2.13 Business registration 2.13.1 Registration of business names Whether trading as an incorporated company, or other type of corporate body, a partnership, or simply a sole trader, the name under which the trade is carried on must be registered at the Registry of Business Names within 14 days of commencement of business. Application is made on the prescribed form for a fee of £20.00. The registrar may refuse to register a name that bears too close a similarity to one already in existence or which is considered sensitive or misleading. The words Limited, Ltd. PLC, SA or SL or similar may not appear as a suffix to a business name. Under the Business Names Registration Act, every business name registered on or after 1 January 2000 must submit an annual statement of particulars accompanied by a fee of £15.00. When a business ceases to operate, a form of notice of cessation of business must be presented to the registrar with a fee of £15.00. The term “business” includes a profession, the establishment or operation of a website in or from within Gibraltar or via an ISP in Gibraltar or the promotion of any trade, business or profession from Gibraltar regardless of where it is situated.
2.13.2 Registration with the Employment Service Businesses must register their own and employee details with the Employment Service at the Ministry of Employment. Any business, whether a company, partnership or sole trader, must register the following details with the Employment Service within three months of commencement of business: • The name(s) of the persons carrying on the business or, if it is a company, the name of the company; in case of partnerships, the names of all the partners • The business name under which the business is carried out • The address of the place of business • The nature of the business • Other particulars as may be prescribed Employment registrations expire within the first 12 months of registration, and thereafter, the registrations must be renewed during the course of the first month after expiry. The annual registration fee is £20, with a penalty of £20 if the fee is not paid within the first month after expiry.
Doing business in Gibraltar
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