This document has been provided by the
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL).

ICNL is the leading source for information on th e legal environment for civil society and public
participation. Since 1992, ICNL has served as a resource to civil society leaders, government
officials, and the donor community in over 90 countries.

Visit ICNL’s Online Library at
https://www.icnl.org/knowledge/library/index.php
for further resources and research from countries all over the world.

Disclaimers Content. The information provided herein is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended and should not be
construed to constitute legal advice. The information contai ned herein may not be applicable in all situations and may not, after the date of
its presentation, even reflect the most current authority. Noth ing contained herein should be relied or acted upon without the benefit of legal
advice based upon the particular facts and circumstances pres ented, and nothing herein should be construed otherwise.
Translations. Translations by ICNL of any materials into other languages are intended solely as a convenience. Translation accuracy is not
guaranteed nor implied. If any questions arise related to the accuracy of a translation, please refer to the original language official version of
the document. Any discrepancies or differences created in the tr anslation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or
enforcement purposes.
Warranty and Limitation of Liability. Although ICNL uses reasonable efforts to include ac curate and up-to-date information herein, ICNL
makes no warranties or representations of any kind as to its a ccuracy, currency or completeness. You agree that access to and u se of this
document and the content thereof is at your own risk. ICNL discl aims all warranties of any kind, express or implied. Neither ICNL nor any
party involved in creating, producing or delivering this document shall be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of access to, use of
or inability to use this document, or any e rrors or omissions in the content thereof.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 1

BERMUDA
1981 : 59
COMPANIES ACT 1981
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART I
INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION
1 Short title and commencement
2 Interpretation
3 Appointment of Registrar
4 Application
4A Restricted business activities
4B Prohibited business activities
PART II
INCORPORATION OF COMPANIES
5 Mode of forming a company
6 Registration of companies
7 Requirements of memorandum
8 Prohibition of registration of companies with undesirable
names
9 Power to dispense with “limited” in name of charitable
and other companies
10 Change of name of a company
11 Powers and objects of a company
12 Procedure for alteration of memorandum
13 Bye-laws
14 Registration of companies
14A Re-registration of limited liability company as unlimited
liability company
14B Re-registration of unlimited liability company as company
limited by shares or by
guarantee
15 Certificate of incorporation to
be conclusive evidence
16 Effect of memorandum and bye-laws
17 Alterations in memorandum or bye-laws increasing liability to
contribute to share capital not
to bind existing members
without consent
18 Copies of memorandum and bye-laws to be given to
members
19 Definition of member
20 [Repealed]

COMPANIES ACT 1981

2 1989 Revisio
n

21 Form of contracts
22 Bills of exchange and
promissory notes
23 Execution of instruments abroad
24 Authentication of documents
PART III
PROSPECTUSES AND PUBLIC OFFERS
25 Interpretation of Part III
26 Company offering shares to public shall publish a
prospectus
27 Contents of a prospectus
28 Minimum amount required to be raised to be stated in
prospectus
29 Companies continuously offering shares to the public
30 Offences relating to the issue of a prospectus
31 Civil liability for mis-statements in prospectus
32 When experts are not liable
33 Restriction on alteration of terms mentioned in prospectus
34 Rules
PART IV
SHARE CAPITAL DEBENTURES AND DIVIDENDS
35 Prohibition of allotment unless minimum subscription
received
36 Effect of irregular allotment
37 Penalty for the contravention of section 36
38 Payment of commissions
39 Financial assistance generally prohibited
39A Exclusion from prohibition on financial assistance
39B Circumstances where financial assistance is permitted
39C Conditions app licable to giving
of financial assistance under
section 39B
40 Application of premiums received on issue of shares
41 Meaning of “reserve”
42 Power to issue redeemable preference shares
42A Purchase by a company of its own shares
43 Power to convert preference shares into redeemable
preference shares
44 Power of company to arrange for different amounts being
paid on shares
45 Power of company limited by shares to alter its share capital
46 Reduction of share capital
47 Rights of holders of special classes of shares
48 Nature and transfer of shares
49 Transfer by estate representative
50 Notice of refusal to register transfer
51 Duties of company with respect to the issue of
certificates
52 Certificate to be evidence of title and evidence of grant of
probate
53 Bearer shares prohibited
54 Dividends and other distributions
54A Right to claim damages
PART V
REGISTRATION OF CHARGES
55 Register of charges; registration; priorities
55A Amendment of register
56 Correction of register

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 3

57 Registration of series of
debentures
58 Registration of particulars of commission paid
59 Entry of satisfaction; release of property from charge
60 Registration of enforcement of security
61 Application of Part V to charges created and acquired
by company incorporated
outside Bermuda
PART VI
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
62 Registered office of company
62A Service of documents
63 Publication of name of company
64 Restriction on commencement of business
65 Register of members
66 Inspection of register
67 Power of Court to rectify register
68 Register to be evidence
69 Provisional directors and their powers
70 First general meeting of members to elect directors
71 General meetings
72 Failure to hold annual general meeting or to elect directors
73 Position when election of directors does not take place
74 Convening of special general meeting on requisition
75 Length of notice for calling meetings
75A Telephonic, etc. meeting
76 Power of Court to order meeting
77 Voting at meetings
77A Resolution in writing
78 Representation of corporations at meetings
79 Circulation of members’ resolution, etc.
80 Conditions to be met before company bound to give notice
of resolution
81 Minutes of proceedings to be kept
82 Inspection of minute books
83 Keeping of books of account
84 Financial statement to be laid before general meeting
85 [Repealed] 86 Definition of subsidiary and
holding companies
87 Right to receive copies of balance sheet etc.
87A Provision of summarised financial statements to
shareholders
87B Ascertainment of shareholders’ election
87C Provision of full financial statements for inspection
88 Power to waive laying of accounts and appointment of
auditor
89 Appointment and disqualification of auditor
90 Annual audit
91 Election of directors
91A Representation of director by another director
91B Directors entitled to receive notice of meetings, etc.
92 Appointment of secretary
92A Register of directors and officers
93 Removal of directors

COMPANIES ACT 1981

4 1989 Revisio
n

94 Undischarged bankrupt not to
take part in management of a
company
95 Court may order that a convicted person shall not take
part in the management of the
affairs of a company
96 Prohibition of loans to directors without consent of
members
97 Duty of care of officers
98 Exemption, indemni-fication and liability of officers, etc.
98A Insurance of officers
98B Liability of auditor or officer
PART VII
ARRANGEMENTS,
RECONSTRUCTIONS AND AMALGAMATIONS
99 Power to compromise with creditors and members
100 Information as to compromise with creditors and members
101 Reconstruction of companies
102 Power to acquire shares of shareholders dissenting from
scheme or contract approved
by majority
103 Holders of 95% of shares may acquire remainder
104 Amalgamation of companies
104AAmalgamation of exempted company and foreign
corporation and continuation
as an exempted company
104BAmalgamation of exempted company and foreign
corporation and continuation
as a foreign corporation
104C Documents to be filed on amalgamation and continuation as a foreign
corporation
104DProvisions applicable to
amalgamation and
continuation as a foreign
corporation
104E[Repealed] 104F[Repealed] 104G[Repealed] 105 Amalgamation agreement
106 Shareholder approval
107 Short form amalgamation
108 Registration of amalgamated
companies
109 Effect of certificate of amalgamated companies
PART VIII
INVESTIGATION OF THE AFFAIRS
OF A COMPANY AND PROTECTION OF MINORITIES
110 Investigation of the affairs of a company
111 Alternative remedy to winding up in cases of oppressive or
prejudicial conduct
1l2 Preservation of the books and assets of a company
PART IX
LOCAL COMPANIES
113 Interpretation of Part IX and Third Schedule
114 Circumstances in which local company may carry
on business
114A Application for licence
114B Granting and revocation of licence
114C Fees payable by local licensed company
115 Hotel companies

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 5

116 Penalty for improper
exercise of voting rights
117 Return of shareholdings
118 Allotment and transfer of shares
119 Minister may require information
120 Acquisition of land by local companies
121 Companies to make declarations and pay
annual tax
122 Accountant General may call for auditor’s certificate
123 Recovery of annual tax
124 Companies in liquidation
125 Certain companies exempt from tax
126 Interpretation of sections 121 to 125
PART X
EXEMPTED COMPANIES
127 Meaning of exempted company
128 Exempted company to be an exempted undertaking
129 Restriction on acquisition of property
129A Circumstances in which exempted company may
carry on business in
Bermuda
13O Requirements for officers or representatives in
Bermuda
131 Annual fee
132 Investigation of affairs of exempted company
132A Denomination of capital of exempted companies
132B Section 124 applies to an exempted company
PART XA
CONTINUATION AND
DISCONTINUATION OF COMPANIES
132C Continuance in Bermuda
132D Provisions of Act applying to memorandum of
continuance and certificate
of continuance
132E Consequences of continuance of foreign
corporation
132F Continued company to adopt bye-laws
132G Exempted company may discontinue out of
Bermuda
132H Documents to be filed on discontinuance
132I Effect of discontinuance
132J [Deleted] 132K [Deleted] 132L Public inspection of
documents
132M Regulations
PART XI
OVERSEAS COMPANIES
133 Overseas company not to carry on business without
a permit
133A Mutual fund exempted from requirement of a
permit
134 Grant of permit to overseas company
135 Annual fees

COMPANIES ACT 1981

6 1989 Revisio
n

136 Conditions subject to
which permits may be
granted
136A Principal representatives
137 Form and proof of a permit
138 Alteration of conditions of a permit
139 Revocation of a permit
140 Revocation procedure
141 Appeals to Supreme Court
142 Register of permit companies
143 Restrictions on activities of a permit company
144 Power of overseas and exempted companies to
hold mortgages
143A Permit company and re-insuring
145 Records to be kept by permit company
146 Investigation of affairs of permit company
147 Letter heads and service of process; permit company
148 Offences
149 [Repealed] 150 Effect of repeals or
amendments of other
enactments and savings
150A Application of certain sections to non-resident
insurance undertakings
151 Application of 1966:41 to permit companies
PART XII
MUTUAL COMPANIES
152 Interpretation
153 Mutual companies to create and maintain a
reserve fund
154 Liability of members on a winding up
155 Apportionment of assets of mutual companies
155A Criteria for determining membership
156 Act to apply to mutual companies
PART XIIA
MUTUAL FUND COMPANIES
156A Interpretation
156B Redemption and purchase of shares by mutual fund
156C Redemption and purchase by mutual fund company
of its own shares
156D [Repealed] 156E Private Act companies
incorporated with certain
powers deemed to be
mutual funds
156F Certain sections do not apply to mutual fund
156G Certain companies incorporated after 1 July
1983 deemed to be mutual
funds
156H Certification by Minister of fund as United Kingdom
class scheme
156I Conditions to be satisfied for certification
156J Right of member to bring action against custodian or
manager for loss suffered
as a result of breach of
bye-laws
156K Power of Minister to require rectification where
fund no longer complies
with statutory conditions

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 7

156L Custodian and manager
required to be independent
of one another
156M Manager of fund deemed to be an officer of fund
156N Power of directors to amend bye-laws to ensure
compliance with prescribed
requirements
156O Power of Minister to direct custodian or manager of
fund to furnish information
156P Regulations by Minister for Part XII
PART XIII
WINDING UP
157 Modes of winding up
158 Liability as contributories of present and past
members
158A Winding up of limited company that was formerly
unlimited
159 Definition and nature of liability of a contributory
160 Contributories in case of death or bankruptcy of a
member
161 Circumstances in which company may be wound up
by the Court
162 Definition of inability to pay debts
163 Applications for winding up
164 Powers of Court on hearing petition
165 Powers to stay or restrain proceedings against a
company
166 Avoidance of dispositions of property etc. after commencement of winding
up
167 Commencement of winding
up by the Court
168 Statement of company affairs to be submitted to
Official Receiver
169 Report by Official Receiver
170 Power of Court to appoint liquidators
171 Appointment of liquidators
172 Liquidator who is not the Official Receiver
173 Liquidators; resignation, removal, salary
174 Custody and vesting of companies property
175 Powers of liquidator
176 Exercise and control of liquidator’s powers
177 Books to be kept by liquidator
178 Release of liquidators
179 Receipts by liquidator
180 Audit of liquidators’ accounts
181 Meetings of creditors and contributories to determine
whether committee of
inspection shall be
appointed
182 Constitution and proceedings of committee
of inspection
183 Powers of Registrar where no committee of inspection
184 Power to stay winding up
185 Settlement of list of contributories and
application of assets
186 Delivery of property to liquidator

COMPANIES ACT 1981

8 1989 Revisio
n

187 Payment of debts due by
contributory to company
and extent to which set-off
allowed
188 Power of Court to make calls
189 Order on contributory conclusive evidence
190 Appointment of special manager
191 Power to exclude creditors not proving in time
192 Adjustment of rights of contributories
193 Inspection of books by creditors and
contributories
194 Power to order costs of winding up to be made out
of assets
195 Power to summon persons suspected of having
property of company etc.
196 Power to order public examination of promoter
and officer
197 Power to arrest absconding contributory
198 Powers of Court cumulative
199 Delegation to liquidator of certain powers of the Court
199A Early dissolution
199B Consequences of notice under section 199A
200 Dissolution of company
201 Circumstances in which a company may be wound up
voluntarily
201A Appointment of liquidator and dissolution of company
of limited duration
202 Notice of resolution to wind up voluntarily
203 Commencement of voluntary winding up
204 Effect of voluntary winding up on business and status
of company
205 Avoidance of transfers etc. after commencement of
voluntary winding up
206 Statutory declaration of solvency in case of
proposal to wind up
voluntarily
207 Members’ winding up
208 Power of company to appoint and fix
remuneration of liquidators
209 Power to fill vacancy in office of liquidator
210 Power of liquidator to accept shares etc. as
consideration for sale of
property of company
211 Duty of liquidator to call creditors’ meeting in case
of insolvency
212 Duty of liquidator to call general meeting at end of
each year
213 Final meeting and dissolution. Members
voluntary winding up
214 Alternative provisions as to annual and final meetings
in case of insolvency.
215 Creditors’ winding up
216 Meeting of creditors
217 Appointment of liquidator
218 Appointment of committee of inspection
219 Fixing of liquidator’s remuneration and cessor of
officers’ powers

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 9

220 Power to fill vacancy in
office of liquidator
221 Application of s.210 to a creditors’ voluntary
winding up
222 Duty of liquidator to call meetings of company and
creditors at end of each
year
223 Final meeting and dissolution
224 Sections 225 to 233 apply to every winding up
225 Distribution of property of company
226 Powers and duties of liquidator in voluntary
winding up
227 Power of Court to appoint and remove liquidator in
voluntary winding up
228 Notice by liquidator of his appointment
229 Arrangement when binding on creditors
230 Liquidator’s power to stay voluntary winding up
231 Power to apply to Court to have questions determined
or powers exercised
232 Costs of voluntary winding up
233 Saving for rights of creditors and
contributories
234 Debts of all description may be proved
235 Application of bankruptcy rules in winding up of
insolvent companies
236 Preferential payments
237 Fraudulent preference
238 Liability and rights of certain fraudulently
preferred persons
239 Effect of floating charge
240 Disclaimer of onerous property
241 Restriction of rights of creditor as to execution or
attachment in case of
company being wound up
242 Duties of Provost Marshal as to goods taken in
execution
243 Offences by officers of companies in liquidation
244 Penalty for falsification of books
245 Frauds by officers of companies which have
gone into liquidation
246 Persons concerned responsible for fraudulent
trading
247 Power of Court to assess damages against
delinquent officers
248 Prosecution of delinquent officers and members of
company
249 Body corporate disqualified for appointment as
liquidator
250 Corrupt inducement affecting appointment as
liquidator
251 Enforcement of duty of liquidator to make returns
etc.
252 Notification that a company is in liquidation

COMPANIES ACT 1981

10 1989 Revisio
n

253 Exemption of certain
documents from stamp
duty
254 Books of company to be evidence
255 Disposal of books and papers of company
256 Information as to pending liquidations
257 Unclaimed assets to be paid into Consolidated
Fund
258 Appointment of commissioner to take
evidence
259 The swearing of affidavits etc.
260 Power of Court to declare dissolution of company
void
261 Registrar may strike defunct company off
register
262 Property of dissolved company to be bona
vacantia
263 Power of Crown to disclaim title to property vesting
under section 262
264 Investment of surplus funds
PART XIV
RECEIVERS AND MANAGERS
265 Disqualification of undischarged bankrupt
from acting as receiver or
manager
266 Receivers and managers appointed out of Court
267 Notification that receiver or manager appointed
268 Power of Court to fix remuneration on
application of liquidator
269 Information where receiver or manager appointed
270 Delivery to Registrar of accounts of receivers and
managers
271 Enforcement of duty of receiver to make returns
272 Construction of references to receivers and managers
PART XIVA
TRANSFER OF SECURITIES
272A Transfer of securities
PART XIVB
POWER TO ASSIST FOREIGN
REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
272B Request for assistance by foreign regulatory authority
272C Power to require information or documents
272D Exercise of powers by officer
272E Penalty for failure to comply with requirement
PART XV
GENERAL
273 Form of registers
274 Accountant General and other officers may inspect
books without charge
275 Penalty for improper use of word “Limited”
276 Production and inspection of books when offence
suspected
276A Appeals to Supreme Court against revocation of

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 11

licence under section 114B
or 129A
276B Onus of proof
276C Proof of certificate
276D Publication of orders
277 Penalty for false
statements or failure to
make a statement
278 Section 452 of Criminal Code not to apply
279 Application of fines
280 Default fines
281 Power of Court to grant relief in certain cases
282 Suits and actions against Registrar and Official
Receiver
283 Registrar and Official Receiver to be indemnified
in respect of foreign suits
284 Applications to Supreme Court by originating
summons
285 Power to enforce orders
286 Amendment of private Acts
287 Repeal; amendments; transitional savings.
288 Rules
289 Saving
FIRST SCHEDULE (Section 11(1))
SECOND SCHEDULE (Section 11(2))
THIRD SCHEDULE (Section 114)
FOURTH SCHEDULE [repealed] FIFTH SCHEDULE (Section 121(1))
SIXTH SCHEDULE [repealed] SEVENTH SCHEDULE (Section 287(1))
EIGHTH SCHEDULE
NINTH SCHEDULE
(Section 4A)
TENTH SCHEDULE
(Section 4B)
[16 July 1981] [preamble and words of enactment omitted] PART I
INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION
Short title and commencement
1 This Act may be cited as the Companies Act 1981.
[Commencement provisions omitted] [This Act was brought into operation on 1 July 1983 by BR 22/1983]

COMPANIES ACT 1981

12 1989 Revisio
n

Interpretation
2 (1) In this Act unless the context otherwise requires—
“affiliated company” has the meaning given in section 86(3);
“appointed jurisdiction” means a jurisdiction appointed under
subsection (10);
“appointed newspaper” means the Gazette or newspaper appointed by the Registrar under subsection (6);
“appointed stock exchange” means any stock exchange appointed by the Minister under subsection (9);
“arrangement” includes a reorganization of the share capital of a company by the consolidation of shares of different classes or
by the division of shares into shares of different classes or by
both these methods;
“attorney” means barrister and attorney;
“bearer shares” means shares that may be transferred by delivery of the warrant or certificate relating thereto;
“book and paper” includes minutes, financial statements, accounts, deeds, writings and documents;
“bye-laws” means the bye-laws of a company as originally passed or as lawfully altered from time to time;
“company” means a company to which this Act applies by virtue of section 4(1);
“company limited by shares” and “company limited by guarantee” have the meanings given in section 5(2)(a) and (b);
“competent regulatory authority” means any authority appointed by the Minister by notice in an appointed newspaper;
“contributory” has the meaning given in section 159;
“Court” means the Supreme Court;
“creditors’ voluntary winding up” has the meaning given in section 206(4);
“debenture” includes debenture stock, bonds and any other securities of a company whether constituting a charge on the
assets of the company or not;
“default fine” has the meaning given in section 280;
“director” includes an alternate director and any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called;
“document” includes summons, notice, order or other legal process and registers;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 13

“exempted company” has the meaning given in section 127;
“exempted undertaking” means an exempted company, or permit
company or an exempted partnership as defined in the
Exempted Partnership Act 1992 [title 17 item 26];
“general rules” means general rules made under section 288(2)
and includes forms;
“holding company” has the meaning given in section 86(2);
“local company” means any company incorporated in Bermuda other than an exempted company;
“member” has the meaning given in section 19;
“members’ voluntary winding up” has the meaning described by section 201;
“memorandum” means the memorandum of association of a company, as originally delivered to the Registrar or as
lawfully altered from time to time;
“minimum subscription” has the meaning given in section 28;
“Minister” means the Minister of Finance or such other Minister as may be appointed to administer this Act;
“mutual company” has the meaning given in section 152;
“non-resident insurance undertaking” has the meaning given in section 1 of the Non-Resident Insurance Undertakings Act
1967 [title 5 item 17] ;
“Official Receiver” means the Official Receiver appointed under
section 3 or such other person as may be performing his
duties under this Act;
“officer” in relation to a body corporate, includes director and secretary;
“overseas company” means any body corporate incorporated outside Bermuda other than a non-resident insurance
undertaking;
“permit” means a permit issued under section 134;
“permit company” means any company with a valid permit;
“prescribed” means prescribed by statutory instrument made under this Act;
“prospectus” means any prospectus, notice, circular, advertisement, or other invitation offering to the public for

COMPANIES ACT 1981

14 1989 Revisio
n

subscription or purchase any shares or debentures in a
company;
“receiver” or “manager” have the meaning given in section 272;
“register” means the register of companies maintained under
section 14(1);
“Registrar” means the Registrar of Companies appointed under section 3 or such other person as may be performing his
duties under this Act;
“share” means share in the share capital of a company and includes stock;
“statutory meeting” means the meeting required to be held under section 70;
“subsidiary company” has the meaning given in section 86;
“unlimited liability company” has the meaning given in section 5(2)(c).
(2) Wherever in this Act an obligation or duty is placed on a
company or a company is authorized to do any act then unless it is
otherwise provided such obligation, duty or act may be carried out by the
directors of the company.
(3) A person shall not be deemed within the meaning of any
provision of this Act to be a person in accordance with whose directions
or instructions the directors of a company are accustomed to act, by
reason only that the directors of the company act on advice given by him
in a professional capacity.
(4) The expressions “shall be liable to a fine” or “shall be liable
to imprisonment” when used in this Act shall mean “shall be guilty of a
summary offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine” or “shall be
guilty of a summary offence and shall be liable on conviction to
imprisonment”, as the case may be, and all fines and terms of
imprisonment shall be deemed to be maximum fines or periods of
imprisonment, as the case maybe.
(5) Where it is stated that a person shall be guilty of contempt
of court he shall be deemed to have committed an offence under section
5 of the Administration of Justice (Contempt of Court) Act 1979 [title 8
item 1B] .
(6) The Registrar shall from time to time publish in the Gazette
a list of newspapers appointed for the purposes of this Act.
(7) Any requirement in this Act to use the word “Limited” may
be met by the use of the abbreviation “Ltd.”.
(8) In this Act the expression “member” includes shareholder
and the expression “shareholder” includes member.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 15

(9) The Minister may appoint a stock exchange and shall cause
the appointment to be published in an appointed newspaper.
(10) The Minister may appoint a jurisdiction and shall cause the
appointment to be published in an appointed newspaper.
[Section 2 amended by 1992:51 effective 1
July 1992; by 1992:66 effective 8 August
1992; by 1993:37 effective 13 July 1993; by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; by
1998:35 effective 5 October 1998; and by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Appointment of Registrar
3 There shall be appointed a Registrar of Companies and an
Official Receiver both of whom shall be public officers and shall have the
powers and discharge the duties conferred or imposed upon them by this
Act.
Application
4 (1) This Act shall apply to —
(a) all companies registered under it or registered before 1
July 1983 under the Companies (Incorporation by
Registration) Act 1970;
(b) all companies limited by shares incorporated by Act in Bermuda prior to or after 1 July 1983, except to such
extent (if any) as may otherwise be expressly provided in
the incorporating Act;
(c) all mutual companies incorporated prior to 1 July 1983 to which Part XII applies; and
(d) any overseas company so far as any provision of this Act requires it to apply.
(1A) In respect of —
(a) non-resident insurance undertakings, section 2 and Parts XIII and XIV shall apply to them except those
sections in Part XIII relating exclusively to members’
voluntary liquidations and for the purposes of section 2
and Parts XIII and XIV “insurance business” has the
meaning assigned to it in the Non-Resident Insurance
Undertakings Act 1967 [title 5 item 17];
(b) permit companies, section 2 and Parts III, V, XI and XIII
except those sections in Part XIII relating exclusively to
members’ voluntary liquidations shall apply to them.
(2) Where the provisions of a private Act incorporating a
company conflict with the provisions of this Act the provisions of the
private Act shall prevail provided that —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

