32nd Edition I April-September 2019
Inside
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Registrar & CEO of the Companies Office of Jamaica, Judith Ramlogan, guides Prime Minister Andrew Holness on how to use the Electronic Business Registration Form.
GET THE FACTS ABOUT THE EBRF 92% OF CUSTOMERS SATISFIED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION: MAKING AN APPOINTMENT
EBRF LAUNCH HIGHLIGHT
Opening Hours Our office is opened for business during the following hours: Kingston Office: Mondays to Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Montego Bay Office: Mondays to Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Fridays: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Our Drop-Off Box facility is available Mondays to Fridays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
PM Launches New Electronic Business Registration Form Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on Wednesday (August 7), launched the Companies Office of Jamaica’s (COJ) newly created Electronic Business Registration Form (eBRF). The online platform, which replaces the COJ’s one-stop-shop paper-based superform that was introduced in 2014, will facilitate 24-hour business registrations at the agency’s website – www.orcjamaica.com, from any location globally. The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation Division in the Office of the Cabinet, with funding support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
He said that the ease of registering a company on the eBRF is “mind-blowing” and serves as an indication that Jamaica is transitioning “boldly” into a digital society. Prime Minister Holness said that the platform is “a step further” in positioning Jamaica as a “potential place for international businesses,” which will be further enhanced with the creation of the proposed international business centre for which “we have almost completed the legislation”.
In his remarks, Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, said that eBRF is the first online business registration platform in the Caribbean, and hailed the launch as a “significant achievement” for the COJ and Mr. Holness, who delivered the keynote address at the launch at The Jamaica Peg- Jamaica. asus hotel in New Kingston, praised the Additionally, he said it represents a major stakeholder partners for the “tremendous thrust towards modernising and transitionwork” undertaken to establish the new plat- ing the business environment to offer world form. -class services to clients.
Mr. Shaw noted that the Government is undertaking a “comprehensive approach” to improving Jamaica’s business climate through interventions such as the National Competitiveness Council’s (NCC) Business Environment Reform Agenda.
“To this end, we have seen recent legislative changes resulting in enhanced access to credit through the National Collateral Registry, and ongoing reform in the public sector to make it more efficient to do business with the Government,” he pointed out. Mr. Shaw said the Administration remains committed to further improving the business environment, adding that “we cannot afford to be complacent.” “We must continue the momentum and focus on other critical areas such as the cost and ease of paying taxes and trading across borders,” he noted. He added that the BRF’s launch coupled with continued improvements in the business environment will make Jamaica “an even more attractive destination for local and international investors.” For her part, the COJ’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Judith Ramlogan, said the innovative eBRF demonstrates to the world that Jamaica is “open for business.”
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Judith Ramlogan, Registrar & CEO of the Companies Office of Jamaica delivers her speech at the Electronic Business Registration Form launch on August 7, 2019.
She said that the innovation is indicative of the Government’s and COJ’s commitment to utilising technology to improve Jamaica’s investment environment and “It is our aim to deliver world-class serprovide incentive for investors to do vice to our customers and there is no business in Jamaica. doubt that the introduction of the Elec-
tronic Business Registration Form will provide our customers with an efficient registration facility,” the CEO noted.
GET THE FACTS ABOUT THE eBRF The Electronic Business Registration Form (eBRF) is Jamaica’s online business registration platform replacing the manual paper registration form.
