The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) is encouraging members of the public to verify the registration status of companies and businesses before conducting transactions, as part of efforts to protect consumers and promote greater due diligence.

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Registrar, Shellie Leon, said persons should utilise the agency’s online platform to confirm whether an entity is legally registered and in good standing before entering into agreements or making payments.

Ms. Leon noted that through the COJ website, persons can search for registered companies and businesses in real time by entering the entity’s name or registration number.

“We want to encourage persons to do their due diligence. We have seen too many persons who paid for courses, bought motor vehicles, or handed over large sums of money without first checking the entity involved,” she said.

She pointed out that in several instances, businesses being promoted to customers were either never registered, had been struck off the register, or had been delinquent for years.

Ms. Leon explained that persons can access basic information free of cost, including whether a company is active, its registered address, company secretary, and other publicly available details on its website.

“The Companies Office website is the source of truth. The Companies Act creates these legal entities, and the information available on our platform can help persons make informed decisions,” she added.

The CEO also advised the public to carefully examine business registration certificates presented by companies to determine authenticity.

She said legitimate COJ digital certificates and other official documents will contain a barcode or QR code that can be scanned for verification.

“When scanned, the code should take you directly to the official Companies Office of Jamaica mini-site. If it does not, or if the document has no barcode or QR code, that is a red flag,” Ms. Leon said.

She further noted that physical certificates issued by the agency contain security features, including a watermark and a unique certificate reference number, which can also be checked for authenticity.

Ms. Leon said the COJ is moving further into digital certification to make validation easier for businesses, government entities, financial institutions and members of the public.

She indicated that upcoming e-certificates will allow instant verification online, helping to reduce fraud and strengthen trust in business transactions.

The Registrar also underscored the agency’s wider drive to formalise businesses and make registration easier through improved digital services.

“We want more persons to formalise their operations, and we are making it easier to do so, but we also want the public to protect themselves by checking before they commit,” she said.
Persons may verify companies and businesses by visiting the COJ’s website at https://www.orcjamaica.com/.