16 1989 Revisio
n

(a) where reference is made in the private Act to any
provision of an Act repealed by this Act then if there is a
provision in this Act corresponding or nearly
corresponding to the provision repealed then that
provision shall apply;
(b) when reference is made in the private Act to any provision of an Act repealed by this Act and there is no
provision in this Act corresponding or nearly
corresponding to the provision repealed then that
provision shall continue to have effect; and
(c) notwithstanding any provision in the private Act from 1 July 1984 Parts VI (excepting section 91), VII, V III, XIII,
XIV and XV shall apply to the company.
[Section 4 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Restricted business activities
4A (1) No company shall carry on any restricted business activity
set out in the Ninth Schedule without the consent of the Minister.
(2) The Minister may, by order subject to the negative
resolution procedure, amend the Ninth Schedule by addition, deletion or
variation of any restricted business activity.
(3) An application for consent under subsection (1) shall be in
such form and accompanied by such documents as the Minister may
determine.
(4) Where the Minister refuses to grant his consent under
subsection (1), he shall not be bound to assign any reason for his refusal
and his decision shall not be subject to appeal or review in any court.
(5) [Deleted by 2003:1] (6) [Deleted by 2003:1] (7) Subject to subsection (8), an application for consent and
any documents accompanying any such application shall be treated as
confidential by the Minister and all public officers having access thereto.
(8) Subsection (7) does not preclude—
(a) the disclosure of information for the purpose of enabling
or assisting the Minister to exercise or perform any
functions conferred upon him by this Act;
(b) the disclosure of information or the transmitting of an application for consent and its accompanying documents
to the Bermuda Monetary Authority for the purpose of
enabling or assisting that Authority to exercise or
perform any functions conferred upon the Authority by
the Bermuda Monetary Authority Act 1969.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 17

(9) Where a company carries on any restricted business
activity in contravention of subsection (1), the company may, on the
application of the Registrar, be wound up by the court pursuant to
section 161.
(10) If a company makes default in obtaining the Minister’s
consent as required by subsection (1), the company and every officer of
the company who is in default shall be liable to a fine of one hundred
dollars for every day during which the default continues.
[Section 4A inserted by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998; and amended by 2003:1
effective 14 February 2003] Prohibited business activities
4B (1) No company shall carry on any prohibited business activity
set out in the Tenth Schedule.
(2) The Minister may, by order subject to the negative
resolution procedure, amend the Tenth Schedule by addition, deletion or
variation of any prohibited business activity.
(3) Where a company carries on any prohibited business
activity in contravention of subsection (1), the company may, on the
application of the Registrar, be wound up by the Court pursuant to
section 161.
[Section 4B inserted by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] PART II
INCORPORATION OF COMPANIES
Mode of forming a company
5 (1) Any one or more persons by subscribing their names to a
memorandum of association and otherwise complying with the
requirements of this Act in respect of registration may form a company
with or without limited liability.
(2) Such a company may be —
(a) a company having the liability of its members limited by the memorandum to the amount, if any, unpaid on the
shares held by them, in this Act termed “a company
limited by shares”;
(b) a company having the liability of its members limited by the memorandum to such an amount as the members
may respectively thereby undertake to contribute to the

COMPANIES ACT 1981

18 1989 Revisio
n

assets of the company in the event of it being wound up,
in the Act termed “a company limited by guarantee”; or
(c) a company not having any limit on the liability of its
members, in this Act termed an “unlimited liability
company”.
(3) A company limited by guarantee shall only be formed if —
(a) its purpose is to promote art, science, religion, charity, sport, education or any other social or useful purpose
and its profits, if any, and other income is to be used in
promoting its purposes and no dividends are to be paid
to its members; or
(b) it is a mutual company.
[Section 5 amended by 1993:37 effective 13 July 1993; and by 1994:22 effective 13
July 1994] Registration of companies
6 (1) An application for registration of a company shall be in
such form as may be prescribed by rules made under section 288 and
shall be accompanied by such documents as the Minister may
determine.
(2) Not more than three months prior to an application for
registration of a local company the applicant shall publish in an
appointed newspaper an advertisement announcing the intention to
incorporate the local company specifying the name and stating its
proposed objects.
(3) The Minister may, by order subject to the negative
resolution procedure, prohibit the registration of companies or a class of
companies the minimum share capital of which is less than an amount
stated in the order.
(4) The Registrar shall refuse to register a company if he is of
the opinion that—
(a) in the case of a company limited by guarantee its purpose is not one of the purposes referred to in section
5(3); or
(b) its memorandum shows that its minimum share capital will be less than the amount required by the Minister by
order under subsection (3).
(5) Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Registrar under
subsection (4) may appeal to the Minister whose decision shall be final.
[Section 6 amended by 1990:52 effective 12 July1990; and repealed and replaced
by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998]

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 19

Requirements of memorandum
7 (1) The memorandum of every company must state—
(a) the name of the company and, in the case of a company
limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee,
subject to section 9, the word “Limited” as the last word
of the name;
(aa) in the case of a company limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee, that the liability of its members is
limited;
(b) the objects of the Company;
(c) [Deleted by 1982:72] (d) the names, addresses and nationalities of the persons
who subscribe their names to the memorandum and
which of them, if any, has Bermudian status;
(e) whether the company is to be an exempted company;
(f) [Deleted by 1992:51] (g) the maximum land holding powers of the company in
relation to land situate in Bermuda and, where it is pro-
posed that the company shall acquire a particular parcel
of land, a full description of that parcel; and
(h) the period, if any, fixed for the duration of the company, or the event, if any, on the occurrence of which the
company is to be dissolved.
(2) In the case of a company limited by shares the memoran-
dum must also state —
(a) the amount of share capital with which the company proposes to be registered including the minimum that
must be subscribed and the division thereof into shares
of a fixed amount; and
(b) that the persons who subscribe their names to the memorandum agree to take such number of shares of
the company as may be allotted to them respectively by
the provisional directors, not exceeding the number of
shares for which they respectively subscribe, and that
they agree to satisfy such calls as may be made on them
by the directors, provisional directors or promoters in
respect of the shares allotted to them.
(3) Subject to section 154 the memorandum of a company
limited by guarantee must state that each member undertakes to
contribute to the assets of the company in the event of it being wound up

COMPANIES ACT 1981

20 1989 Revisio
n

while he is a member, or within one year after he ceases to be a member,
for the payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted
before he ceases to be a member, and of the costs charges and expenses
of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories
amongst themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding a
specified amount.
(4) The memorandum of every company shall be signed by each
subscriber in the presence of at least one witness who shall attest the
signature.
(5) A company may not alter the provisions of its memorandum
except in a manner provided in this Act.
[Section 7 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Prohibition of registration of companies with undesirable names
8 (1) No company shall be registered with a name which in the
opinion of the Registrar is undesirable.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), no
company shall be permitted to be registered with a name which—
(a) is identical with the name by which a company is
registered or incorporated under this Act or any other
Act or so nearly resembles that name as to be likely to
deceive unless that company signifies its consent in
such manner as the Registrar may require;
(b) contains the words “Chamber of Commerce”, or in the opinion of the Registrar suggests or is likely to suggest
the patronage of Her Majesty or of any member of the
Royal Family or connection with any government
whether of Bermuda or elsewhere;
(c) contains the word “municipal” or “chartered” or in the opinion of the Registrar suggests, or is likely to suggest,
connection with any public board or other local author-
ity or with any society or body incorporated by Royal
Charter;
(d) contains the word “co-operative”;
(e) contains the words “building society”; or
(f) in the case of a company limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee, subject to section 9, does not
contain the word “Limited”; or
(g) in the case of an unlimited liability company ends with the word “Limited”.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 21

(3) If, through inadvertence or otherwise, a company on its first
registration or on its registration with a new name is registered with a
name which in the opinion of the Registrar too closely resembles the
name by which a company in existence is already registered, the first
mentioned company may, with the sanction of the Registrar, change its
name, and shall, if the Registrar so directs within six months of its being
registered by that name, change its name within six weeks of the date of
such direction or within such longer period as the Registrar may think fit
to allow.
(4) If at any time after a company has been registered it
appears to the Registrar that the name under which it is registered is
undesirable, the Registrar may notify the company accordingly and may
in such notification direct the company to change its name, and the
company shall change its name within six weeks of such direction unless
within that time it shall have lodged an appeal to the Court against such
direction. The Court shall thereupon either cancel or confirm such
direction and its decision shall be final and conclusive.
(5) If a company makes default in complying with a direction
under subsection (3) or a confirmed direction under subsection (4) it
shall be liable to a default fine:
Provided that in the case of an appeal under subsection (4) the period of
default shall not commence until six weeks after the decision of the
Court.
(6) Section 10(1), (3) and (4) shall apply to a change of name
under this section as they apply to a change of name under that section.
[Section 8 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Power to dispense with “limited” in name of charitable and other
companies
9 (1) Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Minister that an
association about to be formed as a limited company is to be formed for
promoting art, science, religion, charity, sport or any other useful object,
and intends to apply its profits, if any, or other income in promoting its
objects, and to prohibit the payment of any dividend to its members, the
Minister may by licence direct that the association may be registered as a
company, without the addition of the word “Limited” to its name, and the
association may be registered accordingly.
(2) Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Minister —
(a) that the objects of an existing company, are restricted to
those specified in subsection (1) and to objects incidental
or conducive thereto; and

COMPANIES ACT 1981

22 1989 Revisio
n

(b) that by its constitution the company is required to apply
its profits, if any, in promoting its objects and is
prohibited from paying any dividend to its members, the
Minister may by licence, subject to such conditions as
he thinks fit to impose, authorize the company to change
by resolution its name by the omission of the word
“Limited”, and section 10(2), (3) and (4) shall apply to a
change of name under this subsection as they apply to a
change of name under that section.
(3) A licence under this section may at any time be revoked by
the Minister and thereupon the Registrar shall enter the word “Limited”
at the end of the name of the company in the register:
Provided that before a licence is revoked the Minister shall give the
company an opportunity of being heard.
Change of name of a company
10 (1) Subject to section 8(1) and (2), a company may by
resolution change its name if the Registrar has approved the proposed
name.
(2) [ Deleted 1994:22] (3) The Registrar shall, on receipt of a certified copy of the
resolution referred to in subsection (1) together with such fee as may be
prescribed—
(a) enter the new name on the register in place of the former
name;
(b) enter on the register the effective date of the change of name which shall be the date of entry of the new name
on the register; and
(c) issue a certificate of change of name.
(4) The change of name of a company shall not affect any rights
or obligations of the company, or render defective any legal proceedings
by or against it, and any legal proceedings that might have been
continued or commenced against it in its former name may be continued
or commenced against it in its new name.
(5) Section 8(3) and (4) shall apply mutatis mutandis to any
name adopted by a company under this section.
[Section 10 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998] Powers and objects of a company
11 (1) Subject to any provision of the law a company limited by
shares shall without reference in its memorandum have the powers set

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 23

out in the First Schedule unless any of such powers are excluded by its
memorandum.
(2) A company limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital, may amongst its objects by reference include in its
memorandum any of the objects set out in the Second Schedule.
(3) The Minister may by notice vary the First and Second
Schedules but any such variation shall not affect a company
incorporated prior to the publication of the notice unless such company
alters its memorandum to effect the change contained in the notice.
(4) A notice under subsection (3) shall be subject to affirmative
resolution procedure.
(5) The objects set out in the different paragraphs of the objects
clause in the memorandum of a company or included therein by
reference shall not, unless otherwise stated, be limited or restricted in
any way by reference to or inference from the terms of any other
paragraph in the memorandum and such objects may be carried out in
as full and ample a manner and construed in such a manner as if each
paragraph defined the objects of a separate and independent company
and each is construed as a primary object.
[Section 11 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Procedure for alteration of memorandum
12 (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a company may, by
resolution passed at a general meeting of members of which due notice
has been given, alter the provisions of its memorandum.
(2) Section 6 shall apply to a company wishing to change its
memorandum as if the company were applying to be registered save that
the advertisement provided for in section 6(2) shall detail the proposed
changes to the memorandum rather than the matters set out in section
6(2).
(3) An application may be made to the Court for an alteration
to the memorandum of a company passed in accordance with subsection
(1) to be annulled and where such an application is made the alteration
shall not have effect except in so far as it is confirmed by the Court.
(4) An application under subsection (3) may only be made —
(a) by the holders of not less in the aggregate than twenty
per centum in par value of the company’s issued share
capital or any class thereof; or
(b) by the holders of not less in the aggregate than twenty per centum of the company’s debentures entitled to
object to alterations to its memorandum; or

COMPANIES ACT 1981

24 1989 Revisio
n

(c) in the case of a company limited by guarantee by not
less than twenty per centum of the members:
Provided that an application shall not be made by any person who has
voted in favour of the alteration or has given to the company a statement
in writing duly signed that he, having had notice, consents to the
alteration.
(5) An application under subsection (3) shall be made within
twenty-one days after the date on which the resolution altering the
company’s memorandum was passed, and may be made on behalf of the
persons entitled to make the application by one or more of their number
as they may appoint in writing for the purpose.
(6) On an application under subsection (3) the Court may make
an order annulling or confirming the alteration, either wholly or in part,
and on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, and may, if it thinks
fit, adjourn the proceedings in order that an arrangement may be made
to the satisfaction of the Court for the purchase of the interests of
dissentient members, and may give such directions and make such
orders as it may think expedient for facilitating or carrying into effect any
such arrangement:
Provided that no part of the capital of the company shall be expended in
the purchase of the interests of dissentient members.
(7) Where a company passes a resolution altering the
provisions of its memorandum —
(a) if no application is made to the Court with respect thereto under this section, it shall within 30 days after
the end of the period for making such an application
deliver to the Registrar a copy of its memorandum as
altered; and
(b) if such application is made it shall —
(i) forthwith give notice of that fact to the Registrar; and
(ii) within 30 days after the date of any order annulling or confirming the alteration, either
wholly or in part, deliver to the Registrar an
office copy of the order and, in the case of an
order confirming the alteration, a copy of its
memorandum as altered.
(7A) On receipt of the copy of the memorandum altered
pursuant to this section, the Registrar shall, subject to section 4A,
forthwith register it and the amendment shall be effective from the date
of such registration.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 25

(8) If a company makes default in giving notice or delivering
any document to the Registrar as required by subsection (7), the
company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a fine of one hundred dollars for every day during which the
default continues.
(9) Notwithstanding anything in this section, if within 21 days
of the passing of a resolution a company delivers to the Registrar a copy
of the memorandum as altered and an affidavit sworn by at least 2
directors of the company stating that the company does not know of any
person who could make an application to the court under subsection (3),
the Registrar shall register the memorandum and the amendment shall
be effective from the date of such registration.
(10) A company shall give the same notice to the holders of
debentures who are entitled to object to alterations to the company’s
memorandum under subsection (3) as it is required under subsection (1)
to give to members of the company.
(11) This section shall not apply to any alteration of the
memorandum of a company authorized by section 45 or 46.
[Section 12 amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Bye-laws
13 (1) The administration of every company shall be regulated by
bye-laws; and —
(a) a company limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital, shall in its bye-laws make provision for all
the matters set out in subsection (2);
(b) a company limited by guarantee shall in its bye-laws make provision for the matters set out in subsection
(2)(b), (c), (d) and (f).
(2) A company limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital, shall in its bye-laws make provision for —
(a) the transfer of shares and the registration of estate representatives of deceased shareholders;
(b) a general meeting of the company once at least in every year;
(c) the keeping of its accounts and the laying of financial statements before general meetings of the company;
(d) an audit of the accounts of the company once at least in every year by an independent representative of the
shareholders;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

26 1989 Revisio
n

(e) the duties of the secretary to the company; and
(f) the number of members required to constitute a quorum
at any general meeting of the members of the company.
(3) In addition any company may at the time of registration or
from time to time make bye-laws if appropriate to regulate—
(i) and to restrict the entry into and the transfer of membership in the company;
(ii) the allotment of shares;
(iii) the making of calls on shares;
(iv) the payment for shares;
(v) the issue and registration of certificates of shares;
(vi) the forfeiture of shares for non-payment of calls;
(vii) the disposal of forfeited shares, and of the proceeds thereof:
(viii) the transfer of shares;
(ix) the declaration and payment of dividends;
(x) the duties and responsibilities of its president and vice presidents and of any other officers
with special responsibilities or duties;
(xi) the appointment, functions, duties, remuneration and removal of all agents, officers,
and servants of the company, and the security,
if any, to be given by them to the company;
(xii) the date on which the annual meetings of the company shall be held;
(xiii) the calling of meetings of the company, and of the board of directors, the requirements as to
proxies and requisite majorities in voting on any
particular matter or class of matters and the
procedure at such meetings;
(xiv) the quorum at meetings of directors which in no case shall be a quorum of less than two
individuals;
(xv) the voting rights and restrictions relating to any class of shares in companies limited by shares,
or other company having a share capital, and
the voting rights and restrictions of members of

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 27

companies limited by guarantee including
mutual companies;
(xvi) the imposition and recovery of all penalties and
forfeitures admitting of regulation by bye-laws;
(xvii) the conduct in all other particulars of the affairs of the company, as well as for the application of
its funds and profits; and
(xviii) the use of its common seal and any duplicate common seal.
(4) The persons subscribing their names to the memorandum
of association of a company may likewise subscribe their names to bye-
laws which shall become operative if approved at the statutory meeting.
(5) The directors of a company may after its registration amend
the bye-laws but any such amendment shall be submitted to a general
meeting of the company, and shall become operative only to such extent
as they are approved at such meeting.
[Section 13 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1993:37 effective 13 July
1993; by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Registration of companies
14 (1) The Registrar shall maintain a register of companies in such
form as he shall determine.
(2) The memorandum shall be delivered to the Registrar who, if
he is satisfied—
(a) that the company will be in compliance with this Act; and
(b) that, where applicable, the Controller of Foreign Exchange has given permission under the Exchange
Control Act 1972 [title 16 item 1 ] for the issue of shares
in the company,
shall register the memorandum, issue a certificate of incorporation
showing the date of registration and attach to the certificate a facsimile
of the memorandum delivered to him.
(3) From the date of the registration of a company the
subscribers of the memorandum, together with such other persons as
may from time to time become members of the company, shall be a body
corporate by the name contained in the memorandum, capable forthwith
of exercising all the functions of an incorporated company, and having
perpetual succession and power to adopt a common seal, but with such
liability on the part of the members to contribute to the assets of the
company in the event of its being wound up as is mentioned in this Act.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

28 1989 Revisio
n

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 29

COMPANIES ACT 1981

30 1989 Revisio
n

Effect of memorandum and bye-laws
16 (1) Subject to this Act the memorandum of association when
registered and the bye-laws when approved shall bind the company and
the members thereof to the same extent as if they respectively had been
signed and sealed by each member, and contained covenants on the part
of each member to observe all the provisions of the memorandum and of
the bye-laws.
(2) All money payable by any member to the company under
the memorandum or bye-laws shall be a debt due from him to the
company.
(3) [deleted 1994:22] [Section 16 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Alterations in memorandum or bye-laws increasing liability to
contribute to share capital not to bind existing members without
consent
17 Notwithstanding anything in the memorandum or bye-laws of a
company, no member of the company shall be bound by an alteration
made in the memorandum or bye-laws after the date on which he
became a member, if and so far as the alteration requires him to take or
subscribe for more shares than the number held by him at the date on
which the alteration is made, or in any way increases his liability as at
that date to contribute to the share capital of, or otherwise to pay money
to, the company:
Provided that this section shall not apply where the member agrees in
writing, either before or after the alteration is made, to be bound thereby.
Copies of memorandum and bye-laws to be given to members
18 (1) A company shall, on being so required by a member send
him a copy including all alterations of the memorandum of the company,
the Act establishing the company or its bye-laws subject to the payment
by the member of the cost thereof.
(2) If a company makes default in complying with this section,
the company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a fine of fifty dollars.
Definition of member
19 (1) The subscribers to the memorandum of a company shall be
deemed to have agreed to become members of the company, and on its
registration shall be entered as members in its register of members but
in the case of a company limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital, only if shares have been allotted to them.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 31

(2) Every other person who agrees to become a member of a
company, and whose name is entered in its register of members, shall be
a member of the company.
(3) In this section “register of members” includes any branch
register kept under section 65.
[Section 19 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1999:25 effective
23 July 1999] 20
[Repealed by 1993:37] Form of contracts
21 (1) Contracts on behalf of a company may be made as
follows:—
(a) a contract which if made between private persons would
be by law required to be under seal may be made on
behalf of the company under the common seal of the
company if the seal be affixed thereto attested by a
director of the company and either the secretary of the
company or another director thereof or some other
person expressly authorized for the purpose, or in such
other manner as the bye-laws may provide;
(b) a contract which if made between private persons would be by law required to be in writing, signed by the parties
to be charged therewith, may be made on behalf of the
company in writing signed by any person acting under
its authority, express or implied;
(c) a contract which if made between private persons would by law be valid although made by parol only, and not
reduced into writing, may be made by parol on behalf of
the company by any person acting under its authority,
express or implied.
(2) A contract made according to this section shall be effectual
in law, and shall bind the company and its successors and all other
parties thereto.
(3) A contract made according to this section may be varied or
discharged in the same manner in which it is authorized by this section
to be made.
(4) Where a contract purports to be made by a company or by a
person as agent for a company, at a time when the company has not yet
been formed, then subject to any agreement to the contrary, the contract
shall have effect as a contract entered into by the person purporting to

COMPANIES ACT 1981

32 1989 Revisio
n

act for the company or as agent for it and he shall be personally liable on
the contract accordingly.
(5) Any contract purported to be made in the manner set out in
subsection (4) may subsequently be unilaterally adopted by the company
and the company shall thereupon become a party thereto to the same
extent as if the contract had been made after the incorporation and in
substitution for and discharge of the agent or person purporting to act
on its behalf.
[Section 21 amended by 1993:37 effective July 13 1993] Bills of exchange and promissory notes
22 A bill of exchange or promissory note shall be deemed to have
been made, accepted or endorsed on behalf of a company if made,
accepted or endorsed in the name of, or by or on behalf or on account of
the company by any person acting under its authority and if so endorsed
the person signing the endorsement shall not be liable thereon.
Execution of instruments abroad
23 (1) A company may, by writing under its common seal,
empower any person, either generally or in respect of any specified
matters, as its agent, to execute deeds on its behalf in any place outside
Bermuda.
(2) A deed signed by such an agent on behalf of the company
and under his seal shall bind the company and have the same effect as if
it were under its common seal.
(3) A company may in addition to its common seal for use in
Bermuda, have for use in any territory or place one or more duplicate
common seals and a deed or other document to which such seal is duly
affixed binds the company as if it had been sealed with the company’s
common seal.
[Section 23 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Authentication of documents
24 A document or proceeding requiring authentication by a
company may be signed by a director, secretary or other authorized
officer of the company, and need not be under its common seal.
PART III
PROSPECTUSES AND PUBLIC OFFERS
Interpretation of Part III
25 (1) In this Part unless the context otherwise requires—

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 33

“company” includes any association of persons seeking to be
registered as such a company;
“expert” includes engineer, valuer, accountant and any other person whose profession gives authority to a statement made
by him;
“promoter” means a promoter who was party to the preparation of the prospectus, but does not include any person by reason
of his acting in a professional capacity for persons engaged in
procuring the formation of the company;
“share” includes debentures, units or sub-units of a unit trust or a warrant conferring an option to acquire shares;
(2) Any reference in this Act to offering shares to the public
shall, subject to any provision to the contrary contained therein, be
construed as including a reference to offering them to any section of the
public, whether selected as members or debenture holders of the
company concerned or as clients of the person issuing the prospectus or
in any other manner, and references in this Act or in a company’s bye-
laws to invitations to the public to subscribe for shares shall, subject as
aforesaid, be similarly construed.
(3) For the purposes of this Part—
(a) a statement included in a prospectus shall be deemed to be untrue if it is misleading in the form and context in
which it is included; and
(b) a statement shall be deemed to be included in a prospectus if it is contained therein or in any report or
memorandum appearing on the face thereof or by
reference incorporated therein or issued therewith.
(4) Subsection (2) shall not be taken as requiring any offer or
invitation to be treated as made to the public if it is—
(a) an offer to existing holders of shares in the company of the same class as the shares comprised in the offer
without any right of renunciation; or
(b) an offer without any right of renunciation to the holders of convertible debentures or debentures having
subscription rights in respect of shares into or in respect
of which the right of conversion or subscription exists; or
(c) an offer certified in writing by an officer of the company on behalf of the board of directors to be an offer which
the board considers as not being calculated to result,
directly or indirectly, in the shares becoming available—

