If you engage in a profession or trade, you may need to register and pay an annual fee.
This information may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is not professional advice. If in doubt, please consult a qualified attorney.
Any person who engages in a profession, trade, business or calling ("professional activity") may be required to register and pay an annual fee to either the Chief Labour Officer or the Registrar of the Supreme Court, depending on the professional activity undertaken, or to be undertaken, by that person.
The annual fee varies depending on the professional activity of the person in question. The prescribed fees are shown in the list below.
Persons who engage or intend to engage in more than one professional activity must be registered and pay the appropriate fee in respect of each such professional activity.
Annual fees must be paid to the relevant authority by January 31st of each year. Any person who fails to pay the prescribed fee before the deadline will also be required to pay a penalty of the same amount.
If you are already registered and seek to renew your licence, it is now possible to pay the annual licence fee online via EZPay+, the official payment gateway of the Barbados Government.
It is not possible to pay the licence fee online for first time registrations. Persons who are not registered will need to attend in person to have their documentation authenticated and to pay the prescribed fee.
For first time registrations with the Registrar of the Supreme Court, visit the Registration Department at Whitepark Road.
For first time registrations with the Chief Labour Officer, visit the Ministry of Labour at the Warrens Office Complex.
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
Required to register with the Chief Labour Officer:
Required to register with the Registrar of the Supreme Court:
The principal Act is the Profession, Trade and Business Registration Act, Cap. 373 which came into operation on the 1st January, 1979.
The prescribed fees were last updated by Parliament under the Profession, Trade and Business Registration (Amendment) Act, 2017 which came into operation on the 1st January, 2017.
The list of occupations were last updated by the Minister responsible for Finance under the Profession, Trade and Business Registration Order, 2011 which came into effect on the 1st January, 2012.
The exemption from registration for shopkeepers operating without a liquor licence is provided under the Profession, Trade and Business Registration (Exemption) Order, 1979, which came into effect on the 1st January, 1979.
If your professional activity is not listed on this page, that means it is not listed in the First Schedule, Second Schedule or Third Schedule to the Profession, Trade and Business Registration Act, Cap. 373 ("the Act").
According to Section 3(1)(c) of the Act, every person who engages in a "calling" must be registered. For the purposes of the Act, a "calling" refers to any occupation not specified in the First Schedule, Second Schedule or Third Schedule to the Act. However, the Ministry of Labour and the Registration Department of the Supreme Court appear to have a different interpretation of the Act.
In our experience, they refuse to register any person whose occupation is not listed in any of the aforementioned schedules, since no fee is payable in respect of any occupation not listed in any of the aforementioned schedules to the Act.