Choosing between a business name and a company, and what each obliges you to file. Each question below is answered on its own page, by reference to the law of Trinidad and Tobago.
These questions belong to Corporate and Commercial Law, the practice page that sets out how such a matter is run.
Last reviewed 22 September 2026
Questions on business names and companies
- Should I register a business name or a company in Trinidad and Tobago? A business name is a label, not a separate legal person, so the owner or partners are personally liable for its debts. Every partnership, and any individual not trading under their own surname, alone or with first names or initials, must register within 14 days of starting. A limited company is a separate legal person; its shareholders are not, as shareholders, liable for its debts. Directors who give personal guarantees remain liable under them.
- How do I close a company or a registered business name in Trinidad and Tobago? A solvent company can be closed by a members' voluntary winding up: the directors declare it solvent, the shareholders pass a special resolution, and a liquidator winds it up. The Registrar can also strike a company off the register, including on the company's own application, but the liabilities of the company, its directors and its shareholders continue. A registered business name is closed by notifying the Registrar General within 3 months after the business stops.
- What does a company in Trinidad and Tobago have to do every year? The directors must call the first annual meeting within 18 months of incorporation and each later one within 15 months of the last, unless all the voting shareholders sign a written resolution instead. Comparative financial statements go before the shareholders, who appoint an auditor unless, in a company that is not a public company, they all agree to do without one until the next annual meeting. Records and an annual return are also required.
Important notice. This page is general information about the law of Trinidad and Tobago. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. The law changes, and how it applies depends on the facts, so take advice on your own situation before you act. Court decisions are cited for the principle they state; similar results cannot be guaranteed, and a decision may be subject to appeal or change.
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Commentary / Business
Business Names and Companies in Trinidad and Tobago
By Suraj Sakal, Attorney-at-Law, called to the Bar of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago