BVI Company Registration and Maintenance Guide (4) – Choosing the Name for a BVI Business Company
There are restrictions on what types of words you can use in a company name. See “restrictions” and BVI Restricted Words.
No company can be incorporated which has a name which is identical to another company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands or so closely resembles the name that it could be deceptive or mixed up.
Possible endings:
The name of the company must include one of the following words or its abbreviation:
| Word | Abbreviated form |
| Limited | Ltd. |
| Corporation | Corp. |
| Incorporated | Inc. |
| Societe Anonyme or Sociedad Anonima | S.A. |
Possible words to use in the name:
If you wanted to use the name Blue Mountains, Inc., it’s quite possible that the name is not available because there is already a company with that name registered in the British Virgin Islands.? In order to avoid your name being rejected because it is identical to another name, you might consider using a name such as Blue Mountain Holdings, Inc. or Blue Mountain Investments, Inc.
We’ve listed here some of the more common words which are used to create names. We’ve also listed other words and their combinations which you might use to for your company.
Commonly used words:
- Holdings
- Investments
- International
- Overseas
- Trading
Other possible alternatives:
- Administration
- Advisers
- Agency
- Amalgamated
- and Co. (& Co.)
- Associates
- Business Services
- Consulting
- Continental Group
- Development
- Development Group
- Enterprises
- et Cie.
- Holdings Group
- Industrial Holdings
- International Holdings
- International Investments
- Investment Group
- Management
- Marketing
- Online
- Overseas Holdings
- Partners
- Properties
- Resources
- Services
- Services Group
- Shipping
- Software
- Specialists
- Technology
- Ventures
Restrictions:
It is not possible to use a word (or words) in the name that are calculated to suggest:
- the patronage of Her Majesty or that of a member of the Royal Family;
- a connection with Her Majesty’s Government; or
- a connection with a municipality or other local authority or with a society or body incorporated by Royal Charter.
Examples: Chamber of Commerce, Chartered, Imperial, Municipal, Royal, etc.
Nor is it possible to use any words which convey that the business of the company is of a licensed nature, such as Insurance or Banking business. Examples: Assurance, Bank, Building Society, Cooperative, Insurance, Trust Company, or Trustee Company.
BVI – Restricted Words
Please note that the following words may not be used in the BVI in a Company name:
- (ANNUITY)
- (B V I)
- (BBLEGGINGSFONDS)
- (FONDOS MUTUOS)
- (FONDOS)
- (FONDS COMMUN DE PLACEMENT)
- (FONDS)
- (FUND)
- (FUNDS)
- (GELDMITTL)
- (MUTUAL FUND)
- (MUTUAL FUNDS)
- ABACUS
- AHORRA
- AHORRAS
- AMEX
- AMS
- ANNUITY
- bullet
- ARIAS FABREGA
- ASSURANCE
- ASSURER
- ASSURERS
- AVON
- B V I
- V.I.
- BANC
- BANCO
- BANCORP
- BANK
- BANKER
- BANKERS
- BANQUE
- BARCLAY
- BARCLAYS
- BARCLAYTRUST
- BELEGGINGSFONDS
- BETTING
- BOURSE
- BRITISH
- BRITISH VIRGIN ISLAND
- BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
- BROKER
- BROKERAGE
- BROKERS
- BUILDING SOCIETY
- BUREAU
- BVI
- CASINO
- CASUALTY
- CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
- CHANGE
- CHARTERED
- CHASE
- CITCO
- CITICORP
- COMPANIES REGISTRY
- COMPANY REGISTRY
- COOPERATIVE
- COUNCIL
- CREDIT CURRENCIES
- CURRENCY
- DANTRUST
- DELOITTE & TOUCHE
- ECHANGE
- ERNST & YOUNG
- EURO AMERICAN
- EXCHANGE
- FIDELITY
- FIDUCIAIRE
- FIDUCIARE
- FIDUCIARIES
- FIDUCIARY
- FIRST PENNSYLVANIA
- FONDO
- FONDOS
- FONDOS MUTUOS
- FONDS
- FONDS COMMUN DE PLACEMENT
- FUND
- FUNDING
- FUNDS
- GAMBLING
- GAMING
- HARNEY, WESTWOOD & RIEGELS
- HAVELET
- HMS
- HWR
- HYSAN
- L.S.
- IBC
- IBM CORP
- ICAZA, GONZALEZ
- IMPERIAL
- INSURANCE
- INSURER
- INSURERS
- INTEL
- JARDINE MATHESON
- T.D.
- LIFE
- LOAN
- LOTTERY
- MAGNAVOX
- MATHESON
- MUNICIPAL
- MUTUAL
- MUTUAL FUND
- MUTUAL FUNDS
- NERINE
- OVERSEAS MANAGEMENT