Formal registration of companies has many immediate benefits for the companies and for business owners and employees. Legal entities can outlive their founders. Resources are pooled as several shareholders join forces to start a company. Formally registered companies have access to services and institutions from courts to banks as well as to new markets. And their employees can benefit from protections provided by the law. An additional benefit comes with limited liability companies. These limit the financial liability of company owners to their investments, so personal assets of the owners are not put at risk. Where governments make registration easy, more entrepreneurs start businesses in the formal sector, creating more good jobs and generating more revenue for the government.
Below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by entrepreneurs wishing to incorporate and register a new firm in Antigua and Barbuda. It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income.
This information was collected from World Bank: Doing Business
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
This information was collected from World Bank: Doing Business
| No. | Procedure | Time to Complete | Associated Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Search and reserve company name | 3 days | EC 25 |
| 2 | Have a lawyer prepare the incorporation documents | 1 day | EC 150 |
| 3 | Register with the Intellectual Property and Commerce Office (receive the certificate of incorporation) | 10 days | EC 3230 |
| 4 | Make a company seal | 5 days | EC 200 |
| * 5 | Apply for tax payer identification number (register the company for tax) | 3 days (simulteneous with previous procedure) | no charge |
| * 6 | Register for VAT/ABST identification number | 1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure) | no charge |
| 7 | Register for medical benefit | 1 day | no charge |
| 8 | Register for social security and education levy | 1 day | no charge |