COMPANIES ACT 1981

34 1989 Revisio
n

(i) in the case of a local company, to more than 20
persons; and
(ii) in the case of an exempted company, or a permit company to more that 35 persons; or
(d) an offer having a private character whether by reason of the connection between the company issuing the shares
and those to whom they are issued or otherwise; or
(e) an offer certified in writing by an officer of the company on behalf of the board of directors to be an offer which
the board considers as not being calculated to result,
directly or indirectly, in shares becoming available to
persons other than persons whose ordinary business
involves the acquisition, disposal or holding of shares,
whether as principal or agent.
(5) The Minister may, on the application by or on behalf of a
company, direct that the provisions of Part III or any provision of that
Part and section 35 shall not apply to a proposed offer of shares.
(6) A direction of the Minister given under subsection (5) may
be subject to conditions and may at any time be revoked by the Minister.
(7) A direction of the Minister given under subsection (5) is not
a statutory instrument having legislative effect.
[Section 25 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1997:21 effective 2
September 1997; by 1998:35 effective 5 Oc tober 1998; and by 2003:1 effective 14
February 2003] Company offering shares to public shall publish a prospectus
26 (1) Subject to subsection (1A) and to any other enactment no
company shall offer shares to the public unless prior to such offer it
publishes in writing a prospectus, and prior to or as soon as reasonably
practicable after publication of such a prospectus, the company shall file
with the Registrar, a copy signed by or on behalf of all of the directors or
provisional directors of the company.
(1A) It is not necessary to publish and file a prospectus under
subsection (1), at any time or in any circumstances, where—
(a) the shares are listed on an appointed stock exchange and the rules of the appointed stock exchange do not
require the company to publish and file a prospectus at
such time or in such circumstances; or
(b) the company is subject to the rules or regulations of a competent regulatory authority and such rules or
regulations do not require the company to publish and
file a prospectus at such time or in such circumstances,

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 35

except where exemption from publication and filing of a
prospectus is given by reason of the offer being made
only to persons who are resident outside the jurisdiction
of the authority.
(2) The Registrar shall not accept for filing a copy of a
prospectus unless it is accompanied by a certificate signed by an
attorney certifying —
(a) that the prospectus contains the particulars required by
section 27(1) and is accompanied by a written statement
from the auditor of the company, dated within seven
days prior to the date of such filing, which confirms—
(i) the auditor’s consent to the inclusion of his name in the prospectus to be issued by the
company as having accepted the appointment as
auditor of the company; or
(ii) the auditor’s consent to the inclusion in that prospectus of any or all reports prepared by
him; or;
(b) that an appointed stock exchange or a competent regulatory authority has received or otherwise accepted
the prospectus as a basis for offering shares to the
public.
(3) The directors, provisional directors and promoters of any
company that fails to comply with this section shall each be liable to a
fine of one thousand dollars.
[Section 26 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1995:33 effective 7 July
1995; by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999; and by 2003:1 effective 14 February
2003] Contents of a prospectus
27 (1) Every prospectus shall contain or there shall be attached
thereto documents showing—
(a) the names, descriptions and addresses of the promoters, officers or proposed officers;
(b) the business or proposed business of the company;
(c) the minimum subscription which, in the opinion of the promoters, directors or provisional directors must be
raised under section 28;
(d) any rights or restrictions on the shares that are being offered;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

36 1989 Revisio
n

(e) all commissions payable on the sale of the shares
referred to in the prospectus and the net amount
receivable by the company in respect of the sale;
(f) the name and address of any person who owns five percent or more of the shares of the company:
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to an exempted company or a permit company;
(g) any shareholding in the company of an officer of the company;
(h) financial statements of the company prepared in such manner and containing such information as may be
required by rules made under section 34;
(i) a report or statement by the auditor of the company prepared in such manner and containing such
information as shall be required by rules made under
section 34;
(j) the date and time of the opening and closing of subscription lists.
(2) Where an appointed stock exchange or any competent
regulatory authority has received or otherwise accepted the prospectus
then subsection (1) shall not apply.
[Section 27 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1995:33 effective 7 July
1995; and by 1997 : 21 effective 2 September 1997] Minimum amount required to be raised to be stated in prospectus
28 (1) Every prospectus shall contain the following particulars—
(a) the minimum subscription which must be raised by the issue of shares in order to provide the sums, or, if any
part thereof is to be defrayed in any other manner, the
balance of the sums, required to be provided in respect
of each of the following matters
(i) the purchase price of any assets purchased or to be purchased which is to be defrayed in whole or
in part out of the proceeds of the issue;
(ii) any preliminary expenses payable by the company, and any commission so payable to
any person in consideration of his agreeing to
subscribe for, or of his procuring or agreeing to
procure subscriptions for, any shares in the
company;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 37

(iii) the repayment of any moneys borrowed by the
company in respect of any of the foregoing
matters;
(iv) working capital; and
(b) the amounts to be provided in respect of the matters aforesaid otherwise than out of the proceeds of the issue
and the sources out of which those amounts are to be
provided.
(2) Where an appointed stock exchange or any competent
regulatory authority has received or otherwise accepted the prospectus,
then subsection (1) shall not apply.
[Section 28 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Companies continuously offering shares to the public
29 (1) Where—
(a) any company continuously over a period offers shares to the public; and
(b) any of the particulars in a prospectus issued by that company ceases to be accurate in a
material respect,
the company, as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of
that fact, shall—
(c) publish supplementary particulars disclosing the material changes; and
(d) file a copy of the supplementary particulars with
the Registrar.
(e) [deleted by 2001:30] (2) Each of the directors of any company that fails to comply
with this section shall be liable to a fine of one thousand dollars.
[Section 29 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 2000:29 effective 11
August 2000; and by 2001:30 effective 14 August 2001] Offences relating to the issue of a prospectus
30 Any person who makes or authorizes the making of an untrue
statement in a prospectus unless he proves either that the statement
was immaterial or that at the time he made the statement he had
reasonable grounds to believe it was true shall be liable —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

38 1989 Revisio
n

(a) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for period
of five years or to a fine of five thousand dollars or to
both such imprisonment and fine; or
(b) on summary conviction to imprisonment for a period of one year or to a fine of two thousand dollars or to both
such imprisonment and fine.
Civil liability for mis-statements in prospectus
31 (1) Where a prospectus invites persons to subscribe for shares
in a company, the following persons shall be liable to pay compensation
to all persons who subscribe for any shares on the faith of the
prospectus for the loss or damage they may have sustained by reason of
any untrue statement included therein that is to say —
(a) every person who is an officer of the company a the time of the issue of the prospectus;
(b) every person who has authorized himself to be named and is named in the prospectus as an officer or a having
agreed to become an officer either immediately or after
an interval of time;
(c) every person being a promoter of the company; and
(d) every person who has authorized the issue to the public of the prospectus.
(2) No person shall be liable under subsection (1) if he proves—
(a) that, having consented to become an officer of the company, he withdrew his consent before the issue of
the prospectus, and that it was issued without his
authority or consent; or
(b) that the prospectus was issued without his knowledge or consent, and that on becoming aware of its issue he
forthwith gave reasonable public notice that it was
issued without his knowledge or consent; or
(c) that, after the issue of the prospectus and before allotment thereunder, he, on becoming aware of an
untrue statement therein, withdrew his consent thereto
and gave reasonable public notice of the withdrawal and
of the reason therefor; or
(d) that —
(i) as regards every untrue statement not purporting to be made on the authority of an
expert or of a public official document or
statement, he had reasonable ground to believe,

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 39

and did up to the time of the allotment of the
shares believe, that the statement was true; and
(ii) as regards every untrue statement purporting to
be a statement by an expert or contained in
what purports to be a copy of or extract from a
report or valuation of an expert, it fairly
represented the statement, or was a correct and
fair copy of or extract from the report or
valuation, and he had reasonable ground to
believe and did up to the time of the issue of the
prospectus believe that the person making the
statement was competent to make it and had
not withdrawn or altered it; and
(iii) as regards every untrue statement purporting to be a statement made by an official person or
contained in what purports to be a copy of or
extract from a public official document, it was a
correct and fair representation of the statement
or copy of or extract from the document.
(3) Where the prospectus contains —
(a) the name of a person as an officer of the company or as having agreed to become an officer of the company
thereof, and he has not consented to become an officer,
or has withdrawn his consent before the issue of the
prospectus, and has not authorized or consented to the
issue thereof; or
(b) a statement by an expert or contains what purports to be a copy of or extract from a report or valuation of an
expert, which the expert has withdrawn or altered,
the officers of the company, except any without whose knowledge or
consent the prospectus was issued, and any other person who
authorized the issue thereof shall be liable to indemnify the person
named as aforesaid or whose consent was required as aforesaid, as the
case may be, against all damages, costs and expenses to which he may
be made liable by reason of his name having been inserted in the
prospectus or of the inclusion therein of a statement purporting to be
made by him as an expert, as the case may be, or in defending himself
against any action or legal proceeding brought against him in respect
thereof:
Provided that a person shall not be deemed for the purposes of this
subsection to have authorized the issue of a prospectus by reason only of
the inclusion therein of a statement purporting to be made by him as an
expert.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

40 1989 Revisio
n

When experts are not liable
32 A person referred to as an expert in a prospectus shall not be
liable under section 30 or 31 if any untrue statement was not made by
him or that as regards any untrue statement made by him he was
competent to make the statement and had reasonable grounds to believe
and did believe up to the date of the issue of the prospectus that it was
true or on becoming aware that the statement was untrue before the
issue of the prospectus he had given reasonable public notice of his
disassociation from the prospectus and the reasons therefor.
Restriction on alteration of terms mentioned in prospectus
33 A company limited by shares , or other company having a share
capital, shall not prior to the statutory meeting vary the terms of a
contract referred to in a prospectus.
[Section 33 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Rules
34 The Minister after consultation with the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Bermuda may make rules providing for—
(a) the information that shall be contained in, and the
copies of documents that shall be attached to, any
financial statement required to be attached to a
prospectus by section 27(1)(h); and
(b) the information that shall be contained in any report or statement of an auditor required to be attached to a
prospectus by section 27(1)(i).
[Section 34 replaced by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995] PART IV
SHARE CAPITAL DEBENTURES AND DIVIDENDS
Prohibition of allotment unless minimum subscription received
35 (1) No allotment shall be made of any share capital of a
company offered to the public for subscription unless the minimum
subscription to be raised under section 28(a) has been paid to and
received by the company.
For the purposes of this subsection, a sum shall be deemed to have been
paid to and received by the company if a cheque or other draft for that
sum has been received in good faith by the company and the officers of
the company have no reason for suspecting that the cheque or other
draft will not be paid.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 41

(2) The amount so stated in the prospectus shall be reckoned
exclusively of any amount payable otherwise than in cash.
(3) If the conditions aforesaid have not been complied with on
the expiration of 120 days after the first publication of the prospectus,
all money received from applicants for shares shall be forthwith repaid to
them without interest, and, if any such money is not so repaid within
128 days after the issue of the prospectus the directors, provisional
directors as the case may be and promoters of the company shall be
jointly and severally liable to repay that money with interest at the rate of
five per cent per annum from the expiration of the 128th day:
Provided that such a person shall not be liable if he proves that the
default in the repayment of the money was not due to any misconduct or
negligence on his part.
(4) Any condition requiring or binding any application for
shares to waive compliance with any requirement of this section shall be
void.
(5) This section shall not apply to any allotment of shares
subsequent to the first allotment of shares offered to the public for
subscription.
Effect of irregular allotment
36 An allotment made by a company to an applicant in
contravention of section 35 shall be violable at the instance of the
applicant within one month after the holding of the statutory meeting of
the company and not later, or, in any case where the company is not
required to hold a statutory meeting, or where the allotment is made
after the holding of the statutory meeting within one month after the
date of the allotment, and not later, and shall be so voidable
notwithstanding that the company is in course of being wound up.
Penalty for the contravention of section 36
37 If any officer, provisional director, or promoter of a company
knowingly contravenes, or permits or authorizes the contravention of,
any of the provisions relating to the allotment of shares, he shall be
liable to compensate the company and the allottee respectively for any
loss, damages or costs which the company or the allottee may have sus-
tained or incurred thereby:
Provided that proceedings to recover any such loss, damages, or costs
shall not be commenced after the expiration of two years from the date of
the allotment.
Payment of commissions
38 (1) It shall be lawful for a company to pay a reasonable
commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing

COMPANIES ACT 1981

42 1989 Revisio
n

to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally for any shares in the
company, or processing or agreeing to process subscriptions, whether
absolute or conditional for any shares in the company.
(2) Save as aforesaid, no company shall apply any of its shares
or capital money either directly or indirectly in payment of any
commission, discount or allowance to any person in consideration of his
subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally,
for any shares in the company, or procuring or agreeing to procure
subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any shares in the
company, whether the shares or money be so applied by being added to
the purchase money of any property acquired by the company, or the
money be paid out of the nominal purchase money or contract price, or
otherwise.
(3) Nothing in this section shall affect the power of any
company to pay such brokerage as it has heretofore been lawful for a
company to pay.
(4) A vendor to, promoter of, or other person who receives
payment in money or shares from, a company shall have and shall be
deemed always to have had power to apply any part of the money or
shares so received in payment of any commission, the payment of which,
if made directly by the company, would have been legal under this
section.
Financial assistance generally prohibited
39 (1) Subject to sections 39A to 39C (inclusive), where a person is
acquiring or is proposing to acquire shares in a company, it shall not be
lawful for the company or any of its subsidiaries to give financial
assistance directly or indirectly for the purpose of that acquisition before
or at the same time as the acquisition takes place.
(2) Subject to sections 39A to 39C (inclusive), where a person
has acquired shares in a company and any liability has been incurred
(by that or any other person), for the purpose of that acquisition, it shall
not be lawful for the company or any of its subsidiaries to give financial
assistance directly or indirectly for the purpose of reducing or
discharging the liability so incurred.
(3) In this section and sections 39A to 39C (inclusive) —
(a) a reference to a person incurring a liability includes his
changing his financial position by making an agreement
or arrangement (whether enforceable or unenforceable,
and whether made on his own account or with any other
person) or by any other means, and
(b) a reference to a company giving financial assistance for the purpose of reducing or discharging a liability
incurred by a person for the purpose of the acquisition

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 43

of shares includes its giving such financial assistance for
the purpose of wholly or partly restoring his financial
position to what it was before the acquisition took place.
(4) If a company acts in contravention of this section, it shall
be liable to a fine, and every officer of it who is in default shall he liable
to imprisonment or fine, or both.
[Section 39 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Exclusion from prohibition on financial assistance
39A (1) Section 39(1) does not prohibit a company from giving
financial assistance for the purpose of an acquisition of shares in it or in
its holding company if —
(a) the company’s principal purpose in giving that
assistance is not to give it for the purpose of any such
acquisition, or the giving of the assistance for that
purpose is but an incidental part of some larger purpose
of the company, and
(b) the assistance is given in good faith in the interests of the company.
(2) Section 39(2) does not prohibit a company from giving
financial assistance if —
(a) the company’s principal purpose in giving the assistance is not to reduce or discharge any liability incurred by a
person for the purpose of the acquisition of shares in the
company or its holding company, or the reduction or
discharge of any such liability is but an incidental part
of some larger purpose of the company, and
(b) the assistance is given in good faith in the interests of the company.
(2A) Section 39 shall only prohibit a company from giving
financial assistance if, on the date from which the financial assistance is
to be given, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the company
is, or after the giving of such financial assistance would be, unable to
pay its liabilities as they become due.
(3) Section 39 does not prohibit any transaction which is
permitted by this Act or any other statutory provision including—
(a) a distribution of a company’s assets out of funds of the company which would otherwise be available for
dividend or distribution,

COMPANIES ACT 1981

44 1989 Revisio
n

(b) a distribution made in the course of the company’s
winding up,
(c) the allotment of bonus shares,
(d) a reduction of capital made in accordance with the provisions of this Act,
(e) a redemption or purchase of shares made in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(4) Section 39 does not prohibit —
(a) where the lending of money is part of the ordinary business of the company, the lending of money by the
company in the ordinary course of its business;
(b) the provision by a company in accordance with an employees’ share scheme of money for the acquisition of
fully or partly paid shares in the company or its holding
company; and for the purposes of this Act, an
employees’ share scheme is a scheme for encouraging or
facilitating the holding of shares or debentures in a
company by or for the benefit of the bona fide employees
or former employees (including, notwithstanding section
96, any such bona fide employee or former employee
who is or was also a director) of the company, the
company’s subsidiary or holding company or a
subsidiary of the company’s holding company, or the
wives, husbands, widows, widowers or children or step-
children under the age of eighteen of such employees or
former employees;
(c) the making by a company, the company’s subsidiary or holding company or a subsidiary of the company’s
holding company of loans to persons (including,
notwithstanding section 96, any such bona fide
employee or former employee who is or was also a
director) employed in good faith by the company with a
view to enabling those persons to acquire fully or partly
paid shares in the company or its holding company to be
held by them by way of beneficial ownership.
(5) Where a company makes provision for the giving of financial
assistance in accordance with subsection (4)(b) and (c), such company
may make further provision in its bye-laws requiring or allowing the sale
of such shares to the company when an employee ceases to be employed
by the company and the purchase of shares by a company by virtue of
this subsection shall not be taken as reducing the amount of the
company’s authorized share capital.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 45

COMPANIES ACT 1981

46 1989 Revisio
n

their concurrence in the giving of the financial assistance. The affidavit
shall contain particulars of the financial assistance to be given and
identify the person to whom the financial assistance is to be given.
(2) A resolution required by section 39B to be passed by a
company approving the giving of financial assistance must be passed on
the date on which the directors of that company swear the affidavit
required by that section in connection with the giving of that financial
assistance or within fifteen days immediately following that date.
(3) Where such a resolution has been passed, an application
may be made to the Court within twenty-one days of the passing of that
resolution for the cancellation of the resolution —
(a) by the holders of not less in the aggregate than 10 per
cent in nominal value of the company’s issued share
capital or any class of issued share capital, or
(b) if the company is not limited by shares or does not have a share capital, by not less than 10 per cent of the
company’s members;
but the application shall not be made by a person who has consented to
or voted in favour of the resolution. On the hearing of the application the
Court may make an order cancelling or confirming the resolution and
may make that order on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit and
may, if it thinks fit, adjourn the proceedings in order that an
arrangement may be made to the satisfaction of the Court for the
purchase of the interests of dissentient members, and may give such
directions and make such orders that it thinks expedient for facilitating
or carrying into effect any such arrangement.
(4) The affidavit of the directors together with a certified copy of
any resolution passed by the company and by any other company as
required by section 39B shall be delivered to the Registrar within twenty-
one days of the swearing of the affidavit.
(5) Where a resolution is required by section 39B to be passed
approving the giving of the financial assistance, the financial assistance
shall not be given before the expiry of the period of thirty days beginning
with —
(a) the date on which the resolution is passed; or
(b) where more than one resolution is passed, the date on which the last of them is passed;
unless, as respects that resolution (or if more than one, each of them),
no person or persons when taken together are entitled to make an
application to the Court in accordance with subsection (3).
(6) The financial assistance shall not be given after the expiry
of the period of sixty days beginning with —

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 47

(a) the date on which the directors of the company
proposing to give the financial assistance swore their
affidavit as required by section 39B; or
(b) where the company is a subsidiary and both its directors and the directors of its holding companies swore such
an affidavit, the date on which the earliest of the
affidavits is sworn;
unless the Court, on an application under subsection (3), otherwise
orders.
(7) Where a company fails to comply with subsection (4), the
company and every officer who is in default shall be liable to a fine and,
for continued contravention, to a daily default fine.
(8) A director of a company who swears an affidavit under
section 39B without having reasonable grounds for the opinion
expressed in it shall be liable to imprisonment or a fine, or both.
[Section 39C inserted by 1992:51 effe ctive 1 July 1992; amended by 1993:37
effective 3 July 1993; and 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Application of premiums received on issue of shares
40 (1) Where a company issues shares at a premium, whether for
cash or otherwise, a sum equal to the aggregate amount or value of the
premiums on those shares shall be transferred to an account, to be
called “the share premium account”, and the provisions of this Act
relating to the reduction of the share capital of a company shall, except
as provided in this section, apply as if the share premium account were
paid-up share capital of the company:
Provided that in the case of an exchange of shares the excess value of the
shares acquired over the nominal value of the shares being issued may
be credited to a contributed surplus account of the issuing company.
(2) Subject to subsection (2A), the share premium account
may, notwithstanding anything in subsection (1) be applied by the
company—
(a) in paying up unissued shares of the company to be issued to members of the company as fully paid bonus
shares;
(b) in writing off—
(i) the preliminary expenses of the company; or
(ii) the expenses of, or the commission paid or discount allowed on, any issue of shares or
debentures of the company; or

COMPANIES ACT 1981

48 1989 Revisio
n

(c) in providing for the premiums payable on redemption of
any shares or of any debentures of the company.
(2A) [Deleted by 2003:1] (3) Where a company has before 1 July 1983 issued any shares
at a premium this section shall apply to the premiums received in
respect of such shares as if the shares had been issued after such day:
Provided that any part of such premiums which does not on 1 July 1983
form an identifiable part of the company’s reserves shall be disregarded
in determining the sum to be included in the share premium account.
(4) [Deleted by 1992:51] (5) [Deleted by 1992:51] [Section 40 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 2003:1 effective 14
February 2003] Meaning of “reserve”
41 For the purpose of section 40 “reserve” shall not include any
amount written off or retained by way of providing for depreciation,
renewals or diminution in the value of assets or retained by way of
providing for any known liability of which the amount cannot be
determined with substantial accuracy.
Power to issue redeemable preference shares
42 (1) Subject to this section, a company limited by shares, or
other company having a share capital, may issue preference shares
which —
(i) if so authorized by its bye-laws, are, or at the
option of the company are to be liable, to be
redeemed;
(ii) if so authorized by its memorandum at the option of the holder are to be liable to be
redeemed:
Provided that —
(a) no such shares shall be redeemed except out of the capital paid up thereon or out of the funds of the
company which would otherwise be available for
dividend or distribution or out of the proceeds of a fresh
issue of shares made for the purposes of the redemption;
and
(b) the premium, if any, payable on redemption, is provided for out of funds of the company which would otherwise
be available for dividend or distribution or out of the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 49

company’s share premium account before the shares are
redeemed.
(2) Subject to this section, the redemption of preference shares
thereunder may be effected on such terms and in such manner as may
be provided by or determined in accordance with the bye-laws of the
company; however, no redemption of preference shares may be effected
if, on the date on which the redemption is to be effected, there are
reasonable grounds for believing that the company is, or after the
redemption would be, unable to pay its liabilities as they become due.
(2A)
[Repealed by 2000:29] (3) The redemption of preference shares under this section
shall not be taken as reducing the amount of the company’s authorized
share capital.
(4) On the redemption of preference shares under this section,
any amount due to a shareholder may –
(a) be paid in cash;
(b) be satisfied by the transfer of any part of the
undertaking or property of the company having the same
value; or
(c) be satisfied partly under paragraph (a) and partly under paragraph (b).
[Section 42 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1994:22 effective 13 July
1994; by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999; by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000; and
by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Purchase by a company of its own shares
42A (1) Subject to this section, a company limited by shares, or
other company having a share capital, may, if authorized to do so by its
memorandum or bye-laws, purchase its own shares.
(2) Section 42 shall apply in relation to the purchase by a
company under this section of its own shares as it applies in relation to
the redemption of redeemable preference shares by a company under
section 42, except that the terms and manner of the purchase need not
be provided by, or determined in accordance with, the bye-laws as
provided in section 42 (2).
(3) A company may not purchase any of its own shares if, as a
result of the purchase of the shares in question, the issued share capital
of the company would be reduced below the minimum capital specified
for the company in its memorandum.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

