Business
Companies Act with a very small formal private sector
Companies register under the Companies Act administered by the Registrar, with business licensing at both national and island level. The formal private sector is small and state-linked enterprises dominate.
Key rules
- Deadline — Business licences are renewed annually and may also be required by the Falekaupule
- Deadline — Annual returns are filed with the Registrar of Companies
Governing law
- Companies Act (Cap. 34) (s. 5)
- Business Licences Act 2007
- Foreign Investment Act 1993
- Consumer Protection provisions, Price Control Act
In practice
Tuvalu has a population of roughly eleven thousand and a correspondingly small corporate sector, so commercial practice is dominated by government, state-owned enterprises and the cooperative society rather than by private companies. Foreign investment requires approval and is limited in practice by land access, since land is customary and cannot be bought. Two revenue streams shape the commercial landscape more than company law does: fishing licence revenue under the Parties to the Nauru Agreement vessel day scheme, and the licensing of the .tv internet domain, which is a significant share of government income.