Jamaica News: The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) is encouraging business operators to utilise the Electronic Business Registration Form (eBRF).
Speaking with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COJ, Judith Ramlogan, explained that the eBRF converts the manual form to an electronic version, which minimises time and errors since the system uses smart wizard technology.
She noted that the eBRF allows business operators to register their business name or company from wherever they are in the world and from the convenience of their homes.
“All you will need is a smartphone or a computer with Internet service. You can upload your signatures, and other documents may be scanned and uploaded to our system,” Mrs. Ramlogan said.
She added that the eBRF boasts several features, including an online payment option using the COJ eBank subscription, secret phrase for verification, data protection and traceability of document and the registration process.
“The steps are simple during the process of registering your business name using the eBRF. You will be asked to create a subscription account on the COJ website, which is http://www.orcjamaica.com. This registration account will be required to have a minimum of $2,500 to make the necessary payments for the service,” Mrs. Ramlogan explained.
She said that the COJ eBank subscription will be the only online payment option, because credit and debit cards will not allowed.
She added that another unique feature of the new eBRF system is that following the payment, the customer will be asked to verify the information and also be able track its progress.
“You are also given the option of utilising a courier service or selecting a pickup destination. We are making it easier for you to complete this process,” Mrs. Ramlogan said.
“Customers will be given the opportunity of a user name and password to access the eBRF to reserve and then register a name. Should there be any difficulties registering, they can call the customer care centre during work hours to take them through the process,” she noted.
Mrs. Ramlogan said that business operators will have the choice of submitting as many forms as they like, and they also have the option of doing partnership registration, granted all parties have a subscription account.
She said it is the COJ’s vision to see the online portal being used as the primary medium to register businesses in the future.
A total of 130 entities have utilised the COJ’s eBRF since the online facility was piloted on April 4, 2018.
The eBRF represents the first online business registration system in the Caribbean, and the project is being undertaken at a cost of approximately $35 million through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Public Sector Efficiency Programme (PSEP).
Source: JIS News