50 1989 Revisio
n

(4) A purchase by a company of its own shares may be
authorized by its board of directors or otherwise by or in accordance with
its bye-laws.
(5) No purchase by a company of its own shares may be
effected if, on the date on which the purchase is to be effected, there are
reasonable grounds for believing that the company is, or after the
purchase would be, unable to pay its liabilities as they become due.
(6) Shares purchased under this section shall be treated as
cancelled and the amount of the company’s issued capital shall be
diminished by the nominal value of those shares accordingly; but the
purchase of shares under this section shall not be taken as reducing the
amount of the company’s authorized share capital.
(6A) On the purchase of its own shares under this section, any
amount due to a shareholder may –
(a) be paid in cash;
(b) be satisfied by the transfer of any part of the
undertaking or property of the company having the same
value; or
(c) be satisfied partly under paragraph (a) and partly under paragraph (b).
(7) Where a company agrees, or is obliged, to purchase any of
its shares then —
(a) the company shall not be liable in damages in respect of any failure to purchase any of the shares;
(b) the court shall not grant an order for specific performance of the purchase if the company shows that
to do so would render it insolvent or cause it to breach
the provisions of any Act, regulation or licence;
(c) on a liquidation, other shares which carry rights whether as to capital or income which arc preferred to
the rights attaching to the shares agreed to be
purchased, shall be paid in priority to the purchase
price.
[Section 42A amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1994:22 effective 13
July 1994; by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999; by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000;
and by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Power to convert preference shares into redeemable preference
shares
43 A company limited by shares, or other company having a share
capital, may by resolution at a general meeting convert any preference
shares into redeemable preference shares:

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 51

Provided that —
(a) the consent in writing has first been obtained of the
holders of three-fourths of such shares that have been
issued;
(b) at a date not more than thirty days and not less than fifteen days before the date it is proposed to convert the
shares the company shall cause a notice to be published
in an appointed newspaper stating the intention to
convert the shares and the date on which the conversion
is to take place;
(c) on the date on which the conversion is to take place an affidavit shall be sworn by at least two directors of the
company declaring either that on that date the company
is solvent or that all the creditors of the company on that
date have expressed in writing their concurrence in the
conversion; and
(d) section 42(1) shall apply to such shares.
[Section 43 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Power of company to arrange for different amounts being paid on
shares
44 A company limited by shares, or other company having a share
capital, if so authorized by its byelaws, may do any one or more of the
following things —
(a) make arrangements on the issue of shares for a difference between the members in the amounts and
times of payment of calls on their shares;
(b) accept from any member the whole or a part of the amount remaining unpaid on any shares held by him,
although no part of that amount has been called up;
(c) pay dividends in proportion to the amount paid up on each share where a larger amount is paid up on some
shares than on others;
(d) issue its shares in fractional denominations and deal with such fractions to the same extent as its whole
shares and shares in fractional denominations shall
have in proportion to the respective fractions
represented thereby all of the rights of the whole shares
including (but without limiting the generality of the
foregoing) the right to vote, to receive dividends and
distributions and to participate in a winding up.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

52 1989 Revisio
n

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 53

Reduction of share capital
46 (1) A company having share capital if authorized in a general
meeting may subject to any order made by the Minister under section
6(3) and to its memorandum and bye-laws on such terms as it may
decide reduce its share capital in any way, and in particular, without
prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, by —
(a) extinguishing or reducing the liability on any of it shares
in respect of capital not paid up; or
(b) either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability on any of its shares cancel any paid up capital that is
lost or unrepresented by available assets; or
(c) either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability of any of its shares and either with or with out reducing
the number of such shares pay off any paid up capital
that is in excess of the requirements of the company.
(2) No company shall reduce the amount of its share capital—
(a) unless, at a date not more than thirty days and not less than fifteen days before the date on which the reduction
of the share capital is to have effect, the company causes
a notice to be published in an appointed newspaper
stating—
(i) the amount of the share capital as last determined by the company;
(ii) the amount to which the share capital is to be reduced; and
(iii) the date on which the reduction is to have effect; and
(b) if, on the date the reduction is to be effected, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the company is, or
after the reduction would be, unable to pay its liabilities
as they become due.
(3) Unless the bye-laws otherwise provide where the capital of a
company is reduced by the cancellation of shares and part only of a class
of shares is to be cancelled, the shares to be cancelled shall be selected—
(a) by lot in such manner as the directors shall determine; or
(b) as nearly as may be in proportion to the number of shares of the class registered in the name of each
shareholder; or

COMPANIES ACT 1981

54 1989 Revisio
n

(c) in such other manner as the directors determine with
the consent of the majority of the holders of the shares
of the class to be cancelled.
(4) Where shares are to be cancelled in order to reduce the
capital of a company the shares shall be acquired at the lowest price at
which, in the opinion of the directors, the shares are obtainable, but not
exceeding an amount, if any, stated in or determined by the bye-laws.
(5) Where a company having share capital reduces the amount
of its share capital, then within thirty days after the date as from which
the reduction has effect the company shall file a memorandum, with a
copy of the notice referred to in subsection (2)(a), in the office of the
Registrar stating that this section has been duly complied with.
(6) If any company fails to comply with subsection (2), (3) or (4)
every officer of the company shall be liable to a fine of five thousand
dollars and if the company fails to comply with subsection (5) the
company shall be liable to a default fine.
[Section 46 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000; and by 2001:30 effective
14 August 2001] Rights of holders of special classes of shares
47 (1) If in the case of a company the share capital of which is
divided into different classes of shares, provision is made by the
memorandum or bye-laws for authorizing the variation of rights attached
to any class of shares in the company, subject to the consent of any
specified proportions of the holders of the issued shares of that class or
the sanction of a resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders
of those shares, and in pursuance of the said provision the rights
attached to any such class of shares are at any time varied, the holders
of not less in the aggregate than ten percent of the issued shares of that
class, may apply to the Court to have the variation cancelled, and, where
any such application is made, the variation shall not have effect unless
and until it is confirmed by the Court.
(2) An application under this section must be made within
twenty-eight days after the date on which the consent was given or the
resolution was passed, as the case may be, and may be made on behalf
of the shareholders entitled to make the application by such one or more
of their number as they may appoint in writing for the purpose.
(3) On any such application the Court, after hearing the
applicant and any other persons who apply to the Court to be heard and
appear to the Court to be interested in the application, may, if it is
satisfied, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, that the
variation would unfairly prejudice the shareholders of the class
represented by the applicant, disallow the variation and shall, if not so
satisfied, confirm the variation.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 55

(4) The decision of the Court on any such application shall be
final.
(5) The company shall within twenty-one days after the making
of an order by the Court on any such application forward a copy of the
order to the Registrar, and, if default is made in complying with this
provision, the company and every officer of the company who is in
default shall be liable to a default fine.
(6) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to modify the rights
of any member of a company under section 111.
(7) If the memorandum or bye-laws of a company with share
capital which is divided into different classes of shares makes no
provision for varying the rights attached to any class of share and
nothing in the memorandum or bye-laws precludes a variation of such
rights, the rights attached to any class, unless otherwise provided by the
terms of issue of the shares of that class may, whether or not the
company is being wound up, be varied with the consent in writing of the
holders of three-fourths of the issued shares of that class, or with the
sanction of a resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the
holders of the shares of the class. To every such separate general
meeting the provisions of the byelaws or other rules of the company
relating to general meetings shall apply, but so that the necessary
quorum shall be two persons at least holding or representing by proxy
one-third of the issued shares of the class and that any holder of shares
of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll; however,
in the case of a company having only one member, one member present
in person or by proxy constitutes the necessary quorum.
(8) In this section “variation” includes abrogation and “varied”
shall be construed accordingly.
[Section 47 amended by 1993:37 effective 13 July 1993] Nature and transfer of shares
48 (1) Subject to any other enactment the shares or other interest
of any member in a company shall be personal estate, transferable in
manner provided by the bye-laws of the company.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in the bye-laws of a company, it
shall not be lawful for the company to register a transfer of shares in or
debentures of the company unless a proper instrument of transfer has
been delivered to the company:
Provided that nothing in this section shall prejudice any power of the
company to register as shareholder or debenture holder any person to
whom the right to any shares in or debentures of the company has been
transmitted by operation of law.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

56 1989 Revisio
n

Transfer by estate representative
49 A transfer of the share or other interest of a deceased member of
a company made by his estate representative shall, although the estate
representative is not himself a member of the company, be as valid as if
he had been such a member at the time of the execution of the
instrument of transfer.
Notice of refusal to register transfer
50 (1) If a company refuses to register a transfer of any shares or
debentures, the company shall, within three months after the date on
which the transfer was lodged with the company, send to the transferor
and transferee notice of the refusal.
(2) If default is made in complying with this section, the
company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a default fine.
Duties of company with respect to the issue of certificates
51 (1) Every company shall, so soon as practicable after the
allotment of any of its shares, or debentures and in any case within two
months after a demand for a certificate of such shares or debentures has
been made by the person to whom they have been allotted, complete and
have ready for delivery such certificates unless the conditions of issue of
the shares or debentures otherwise provide.
(2) If default is made in complying with this section, the
company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a default fine.
(3) If any company on whom a notice has been served requiring
the company to make good any default in complying with subsection (1)
fails to make good the default within ten days after the service of the
notice, the Court may, on the application of the person entitled to have
the certificates or the debentures delivered to him, make an order
directing the company and any officer of the company to make good the
default within such time as may be specified in the order, and any such
order may provide that all costs of and incidental to the application shall
be borne by the company or by any officer of the company responsible for
the default.
Certificate to be evidence of title and evidence of grant of probate
52 (1) A certificate, under the common seal of the company
specifying any shares or debentures held by any member, shall be prima
facie evidence of the title of the member to the shares or debentures.
(2) The production to a company of any document which is by
law sufficient evidence of probate of the will, or the grant of letters of
administration of the estate, or confirmation as executor of a deceased
person having been granted to some person shall be accepted by the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 57

company, notwithstanding anything in its bye-laws, as sufficient
evidence of the grant.
(3) “law” in subsection (2) includes the law of Bermuda and of
any country in the Commonwealth and the law in any part of the United
States of America.
Bearer shares prohibited
53 It shall not be lawful for any company to issue bearer shares.
Dividends and other distributions
54 (1) A company shall not declare or pay a dividend, or make a
distribution out of contributed surplus, if there are reasonable grounds
for believing that—
(a) the company is, or would after the payment be, unable
to pay its liabilities as they become due; or
(b) the realizable value of the company’s assets would thereby be less than the aggregate of its liabilities and its
issued share capital and share premium accounts.
(2) For the purposes of this section, “contributed surplus”
includes proceeds arising from donated shares, credits resulting from the
redemption or conversion of shares at less than the amount set up as
nominal capital and donations of cash and other assets to the company.
[Section 54 repealed and replaced by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and amended
by 1993:37 effective July 13 1993] Right to claim damages
54A A person is not debarred from obtaining damages or other
compensation from a company by reason only of his holding or having
held shares in the company or any right to apply or subscribe for shares
or to be included in the company’s register of members in respect of
shares.
[Section 54A inserted by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] PART V
THE REGISTRATION OF CHARGES
Register of charges; registration; priorities
55 (1) The Registrar shall keep with respect to each company a
register of charges on the assets of the company and any person,
including the company, interested in a charge on the assets of the
company may apply to have that charge registered, and the Registrar
shall register the charge in such form as may be prescribed.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

58 1989 Revisio
n

(2) Any charge registered shall have priority based on the date
that it is registered and not on the date of its creation and shall have
such priority over any unregistered charge.
(3) Subsection (2) shall not apply to charges created before 1
July 1983. Such charges shall continue to have the priority they had
prior to that date:
Provided that any person interested in a charge on the assets on a
company created before 1 July 1983 may register that charge but the
charge shall continue to have the priority it had prior to registration.
(4) Where a charge is created by a company but is a charge on
assets outside Bermuda, the instrument creating or purporting to create
the charge may be registered under this section notwithstanding that
further proceedings may be necessary to make the charge valid or
effectual according to the law of the country in which the property is
situate.
(5) Notwithstanding anything in this section, a charge on—
(a) land in Bermuda shall be registered under the Mortgage
Registration Act 1786 [title 26 item 32] or any Act
replacing it and not under this Act and the priority of
such charge shall be determined in accordance with the
Mortgage Registration Act 1786 [title 26 item 32] or any
Act replacing it;
(b) any ship registered in Bermuda or any interest therein registrable under the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 or
any Act replacing it shall be registered thereunder, and
not under this Act and the priority of such charge shall
be determined in accordance with the Merchant
Shipping Act 1894 or any Act replacing it.
(6) [Deleted by 1984:36] (7) The register of charges shall be available for inspection by
members of the public during normal working hours.
(8) In this Part, “charge” includes any interest created in
property by way of security, including any mortgage, assignment, pledge,
lien or hypothecation.
[Section 55 amended by 2004:36 effective 17 December 2004] Amendment of register
55A (1) Where a registered charge is amended by adding or
removing one or more persons entitled to the charge or where the
interest of one or more persons entitled to the charge is assigned or
transferred, any person, including the company, interested in the charge
may apply to have such amendment, assignment or transfer registered,

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 59

and the Registrar shall register the amendment, assignment or transfer
in such form as may be prescribed.
(2) The registration of an amendment or an assignment or
transfer of an interest in a registered charge under subsection (1) shall
not affect the priority of the charge, and the charge shall continue to
have priority based on the date that it was registered and not the date
that any document effecting the amendment, assignment or transfer was
executed or that the amendment, assignment or transfer was registered.
[Section 55A inserted by 2004:36 effective 17 December 2004] Correction of register
56 (1) The Registrar on being satisfied that an omission or
misstatement of any particulars with respect to any registered charge on
the assets of a company was accidental, or due to inadvertence or to
some other sufficient cause, and is not of a nature to prejudice the
position of creditors or shareholders of the company, may, on the
application of the company or any person interested rectify the register;
and any such rectification shall have effect from the date of the first
entry of the charge in the register.
(2) Any creditor or member of the company aggrieved by a
decision of the Registrar either to rectify or not rectify the register may
within six months of the decision of the Registrar appeal to the Court
which shall have the same powers as the Registrar. No appeal shall lie
from a decision of the Court.
[Section 56 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Registration of series of debentures
57 Where a series of debentures containing, or giving by reference
to any other instrument, any charge to the benefit which the debenture
holders of that series are entitled pari passu is created by a company, it
shall, for the purposes of the registration of the series under section 55,
be sufficient if the following particulars are registered with the
Registrar—
(a) the total amount secured by the whole series; and
(b) the dates of the resolutions authorizing the issue of the series and the date of the covering deed, if any, by which
the security is created or defined; and
(c) a general description of the property charged; and
(d) the names of the trustees, if any, for the debenture holders,

COMPANIES ACT 1981

60 1989 Revisio
n

together with a copy of the deed containing the charge, or, if there is no
such deed, a copy of one of the debentures of the series:
Provided that, where more than one issue is made of debentures in the
series, there shall be sent to the Registrar for entry in the register
particulars of the date and amount of each issue, but an omission to do
this shall not affect the validity of the debentures issued.
Registration of particulars of commission paid
58 Where any commission, allowance or discount has been paid or
made either directly or indirectly by a company to any person in
consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether
absolutely or conditionally, for any debentures of the company, or
procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or
conditional, for any such debentures, the particulars sent for registration
shall include particulars as to the amount or rate per cent of the
commission, discount or allowance so paid or made, but omission to do
this shall not affect the validity of the debentures issued.
Entry of satisfaction; release of property from charge
59 The Registrar, on evidence being given to his satisfaction with
respect to any registered charge —
(a) that the debt for which the charge was given has been
paid or satisfied in whole or in part; or
(b) that part of the property or undertaking charged has been released from the charge or has ceased to form part
of the company’s property or undertaking,
shall enter on the register a memorandum of satisfaction in whole or in
part, or of the fact that part of the property or undertaking has been
released from the charge or has ceased to form part of the company’s
property or undertaking, as the case may be, and where he enters a
memorandum of satisfaction in whole he shall, if required, furnish the
company with a copy thereof.
Registration of enforcement of security
60 (1) If any person obtains an order for the appointment of a
receiver or manager of the property of a company, or appoints such a
receiver or manager under any powers contained in any instrument, he
shall, within seven days from the date of the order or of the appointment
under the said powers give notice of the fact to the Registrar, and the
Registrar shall, on payment of such fee as may be specified by rules
made by the Minister, enter the fact in the register of charges.
(2) Where any person appointed receiver or manager of the
property of a company under the powers contained in any instrument
ceases to act as such receiver or manager, he shall on so ceasing, give

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 61

the Registrar notice to that effect, and the Registrar shall enter the notice
in the register of charges.
(3) If any person makes default in complying with the
requirements of this section, he shall be liable to a default fine.
(4) Rules made under this section shall be subject to
affirmative resolution procedure.
Application of Part V to charges created and acquired by company
incorporated outside Bermuda
61 This Part shall extend to charges on property in Bermuda which
are created, and to charges on property in Bermuda which is acquired,
by a company incorporated outside Bermuda.
[Section 61 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 2004:36 effective 17
December 2004] PART VI
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Registered office of company
62 (1) A company shall at all times have a registered office in
Bermuda which shall not be a post office box to which all
communications and notices may be addressed.
(2) On incorporation the situation of the company’s registered
office is that specified in a notice in the prescribed form given to the
Registrar under section 69(2)(e).
(3) The company may change the situation of its registered
office from time to time by giving notice in the prescribed form to the
Registrar and such change takes effect upon the notice being registered
by the Registrar.
(4) If default is made in complying with this section the
company or every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable
to a default fine.
[Section 62 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Service of documents
62A A document may be served on a company by leaving it at the
registered office of the company or, in the case of a non-resident
insurance undertaking the principal office in Bermuda, or in the case of
a permit company, the principal place of business in Bermuda from
which the company engages in or carries on its trade or business in
Bermuda.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

62 1989 Revisio
n

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 63

prospectus filed under section 26 or which is subject to the rules or
regulations of a competent regulatory authority, may keep in any place
outside Bermuda, one or more branch registers after giving written
notice to the Registrar of the place where each such register is to be
kept.
(4) A branch register shall be kept in the same manner in
which the register of members is by subsection (1) required to be kept.
(5) Every company shall, as soon as reasonably practicable,
after the date on which any entry or alteration is made in a branch
register, make any necessary alteration in the register of members.
(6) If the register of members or any branch register is not
made easily available for inspection by members the company and every
officer of the company shall be liable to a fine of five hundred dollars and
the court convicting the company or the officers, as the case may be,
may order the company to make the register immediately available for
inspection.
(7) A company shall not be bound to see to the execution of any
trust, whether express, implied or constructive, to which any of its
shares are subject and whether or not the company had notice of such
trust; and the receipt of the person, firm or corporation in whose name
any share stands shall be sufficient discharge to the company for any
money paid by the company in respect of such share notwithstanding
any trust to which it may be subject.
[Section 65 amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999; and by 2003:1 effective 14
February 2003] Inspection of register
66 (1) Except when the register of members is closed under this
Act, the register of the members of a company shall during business
hours (subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company may
impose, so that not less than two hours in each day be allowed for
inspection) be open for inspection by any member without charge and by
any other person on payment of five dollars, or such less sum as the
company may determine, for each inspection.
(2) Any member or other person may require a copy of the
register, or of any part thereof, on payment of the appropriate fee
prescribed in the Eighth Schedule.
(3) If any inspection required under this section is refused or if
any copy required under this section is not sent within fourteen days
from the receipt of a written request, the company and every officer of
the company who is in default shall be liable in respect of each offence to
a default fine.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

64 1989 Revisio
n

(4) In the case of any such refusal or default, the Court may by
order compel an immediate inspection of the register or direct that the
copies required shall be sent to the persons requiring them.
(5) A company may on giving notice by advertisement in an
appointed newspaper close the register of members for any time or times
not exceeding in the whole thirty days in a year.
(6) This section applies to a branch register kept under section
65 except that in relation to a branch register subsection (5) shall have
effect as if for reference to an appointed newspaper there were
substituted reference to a national newspaper in the jurisdiction in
which the branch register is kept.
[Section 66 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998; and by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Power of Court to rectify register
67 (1) If —
(a) the name of any person is, without sufficient cause,
entered in or omitted from the register of members of a
company; or
(b) default is made or unnecessary delay takes place in entering on the register the fact of any person having
ceased to be a member,
the person aggrieved, or any member of the company, may apply to the
Court for rectification of the register.
(2) Where an application is made under this section, the Court
may either refuse the application or may order rectification of the register
and payment by the company of any damages sustained by any party
aggrieved.
(3) On an application under this section the Court may decide
any question relating to the title of any person who is a party to the
application to have his name entered in or omitted from the register,
whether the question arises between members or alleged members, or
between members or alleged members on the one hand and the company
on the other hand, and generally may decide any question necessary or
expedient to be decided for rectification of the register.
Register to be evidence
68 The register of members shall be prima facie evidence of any
matters by this Act directed or authorized to be inserted therein.
Provisional directors and their powers
69 (1) The persons whose names are subscribed to the
memorandum of association shall be the provisional directors of the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 65

company to which the memorandum of association relates and shall
have power to add to their number.
(2) The provisional directors of a company shall hold office as
such until the first board of directors is elected, as hereinafter provided,
and subject to subsection (1) shall have the following powers only that is
to say, —
(a) power to cause books to be opened for the purpose of
recording the subscriptions of such persons as may
desire to become members of the company, and power to
keep open such books for so long as the provisional
directions may consider necessary;
(b) power, at any time after the minimum subscription has been subscribed to allot to any subscriber such number
of shares, not exceeding the number subscribed for by
him, as the provisional directors may deem expedient;
(c) power to appoint any person to be secretary of the company to hold office until the election of the first
board of directors of the company;
(d) power by resolution to make such calls upon any subscriber in respect of shares allotted to him as the
provisional directors may consider necessary; and in
case any subscriber fails to satisfy any such call in the
time limited by the provisional directors, to recover the
amount of the call as a debt due by the subscriber;
(e) power to give notice of the registered office under subsection 62(2) but, if the provisional directors fail to
do so, an officer of the company shall give the notice;
and
(f) power to complete and execute all documentation necessary and incidental to incorporating a company.
(3) Any power vested in the provisional directors or any act
authorized to be done by them may be exercised by a majority of them.
[Section 69 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] First general meeting of members to elect directors
70 (1) As soon as convenient after the minimum share capital set
out in the memorandum as provided in section 7 has been subscribed,
the provisional directors shall convene the statutory meeting which shall
be a general meeting of the members of the company for the purpose of
electing the first board of directors.
(2) At least five days’ notice in writing of the statutory meeting
shall be given to each member of the company unless the members

COMPANIES ACT 1981

66 1989 Revisio
n

unanimously agree to waive such notice; the notice shall specify the
place, date and hour at which the meeting is intended to be held, and
shall state that at the meeting the members present or represented by
proxy will elect the first board of directors.
(3) For the purposes of this section “member” shall not include
any member who has failed to satisfy any call made upon him which
came due to be satisfied before the date on which the general meeting
under this section is held.
(4) The procedure at a meeting called under this section shall
be the same as that for an annual general meeting called under section
71.
(5) The quorum for a meeting called under this section shall be
a majority of the members of the company present in person or by proxy.
(6) A meeting called under subsection (1) shall be deemed to be
the annual general meeting for the year in which it is convened.
[Section 70 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] General meetings
71 (1) A meeting of members of a company shall be convened at
least once in every calendar year; this meeting shall be referred to as the
annual general meeting.
(2) The directors may, whenever they think fit, convene a
general meeting; all meetings other than annual general meetings shall
be called special general meetings.
(3) Notice of all general meetings shall specify the place, the
day and hour of the meeting, and, in case of special general meetings,
the general nature of the business to be considered.
(4) The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the
non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any persons entitled to receive
notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting.
(5) Where the bye-laws so provide, a general meeting of the
members of a company may be held with only one individual present if
the requirement for a quorum is satisfied and, where a company has
only one shareholder or only one holder of any class of shares, the
shareholder present in person or by proxy constitutes a general meeting.
[Section 71 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Failure to hold annual general meeting or to elect directors
72 (1) If default is made in calling or holding a general meeting in
accordance with section 71(1) the directors shall use their best
endeavours to call or hold the meeting at the earliest practicable date.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 67

(2) If an annual general meeting is not held within three
months of the date it should have been held or the required number of
directors required to be elected, if any have not been elected at such a
meeting the company may apply to the Registrar to sanction the holding
of a general meeting to put the affairs of the company in order. Upon
receipt of such an application the Registrar may in his discretion make
an order allowing the application under such conditions as he thinks fit
to impose including ordering the date by which the affairs of the
company shall be put in order.
(3) Subject to subsection (2) if default is made in calling an
annual general meeting in accordance with section 71 or to elect the
required number of directors at such meeting the Registrar, any creditors
or member of the company may apply to the Court for the winding up of
the company and the Court on such application may order the company
to be wound up or make any order that the Registrar might have made
under subsection (2).
(4) Where an application is made to the Registrar for an order
under subsection (2) a fee of two hundred and fifty dollars shall be paid
to the Registrar if there has been a failure to hold one annual general
meeting and if there has been failure to hold more than one meeting a
further fee shall be payable of one hundred dollars in respect of each
such meeting.
[Section 72 amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Position when election of directors does not take place
73 If the annual general meeting or the election of any directors, if
such election is required by the bye-laws of the company, does not take
place at the proper time, it shall be lawful for the company to continue
its business and for the existing directors to continue in office.
[Section 73 amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Convening of special general meeting on requisition
74 (1) The directors of a company, notwithstanding anything in its
bye-laws shall, on the requisition of members of the company holding at
the date of the deposit of the requisition not less than one-tenth of such
of the paid-up capital of the company as at the date of the deposit carries
the right of voting at general meetings of the company, or, in the case of
a company not having a share capital, members of the company
representing not less than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all the
members having at the said date a right to vote at general meetings of
the company, forthwith proceed duly to convene a special general
meeting of the company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

68 1989 Revisio
n

(2) The requisition must state the purposes of the meeting, and
must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the registered
office of the company, and may consist of several documents in like form
each signed by one or more requisitionists.
(3) If the directors do not within twenty-one days from the date
of the deposit of the requisition proceed duly to convene a meeting, the
requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one half of the
total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a meeting, but
any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three
months from the said date.
(4) A meeting convened under this section by the
requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner, as nearly as
possible, as that in which meetings are to be convened by directors.
(5) Any reasonable expenses incurred by the requisitionists by
reason of the failure of the directors duly to convene a meeting shall be
repaid to the requisitionists by the company, and any sum so repaid
shall be retained by the company out of any sums due or to become due
from the company by way of fees or other remuneration in respect of
their services to such directors as were in default.
Length of notice for calling meetings
75 (1) Notwithstanding any provision in the bye-laws of a company
at least five days notice shall be given of a meeting of a company, other
than an adjourned meeting.
(2) A meeting of a company shall, notwithstanding that it is
called by shorter notice than that specified in subsection (1) be deemed
to have been duly called if it is so agreed—
(a) in the case of a meeting called as the annual general
meeting, by all the members entitled to attend and vote
thereat; and
(b) in the case of any other meeting, by a majority in number of the members having a right to attend and
vote at the meeting, being a majority together holding
not less than ninety-five per cent in nominal value of the
shares giving a right to attend and vote at the meeting,
or, in the case of a company not having a share capital,
together representing not less than ninety-five per cent
of the total voting rights at that meeting of all the
members.
Telephonic, etc. meeting
75A Unless the bye-laws otherwise provide, a meeting of directors or
of a committee of directors or of the members or any class thereof may be
held by means of such telephone, electronic or other communication
facilities as permit all persons participating in the meeting to

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 69

communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously, and
participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at
such meeting.
[Section 75A inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Power of Court to order meeting
76 (1) If for any reason it is impracticable to call a meeting of a
company in any manner in which meetings of that company may be
called, or to conduct the meeting of the company in manner prescribed
by the bye-laws or this Act, the Court may, either of its own motion or on
the application of any director of the company or of any member of the
company who would be entitled to vote at the meeting, order a meeting of
the company to be called, held and conducted in such manner as the
Court thinks fit, and where any such order is made may give such
ancillary or consequential directions as it thinks expedient.
(2) Any meeting called, held and conducted in accordance with
an order under subsection (1) shall for all purposes be deemed to be a
meeting of the company duly called, held and conducted.
Voting at meetings
77 (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the bye-laws of the
company and to any rights or restrictions lawfully attached to any class
of shares, at any general meeting each member of the company shall be
entitled in the case of a company limited by shares, or other company
having a share capital, to one vote for each share held by him and in the
case of a company limited by guarantee one vote; such votes may be
given in person or by proxy.
(2) At any general meeting of a company any question proposed
for consideration shall be decided on a simple majority of votes or by
such majority as the bye-laws of the company may prescribe, and such
majority shall be ascertained in accordance with this section.
(3) Subject to subsection (5), it shall be lawful for any question
proposed for consideration at a general meeting of a company to be
decided on a show of hands and in any such case, and subject to any
rights or restrictions for the time being lawfully attached to any class of
shares, every member present in person or by proxy at such meeting
shall be entitled to one vote and shall cast such vote by raising his hand.
(4) At any general meeting of a company a declaration by the
chairman that a question proposed for consideration has, on a show of
hands, been carried, or carried unanimously or by a particular majority
or lost and an entry to that effect in a book containing the minutes of the
proceedings of the company shall, subject to subsection (5), be
conclusive evidence of that fact without proof of the number or
proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such question.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

70 1989 Revisio
n

(5) Notwithstanding subsection (3), at any general meeting of a
company, it shall be lawful, in respect of any question proposed for the
consideration of the members, whether before or on the declaration of
the result of a show of hands as provided for in subsection (3) for a poll
to be demanded by any of the following persons —
(a) the Chairman of such meeting; or
(b) at least three members present in person; or represented
by proxy; or
(c) any member or members present in person or represented by proxy and holding between them not less
than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all the
members having the right to vote at such meeting; or
(d) a member or members present in person or represented by proxy holding shares in such company conferring the
right to vote at such meeting, being shares on which an
aggregate sum has been paid up equal to not less than
one-tenth of the total sum paid up on all such shares
conferring such right.
(6) Where, in accordance with subsection (5), a poll is
demanded, and subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being
lawfully attached to any class of shares, every member present in person
or by proxy at such meeting shall have one vote for each share of which
he is the holder or for which he holds a proxy or in the case of a
company limited by guarantee he shall have one vote for himself and one
vote for each member for whom he holds a proxy and such votes shall be
counted in such manner as the bye-laws of the company may provide or,
in default of such provision, as the chairman may direct and the result of
such poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which
the poll was demanded and shall replace any previous resolution upon
the same matter which has been the subject of a show of hands.
(7) A poll demanded, in accordance with subsection (5), for the
purpose of electing a chairman, or on a question of adjournment, shall
be taken forthwith and a poll demanded on any other question shall be
taken at such time at such meeting as the chairman may direct.
(8) In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of
hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which such show of
hands takes place, or at which such poll is demanded, shall unless the
bye-laws of the company otherwise provide, be entitled to a second or
casting vote.
(9) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as
prohibiting a member who is the holder of two or more shares from
appointing more than one proxy to represent him and vote on his behalf,
whether on a show of hands or on a poll, at a general meeting of the
company or at a class meeting.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 71

COMPANIES ACT 1981

72 1989 Revisio
n

(b) a resolution passed for the purpose of removing a
director before the expiration of his term of office under
section 93.
[Section 77A inserted by 1993:37 effect ive 13 July 1993; and amended by 2001:30
effective 14 August 2001] Representation of corporations at meetings
78 (1) A corporation, whether a company within the meaning of
this Act or not, may—
(a) if it is a member of another corporation, being a company within the meaning of this Act,
authorise such person or, to the extent
expressly permitted by the bye-laws of that
company, such persons as it thinks fit to act as
its representative or representatives, as the case
may be, at any meeting of the company or at any
meeting of any class of members of the
company, provided that, if more than one person
is authorised, the authority shall specify the
number and class of shares held by the relevant
member in respect of which each such person is
authorised to act as such representative;
(b) if it is a creditor (including a holder of debentures) of another corporation, being a
company within the meaning of this Act,
authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit
to act as its representative or representatives, as
the case may be, at any meeting of any creditors
of the company held in pursuance of this Act or
of any rules made thereunder, or in pursuance
of the provisions contained in any debenture,
trust deed or warrant agreement, as the case
may be.
(2) The number of persons a member or creditor of a
company may authorise to act as its representative or representatives
pursuant to the authorities set out in subsection (1) shall not exceed the
number of shares or securities held by that member or creditor, being
shares or securities in respect of which there is an entitlement to attend
and vote at the relevant meeting.
(3) Each representative authorised pursuant to subsection (1)
shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation
or its nominee which he represents as that corporation or its nominee
could exercise as if it were an individual member, creditor or holder of
debentures of that other company and, in addition, the right to vote
individually on a show of hands.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 73

COMPANIES ACT 1981

74 1989 Revisio
n

(a) a copy of the requisition signed by the requisitionists, or
two or more copies which between them contain the
signatures of all the requisitionists, is deposited at the
registered office of the company—
(i) in the case of a requisition requiring notice of a resolution, not less than six weeks before the
meeting; and
(ii) in the case of any other requisition, not less than one week before the meeting; and
(b) there is deposited or tendered with the requisition a sum reasonably sufficient to meet the company’s expenses in
giving effect thereto:
Provided that if, after a copy of the requisition requiring notice of a
resolution has been deposited at the registered office of the company, an
annual general meeting is called for a date six weeks or less after the
copy has been deposited, the copy though not deposited within the time
required by this subsection shall be deemed to have been properly
deposited for the purposes thereof.
Minutes of proceedings to be kept
81 (1) Every company shall cause minutes of all proceedings of
general meetings and of all proceedings of meetings of its directors to be
entered in books kept for that purpose and such minutes shall be signed
by the person presiding over the proceedings or over the proceedings at
which the minutes are approved.
(2) Minutes prepared in accordance with subsection (1) shall be
kept by the secretary at the registered office of the company and shall be
evidence of the proceedings and until the contrary is proved, the
proceedings shall be deemed to have been duly held and convened and
the business conducted thereat shall be deemed to be valid.
(3) If a company fails to comply with subsection (1) the
company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a default fine.
[Section 81 amended by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996; and by 1999:25 effective
23 July 1999] Inspection of minute books
82 (1) Minutes of general meetings of a company shall be open for
inspection by any member or director of the company without charge for
not less than two hours during business hours each day subject to such
reasonable restrictions as the company may impose.
(2) Any member or director shall be entitled to be furnished
within seven days after he has made a request in that behalf to the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 75

company with a copy of any such minutes on the payment of a
reasonable charge.
(3) If any inspection required under this section is refused or if
any copy required under this section is not sent within the proper time,
the company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a fine of ten dollars and further to a fine of ten dollars for each
day there is a default.
(4) In the case of any such refusal or default, the Court may by
order compel an immediate inspection of the minutes or direct that the
copies required shall be sent to the persons properly requiring them.
[Section 82 amended by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995; and by 1996:21 effective 24
July 1996] Keeping of books of account
83 (1) Every company shall cause to be kept proper records of
account with respect to —
(a) all sums of money received and expended by the
company and the matters in respect of which the receipt
and expenditure takes place;
(b) all sales and purchases of goods by the company;
(c) the assets and liabilities of the company.
(2) The records of account shall be kept at the registered
office of the company or at such other place as the directors think fit and
shall at all times be open to inspection by the directors or a resident
representative referred to in section 130(1)(d):
Provided that if the records of account are kept at some place
outside Bermuda, there shall be kept at the office of the company in
Bermuda such records as will enable the directors or a resident
representative referred to in section 130(1)(d) to ascertain with
reasonable accuracy the financial position of the company at the end of
each three month period, except that where the company is listed on an
appointed stock exchange, there shall be kept such records as will
enable the directors or a resident representative to ascertain with
reasonable accuracy the financial position of the company at the end of
each six month period.
(3) If a company fails to comply with subsection (1) the
company and every officer of the company shall be liable to a fine of five
hundred dollars.
(4) In the case of records of account not being made available
for inspection by the directors or a resident representative referred to in

COMPANIES ACT 1981

76 1989 Revisio
n

section 130(1)(d) the Court may by order compel immediate inspection of
such records.
[Section 83 amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Financial statements to be laid before general meeting
84 (1) The directors of every company shall subject to section 88
at such intervals and for such period as this Act and the bye-laws of the
company provide lay before the company in general meeting —
(a) financial statements for the period which shall include—
(i) a statement of the results of operations for the
period;
(ii) a statement of retained earnings or deficit;
(iii) a balance sheet at the end of such period;
(iiiA) a statement of changes in financial position or cash flows for the period;
(iv) notes to the financial statements and the notes thereto shall be in accordance with subsection
(1A);
(v) such further information as required by this Act and the company’s own Act of incorporation or
its memorandum, and its bye-laws; and
(b) the report of the auditor as set out in section 90(2), in respect of the financial statements described in
paragraph (a).
(1A) The notes mentioned in subsection (1)(a)(iiiA) shall include a
description of the generally accepted accounting principles used in the
preparation of the financial statements which principles may be—
(a) those of Bermuda or a country or jurisdiction other than Bermuda; or
(b) such other generally accepted accounting principles as may be appointed by the Minister under subsection (5)
for the purpose of this subsection,
and, where the generally accepted accounting principles used are other
than those of Bermuda, the notes shall identify the generally accepted
accounting principles so used.
(2) Financial statements shall before being laid before a general
meeting of a company be signed on the balance sheet page by two of the
directors of the company.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 77

(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1) if at a general meeting at
which financial statements should be laid the statements have not been
so laid, it shall be lawful for the Chairman to adjourn the meeting for a
period of up to ninety days or such longer period as the members may
agree.
(4) Subject to subsection (3) if any director of a company fails
to take all reasonable steps to comply with subsection (1) he shall be
liable to a fine of one thousand dollars:
Provided that in any proceedings against a person in respect of an
offence under this section, it shall be a defence to prove that he had
reasonable ground to believe and did believe that a competent and
reliable person was charged with the duty of seeing that this section was
complied with and was in a position to discharge that duty.
(5) The Minister may, after consultation with the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Bermuda, appoint generally accepted
accounting principles promulgated by an accounting standard setting
body and shall cause the appointment to be published in an appointed
newspaper.
[Section 84 amended by 1992:51 effective
1 July 1992; by 1993:37 effective 13 July
1993; by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995; and by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] 85 [Repealed by 1984:36] Definition of subsidiary and holding companies
86 (1) For the purposes of this Act, a company is a subsidiary of
another company only if —
(a) it is controlled by—
(i) that other company; or
(ii) that other company and one or more companies
each of which is controlled by that other
company; or
(iii) two or more companies each of which is controlled by that other company; or
(b) it is a subsidiary of a subsidiary of that other company.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a company is the holding
company of another only if that other company is its subsidiary.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, one company is affiliated with
another company only if one of them is the subsidiary of the other or
both are subsidiaries of the same company or each of them is controlled
by the same person.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

78 1989 Revisio
n

(4) For the purposes of this section, a company is controlled by
another company or person or by two or more companies only if —
(a) shares of the first-mentioned company carrying more
than fifty per cent of the votes for the election of
directors are held, otherwise than by way of security
only, by or for the benefit of that other company or
person or by or for the benefit of those other companies;
and
(b) the votes carried by such shares are sufficient, if exercised, to elect a majority of the board of directors of
the first-mentioned company.
Right to receive copies of balance sheet etc.
87 (1) Subject to sections 87A and 87B, a copy of the financial
statements of a company, including every document required by law or
the bye-laws of the company shall be made available to every member of
the company and if such financial statements and other documents are
not sent to each member five days before the general meeting any
member may move a resolution at the general meeting that it be
adjourned for five days:
Provided that this subsection shall not require the making available of
the financial statements and other documents to—
(a) any person not entitled to receive notices of general meetings;
(b)more than one of the joint holders of any shares or debentures;
(c) any person whose address is not known to the company.
(2) If default is made in complying with subsection (1) the
company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be
liable to a fine of one hundred dollars, and if, when any person makes a
demand for any document with which he is by virtue of subsection (1)
entitled to be furnished, default is made in complying with the demand
within seven days after the making thereof, the company and every
officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to a default fine,
unless it is proved that that person has already made a demand for and
been furnished with a copy of the document:
Provided that it shall be a defence to any prosecution for the company or
any officer to show that it was not possible to comply with subsection (1)
owing to circumstances beyond the control of the company or the officer,
as the case may be.
[Section 87 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1993:37 effective 13 July
1993; and by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003]

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 79

Provision of summarised financial statements to shareholders
87A (1) A company, the shares of which are listed on an appointed
stock exchange need not send financial statements as required by
section 87 (1) to members, but may instead send them summarised
financial statements.
(2) The company shall make a copy of the summarised financial
statements available for inspection by the public at the company’s
registered office in Bermuda.
(3) The summarised financial statements—
(a) shall be derived from the company’s financial statements
for the relevant period; and
(b) shall include, in respect of that period—
(i) a summarised report of the statements referred to in section 84(1)(a)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iiiA);
(ii) such further information extracted from the financial statements as the board of directors
considers appropriate; and
(iii) a statement in a prominent position that it is
only a summarised version of the company’s
financial statements and does not contain
sufficient information to allow as full an
understanding of the financial position, results
of operations or changes in financial position or
cash flows of the company as would be provided
by financial statements.
(4) The summarised financial statements sent to the company’s members
shall be accompanied by ⎯
(a) the auditor’s report on the summarised financial
statements prepared in accordance with the generally
accepted auditing standards referred to in section 90(2)
in respect of the financial statements; and
(b) a notice informing the member to whom the summarised financial statements are sent how to notify the company
that he elects to receive financial statements for the
period referred to under section 84 for which the
statements are to be prepared or for subsequent periods
or both.
(5) In this section, “relevant period” means such period, referred to in
section 84, for which financial statements are required to be presented
to members in compliance with this Act or the company’s bye-laws.
[Section 87A inserted by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003]

COMPANIES ACT 1981

80 1989 Revisio
n

Ascertainment of shareholders’ election
87B (1) Where a company sends out summarised financial
statements, these statements, together with the auditor’s report and the
notice specified in section 87A(4) shall be sent out not less than twenty-
one days before the general meeting referred to in section 87(1).
(2) A company shall, subject to section 88, send copies of the
financial statements to any member who would otherwise be entitled to
receive such statements under section 87(1) within seven days of receipt
of the member’s election.
[Section 87B inserted by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Provision of full financial statements for inspection
87C A company, the shares of which are listed on an appointed stock
exchange, that sends summarised financial statements to its members
under section 87A(1), shall make a copy of the full financial statements
of the company available for inspection by the public at the company’s
registered office.
[Section 87C inserted by 2004:36 effective 17 December 2004] Power to waive laying of accounts and appointment of auditor
88 (1) Notwithstanding section 13(2)(c) and (d), sections 84, 87
and 89 if all members and directors of a company, either in writing or at
a general meeting, agree that in respect of a particular interval no
financial statements or auditor’s report thereon need be laid before a
general meeting or that no auditor shall be appointed to the close of the
next annual general meeting then there shall be no obligation to lay
financial statements for such period or to appoint an auditor until the
close of the next annual general meeting, as the case may be.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) all the members of a
company shall be deemed to have agreed at a general meeting if either—
(a) all the members are present in person at the meeting and agree; or
(b) if some of the members are not present in person at the meeting then if the members present in person at the
meeting agree and there are produced at the meeting
statements in writing from the members not present in
person stating that they agree.
[Section 88 amended by 1993:37 effective 13 July 1993] Appointment and disqualification of auditor
89 (1) The members of a company at the statutory meeting shall
subject to section 88 appoint one or more auditors to hold office until the
close of the next annual general meeting, and, if the members fail to do

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 81

so, the directors shall forthwith make such appointment or
appointments.
(2) The members of a company at each annual general meeting
shall appoint one or more auditors to hold office until the close of the
next annual general meeting, and, if an appointment is not so made, the
auditor in office shall continue in office until a successor is appointed.
(3) A person, other than an incumbent auditor, shall not be
capable of being appointed auditor at an annual general meeting unless
notice in writing of an intention to nominate that person to the office of
auditor has been given not less than twenty-one days before the annual
general meeting; and the company shall send a copy of any such notice
to the incumbent auditor, and shall give notice thereof to the members,
either by advertisement in an appointed newspaper or in any other mode
provided by the bye-laws of the company, not less than seven days before
the annual general meeting:
Provided that an incumbent auditor may by notice in writing to the
secretary of the company waive the requirements of this subsection
which shall then not have effect.
(3A) No person shall accept appointment or consent to be
appointed as auditor of a company if he is replacing an auditor who has
resigned, been removed or whose term of office has expired or is about to
expire, or who has vacated office, until he has requested and received
from that auditor a written statement of the circumstances and the
reasons why, in that auditor’s opinion, he is to be replaced.
(3B) Notwithstanding subsection (3A), a person may accept
appointment or consent to be appointed as auditor of a company if,
within fifteen days after making the request referred to in that
subsection, he does not receive a written statement as requested.
(3C) No auditor of a company is in breach of any duty to which
he is subject as auditor of that company by reason of his communicating
in good faith to the person making the request referred to in subsection
(3A) any information or opinion in response to such request.
(4) The directors may fill any casual vacancy in the office of
auditor, but while the vacancy continues the surviving or continuing
auditor, if any, may act.
(5) The members, by a resolution passed by at least two-thirds
of the votes cast at a general meeting of which notice specifying the
intention to pass such resolution was given, may remove any auditor
before the expiration of his term of office, and shall by a majority of the
votes cast at that meeting appoint another auditor in his stead for the
remainder of his term:

COMPANIES ACT 1981

82 1989 Revisio
n

Provided that, not less than twenty-one days before the date of
the meeting, notice in writing of the proposed resolution is given to the
incumbent auditor and to the auditor proposed to be appointed.
(5A) An auditor of a company who has resigned, been removed,
or whose term of office has expired or is about to expire, or who has
vacated office, shall be entitled—
(a) to attend the general meeting of the company at which
he is to be removed or his successor is to be appointed;
(b) to receive all notices of, and other communications relating to, that meeting which a member is entitled to
receive; and
(c) to be heard at that meeting on any part of the business of the meeting that relates to his duties as auditor or
former auditor;
(6) The remuneration of an auditor appointed by the members
shall be fixed by the members or by the directors, if they are authorized
to do so by the members, and the remuneration of an auditor appointed
by the directors shall be fixed by the directors.
(7) Subject to section 88 where for any reason no auditor is
appointed, the Registrar may, on the application of any member, appoint
one or more auditors to hold office until the close of the next annual
general meeting and fix the remuneration to be paid by the company for
his or their services.
(8) Except as provided in subsection (9), no person shall be
appointed as auditor of a company who is an officer or employee of that
company or of an affiliated company or who is a partner, employer or
employee of any such officer or employee.
(9) Upon the unanimous vote of the members of a company
limited by guarantee, other than a mutual company present or
represented at the meeting at which the auditor is appointed, an officer
or employee of that company or an affiliated company, or a partner,
employer or employee of an officer or employee may be appointed as
auditor of that company, if he has no personal responsibility for the care
of the funds of the company and is not concerned in the day to day
management or recording of its finances.
(10) A person appointed as auditor under subsection (9) shall
indicate in his report to the members that he is an officer or employee of
the company or an affiliated company or a partner, employer or employee
of an officer or employee, as the case may be.
(11) Any oral or written statement made under subsection (3A)
or (5A) by an auditor or former auditor enjoys qualified privilege.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 83

(12) An appointment as auditor of a person who has not
requested a written statement from the former auditor under subsection
(3A) is voidable by a resolution of the shareholders at a general meeting.
[Section 89 amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Annual audit
90 (1) The auditor shall audit any financial statements to be laid
pursuant to section 84 as will enable him to report to the members.
(2) Based on the results of his audit under subsection (1)
which audit shall be made in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards, the auditor shall make a report to the members.
(3) The generally accepted auditing standards referred to in
subsection (2) may be those of Bermuda or a country or jurisdiction
other than Bermuda or such other generally accepted auditing standards
as may be appointed by the Minister under subsection (4) for the
purpose of this subsection; and where the generally accepted auditing
standards used are other than those of Bermuda, the report of the
auditor shall identify the generally accepted auditing standards used.
(3A) No action shall lie against an auditor in the performance of
any function as an auditor contemplated by this Act except in the
instance of—
(a) the company who engaged the auditor to perform such
function; or
(b) any other person expressly authorized by the auditor to rely on his work.
(4) The Minister may, after consultation with the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Bermuda, appoint generally accepted auditing
standards promulgated by an audit standard setting body and shall
cause the appointment to be published in an appointed newspaper.
[Section 90 replaced by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and amended by 1995:33
effective 7 July 1995; and by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996] Election of directors
91 (1) The affairs of the company shall be managed by not less
than two directors who shall be individuals elected in the first place at
the statutory meeting and thereafter at each annual general meeting of
the company or elected or appointed by the members in such other
manner and for such term as may be provided in the bye-laws.
(1A) A maximum number of directors may be determined by
the members at a general meeting of the company or in such other
manner as may be provided in the bye-laws.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

