COJ Reduces Fees for Businesses in Hurricane-Hit Parishes

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) will be rolling out several measures to provide financial and economic relief for business entities in the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa.

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, said that the measures include an extension of the current late fee waiver, from October 27, 2025, to October 31, 2026.

“The next step is to implement the waiver for all affected accounts and update the system to reflect the new timeline. That (late fees) is a major issue with businesses, and I’m very happy that this is being implemented,” he said while speaking in the Senate on Friday (December 5).

The Minister said there will also be a 50 per cent reduction in incorporation fees for the period December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026 for charities receiving donations to support hurricane relief.

The reduction will last for a four-month period from December 1 to the end of March, and the Minister noted that once the approval is finalised, the fee structure will be updated to reflect the change.

The Minister said that the agency is also seeking to lower the fees charged for letters of good standing, which will benefit business persons who have lost their documents and need proof of their status to resume operations.

He said that the reduced cost would apply between December 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, while a separate reduction for certified copies is being proposed from December 1, 2025 until October 31, 2026.

Additionally, between December 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, COJ will operate pop-up mobile services across various parishes to improve access and speed of service delivery.

Senator Hill said that the initiatives are “urgent and noble efforts” that will help small business owners recover from the effects of Hurricane Melissa.

“This will continue until we get Jamaican businesses back up and running,” he said, noting that the Ministry is also working with major entities to assist small enterprises that serve communities to return to operation.

Source: JIS