Starting a Business in Antigua and Barbuda

This table summarizes the procedures and costs associated with setting up a business in Antigua and Barbuda.

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Legal Form: Private Limited Liability Company
City: St. John's

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Search and reserve company name	3 days	EC 25
2	Have lawyer prepare incorporation documents	1 day	EC 150
3	Register with the Intellectual Property and Commerce Office (receive certificate of incorporation)	10 days	EC 3200
4	Make a company seal	5 days	EC 200
*5	Apply for tax payer identification number (register the company for tax)	3 days (simulteneous with previous procedure)	no charge
*6	Register for VAT/ABST identification number	1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure)	no charge
7	Register for medical benefit	1 day	no charge
8	Register for social security and education levy	1 day	no charge

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Search and reserve company name
Time to complete:: 3 days
Cost to complete:: EC 25
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The company name search is performed manually by going through large registration books. Upon assurance that no other company goes by the proposed name, a form is submitted to reserve the name for three months.

Procedure 2.: Have lawyer prepare incorporation documents
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: EC 150
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The cost is defined as the fee charged by a lawyer or justice of the peace to prepare a declaration attesting that the company owner is not bankrupt, is mentally sound, and is over 18 years of age. This is the only document that requires an attorney’s intervention by law. However, the general practice is that an attorney will prepare all incorporation documents: notice of address, notice of directors, and articles of incorporation. In this case, the average attorney fee is XCD 2,500. All the necessary documents are forms from the Company Act and are completed by filling in blanks. Legalization of the documents is not required by law.

Procedure 3.: Register with the Intellectual Property and Commerce Office (receive certificate of incorporation)
Time to complete:: 10 days
Cost to complete:: EC 3200
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The annual return is filed at the company registry with directors’ names, shares issued, and address.

Breakdown of registration fees:
- Annual filing fee: XCD 200.
- Registration fee: XCD 200.
- Statutory declaration (stamp fee): XCD 30.

Procedure 4.: Make a company seal
Time to complete:: 5 days
Cost to complete:: EC 200
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Company seals are not required by the Company Act but are in practice required for everyday company transactions. The cost varies between EC 75 and EC 275.

Procedure 5.: Apply for tax payer identification number (register the company for tax)
Time to complete:: 3 days (simulteneous with previous procedure)
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The taxpayer identification registration is done at the Inland Revenue Authority.