84 1989 Revisio
n

(2) Where a maximum number of directors has been
determined in accordance with subsection (1A), a general meeting of a
company may authorise the directors of the company to elect or appoint
on their behalf an individual or individuals to act as additional directors
up to such maximum.
(2A) Any individual may be appointed an alternate director by or
in accordance with a resolution of the members or by a director in such
manner as may be provided in the bye-laws, and the individual so
appointed shall have all the rights and powers of the director for whom
he is appointed in the alternative, except that he shall not be entitled to
attend and vote at any meeting of the directors otherwise than in the
absence of such director.
(2B) An alternate director shall only be a director for the
purposes of this Act and shall only be subject to the provisions of this
Act insofar as they relate to the duties and obligations of a director when
performing the functions of the director for whom he is appointed in the
alternative.
(3) So long as a quorum of directors remains in office, unless
the bye-laws of a company otherwise provide, any vacancy occurring in
the board of directors may be filled by such directors as remain in office.
If no quorum of directors remains the vacancy shall be filled by a general
meeting of members.
(4) Every company shall have a president and a vice-president
or a chairman and a deputy chairman who shall be directors of the
company and may have such other officers who may or may not be
directors and who shall be appointed in such manner and hold office for
such period, as the bye-laws shall provide.
[Section 91 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1993:37 effective 13 July
1993; by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Representation of director by another director
91A (1) Subject to any express provision to the contrary in the bye-
laws of the company, a director of the company may appoint another
director of the company to represent him and to vote on his behalf at any
meeting of the directors of the company:
Provided that a director so appointed —
(a) shall not be entitled to vote at any such meeting on behalf of the director who appointed him if the director
who appointed him is himself present at that meeting;
and
(b) may, subject to paragraph (a), vote at any such meeting on his own behalf as well as on behalf of the director
who appointed him.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 85

(2) An appointment made under subsection (1) —
(a) shall not have effect unless notice thereof is given in
writing to the secretary of the company by the director
making the appointment;
(b) may be either general or in respect of a particular meeting or meetings specified in the notice of
appointment; and
(c) may be revoked at any time by notice in writing given to the secretary of the company by the director making the
appointment.
Directors entitled to receive notice of meetings, etc.
91B (1) The directors of a company shall upon written request
deposited at the registered office of the company be entitled to receive
notice of, and to attend and be heard at, any or all general meetings.
(2) Notwithstanding section 75 (length of notice for calling
meetings) a notice given under subsection (1) shall be valid if in all the
circumstances, such notice is reasonable.
[Section 91B inserted by 1992:51 effect ive 1 July 1992; and replaced by 1995:33
effective 7 July 1995] Appointment of secretary
92 (1) The directors of a company shall appoint a secretary to the
company who shall hold office in accordance with the bye-laws.
(2) Anything required or authorized to be done by or to the
secretary may, if the office is vacant or there is for any other reason no
secretary capable of acting, be done by or to any assistant or deputy
secretary or, if there is no assistant or deputy secretary capable of
acting, by or to any officer of the company authorized generally or
specially in that behalf by the directors.
Register of directors and officers
92A (1) Subject to subsection (8), every company shall keep at its
registered office a register of its directors and officers and the register
shall, with respect to the particulars to be contained in it of those
persons, comply with subsection (6).
(2) The company shall, within the period of fourteen days from
the occurrence of —
(a) any change among its directors or in its officers; or
(b) any change in the particulars contained in the register, enter on its register the particulars of the change.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

86 1989 Revisio
n

(3) The register shall during business hours (subject to such
reasonable restrictions as the company may impose, so that not less
than two hours in each day be allowed for inspection) be open for
inspection by members of the public without charge.
(4) If an inspection required under this section is refused, or if
default is made in complying with subsection (1) or (2) the company
which is in default shall be liable in respect of each offence to a default
fine.
(5) In the case of a refusal or default, the Court may by order
compel an immediate inspection of the register.
(6) The register shall contain the following particulars with
respect to each director and officer—
(a) in the case of an individual, his present first name,
surname and address; and
(b) in the case of a company, its name and registered office.
(6A) The register of a local company shall state whether any
individual possesses Bermudian status within the meaning of the
Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956.[ title 5 item 16] (7) For the purposes of this section “officer” means—
(a) a president, vice-president, chairman or deputy
chairman provided that each such person is a director,
and
(b) a secretary.
(8) Any company whose objects are wholly and exclusively
charitable and which does not solicit funds from the public shall, on
filing a copy of its memorandum of association and of its register of
directors and officers with the Registrar and on obtaining from the
Registrar a confirmation of the filing, be exempt from the provisions of
this section.
(9) Notwithstanding any other statutory provision the
documents filed for the purposes of subsection (8) shall be treated as
confidential by the Minister and any public officer having access to them.
[Section 92A inserted by 1992:51 effect ive 1 July 1992; and amended by 1993:37
effective 13 July 1993; and by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996] Removal of directors
93 (1) Subject to its bye-laws the members of a company may at a
special general meeting called for that purpose remove a director:

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 87

Provided that notice of any such meeting shall be served on the director
concerned not less than fourteen days before the meeting and he shall be
entitled to be heard at such meeting:
Provided further that nothing in this section shall have effect to deprive
any person of any compensation or damages which may be payable to
him in respect of the termination of his appointment as a director or of
any other appointment with the company.
(2) A vacancy created by the removal of a director at a special
general meeting may be filled at that meeting by the election of another
director in his place or in the absence of any such election by the other
directors.
Undischarged bankrupt not to take part in management of a
company
94 (1) If any person being an undischarged bankrupt in any
country acts as director of, or directly or indirectly takes part in or is
concerned in the management of, any company except with the leave of
the Court, he shall be liable on conviction on indictment to
imprisonment for a term of two years, or on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term of six months or to a fine of five hundred dollars
or to both such imprisonment and fine:
Provided that a person shall not be guilty of an offence under this section
by reason that he, being an undischarged bankrupt, has acted as
director of, or taken part or been concerned in the management of, a
company, if he was on 1 July 1983 acting as a director of that company
or taking part or being concerned in its management.
(2) The leave of the Court for the purposes of this section shall
not be given unless notice of intention to apply therefor has been served
on the Official Receiver, and it shall be the duty of the Official Receiver, if
he is of opinion that it is contrary to the public interest that any such
application should be granted, to attend on the hearing of and oppose
the granting of the application.
Court may order that a convicted person shall not take part in the
management of the affairs of a company
95 (1) Where any court convicts any person of an offence relating
to the affairs of a company which, in the opinion of such court, involves
dishonesty it may order that such person shall not directly or indirectly
take part in or be concerned in the management of any company without
leave of the Supreme Court.
(2) Section 94(2) shall apply to any application for leave under
subsection (1).

COMPANIES ACT 1981

88 1989 Revisio
n

(3) The same right of appeal shall lie in respect of an order
made under subsection (1) as it does from a sentence of imprisonment.
(4) Any person who contravenes an order of a court made
under subsection (1) shall be liable to the punishments set out in section
94(1).
Prohibition of loans to directors without consent of members
96 (1) Without the consent of any member or members holding in
the aggregate not less than nine-tenths of the total voting rights of all the
members having the right to vote at any meeting of the members it shall
not be lawful for a company to make a loan to any person who is its
director or a director of its holding company, or to enter into any
guarantee or provide any security in connection with a loan made to
such person as aforesaid by any other person:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply either —
(a) subject to subsection (2), to anything done to provide
any such person as aforesaid with funds to meet
expenditure incurred or to be incurred by him for the
purposes of the company or for the purpose of enabling
him properly to perform his duties as an officer of the
company; or
(b) in the case of a company whose ordinary business includes the lending of money or the giving of
guarantees in connection with loans made by other
persons, to anything done by the company in the
ordinary course of that business.
(2) Proviso (a) to subsection (1) shall not authorize the making
of any loan, or the entering into any guarantee, or the provision of any
security, except either —
(a) with the prior approval of the company given at a general meeting at which the purposes of the expenditure and
the amount of the loan or the extent of the guarantee or
security, as the case may be, are disclosed; or
(b) on condition that, if the approval of the company is not given as aforesaid at or before the next following annual
general meeting, the loan shall be repaid or the liability
under the guarantee or security shall be discharged, as
the case may be, within six months from the conclusion
of that meeting.
(3) Where the approval of the company is not given as required
by any such condition, the directors authorizing the making of the loan,
or the entering into the guarantee, or the provision of the security, shall
be jointly and severally liable to indemnify the company against any loss
arising therefrom.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 89

(4) A loan shall be deemed to be a loan to a director if it is
made to —
(a) the spouse or children of a director; or
(b) to a company (other than a company which is a holding
company or a subsidiary of the company making the
loan) which a director, his spouse or children own or
control directly or indirectly more than twenty per cent
of the capital or loan debt.
(5) For the purposes of this section a loan shall not be deemed
to have been made in the ordinary course of business of a company if it
has not been made on normal commercial terms in respect of interest
rates, repayment terms and security.
(6) This section applies to a mutual company.
[Section 96 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Duty of care of officers
97 (1) Every officer of a company in exercising his powers and
discharging his duties shall —
(a) act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company; and
(b) exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably
prudent person would exercise in comparable
circumstances.
(2) Every officer of a company shall comply with this Act, the
regulations, and the bye-laws of the company.
(3) [Deleted by 1995:33] (4) Without in any way limiting the generality of subsection (1)
an officer of a company shall be deemed not to be acting honestly and in
good faith if —
(a) he fails on request to make known to the auditors of the
company full details of —
(i) any emolument, pension or other benefit that he has received or it is agreed that he should
receive from the company or any of the
company’s subsidiaries; or
(ii) any loan he has received or is to receive from the company or any of its subsidiaries;
(b) he fails to disclose at the first opportunity at a meeting of directors or by writing to the directors —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

90 1989 Revisio
n

(i) his interest in any material contract or proposed
material contract with the company or any of its
subsidiaries;
(ii) his material interest in any person that is a party to a material contract or proposed material
contract with the company or any of its
subsidiaries.
(5) For the purposes of this section —
(a) a general notice to the directors of a company by an officer of the company declaring that he is an officer of or
has a material interest in a person and is to be regarded
as interested in any contract with that person is a
sufficient declaration of interest in relation to any such
contract;
(b) the word “material” in relation to a contract or proposed contract shall be construed as relating to the materiality
of that contract or proposed contract in relation to the
business of the company to which disclosure must be
made;
(c) an interest occurring by reason of the ownership or direct or indirect control of not more than 10% of the
capital of a person shall not be deemed material.
(5A) An officer is not liable under subsection (1) if he relies in
good faith upon —
(a) financial statements of the company represented to him by another officer of the company; or
(b) a report of an attorney, accountant, engineer, appraiser or other person whose profession lends credibility to a
statement made by him.
(6) Any officer of a company who fails to make known a matter
he is required to make known under subsection (4) shall be liable to a
fine of one thousand dollars.
(7) Nothing in this section shall be taken to prejudice any rule
of law or any bye-law restricting officers of a company from having any
interest in contracts with the company.
[Section 97 amended by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995] Exemption, indemnification and liability of officers, etc.
98 (1) Subject to subsection (2), a company may in its bye-laws or
in any contract or arrangement between the company and any officer, or
any person employed by the company as auditor, exempt such officer or
person from, or indemnify him in respect of, any loss arising or liability

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 91

attaching to him by virtue of any rule of law in respect of any negligence,
default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which the officer or person
may be guilty in relation to the company or any subsidiary thereof.
(2) Any provision, whether contained in the bye-laws of a
company or in any contract or arrangement between the company and
any officer, or any person employed by the company as auditor,
exempting such officer or person from, or indemnifying him against any
liability which by virtue of any rule of law would otherwise attach to him
in respect of any fraud or dishonesty of which he may be guilty in
relation to the company shall be void:
Provided that—
(a) nothing in this section shall operate to deprive any
person of any exemption or right to be indemnified in
respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him
while any such provision was in force; and
(b) notwithstanding anything in this section, a ‘company may, in pursuance of any such provision as aforesaid
indemnify any such officer or auditor against any
liability incurred by him in defending any proceedings,
whether civil or criminal in which judgment is given in
his favour or in which he is acquitted or when relief is
granted to him by the Court under section 281.
[Section 98 amended by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995, and by 1996:21 effective 24
July 1996] Insurance of officers
98A A company may purchase and maintain insurance for the
benefit of any officer of the company against any liability incurred by him
under section 97(1)(b) in his capacity as an officer of the company or
indemnifying such an officer in respect of any loss arising or liability
attaching to him by virtue of any rule of law in respect of any negligence,
default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which the officer may be
guilty in relation to the company or any subsidiary thereof and nothing
in this Act shall make void or voidable any such policy.
[Section 98A amended by 1995:33 effective 7 July 1995] Liability of auditor or officer
98(B) (1) Where an auditor or an officer is found liable to any person
for damages arising out of the performance of any function as such
auditor or officer as contemplated by this Act, then the following
provisions of this section shall apply.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

92 1989 Revisio
n

(2) An auditor or officer may be liable jointly and severally only
if it is proved that he knowingly engaged in fraud or dishonesty.
(3) In any case other than that contemplated by subsection (2)
hereof, the liability of the auditor or officer, as the case may be, shall be
determined as follows—
(a) the Court shall determine the percentage of
responsibility of the plaintiff, of each of the defendants,
and of each of the other persons alleged by the parties to
have caused or contributed to the loss of the plaintiff. In
considering the percentages of responsibility, the Court
shall consider both the nature of the conduct of each
person and the nature and extent of the causal
relationship between the conduct and the loss claimed
by the plaintiff;
(b) the liability of the auditor or officer, as the case may be, shall be equal to the total loss suffered by the plaintiff
multiplied by the auditor’s or officer’s, as the case may
be, percentage of responsibility as determined under
paragraph (a) hereof.
(4) No auditor or officer whose liability is determined under
subsection (3) hereof shall have any liability in respect of any judgement
entered against any other party to the action.
(5) Except where agreed in writing between the parties, where
the liability of an auditor or officer has been determined in accordance
with subsection (3) no other person shall have any right to recover from
such auditor or officer any portion of any judgment entered against such
other person in respect of the action.
[Section 98B inserted by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996] PART VII
ARRANGEMENTS, RECONSTRUCTIONS AND AMALGAMATIONS
Power to compromise with creditors and members
99 (1) Where a compromise or arrangement is proposed between a
company and its creditors or any class of them or between a company
and its members or any class of them, the Court may, on the application
of the company or of any creditor or member of the company, or, in the
case of a company being wound up, of the liquidator, order a meeting of
the creditors or class of creditors, or of the members of the company or
class of members, as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner
as the Court directs.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 93

(2) If a majority in number representing three-fourths in value
of the creditors or class of creditors or members or class of members, as
the case may be, present and voting either in person or by proxy at the
meeting, agree to any compromise or arrangement, the compromise or
arrangement shall if sanctioned by the Court, be binding on all the
creditors or the class of creditors, or on the members or class of
members, as the case may be, and also on the company or, in the case of
a company in the course of being wound up, on the liquidator and
contributories of the company.
(3) An order made under subsection (2) shall have no effect
until a copy of the order has been delivered to the Registrar for
registration, and a copy of every such order shall be annexed to every
copy of the memorandum of association of the company issued after the
order has been made.
(4) If a company makes default in complying with subsection
(3), the company and every officer of the company who knowingly or
wilfully authorizes or permits the default shall be liable to a fine of ten
dollars for each copy in respect of which default is made.
Information as to compromise with creditors and members
100 (1) Where a meeting of creditors or any class of creditors or of
members or any class of members is summoned under section 99 there
shall —
(a) with every notice summoning the meeting which is sent
to a creditor or member, be sent also a statement
explaining the effect of the compromise or arrangement
and in particular stating any material interests of the
directors of the company whether as directors or as
members or as creditors of the company or otherwise,
and the effect thereon of the compromise or
arrangement, in so far as it is different from the effect on
the like interests of other persons; and
(b) in every notice summoning the meeting which is given by advertisement, be included either such a statement
as aforesaid or a notification of the place at which and
the manner in which creditors or members entitled to
attend the meeting may obtain copies of such a
statement as aforesaid.
(2) Where the compromise or arrangement affects the rights of
debenture holders of the company, the said statement shall give the like
explanation as respects the trustees of any deed for securing the issue of
the debentures as it is required to give as respects the company’s
directors.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

94 1989 Revisio
n

(3) Where a notice given by advertisement includes a
notification that copies of a statement explaining the effect of the
compromise or arrangement proposed can be obtained by creditors or
members entitled to attend the meeting, every such creditor or member
shall, on making application in the manner indicated by the notice, be
furnished by the company free of charge with a copy of the statement.
(4) Where a company makes default in complying with any
requirement of this section, the company and every officer of the
company who knowingly or wilfully authorizes or permits the default
shall be liable to a fine of one thousand dollars, and for the purpose of
this subsection any liquidator of the company and any trustee of a deed
for securing the issue of debentures of the company shall be deemed to
be an officer of the company:
Provided that a person shall not be liable under this subsection if that
person shows that the default was due to the refusal of any other person,
being a director or trustee for debenture holders, to supply the necessary
particulars as to his interests.
(5) It shall be the duty of any director of the company and of
any trustee for debenture holders of the company to give notice to the
company of such matters relating to himself as may be necessary for the
purposes of this section, and any person who makes default in
complying with this subsection shall be liable to a fine of two hundred
dollars.
Reconstruction of companies
101 (1) Where an application is made to the Court under section 99
for the sanctioning of a compromise or arrangement proposed between a
company and any such persons as are mentioned in that section, and it
is shown to the Court that the compromise or arrangement has been
proposed for the purposes of or in connection with a scheme for the
reconstruction of any company or companies and that under the scheme
the whole or any part of the undertaking or the property of any company
concerned in the scheme (in this section referred to as “a transferor
company”) is to be transferred to another company (in this section
referred to as “the transferee company”), the Court may, subject to
subsection (2), either by the order sanctioning the compromise or
arrangement or by any subsequent order, make provision for all or any of
the following matters —
(a) the transfer to the transferee company of the whole or
any part of the undertaking and of the property or
liabilities of any transferor company;
(b) the allocation or appropriation by the transferee company of any shares, debentures, policies or other like
interests in that company which under the compromise
or arrangement are to be allotted or appropriated by that
company to or for any person;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 95

(c) the continuation by or against the transferee company of
any legal proceedings pending by or against any
transferor company;
(d) the dissolution, without winding up, of any transferor company;
(e) the provision to be made for any persons, who within such time and in such manner as the Court directs
dissent from the compromise or arrangement;
(f) such incidental, consequential and supplemental matters as are necessary to secure that the
reconstruction or amalgamation shall be fully and
effectively carried out.
(2) No order shall be made under subsection (1) for the transfer
to the transferee company of the whole or any part of the undertaking or
of the property or liabilities of any transferor company unless notice of
the application for the sanctioning of the compromise or arrangement of
which the order is to form a part is given in writing to the Minister and
an affidavit signifying the consent of the Minister to the making of the
order has been lodged with the Court.
(3) Where an order under this section provides for the transfer
of property or liabilities, that property shall, by virtue the order, be
transferred to and vest in, and those liabilities shall, by virtue of the
order, be transferred to and become the liabilities of, the transferee
company, and in the case of any property, if the order so directs, freed
from any charge which is by virtue of the compromise or arrangement to
cease to have effect.
(4) Where an order is made under this section, every company
in relation to which the order is made shall cause a copy thereof to be
delivered to the Registrar for registration within seven days after the
making of the order, and if default is made in complying with this
subsection, the company and every officer of the company who
knowingly or wilfully authorizes or permits the default shall be liable to a
fine of two hundred dollars.
(5) In this section “property” includes all assets, rights and
powers of every description, and “liabilities” includes duties.
Power to acquire shares of shareholders dissenting from scheme or
contract approved by majority
102 (1) Where a scheme or contract involving the transfer of shares
or any class of shares in a company (in this section referred to as “the
subject company”) to another company, whether a company within the
meaning of this Act or not (in this section referred to as “the transferee
company”), has, within four months after the making of the offer in that

COMPANIES ACT 1981

96 1989 Revisio
n

behalf by the transferee company been approved by the holders of not
less than nine-tenths in value of the shares whose transfer is involved,
other than shares already held at the date of the offer by, or by a
nominee for, the transferee company or its subsidiary, the transferee
company may, at any time within two months beginning with the date on
which such approval is obtained, give notice to any dissenting
shareholder that it desires to acquire his shares, and when such a notice
is given the transferee company shall, unless on an application made by
the dissenting shareholder within one month from the date on which the
notice was given the Court thinks fit to order otherwise, be entitled and
bound to acquire those shares on the terms on which, under the scheme
or contract, the shares of the approving shareholders are to be
transferred to the transferee company:
Provided that where shares in the subject company of the same class or
classes as the shares whose transfer is involved are already held as
aforesaid to a value greater than one-tenth of the aggregate of their value
and that of the shares, other than those already held as aforesaid, whose
transfer is involved, the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall not
apply unless—
(a) the transferee company offers the same terms to all
holders of the shares, other than those already held as
aforesaid, whose transfer is involved, or, where those
shares include shares of different classes, of each class
of them; and
(b) the holders who approve the scheme or contract, besides holding not less than nine-tenths in value of the shares,
other than those already held as aforesaid, whose
transfer is involved, are not less than three-fourths in
number of the holders of those shares.
(2) Where, in pursuance of any such scheme or contract as
aforesaid, shares in a company are transferred to another company or its
nominee, and those shares together with any other shares in the first-
mentioned company held by, or by a nominee for, the transferee
company or its subsidiary at the date of the transfer comprise or include
nine-tenths in value of the shares in the first-mentioned company or of
any class of those shares, then—
(a) the transferee company shall within one month from the date of the transfer, unless on a previous transfer in
pursuance of the scheme or contract it has already
complied with this requirement, give notice of that fact
to the holders of the remaining shares or of the
remaining shares of that class, as the case may be, who
have not assented to the scheme or contract; and
(b) any such holder may within three months from the giving of the notice to him, himself give notice requiring

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 97

the transferee company to acquire the shares in
question,
and where a shareholder gives notice under paragraph (b) with respect to
any shares, the transferee company shall be entitled and bound to
acquire those shares on the terms on which under the scheme or
contract the shares of the approving shareholders were transferred to it,
or on such other terms as may be agreed or as the Court on the
application of either the transferee company or the shareholder thinks fit
to order.
(3) Where a notice has been given by the transferee company
under subsection (1) and the Court has not, on an application made by
the dissenting shareholder, ordered to the contrary, the transferee
company shall, on the expiration of one month from the date on which
the notice has been given, or, if an application to the Court by the
dissenting shareholder is then pending, after that application has been
disposed of, transmit a copy of the notice to the subject company
together with an instrument of transfer executed on behalf of the
shareholder by any person appointed by the transferee company and on
its own behalf by the transferee company, and pay or transfer to the
subject company the amount or other consideration representing the
price payable by the transferee company for the shares which by virtue
of this section that company is entitled to acquire, the subject company
shall thereupon register the transferee company as the holder of those
shares.
(4) Any sums received by the subject company under this
section shall be paid into a separate bank account, and any such sums
and any other consideration so received shall be held by that company
on trust for the several persons entitled to the shares in respect of which
the said sums or other consideration were respectively received.
(5) In this section “dissenting shareholder” includes a
shareholder who has not assented to the scheme or contract and any
shareholder who has failed or refused to transfer his shares to the
transferee company in accordance with the scheme or contract.
[Section 102 amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998; and by 2000:29
effective 11 August 2000] Holders of 95% of shares may acquire remainder
103 (1) The holders of not less than ninety-five per cent of the
shares or any class of shares in a company (hereinafter in this section
referred to as the “purchasers”) may give notice to the remaining
shareholders or class of shareholders of the intention to acquire their
shares on the terms set out in the notice. When such a notice is given
the purchasers shall be entitled and bound to acquire the shares of the
remaining shareholders on the terms set out in the notice unless a

