Business
Companies Act 1996 on the CARICOM model
The Companies Act 1996 adopts the CARICOM harmonised model with articles of incorporation, so company law is common law in character despite the civilian Civil Code. The Registry of Companies and Intellectual Property administers incorporation, and an international business company regime operates under separate legislation. Insolvency remains largely a matter of the older Bankruptcy Act together with codal rules on creditor priority.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National registration through the Registry of Companies and IP
- Deadline — Annual return: filed each year with the Registrar
- Deadline — Change of directors: notice within 15 days
- Deadline — Financial statements: laid before the annual meeting of shareholders
Governing law
- Companies Act 1996
- International Business Companies Act
- Commercial Code
- Registration of Business Names Act
In practice
Security over movable property is one place where the mixed system bites commercially, because the Civil Code's rules on hypothec and pledge sit alongside common law style charges, and taking security requires attention to which regime governs the asset. The Commercial Code also survives in part and governs some aspects of sale and agency that a common lawyer would expect to find in case law.