance and support for sole traders and small businesses, including assistance with registering a business name, which is an alternative and simpler route than company formation.

Limited partnerships (LP), limited liability partnerships (LLP), separate limited partnerships (SLP), and incorporated limited partnerships (ILP) are registered with the JFSC Registry and are subject to beneficial ownership filing requirements.

Foundations

Jersey foundations, established under the Foundations (Jersey) Law 2009, must register with the JFSC. They are subject to beneficial ownership obligations in the same manner as companies.

Incorporated Cell Companies and Protected Cell Companies

These specialised structures — commonly used in fund and insurance contexts — are registered with the JFSC and subject to standard registration and beneficial ownership requirements.

Summary Table

With Topograph

Topograph connects to the JFSC Registry to retrieve Jersey company data, combining the public search API with the official Entity Profile Report for comprehensive results.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Legal name
• Registration number
• Entity status (active, dissolved, struck off, etc.)
• Legal form (e.g. Registered Company Private, Limited Partnership)
• Date of registration
• Registered office address (active entities)
• Share capital (active entities)

Legal Representatives

• Directors and secretary, AI-extracted from the Entity Profile Report

Shareholders

• Available when disclosed in the Entity Profile Report; private companies are not required to disclose shareholders publicly

Note: Beneficial ownership data is not available through the JFSC public Registry. UBO information is accessible only to competent authorities and obliged entities through the restricted OEBO register. Activity codes and industry classification are not provided by the JFSC.

Available Documents

Financial statements are not publicly filed for private companies in Jersey and are therefore not available. Articles of association are filed at incorporation but are not offered as a separate retrievable document through the JFSC portal. UBO extracts are restricted to authorised parties and not available through Topograph.

---