COMPANIES ACT 1981

98 1989 Revisio
n

remaining shareholder applies to the Court for an appraisal under
subsection (2):
Provided that the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall not apply
unless the purchasers offer the same terms to all holders of the shares
whose acquisition is involved.
(2) Any shareholder to whom a notice has been given under
subsection (1) may within one month of receiving the notice apply to the
Court to appraise the value of the shares to be purchased from him and
the purchasers shall be entitled to acquire the shares at the price so
fixed by the Court.
(3) Within one month of the Court appraising the value of any
shares under subsection (2) the purchasers shall be entitled either —
(a) to acquire all the shares involved at the price fixed by
the Court; or
(b) cancel the notice given under subsection (1).
(4) Where the Court has appraised any shares under
subsection (2) and the purchasers have prior to the appraisal acquired
any shares by virtue of a notice under subsection (1) then within one
month of the Court appraising the value of the shares if the price of the
shares they have paid to any shareholder is less than that appraised by
the Court they shall either —
(a) pay to such shareholder the difference in the price they have paid to him and the price appraised by the Court;
or
(b) cancel the notice given under subsection (1) and return to the shareholder any shares they have acquired and
the shareholder shall repay the purchasers the purchase
price.
(5) No appeal shall lie from an appraisal by the Court under
this section.
(6) The costs of any application to the Court under this section
shall be in the discretion of the Court.
(7) In this section “price” shall include not only monetary price
but also the monetary value of any shares or other securities offered by
the purchasers in exchange for the shares to be acquired.
Amalgamation of companies
104 (1) Two or more companies which are registered in Bermuda,
may subject to section 4A amalgamate and continue as one company:
Provided that if the amalgamated company is to be a local company it
shall comply with the Third Schedule.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 99

(2) [
Deleted by 1998:35] [Section 104 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998] Amalgamation of exempted company and foreign corporation and
continuation as an exempted company
104A (1) One or more exempted companies and one or more bodies
incorporated outside Bermuda (each such body hereinafter in this
section and in sections 104B and 104D referred to as a “foreign
corporation”) may amalgamate and continue as an exempted company
registered in Bermuda to which the provisions of this Act and any other
relevant laws of Bermuda shall apply.
(2) A foreign corporation shall obtain all necessary
authorizations, if any, required under the laws of the jurisdiction in
which it was incorporated or is presently registered in order to enable it
to amalgamate and continue as an exempted company registered in
Bermuda, and shall file with the Registrar documentary proof of such
authorizations.
(3) [Deleted by 1998:35] (4) The provisions of sections 105 to 109, mutatis mutandis,
apply to an amalgamation under this section in the same way as they
apply to an amalgamation under section 104.
(5) [Deleted by 1998:35] [Section 104A inserted by 1994:22 effect ive 13 July 1994; and amended by 1996:21
effective 24 July 1996; and by 1998 : 35 effective 5 October 1998] Amalgamation of exempted company and foreign corporation and
continuation as a foreign corporation
104B (1) One or more exempted companies and one or more foreign
corporations may amalgamate and continue as a foreign corporation (in
this section and sections 104C and 104D referred to as “the
amalgamated corporation”) to which the laws of the jurisdiction in which
it is proposed that the amalgamated corporation will continue (in this
section and sections 104C and 104D referred to as “the foreign
jurisdiction”) shall apply.
(2) An exempted company shall not amalgamate pursuant to
subsection (1) unless—
(a) an officer of such company has made a statutory declaration to the effect that there are reasonable
grounds for believing that—

COMPANIES ACT 1981

100 1989 Revisio
n

(i) such company is, and the amalgamated
corporation will be, able to pay its liabilities as
they fall due;
(ii) the realizable value of the amalgamated corporation’s assets will not be less than the
aggregate of its liabilities and issued share
capital and share premium account of all
classes; and
(iii) either no creditor of such company will be prejudiced by the amalgamation or adequate
notice has been given in accordance with section
104D(4) to all known creditors of such company
and no creditor objects to the amalgamation
otherwise than on grounds that are frivolous or
vexatious;
(b) an irrevocable deed poll is executed by such company and its directors, pursuant to which—
(i) such company and each of its directors may be served with legal process in Bermuda in any
proceeding arising out of actions or omissions of
such company occurring prior to the
amalgamation, and provision is made for the
appointment of a person within Bermuda as
agent for such company for the service of
process for a period of not less than three years
from the effective date of the amalgamation and
for a signed acceptance of the appointment; or
(ii) such company and each of its directors may be served with legal process at a specified address
in the United Kingdom, the United States of
America or any appointed jurisdiction, and
whereby such company and such directors
submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the
courts of that country or jurisdiction;
(c) each foreign corporation which is amalgamating has obtained all necessary authorizations, if any, required
under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it was
incorporated or is presently registered to enable it to so
amalgamate;
(d) the foreign jurisdiction is –
(i) an appointed jurisdiction; or
(ii) approved by the Minister, upon application by the company for the purpose of the
amalgamation of the company with a foreign

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 101

corporation and continuance as a foreign
corporation.
(e) not more than three months prior to the effective date of
the amalgamation—
(i) each exempted company which is amalgamating shall advertise in an appointed newspaper; and
(ii) each foreign corporation which is amalgamating shall advertise in a national newspaper in the
jurisdiction in which it was incorporated or is
presently registered,
its intention to amalgamate and continue as a company in the foreign
jurisdiction.
[Section 104B inserted by 1996:21 effe ctive 24 July 1996; replaced by 1998:35
effective 5 October 1998; and amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Documents to be filed on amalgamation and continuation as a
foreign corporation
104C (1) An exempted company shall not amalgamate pursuant to
section 104B unless on or before the effective date of the amalgamation
such company files with the Registrar a notice of the amalgamation
which shall contain or have attached thereto the following information:
(a) the effective date of the amalgamation;
(b) the name of the foreign jurisdiction;
(c) the address of the registered office or the principal business address of the amalgamated corporation in the
foreign jurisdiction;
(d) a copy of the statutory declaration required pursuant to section 104B(2)(a); and
(e) a copy of the irrevocable deed poll required pursuant to section 104B(2)(b).
(2) Within thirty days after the date of the issue thereof, the
amalgamated corporation continuing as a result of an amalgamation
pursuant to section 104B shall file with the Registrar a copy of the
certificate of amalgamation issued by the appropriate authority of the
foreign jurisdiction, or, if no such certificate of amalgamation is issued,
such other documentary evidence of the amalgamation as shall be issued
by such authority.
(3) The documents filed with the Registrar pursuant to
subsections (1) and (2) shall be open to public inspection.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

102 1989 Revisio
n

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 103

Regulations
104G [Repealed
] [Section 104G inserted by 1996:21 effect ive 24 July 1996; and repealed by 1998:35
effective 5 October 1998] Amalgamation agreement
105 (1) Each company proposing to amalgamate shall enter into an
agreement setting out the terms and means of effecting the
amalgamation and, in particular, setting out —
(a) the provisions that are required to be included in the memorandum;
(b) the name and address of each proposed director of the amalgamated company;
(c) the manner in which the shares of each amalgamating company are to be converted into shares or other
securities of the amalgamated company;
(d) if any shares of an amalgamating company are not to be converted into securities of the amalgamated company,
the amount of money or securities that the holders of
such shares are to receive in addition to or instead of
securities of the amalgamated company;
(e) the manner of payment of money instead of the issue of fractional shares of the amalgamated company or of any
other securities which are to be received in the
amalgamation;
(f) whether the bye-laws of the amalgamated company are to be those of one of the amalgamating companies and, if
not, a copy of the proposed bye-laws; and
(g) details of any arrangements necessary to perfect the amalgamation and to provide for the subsequent
management and operation of the amalgamated
company.
(2) If shares of one of the amalgamating companies are held by
or on behalf of another of the amalgamating companies, the
amalgamation agreement shall provide for the cancellation of such
shares when the amalgamation becomes effective without any repayment
of capital in respect thereof, and no provision shall be made in the
agreement for the conversion of such into shares of the amalgamated
company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

104 1989 Revisio
n

Shareholder approval
106 (1) The directors of each amalgamating company shall submit
the amalgamation agreement for approval to a meeting of the holders of
shares of the amalgamating company of which they are directors and,
subject to subsection (4), to the holders of each class of such shares.
(2) A notice of a meeting of shareholders complying with
section 75 shall be sent in accordance with that section to each
shareholder of each amalgamating company, and shall —
(a) include or be accompanied by a copy or summary of the
amalgamating agreement; and
(b) subject to subsection (2A), state—
(i) the fair value of the shares as determined by each amalgamating company; and
(ii) that a dissenting shareholder is entitled to be paid the fair value of his shares.
(2A) Notwithstanding subsection (2)(b)(ii), fai-lure to state the
matter referred to in that subsection does not invalidate an
amalgamation.
(3) Each share of an amalgamating company carries the right
to vote in respect of an amalgamation whether or not it otherwise carries
the right to vote.
(4) The holders of shares of a class of shares of an
amalgamating company are entitled to vote separately as a class in
respect of an amalgamation if the amalgamation agreement contains a
provision which would constitute a variation of the rights attaching to
any such class of shares for the purposes of section 47.
(4A) The provisions of the bye-laws of the company relating to
the holding of general meetings shall apply to general meetings and class
meetings required by this section provided that, unless the bye-laws
otherwise provide, the resolution of the shareholders or class must be
approved by a majority vote of three-fourths of those voting at such
meeting and the quorum necessary for such meeting shall be two
persons at least holding or representing by proxy more than one-third of
the issued shares of the company or the class, as the case may be, and
that any holder of shares present in person or by proxy may demand a
poll.
(5) An amalgamation agreement shall be deemed to have been
adopted when it has been approved by the shareholders as provided in
this section.
(6) Any shareholder who did not vote in favour of the
amalgamation and who is not satisfied that he has been offered fair value
for his shares may within one month of the giving of the notice referred

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 105

to in subsection (2) apply to the Court to appraise the fair value of his
shares.
(6A) Subject to subsection (6B), within one month of the Court
appraising the fair value of any shares under subsection (6) the company
shall be entitled either—
(a) to pay to the dissenting shareholder an amount equal to
the value of his shares as appraised by the Court; or
(b) to terminate the amalgamation in accordance with subsection (7).
(6B) Where the Court has appraised any shares under
subsection (6) and the amalgamation has proceeded prior to the
appraisal then, within one month of the Court appraising the value of the
shares, if the amount paid to the dissenting shareholder for his shares is
less than that appraised by the Court the amalgamated company shall
pay to such shareholder the difference between the amount paid to him
and the value appraised by the Court.
(6C) No appeal shall lie from an appraisal by the Court under
this section.
(6D) The costs of any application to the Court under this section
shall be in the discretion of the Court.
(7) An amalgamation agreement may provide that at any time
before the issue of a certificate of amalgamation the agreement may be
terminated by the directors of an amalgamating company, notwith-
standing approval of the agreement by the shareholders of all or any of
the amalgamating companies.
[Section 106 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Short form amalgamation
107 (1) A holding company and one or more of its wholly-owned
subsidiary companies may amalgamate and continue as one company
without complying with sections 105 and 106 if—
(a) the amalgamation is approved by a resolution of the directors of each amalgamating company; and
(b) the resolutions provide that —
(i) the shares of each amalgamating subsidiary company shall be cancelled without any
repayment of capital in respect thereof;
(ii) the memorandum shall be the same as the memorandum of the amalgamating holding
company; and

COMPANIES ACT 1981

106 1989 Revisio
n

(iii) no securities shall be issued by the
amalgamated company in connection with the
amalgamation.
(2) Two or more wholly-owned subsidiary companies of the
same holding company may amalgamate and continue as one company
without complying with sections 105 and 106 if —
(a) the amalgamation is approved by a resolution of the directors of each amalgamating company; and
(b) the resolutions provide that —
(i) the shares of all but one of the amalgamating subsidiary companies shall be cancelled without
any repayment of capital in respect of such
shares;
(ii) the memorandum shall be the same as the memorandum of the amalgamating subsidiary
company whose shares are not cancelled.
(iii) [repealed by 1992:51] (3) The amalgamating companies may elect to combine their
respective authorized share capitals and in the resolutions approving the
amalgamation they shall state whether or not they so elect.
(4) [Deleted by 1996:21] (5) [Deleted by 1996:21] [Section 107 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1996:21 effective 24
July 1996; and by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Registration of amalgamated companies
108 (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3) after the amalgamation of
companies has been adopted, the amalgamated company shall on
application be registered by the Registrar and a certificate of
amalgamation issued to the company.
(2) Any application for the registration of an amalgamated
company shall be accompanied by —
(a) a certified copy of the resolution or other authority, if
any, of each amalgamating company;
(b) the registered address of the amalgamated company;
(c) the memorandum of the amalgamated company; and
(d) the documents referred to in subsection (3).
(3) An application for registration of an amalgamated company
shall have attached to it a statutory declaration by an officer of each

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 107

amalgamating company that establishes to the satisfaction of the
Registrar that there are reasonable grounds for believing that—
(a) each amalgamating company is and the amalgamated
company will be able to pay its liabilities as they become
due;
(b) the realizable value of the amalgamated company’s assets will not be less than the aggregate of its liabilities
and issued capital of all classes; and either
(c) no creditor will be prejudiced by the amalgamation; or
(d) adequate notice has been given to all known creditors of the amalgamating companies and no creditor objects to
the amalgamation otherwise than on grounds that are
frivolous or vexatious.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (3)(d), adequate notice is
given if —
(a) a notice in writing is sent to each known creditor having a claim against the company that exceeds one thousand
dollars; and
(b) a notice is published in an appointed newspaper stating that the company intends to amalgamate with one or
more specified companies in accordance with this Act
and that a creditor of the company may object to the
amalgamation within thirty days from the date of the
notice.
[Section 108 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1998:35 effective
5 October 1998] Effect of certificate of amalgamated companies
109 On the date shown in a certificate of amalgamation—
(a) the amalgamation of the amalgamating companies and their continuance as one company shall become
effective;
(b) the property of each amalgamating company shall become the property of the amalgamated company;
(c) the amalgamated company shall continue to be liable for the obligations of each amalgamating company;
(d) an existing cause of action, claim or liability to prosecution shall be unaffected;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

108 1989 Revisio
n

(e) a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding
pending by or against an amalgamating company may be
continued to be prosecuted by or against the
amalgamated company;
(f) a conviction against, or ruling, order or judgment in favour of or against, an amalgamating company may be
enforced by or against the amalgamated company; and
(g) the certificate of amalgamation shall be deemed to be the certificate of incorporation of the amalgamated company;
however, the date of incorporation of a company is its
original date of incorporation and its amalgamation with
another company does not alter its original date of
incorporation.
[Section 109 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998] PART VII
THE INVESTIGATION OF THE AFFAIRS OF A COMPANY AND THE
PROTECTION OF MINORITIES
Investigation of the affairs of a company
110 (1) Subject to subsection (10) the Minister may at any time of
his own volition or on the application of that proportion of the members
of a company, as in his opinion warrants the application, based in
respect of a company limited by shares, or other company having a share
capital, on their shareholding, appoint one or more inspectors to
investigate the affairs of the company and to report thereon in such
manner as he may direct.
(2) The application by the members of a company shall be
supported by such evidence as the Minister may require for the purpose
of showing that the applicants have good reason for, and are not
actuated by malicious motives in requiring the investigation; and the
Minister may, before appointing an inspector require the applicants to
give security for payment of the costs of the inquiry.
(3) All officers and agents of the company shall produce to the
inspector all books and documents in their custody or power.
(4) An inspector may examine on oath the officers and agents
of the company in relation to its business, and may administer an oath
accordingly.
(5) Where any officer or agent refuses to produce any book or
document that under this section it is his duty to produce, or to answer
any question relating to the affairs of the company, he shall be liable to a

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 109

default fine and the court convicting him may order him to produce to
the inspector the books or documents in respect of which he was
convicted.
(6) Any person who fails to obey an order of a court made
under subsection (5) requiring the production of any books or documents
shall be guilty of contempt of Court and may be punished accordingly.
(7) On the conclusion of the investigation the inspector shall
report his opinion to the Minister, and a copy of the report shall be
forwarded by the Minister to the company and a further copy may in his
discretion, at the request of the applicants for the investigation, be
delivered to them.
(8) All expense of and incidental to the investigation shall be
defrayed by the applicants, unless the Minister directs that they be paid
by the company.
(9) A copy of a report made under this section shall be
admissible in any legal proceeding as evidence of the opinion of the
inspector in relation to any matter contained in the report.
(10) The Minister shall not have the power under this section to
appoint an inspector to investigate the affairs of an exempted company
or a permit company.
[Section 110 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Alternative remedy to winding up in cases of oppressive or
prejudicial conduct
111 (1) Any member of a company who complains that the affairs of
the company are being conducted or have been conducted in a manner
oppressive or prejudicial to the interests of some part of the members,
including himself, or where a report has been made to the Minister
under section 110, the Registrar on behalf of the Minister, may make an
application to the Court by petition for an order under this section.
(2) If on any such petition the Court is of opinion—
(a) that the company’s affairs are being conducted or have
been conducted as aforesaid; and
(b) that to wind up the company would unfairly prejudice that part of the members, but otherwise the facts would
justify the making of a winding up order on the ground
that it was just and equitable that the company should
be wound up,
the Court may, with a view to bringing to an end the matters complained
of, make such order as it thinks fit, whether for regulating the conduct of
the company’s affairs in future, or for the purchase of the shares of any

COMPANIES ACT 1981

110 1989 Revisio
n

members of the company by other members of the company or by the
company and, in the case of a purchase by the company, for the
reduction accordingly of the company’s capital, or otherwise.
(3) Where an order under this section makes an alteration in or
addition to any company’s memorandum or bye-laws, then,
notwithstanding anything in any other provision but subject to the
provisions of the order, the company concerned shall not have power
without the leave of the Court to make further alteration in or addition to
the memorandum or, bye-laws as so altered or added to accordingly.
(4) An office copy of any order under this section altering or
adding to, or giving leave to alter or add to, a company’s memorandum or
bye-laws shall, within fourteen days after the making thereof, be
delivered by the company to the Registrar for registration; and if a
company makes default in complying with this subsection, the company
and every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to a
default fine.
Preservation of the books and assets of a company
112 (1) The Registrar where the Minister has made an order under
section 110(1) or where he has made an application under section 111(1)
may apply to the Court ex parte for an order that the assets, books and
papers of the company be preserved and not moved.
(2) If on any such application the Court is satisfied that there is
a likelihood that the assets of the company will be transferred or that the
books and papers of the company may be destroyed or removed it shall
make an order that the assets of the company shall not be transferred to
any other person, removed from Bermuda or otherwise dealt with and
that the books or papers of the company shall not be destroyed or moved
until a further order is made by the Court.
(3) Where an order under subsection (1) is served on a
company the company may apply to the Court for the order to be
discharged and the Court may —
(a) confirm the order;
(b) vary the order in such manner as it considers just; or
(c) discharge the order,
and in any case make such orders as it thinks desirable for the
preservation of the assets of the company and the custody, inspection
and copying of the books and papers of the company.
(4) The company and any officer or employee of the company
who acts in contravention of an order of the Court made under
subsection (2) or (3) shall be guilty of contempt of Court.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 111

PART IX
LOCAL COMPANIES
Interpretation of Part IX and Third Schedule
113 (1) In this Part and in the Third Schedule the following shall be
deemed to be “Bermudian” —
(a) the Government or any corporation of which the majority
of the directors, managers, or trustees are subject to
appointment by the Governor or a Minister;
(b) any person who has Bermudian status by virtue of the law relating to immigration from time to time in force;
(c) a local company in which the percentage of shares beneficially owned by Bermudians is not less than 80%
of the total issued share capital of that company;
(cc) a local statutory corporation;
(d) an institution licensed as a bank under section 14(5)(a) of the Banks and Deposit Companies Act 1999;
(e) a wholly owned subsidiary of a local company where such subsidiary was incorporated on or prior to 31 July
1996 so far, and for so long as, that local company is
complying with the Third Schedule and for so long as it
abides by all the obligations of its parent company and
does nothing in Bermuda that its parent company is
unable lawfully to do; and
(f) a trust of which the majority of the trustees are persons with Bermudian status by virtue of the law relating to
immigration from time to time in force and the trust is
established for the benefit of Bermuda, Bermudians or
things Bermudian.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a company shall be
deemed to be a wholly owned subsidiary of another company if the latter
company enjoys the beneficial interest in all the shares of the former
company through beneficial ownership or as beneficiary under a trust,
express or implied, or through a nominee shareholder, to the exclusion of
any other person, and control in the former company cannot, by means
of any arrangement, artifice or device, be exercised either directly or
indirectly by persons who are not Bermudians.
(3) No share shall be deemed to be beneficially owned by a
Bermudian if —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

112 1989 Revisio
n

(a) that Bermudian is in any way under any obligation to
exercise any right attaching to that share at the instance
of, or for the benefit of, any person who is not
Bermudian; or
(b) that share is held jointly or severally with any person who is not Bermudian; or
(c) that share is owned by a subsidiary company of the company concerned.
(4) For the purposes of this Part, “local statutory corporation”
means a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate, other than a
company, incorporated by an Act, the principal functions of which relate
to operations and affairs in Bermuda.
[Section 113 amended by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996; by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998; by BR 81/1999 effective 1 January 2000; and by 2000:29 effective
11 August 2000] Circumstances in which local company may carry on business
114 (1) No local company shall carry on business of any sort in
Bermuda unless—
(a) it is a company which, at the relevant time, complies with Part I of the Third Schedule or is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of such a company; or
(b) it is a company mentioned in Part II of the Third Schedule; or
(c) it is licensed under section 114B and, at the relevant time is carrying on such business in accordance with the
terms and conditions imposed in such licence, and not
otherwise.
(2) Any local company that carries on business in
contravention of subsection (1) shall be liable to a fine of one hundred
dollars in respect of each day that it carries on business in contravention
of the subsection.
(3) The Minister may by regulations amend Part I of the Third
Schedule, and any such regulations shall be subject to affirmative
resolution procedure.
(4) Section 132 shall apply mutatis mutandis to any company
mentioned in Part II of the Third Schedule as if it were an exempted
company.
[Section 114 amended by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996]

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 113

Application for licence
114A (1) Any local company may apply to the Minister for a licence to
carry on business in Bermuda.
(2) An application for a licence under this section shall be
made to the Minister in such form and accompanied by such documents
as the Minister may determine.
(3) Before an application is made, the local company shall not
less than seven days prior to the date of application advertise its
intention to apply for a licence under this section in an appointed
newspaper.
[Section 114A amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 2000:29 effective
11 August 2000] Granting and revocation of licence
114B (1) Subject to this section, the Minister may, in his discretion,
grant a licence in respect of which application has been made under
section 114A, but if the Minister is of opinion that it would not be in the
public interest to grant a licence, he may refuse to grant one without
giving any reason for so refusing.
(2) A licence issued under this section shall be for such
duration and may be subject to such terms and conditions as the
Minister may see fit to specify therein.
(3) The Minister shall, in deciding whether or not to grant a
licence to a local company to carry on business in Bermuda, have regard
to—
(a) the economic situation in Bermuda and the due
protection of persons already engaged in business in
Bermuda;
(b) the nature and previous conduct of the company and the persons having an interest in the company whether as
directors, shareholders or otherwise;
(c) any advantage or disadvantage which may result from the company carrying on business in Bermuda; and
(d) the desirability of retaining in the control of Bermudians the economic resources of Bermuda.
(4) The Minister may at any time revoke a licence—
(a) for a contravention of any condition subject to which the licence is granted;
(b) if the company concerned is carrying on business in a manner detrimental to the public interest;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