load funds using a Visa debit card or a credit card to pay for the services they are utilising. Individuals who do not have a credit or debit card may visit the COJ With the eBRF, it is expected to modern- and top up their account with cash in order to use the system. ise and improve Jamaica’s investment environment, as it simplifies the registra- • Data protection and traceability of tion process for investors wanting to do documents throughout the registration business in the island. The system process. allows registration of businesses or com• Smart wizard technology, which assists panies from anywhere in the world using users with the registration process by the 24-hour eBRF portal. It is also making the application form more userexpected to contribute positively to a friendly and minimising errors. greener environment. How to Use the eBRF Features of the eBRF System 1. Persons may access the system via The eBRF boasts several features: the Internet using a computer or • Online payment using the COJ eBank smartphone. They will also need a scansubscription, which is a virtual account ner to upload documents (in the absence provided by the COJ. It allows clients to of a scanner, high quality photographs of -2-
documents are also accepted for upload). 2. Persons who wish to use the system – but do not have access to a computer or smart phone – may do so at the eBRF kiosk provided at the COJ office in Kingston. To register a business, visit the COJ’s website at www.ocrjamaica.com, click on the online business registration link, select ‘service link’ and complete the steps required. Following payment, customers will be asked to verify the information and will also be able track the progress of their registration. When the certificate is ready, the signee will receive an online notification, phone call, or text message. Certificates may be delivered by courier, or collected from the COJ in person or by a bearer.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH AN EXAMINERClients who are having issues with multiple rejections are reminded that they may come in and sit with a Business Registration examiner who will assist with the issues being experienced.
This service is available every Wednesday and by Appointment Only.
To access this service simply Call our Customer Service Department at 754-2292 to make an appointment.
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92 Per Cent Of COJ Customers Satisfied The Companies Office of Jamaica’s (COJ) says 92 per cent of its customers have expressed some level of satisfaction with the services offered by the agency. This is contained in the COJ Customer Satisfaction Survey undertaken in May 2019, details of which were presented by the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Judith Ramlogan, at a recent JIS Think Tank. “Our customer satisfaction as at May 2019 is at 92 per cent. Of course, there are issues and some level of dissatisfaction,” she noted. She said that some customers were unhappy with the processing and wait times for documents. “We do have guaranteed services and we can register a company the same day, but we can’t register all companies at the same time. People sometimes do have a problem with our processing time in that if you submit a document to the companies office to be registered and if it is rejected, you have to wait, as documents have to go through the same checking process,” she noted.
Mrs. Ramlogan said that dissatisfaction with parking is also being addressed through the renting of additional spaces in New Kingston. She said that 43.5 per cent of customers noted the need for improvement in parking.
Judith Ramlogan, Registrar & CEO of the Companies Office of Jamaica. “The permanent answer is to get another location. We have been trying to find another location [but] …in the mediumterm what we have decided to do is to move some of our office processes to another building, so that we can improve our customer service,” she said.
The COJ’s annual survey assesses the satisfaction levels of customers with the products and services offered by the agency. A total of 1,039 customers were sampled – 160 from Montego Bay and 879 from Kingston. Mrs. Ramlogan said the results will be
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used as a basis for appropriate intervention to expand and or improve services. She noted that the entity is working to enhance service delivery and is urging customers to use the COJ’s online system, the electronic Business Registration Form (eBRF), to register their operations. Persons can access the form via the COJ’s website at www.orcjamaica.com from any location globally. The online system provides a hassle-free and more convenient option for those seeking to register a business or company.
LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS
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Know Your Forms Forms can be downloaded from the COJ’s website at www.orcjamaica.com
Form BN6: To close a Business Name (fee to close is Business is $600) Form BN1: To renew a Sole Trader — Business Name Form BN2: To renew a Partnership — Business Name Remember to file your Annual Return today!
Our Partners: The following Government Ministries and Agencies have partnered with the Companies Office of Jamaica to make your business registration and start-up experience easy and convenient: Ministry of Industry Investment & Commerce eGov Jamaica Ltd (formerly Fiscal Services Ltd) Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) Ministry of Labour and Social Security (N.I.S.)
National Housing Trust HEART Trust/NTA Jamaica Business Development Corporation Contact us: Companies Office of Jamaica 1 Grenada Way, Kingston 5 Telephone: (876) 908-4419–24 Fax: (876) 960-7152
The Companies Office of Jamaica is an Executive Agency under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture & Fisheries
