Baobab Tower, Warrens, St. Michael, home of the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO). (FP)

The Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) will be closed to the public during the period of national pause, February 3 to 17. 

However, CAIPO will continue to provide services in relation to the back-end processing of applications and other filings which are submitted electronically. The public is asked to utilise the office’s electronic facilities as follows:

  • Frequent users of CAIPO’s services may register to access the online database and conduct online transactions, including searches.

The form for registration is titled “Registered Agent Application Form” and can be found by clicking here  It should be completed and emailed to ataylor@caipo.gov.bb and jwaterman@caipo.gov.bb

An “agent number” and a password will be issued, along with instructions on using the online database.  Once registered, persons can use the EZPay+ system to top up their accounts.

  • Persons not requiring frequent access to our database have the option of utilising EZPay+ to make payments for a wide variety of filings.  Once payment has been made, a copy of the documents being filed, along with the EZ Pay+ proof of payment, should be emailed to caipo.general@barbados.gov.bb. In cases of transactions pertaining to business names, two forms of ID for each signatory should be included in the email.
  •  Queries relating to the status of applications and of post incorporation or organisational filings should be sent via email to caipo.general@barbados .gov.bb.
  • Any other documents required to be sent to CAIPO should be scanned and emailed to caipo.general@barbados.gov.bb.

For all electronic submissions as indicated above, e-signatures are being accepted along with scanned copies of the relevant documentation; for example, notarials and powers of attorney.  

Where originals are required, an undertaking must be given by the company’s director or attorney-at-law, to file the original documents as soon as possible.

Documents such as company charges with statements of charge, Bills of Sale, Instruments of share transfer, applications for the renewal of registration of trademarks and the payment of prescribed fees for patents and patent applications which are required to be filed within the timelines stipulated by legislation should be scanned and emailed using the address caipo.general@barbados.gov.bb.  

In such circumstances, the Office will recognise the date of receipt of the emailed documents pending submission of the physical documents, provided that the filing fee is paid via EZPay+ and evidence of payment is also submitted. The physical documents are to be submitted as soon as is reasonably possible.

The Corporate Registry will accept corporate documents from another jurisdiction without the requirement of notarial certification provided that these documents can be independently verified (for example, if they contain a QR Code or some other access code which allows the same document to be viewed on the issuing Corporate Registry’s website). 

If there are no such means of independent verification, the Registrar will accept, without notarial certification during the prevailing circumstances, corporate documents which have been executed outside of the jurisdiction where the documents are supported by an affidavit which has been sworn by counsel for the body corporate, in accordance with Section 407 of the Companies Act, Cap.308 as amended, and which verifies the authenticity of the documents and the facts contained therein.

The public is also reminded of the changes to the filing deadlines for annual returns that came into effect in 2019, so as to afford companies a longer period during which they can make their filings. In accordance with section 15A of the Companies Act, Cap. 308, as amended, the deadlines for filing 2020 Annual Returns are as follows:

  • Companies incorporated between January 1 and June 30 in any given year, must file by June 30, 2021.
  • Companies incorporated between July 1 and December 31 in any given year, must file by December 31, 2021.

In addition to the above, the Office will also try to facilitate urgent or emergency requests or matters on a case by case basis.  Any such emergency requests should be emailed to Casey Boyce, Deputy Registrar (ag.) at cboyce@caipo.gov.bb.

Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office

Pin It on Pinterest