Company Search in the Marshall Islands: How to Verify

Company Search in the Marshall Islands: What You Can and Cannot FindCopy link to section

A company search in the Marshall Islands lets you confirm that an entity legally exists, check its standing, and identify its registered agent. The corporate registry is run by International Registries, Inc. (IRI) on behalf of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and a free real-time status look-up is available through the IRI Entity Search portal. This matters to anyone evaluating a counterparty, completing transactional due diligence, or maintaining their own Marshall Islands firm from abroad.

What this article covers: where the data lives, what a search shows, what it deliberately withholds, how to order certified documents, and how to read the result. It is most useful to foreign business owners, investors, and the advisers running checks on entities formed under Marshall Islands law.

The Marshall Islands Registry of Corporations and the Role of IRICopy link to section

International Registries, Inc. is a private company based in Reston, Virginia, that operates the corporate registry under contract to the Republic. IRI and its affiliates supply administrative and technical support to both the maritime and corporate registries.

The network runs through 28 offices in major shipping and financial centres, each able to incorporate an entity, receive documents for filing, and service clients. That global footprint is why most searches and document orders reach the Registrar through an IRI office rather than a counter in the islands.

Registrar duties are split by entity type. The Attorney General of the RMI acts as Registrar for resident domestic and foreign corporations, while The Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, Inc. (TCMI) serves as Registrar for non-resident domestic corporations and non-resident domestic LLCs.

The framework sits within the Marshall Islands Associations Law, which contains the Business Corporations Act, the Revised Partnership Act, the Limited Partnership Act, and the Limited Liability Company Act. These statutes are modelled on the corporate laws of Delaware, which shapes how filings and searches behave. Together with the maritime register, this is the second largest registry in the world by number of entries.

Marshall Is.

Company Incorporation in Marshall Islands

Set up your company in Marshall Islands with Expanship handling registration end to end.

Learn more

Why the Marshall Islands Operates a Non-Resident Registry ModelCopy link to section

The jurisdiction maintains a separate legal track for non-resident domestic business corporations intended for use outside its territory. A non-resident domestic entity is incorporated under local law, but its tax-exempt treatment depends on conducting no business within the islands themselves.

Under the Business Corporations Act, codified at 52 MIRC Part I, non-resident domestic and foreign corporations are exempt from corporate tax, net income tax, withholding tax, asset tax, stamp duty, and exchange controls, with only the annual registration fee remaining. There is no requirement to file annual tax returns, financial statements, or an annual report with the Registrar.

This design has consequences for any search. Because the structure is built for international use and carries no public filing duty, the registry holds far less about each company than a filing-heavy regime would.

The model is well established with capital markets: as of the most recent available data, 30 Marshall Islands entities trade on the New York Stock Exchange, 15 on NASDAQ, and one on the London Stock Exchange. Note also that the Act was significantly amended in 2019, so pre-2019 guidance on bearer shares, beneficial ownership, and information exchange is unreliable.

What Entity Details Are Available Through an Official SearchCopy link to section

The entity-search tool returns real-time results drawn from the Registrar's database as of the moment you run it. A standard result tells you the essentials needed to confirm identity and standing.

A typical search discloses the following:

• Full legal name and registration number
• Date of incorporation
• Current standing: Active, Inactive, Struck Off, or Annulled
• Name and address of the registered agent
• The legal registered-office address within the jurisdiction

A search will also surface amendments and other publicly filed documents. What it will not show is people.

Beyond the basic look-up sit several formal documents you can order. The Certificate of Good Standing confirms active status and that annual formalities and fees are met; the Certificate of Incorporation states the name, number, incorporation date, and the Act under which the firm was formed; and the Articles of Incorporation define the name, purpose, authorised share capital, and initial structure.

Marshall Is.

Ongoing Compliance in Marshall Islands

Keep your Marshall Islands entity compliant with filings, returns, and statutory obligations.

Learn more

How to Request a Company Search or Certificate of Good StandingCopy link to section

Any of the 28 IRI offices can issue a Certificate of Good Standing. The free name and status look-up is open to the public online, but certified output works differently.

Formation requests and document orders must be placed through a professional, such as an attorney, accountant, or corporate service company, to any IRI office. There is no direct public self-service channel for certified documents. Name clearance and similar enquiries can be handled by telephone, fax, or email through an IRI office.

For non-resident domestic corporations, TCMI is the sole registered agent, so document requests relating to those entities route through TCMI or IRI. Once issued, Marshall Islands registry documents carry weight abroad: the Republic acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 18 November 1991, so apostilled documents gain full legal value across Convention member states, with certified translation where required.

Online Access Versus Agent-Assisted SearchesCopy link to section

The free online tool is the only no-cost search channel, and it gives you real-time status plus publicly filed data: name, registration number, incorporation date, status, and registered agent. It does not generate a certified or apostilled document.

Certified extracts, Certificates of Good Standing, Certificates of Incorporation, and apostilled copies all require an agent-assisted order through an IRI office or an authorised provider. Certified Certificates of Incorporation are issued electronically as a scanned copy by email, with the original couriered where needed.

