Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- Not specified
- Search language
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- Digital documents
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- Document language
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- Paper and collection
- Not specified
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Obtain the price from the competent registry
- Access
- Jurisdiction enquiry to BIOTAdmin@fcdo.gov.uk
Choose the right register
The officially published Companies Ordinance 1981 is a revised edition showing the law as at 1 September 2020. Its remaining substantive provision, section 3, concerns the residence of bodies corporate. It does not describe a public search service, extract tariff or ordering route. [1]
Section 3 provides that a body corporate, or an entity treated as one for tax purposes elsewhere, is not regarded as resident in the territory. This does not identify where a particular company was incorporated. [1]
Names and abbreviations explained
Search step by step
Check a claimed BIOT registration
Obtain the incorporation evidence
Ask the company for its full legal name, place of incorporation, registration number and issuing authority. Activity in the territory or a territory-related website is insufficient to determine the competent company registry. [1] [3]
Clarify jurisdiction with the administration
Address the specific question to BIOTAdmin@fcdo.gov.uk. The administration lists BIOT Administration, Overseas Territories Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH as its postal address. Ask which authority can verify the claimed registration and where extracts should be requested. [2]
Obtain records from the identified registry
Request the current company extract and, if needed, the incorporation certificate from the identified registry. Confirm fees, third-party access, certification, document language and delivery. Do not automatically apply a UK registry’s access conditions to a claimed BIOT registration. [1] [2]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company extract or incorporation evidence from the competent registry [1] [2] | Evidence of the actual legal entity; a specific order requires identification of the issuing registry first. | The identified registry’s tariff. | Identify the registration number and incorporation jurisdiction; ask the administration to clarify a claimed BIOT registration. |
| Companies Ordinance 1981, revised edition [1] | Four-page official legal source explaining the residence provision; it does not verify an individual company. | Public download without payment. | Open the PDF directly on the BIOT Administration website. |
Research does not require a visit to the territory
The administration is based in London. Entry into the territory is subject to a separate permission process. The official site also carries a notice concerning paused entry permits with exceptions. [2] [4]
Frequently asked questions
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 16 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.
- Companies Ordinance 1981, Chapter G.3 British Indian Ocean Territory Administration
- BIOT Administration: contacts British Indian Ocean Territory Administration
- Governance British Indian Ocean Territory Administration
- BIOT Administration: official site British Indian Ocean Territory Administration