So you want to venture into the food business and open your own restaurant? Before you even think of serving your first meal, you’ll need to register it as a legitimately operating business. Here’s how.

First, identify an acceptable name for your business, and then have it officially registered at the Companies of Jamaica (COJ). The COJ requests that a prospective business name should not be objectionable or offensive to public morality. The name should also not be misleading or worded to resemble that of an existing enterprise.

When a name has been selected and approved by the COJ, you will have to indicate whether the business is an individual, partnership, or company undertaking. In an individual business, you are required to submit a BN-1 form; for a partnership between two and up to 20 persons, a BN-2 form will have to be submitted; and a BN-3 form for any enterprise acting as a company along with individuals. The BN forms are available for download on their website: www.orcjamaica.com, or at the COJ’s head office in New Kingston at 1 Grenada Way, Kingston 5.

BN-1 and 2 forms cost J$2,000 while the BN-3 costs $2,500. Additionally, the COJ requires proof of address, identification – a driver’s licence or national ID, and a bank statement that includes the applicant’s place of residence. If you are not Jamaican, you will be required to submit a work permit. Then, after all the requirements have been met and approved, you will be awarded a business certificate — which must be renewed every three years — authenticating your restaurant business.