Marshall Is.

Marshall Islands Incorporation Pricing

See transparent pricing to incorporate and maintain a company in Marshall Islands.

View pricing

Fees, Turnaround Times and Document DeliveryCopy link to section

Marshall Islands entities are low-cost and quick to form, often within a single business day, with a full registration achievable in about three working days plus delivery. Annual renewal calls for payment of roughly USD 700 before the anniversary date; that figure reflects the government fee component reported by a third-party agent, and total agent-billed costs run higher.

A register search placed through a third-party agent is not free, and results typically come back within two to three business days. Basic enquiries through agent channels can be answered in as little as 30 minutes, and apostille plus global courier delivery is available for official documents.

No official per-document fee schedule for certified items such as a Good Standing certificate or search report was available from the IRI primary site during research. For current tariffs, contact an IRI office directly.

Reading a Marshall Islands Company Extract or Search ReportCopy link to section

The principal certified extract from the register is the "Marshall Islands Company Search Report." It confirms the company's legal existence, its current status, and the identity of the registered agent.

Four status terms appear in results, and each tells you something distinct:

Results are real-time and can change without notice. A Certificate of Good Standing goes further than a bare status line: it confirms the company is active, has filed all required annual reports, has paid all government fees, and that no proceedings to strike its name have been instituted.

By law the Registrar keeps alphabetical indices of all resident and non-resident domestic corporations, foreign maritime entities, and authorised foreign corporations. Apostille legalisation for these documents is handled in Switzerland, where the register is physically located for that purpose. As noted, directors, shareholders, and beneficial owners do not appear on a standard report.

The Limits of Public Searchability for Marshall Islands EntitiesCopy link to section

Confidentiality here is structural, written into the Business Corporations Act rather than offered as an administrative extra. International business companies are not required to file annual financial statements, audit reports, or income tax returns with the government, and there is no public filing equivalent to Companies House or the SEC.

Internal records stay internal. The register of directors and the register of members are kept at the company and need not even be submitted to the registered agent, and audited accounts are not filed with the Registry.

Beneficial ownership is recorded but not exposed. Each company must keep a beneficial ownership register at its office, with access restricted to the RMI Government on formal request and to the registered agent; the Beneficial Ownership Regulations 2023 anchor this duty in the Business Corporations Act and the partnership, limited partnership, and LLC statutes.

Two external status points help you assess reputational risk. With effect from 17 October 2023, the Marshall Islands was removed from the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, and the country does not appear on the FATF blacklist or the publicly documented grey list; verify the FATF plenary output at fatf-gafi.org before relying on this.

One caution carries real weight for owners. The absence of RMI public filing does not cancel obligations in your own country: controlled foreign company rules, FBAR duties, and home-country foreign income reporting all apply by your tax residency, not by Marshall Islands requirements.

Practical Tips for Foreign Owners and Advisers Conducting Due DiligenceCopy link to section

A disciplined check moves from free confirmation to certified proof.

1. Run the free real-time status look-up first to confirm whether the entity is Active, Struck Off, or Annulled before paying for any documents.
2. Authenticate any electronic RMI document by scanning its QR code or entering its Unique Tracking Number on the verification portal.
3. Take the registered agent's name from the report and cross-reference it against TCMI or the appointed IRI-network agent.
4. Order a Certificate of Good Standing as the baseline for transactional due diligence; it proves the entity is active and fee-compliant.
5. Source beneficial ownership through banking CRS channels or a direct KYC/AML request to the entity, since it will not appear in a registry search.

• Do not expect directors, shareholders, or UBO data from a standard search; that information is not filed publicly and stays confidential.

Re-check status lists close to a transaction. The EU Annex I and Annex II lists update twice a year, and FATF updates three times a year, so confirm both before advising EU-based clients or closing. Finally, place formation and certified document orders through a professional to an IRI office, and treat any pre-2019 guidance with care given the 2019 amendments that prohibited bearer shares and made beneficial ownership registers mandatory.

ConclusionCopy link to section

A Marshall Islands company search reliably answers whether an entity exists, what its standing is, and who its registered agent is, but it stops there by design. The closed registry keeps directors, shareholders, and beneficial owners out of public view, so deeper due diligence depends on certified documents, banking CRS channels, and direct requests to the company. For a foreign owner, the practical path is to start with the free status check, escalate to a Certificate of Good Standing where a transaction warrants it, and keep your own home-country reporting separate from the islands' light filing regime.

How Expanship Can Help Your Business in the Marshall IslandsCopy link to section

Expanship supports owners and advisers who need to confirm an entity's standing, obtain a Certificate of Good Standing, or order certified and apostilled documents through the proper IRI channels, and the same team handles the wider work of running a Marshall Islands entity from abroad.

• Company incorporation under the Business Corporations Act
• Registered agent and registered-office services
• Tax registration and filing where applicable to your circumstances
• Ongoing compliance and beneficial ownership record management
• Accounting and bookkeeping support
• Banking introductions for new and existing entities

To discuss a search, a document order, or a full incorporation, contact Expanship Marshall Islands.

Frequently Asked QuestionsCopy link to section