114 1989 Revisio
n

(c) if the company concerned ceases to carry on business in
Bermuda;
(d) if the company concerned goes into liquidation or is wound up or otherwise dissolved; or
(e) if the company concerned fails to comply with any directive or requirement issued by the Minister under
this Act.
(5) Before revoking a licence under subsection (4)(e) the
Minister shall give the company concerned notice in writing of his
intention to do so specifying therein the grounds on which he proposes
to revoke the licence and shall afford the company concerned an
opportunity of submitting to him a written statement of objections to the
revocation of the licence; and thereafter the Minister shall advise the
company concerned of his decision in the matter.
(6) The Minister shall lodge with the Registrar a copy of every
licence granted under this section and the licence shall be available for
public inspection by members of the public at the office of the Registrar
during normal business hours.
[Section 114B amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Fees payable by local licensed company
114C (1) Every local company to which a licence is granted under
this Act shall, upon the issue of such licence, pay to the Government a
fee of one thousand dollars.
(2) On or before the 31st day of January of every year after the
year in which a licence has been granted to a local company, that
company shall, during the subsistence of such licence, pay to the
Government a fee of one thousand dollars.
(3) Any licensed local company which fails to pay the fee
provided by this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on
conviction by a court of summary jurisdiction to a fine not exceeding one
hundred dollars for each month during which such fee remains unpaid.
(4) The Minister shall publish annually in the Gazette the name
of every licensed local company that has paid the fee provided by this
section.
Hotel companies
115 (1) In relation to any hotel company the Minister shall exercise
his powers under section 114B after consultation with the Minister
responsible for tourism.
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of a private Act restricting
the transfer of shares in any hotel company, the Minister may, without

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 115

prejudice to his powers under section 114B(2) impose conditions on the
grant of a licence to a hotel company restricting the transfer of shares in
the company without the consent of such authority as the Minister may
specify.
(3) Where a hotel company is a subsidiary of a corporation
incorporated outside Bermuda the Minister may without prejudice to his
powers under section 114B, revoke a licence in the event of the transfer
of effective control of the corporation to persons who are not
Bermudians.
(3a) Section 114B(5) shall apply to the revocation of a licence
under subsection (3) as it applies to the revocation of a licence under
section 114B(4).
(4) In this section—
“hotel” has the meaning given in section 1 of the Hotels
(Licensing and Control) Act 1969 [title 17 item 2];
“hotel company” means a company whose principal business in
Bermuda is the ownership or the operation of a hotel in
Bermuda.
Penalty for improper exercise of voting rights
116 (1) Any person who, after a notice has been served upon him
under sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 2 of Part l of the Third Schedule,
exercises any voting rights or fails to divest himself of his shares within
three years, or within such further period as the Minister may allow
under the proviso to that sub-paragraph shall be liable to a fine of one
thousand dollars.
(2) A court when convicting any person under subsection (1) of
failing to divest himself of any shares shall, if the person convicted still
holds the shares, fix a date by which he shall divest himself of the shares
and if he fails so to do by such date he shall be guilty of a further offence
and shall be liable to a fine of one hundred dollars for each day he has
held the shares since the date the Court ordered him to divest himself of
them.
(3) If any person fails to divest himself of any shares after
having been found guilty of a further offence under subsection (2) he
shall be guilty of contempt of court and the Court may summarily deal
with him for such contempt until such time as he does divest himself of
the shares.
(4) It shall be a good defence to a prosecution under subsection
(2) for the owner to show that the company had at the relevant time
ceased to carry on business in Bermuda or that the shares were
valueless and that he was, therefore, unable to divest himself of them.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

116 1989 Revisio
n

Return of shareholdings
117 (1) Before any local company limited by shares, or other
company having a share capital, first commences business the company
shall forward to the Registrar a return of shareholdings in the company
as at the date of making the return signed by two directors of the
company.
(2) Every local company limited by shares, or other company
having a share capital, shall, not later than the 31st March each year
after the year in which the company first commenced business, forward
to the Registrar a return of shareholdings in the company as at the 31st
day of December of the immediately preceding year signed by two
directors:
Provided that the Registrar may in any particular case grant an
extension of time for compliance with this subsection if he is satisfied
that non-compliance is not wilful or is due to circumstances beyond the
control of the directors of the company.
(3) A return of shareholdings under this section —
(a) shall contain the following particulars —
(i) the number and par value of each class of
shares issued by the company;
(ii) the voting and other rights attached to each class of shares;
(iii) a statement of the number and par value of each class of shares beneficially owned by
Bermudians; and
(iv) a statement of the number and par value of each class of shares held by other persons; and
(b) may be combined with a return made for the purpose of the payment of annual tax.
(4) Any local company which fails to comply with this section
shall be liable to a default fine.
(5) Any person who knowingly signs a return made for the
purposes of this section which is false in a material particular shall be
liable on conviction by a court of summary jurisdiction to a fine of one
thousand dollars and on conviction on indictment to a fine of two
thousand dollars.
[Section 117 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Allotment and transfer of shares
118 (1) No allotment of shares in a local company shall be made by
the officers of the company if such allotment will, to the knowledge or

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 117

belief of them, or any of them, result in the number of shares beneficially
owned by persons who are not Bermudians exceeding the amount such
persons are entitled to own by virtue of the Third Schedule unless the
prior written consent of the Minister is obtained.
(2) The officers of a local company shall decline to register any
transfer of shares in the company if such transfer will, to the knowledge
or belief of the officers, or any of them, result in the number of shares
beneficially owned by persons who are not Bermudian exceeding the
amount such persons are entitled to own by virtue of the Third Schedule
unless the prior written consent of the Minister is obtained.
(3) No allotment of shares in a local company shall be made to
any person unless the application for those shares sets out whether or
not the applicant is Bermudian.
(4) No transfer of shares in a local company shall be registered
unless the instrument of transfer of those shares sets out with respect to
both the transferor and transferee whether or not they are Bermudian.
(5) Any officer of a local company who is knowingly a party to
any allotment of shares contrary to subsection (1) or subsection (3) or
who is knowingly a party to authorizing or permitting any transfer, or
registration of a transfer, of shares contrary to subsection (2) or
subsection (4), shall be liable on conviction by a court of summary
jurisdiction to a fine of one thousand dollars and on conviction on
indictment to a fine of two thousand dollars.
(6) Where it is stated in an application for allotment, or in an
instrument of transfer, of shares in a local company that an applicant,
transferor or transferee is Bermudian the officers of the company may
request that person to furnish such proof of the correctness of such
statement as the officers consider necessary; and, in the absence of such
proof, the officers may decline to allot any shares or register the transfer.
(7) The officers of a local company may at any time enquire in
writing of any person who owns a share in the company—
(a) whether or not he is Bermudian;
(b) whether or not he is the beneficial owner of the shares;
(c) whether or not he is in any way under any obligation to
exercise any right attaching to that share at the instance
of, or for the benefit of, another person, and, if so, the
name of that other person and whether or not that other
person is Bermudian; and
(d) whether he owns that share jointly or severally with another person and, if so, the name of the other person
who has such an interest and whether or not that other
person is Bermudian,

COMPANIES ACT 1981

118 1989 Revisio
n

and, if it is stated in any reply made to an enquiry under this subsection
that any person is Bermudian, the officers may further require the
person making that statement to furnish such proof of the correctness of
that statement as the directors consider necessary.
(8) Any person to whom a request is made, or to whom an
enquiry is addressed, under this section shall reply in writing, within
fourteen days after the receipt of the request or the enquiry and shall
give the information required; and no person shall be liable for breach of
any contract, trust or other obligation which is binding on him in law for
supplying such information.
(9) Any person who fails to reply in accordance with subsection
(7) or subsection (8) or who makes a reply or furnishes information or
purported proof which is false in a material particular shall be liable on
conviction by a court of summary jurisdiction to a fine of one thousand
dollars and on conviction on indictment to a fine of two thousand dollars.
(10) This section does not apply to a local company that is
licensed under section 114B.
[Section 118 amended by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Minister may require information
119 (1) The Minister may at any time by notice in writing require
the officers of a local company to forward to him such information as to
the officers of and shareholdings (including the classes of shares and the
voting and other rights attached to each class) in the local company as
the Minister may specify.
(2) A notice under subsection (1) may require that the officers
set out in writing within such period as may be specified in the notice
the facts in relation to the officers, shareholdings and other matters
relating to the control of the company which the officers contend
establishes that the local company is Bermudian controlled and such
facts shall specify the extent to which the control of any corporate body
holding shares in the local company is vested in Bermudians.
(3) If the officers of a local company fail to comply with the
requirements specified in a notice issued under this section, or fail to
comply with the requirements thereof in such a manner as to establish,
prima facie, that the company is Bermudian controlled, the company
shall be deemed not to be Bermudian controlled until the contrary is
proved.
Acquisition of land by local companies
120 (1) Without prejudice to paragraph 12 of the First Schedule, a
local company may acquire and hold in its corporate name with the
previous sanction in each case of the Minister, but not otherwise, any
land in Bermuda, bona fide required for the purpose of the company, not

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 119

exceeding in the whole the limit of its land holding powers specified in its
memorandum.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section and section
7(1)(g) but subject to subsection (3) of this section, where a local
company holds an unlimited trust licence issued under the Trusts
(Regulation of Trust Business) Act 2001, the company shall have the
power to acquire and hold in its corporate name any land in Bermuda
provided it holds such land in its capacity as trustee of any trust or
settlement established by written instrument.
(3) Nothing in subsection (2) overrides any provision in Part VI
of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 relating to the
acquisition of land, or the holding of land, in trust.
[Section 120 amended by 1997:21 effective 2 September 1997; by 1998:35 effective
5 October 1998; and by 2001:22 effective 25 January 2002] Companies to make declarations and pay annual tax
121 (1) Every local company shall within one month of filing its
memorandum and thereafter not later than the 31st March of each
year—
(a) send to the Registrar a declaration in writing by an
officer of the company stating what the issued capital of
the company will be when it commences business or if it
is in business what the issued capital of the company
was on the 1st of January of that year and, in the case
of a company whose business includes the management
of any unit trust scheme, stating the number of unit
trust schemes managed by the company on the first day
of each calendar year; and
(b) pay the appropriate fee, if applicable, and the appropriate annual tax as shown in Part I of the Fifth
Schedule:
Provided that, where the filing of the memorandum is effected after the
31st August in any year, the fee payable, if applicable, and tax payable in
respect of that year shall be half the fee, if applicable, and half the tax
shown in the Schedule.
(2) If a company fails to send a declaration to the Registrar in
compliance with subsection (1)(a) or pay the appropriate fee, if
applicable, and the annual tax the company and every officer of the
company shall be liable to a default fine.
(3) It shall be lawful for the Registrar, in any case where a
company has not made a declaration and payment in accordance with
subsection (1) and where he is satisfied that such non-payment is not

COMPANIES ACT 1981

120 1989 Revisio
n

due to wilful neglect or default, to accept payment of the sum due
together with a penalty of one hundred and fifty dollars, and in any such
case subsection (2) shall not apply.
(4) In addition to any penalty it may incur if a company fails to
pay the appropriate fee, if applicable, and the annual tax within three
months of it becoming due it shall cease to carry on business until the
fee, if applicable, and the tax and any penalty it may have incurred have
been paid.
(5) Any company that carries on business in contravention of
subsection (4) shall be liable to a fine of one hundred dollars in respect of
each day that it carries on business in contravention of that subsection.
(6) If any question arises as to the appropriate fee, if
applicable, and the annual tax payable by a local company the decision
of the Minister as to what fee, if applicable, and tax are payable shall be
final.
(7) The Minister may from time to time by order vary the fees
shown in Part I of the Fifth Schedule. Any such order shall be subject to
affirmative resolution procedure.
[Section 121 amended by 1992:51 effecti ve 1 July 1992; and amended by 1998:14
effective 1 April 1998}
Accountant General may call for auditor’s certificate
122 (1) The Accountant General may by notice in writing require a
company to produce the certificate of an auditor approved by him setting
out the issued capital of that company on the first day of January of
such year as the Accountant General may specify in the notice.
(2) If a company without lawful excuse fails to comply with
subsection (1), then that company shall be deemed to be liable for the
maximum annual tax payable by a company pursuant to this Act in
respect of the year to which the notice relates unless that company
satisfies the Accountant General that it is liable to a lesser sum by way
of annual tax.
Recovery of annual tax
123 Annual tax and any penalty payable pursuant to this Act may be
recovered by the Accountant General in a court of summary jurisdiction
as a civil debt, irrespective of the amount so payable.
Companies in liquidation
124 (1) The liability of a company to annual tax shall not be
affected by reason only of the fact that it is being wound up:
Provided that, where it is shown to the satisfaction of the Accountant
General that in any year the income of a company being wound up is
less than twelve hundred dollars, the company shall not be liable to

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 121

annual tax in respect of that year and the Accountant General shall
refund to that company the annual tax, if any, paid in respect of that
year.
(2) The Accountant General may require the production of such
audited or other accounts and such other documents as may be
reasonable to determine whether the exemption provided in this section
shall have effect.
(3) The Accountant General may enter into such arrangement
with the liquidator or Official Receiver, as the case may be, for the
suspension of the payment of annual tax during the winding up of a
company pending the determination of whether the exception provided
by this section shall have effect and in that event the failure by the
company to pay annual tax during the period of its winding up shall not,
if the company complies with the provisions of any such arrangement
attract any penalty.
Certain companies exempt from tax
125 (1) A company shall be exempt from the payment of annual tax
in any year if it satisfies the Accountant General that it is —
(a) a company limited by guarantee and is not a mutual
company; or
(b) that it is operated for a charitable purpose; or
(c) that the company does not pursue any commercial enterprise for profit and that the income during each of
the past years since its incorporation has not exceeded
five hundred dollars.
(2) A company shall not be deemed to be operated for a
charitable purpose for the purposes of subsection (1) if —
(i) it has power to engage or engages in any commercial enterprise otherwise than in
furtherance of its charitable objects;
(ii) any dividend has at any time been paid on any of its share capital;
(iii) any interest has been paid on any capital employed other than capital employed in
furtherance of its charitable purpose; or
(iv) any person is employed or remunerated for services otherwise than for services in
furtherance of its charitable or reasonable
administrative purposes.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

122 1989 Revisio
n

Interpretation of sections 121 to 125
126 For the purposes of sections 121 to 125 unless the context
otherwise requires —
“issued capital” means in relation to —
(a) any company limited by shares, or other company
having a share capital, the aggregate of the nominal
value of the shares actually issued by the company
whether or not the shares so issued are fully paid up;
and
(b) in the case of a mutual company the nominal value of the reserve fund;
“year” means a calendar year.
[Section 126 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] PART X
EXEMPTED COMPANIES
Meaning of exempted company
127 For the purposes of this Act, an exempted company means a
company which does not comply with the requirements of this Act in
respect of a local company and which —
(i) was recognised as an exempted company on 30 June 1983;
(ii) is a company registered under this Act and stated in its memorandum to be an exempted
company;
(iii) is a company incorporated by virtue of a private Act enacted after 30 June 1983 and is declared
by its incorporating Act to be an exempted
company for the purposes of this Act.
[Section 127 amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Exempted company to be an exempted undertaking
128 (1) An exempted company shall be an exempted undertaking
for the purposes of the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966
[title 17 item 12] .
(2) An exempted company shall be subject to the provisions of
this Act and to the provisions of law save where otherwise expressly
provided in this or any other Act.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 123

Restriction on acquisition of property
129 (1) Unless otherwise authorized by its incorporating Act or any
other Act an exempted company shall not have power —
(a) to acquire and hold land in Bermuda except—
(i) land required for its business by way of lease or
tenancy agreement for a term not exceeding fifty
years; or
(ii) with the consent of the Minister granted in his discretion, land by way of lease or tenancy
agreement for a term not exceeding twenty-one
years in order to provide accommodation or
recreational facilities for its officers and
employees;
(b) except as provided by section 144 to take any mortgage of land in Bermuda;
(c) to acquire any bonds, or debentures secured on any land in Bermuda except bonds or debentures issued by
the Government or a public authority;
(d) [deleted by 1996:21] (e) to carry on business of any kind or type whatsoever in
Bermuda either alone or in partnership or otherwise
except —
(i) carrying on business with persons outside Bermuda;
(ii) doing business in Bermuda with an exempted undertaking in furtherance only of the business
of the exempted undertaking carried on exterior
to Bermuda;
(iii) buying or selling or otherwise dealing in shares, bonds, debenture stock obligations, mortgages
or other securities or investments issued or
created by an exempted undertaking, or a local
company, or any partnership which is not an
exempted undertaking;
(iv) transacting banking business in Bermuda with and through an institution licensed as a bank
under the Banks and Deposit Companies Act
1999;
(v) effecting or concluding contracts in Bermuda, and exercising in Bermuda all other powers, so

COMPANIES ACT 1981

124 1989 Revisio
n

far as may be necessary for the carrying on of its
business with persons outside Bermuda;
(vi) as manager or agent for, or consultant or adviser
to any⎯
(aa) exempted company or permit company which is affiliated whether or not incorporated in
Bermuda with the exempted company; or
(bb) exempted partnership registered under the Exempted Partnerships Act 1992 or overseas
partnership registered under the Overseas
Partnerships Act 1995 in which the exempted
company is a partner;
(vii) carrying on the business of re-insuring risks undertaken by any company incorporated in
Bermuda and permitted to engage in insurance
and re-insurance business; or
(viii) in accordance with subsection (7)—
(aa) marketing of shares or dealing with the holders of shares of an exempted
company where the exempted company
is a mutual fund;
(bb) marketing interests in or dealing with holders of interests in a limited
partnership in respect of which the
exempted company is a general partner;
(cc) marketing units in or dealing with holders of units in a unit trust scheme
in respect of which the exempted
company is a manager.
(1A) Nothing in subsection (1)(e) shall prohibit an exempted
company from effecting or concluding contracts or arrangements with
persons in Bermuda for the supply of goods and services to the company
necessary for the purpose of enabling the company to carry on its
business with persons outside Bermuda.
(1B) Nothing in subsection (1)(e) shall prohibit an exempted
company from offering goods or services electronically from a place of
business in Bermuda or through an internet or other electronic service
provider located in Bermuda.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in any Act under authority of
which an exempted company is incorporated such a company shall not
engage or carry on the business of conveying or arranging for the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 125

conveyance of passengers, goods or mails by ships whether such
conveyance is within the waters of Bermuda except —
(i) where the ship is owned, operated or chartered
by or on behalf of an exempted company;
(ii) where the conveyance is of a passenger employed by the exempted company or of goods
which are or are to become the property of the
exempted company; or
(iii) when the business is negotiated by a local company.
(3) Notwithstanding anything in this Act an exempted company
on 1 July 1983 having in its memorandum among its objects an object
empowering the company to reinsure all or any risks undertaken by the
company shall be deemed in addition to have and always to have had the
power to accept insurance and reinsurance of any risks of another
exempted company similarly empowered.
(4) Notwithstanding anything in this Act, any object in the
memorandum of an exempted company empowering the company to
engage in retail trade in Bermuda, including retail trade with another
exempted company or an exempted undertaking or any other person,
shall be void to the extent that it purports so to empower that exempted
company.
(5) If an exempted company does anything in contravention of
subsection (1), then the land, merchandise, stocks, shares bonds,
debentures, securities, property or other interests so acquired or
disposed of, taken or held, shall be liable to escheat under the Escheats
Act 1871 [title 8 item 103] or under any other Act relating to escheat.
(6) In any proceedings for escheat under subsection (5), the
question whether any land, merchandise, stocks, shares bonds,
debentures, securities, property or other interests have been taken,
acquired, disposed of or held in contravention of subsection (1) shall be
decided as a question of fact.
(7) For the purposes of subsection (1)(e)(viii), an exempted
company shall be deemed to be marketing, or dealing with holders of
shares, interests or units if it undertakes any of the following activities in
Bermuda, that it to say,—
(i) the offering of such shares, interests or units for
subscription or purchase by way of a prospectus
or otherwise;
(ii) the acceptance of subscriptions for, or of offers to purchase, or of applications to redeem, such
shares, interests or units;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

126 1989 Revisio
n

(iii) the distribution of shareholder, limited
partnership or unitholder information to holders
of such shares, interests or units;
(iv) the making known, by way of advertisement or otherwise, that it may be contacted at a
particular address in Bermuda for the purpose
of communicating with the holders of such
shares, interests or units or the distribution and
collection of shareholder, limited partnership or
unitholder information;
(v) any other dealing with the holders of such shares, interests or units with respect to any
such shares, interests or units held by them.
[Section 129 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1994:22 effective 13
July 1994; by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996; by 1997:21 effective 2 September
1997; by 1998:8 effective 23 March 1998; by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998; by
1999:26 effective 4 October 1999; by BR 81/1999 effective 1 January 2000; and by
2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Circumstances in which exempted company may carry on business
in Bermuda
129A (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), no exempted company
shall carry on business in Bermuda unless the Minister, on application
made by the company in such form as the Minister may determine,
grants a licence to the company empowering it so to do or to carry on in
Bermuda a business or an activity prohibited by section 129(1) or (2):
Provided that such a licence shall not authorize an exempted company to
engage in retail trade in Bermuda with any other person.
(1A) The company shall not less than seven days prior to an
application for a licence under subsection (1) advertise its intention to
apply for a licence under this section in an appointed newspaper.
(2) A licence issued under subsection (1) shall be for such
duration and may be subject to such terms and conditions as the
Minister may see fit to specify therein.
(3) Section 114B(3), (4) and (5) and section 114C shall apply
mutatis mutandis to an exempted company licensed under this section.
(4) An exempted company shall not require a licence to carry
on in Bermuda—
(a) a business or activity specified as an exception in section
129(1)(a) to (e) (inclusive); or

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 127

(aa) business as an insurance manager or broker as defined
in the Insurance Act 1978 if the company is registered
under that Act to do so; or
(b) trust business as defined in the Trusts (Regulation of Trust Business) Act 2001 if—
(i) the exempted company holds an unlimited trust licence issued under the Trusts (Regulation of
Trust Business) Act 2001; and
(ii) the settlor of the trust which is managed or administered in Bermuda by the exempted
company is not ordinarily resident in Bermuda
at the date of creation of the settlement.
(4A) The Minister shall lodge with the Registrar a copy of every
licence granted under this section and the licence shall be available for
inspection by members of the public at the office of the Registrar during
normal business hours.
(5) An exempted company which contravenes the provisions of
subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding $500 for each day the offence
continues or on conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding $1,500
for each day the offence continues.
[Section 129A amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; by 1993:37 effective 13
July 1993; by 1998:35 effective 5 Octobe r 1998; by 2001:22 effective 25 January
2002; and by 2003:1 effective 14 February 2003] Requirements for officers or representatives in Bermuda
130 (1) Subject to subsection (2), every exempted company shall—
(a) have a minimum of two directors, other than alternate directors, ordinarily resident in Bermuda; or
(b) have a secretary who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda and a director, other than an alternate director, who is
ordinarily resident in Bermuda; or
(c) have a secretary who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda and a resident representative; or
(d) in the case of a company the shares of which are listed on an appointed stock exchange, have a resident
representative.
(2) The requirements of subsections 1(b) and 1(c) shall not be
satisfied if the secretary of a company is also appointed as the director or
the resident representative referred to in such subsections.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

128 1989 Revisio
n

(3) For the purposes of this section, the secretary shall be an
individual ordinarily resident in Bermuda but an exempted company
may appoint, in addition to a secretary, assistant or deputy secretaries,
whether individuals or corporations and whether or not resident in
Bermuda.
(4) A resident representative of a company, other than an
exempted company, the shares of which are listed on an appointed stock
exchange, or any wholly-owned subsidiary of such company, shall be an
individual ordinarily resident in Bermuda but any exempted company
may appoint, in addition, assistant or deputy resident representatives,
whether individuals or corporations and whether or not resident in
Bermuda.
(5) A resident representative shall:
(a) be entitled to attend, to be heard at, and to receive
minutes of all proceedings of, all meetings of the
directors and members of the company or of any
committee of such directors;
(b) upon giving notice to the company of an address for the purposes of receipt of notices, be entitled to receive
notice of any meeting of the directors or members, or
any committee of such directors; but accidental
omission to give such notice shall not invalidate any
action taken at any such meetings;
(c) act as agent for the service of process in Bermuda;
(d) be entitled to file all documents and make all applications required or permitted by this Act.
(6) It shall be the duty of the resident representative in any
circumstances where the resident representative becomes aware that—
(a) the company has committed a breach of any provision of this Act or any regulation made hereunder which will
have a material effect on the affairs of the company; or
(b) any issue or transfer of shares of the company has been effected in contravention of any other statute regulating
the issue or transfer of shares,
to make a written report to the Registrar within thirty days of becoming
so aware and the report shall contain all relevant particulars unless
before such report is made the company has remedied such breach or
contravention.
(7) Where the shares of an exempted company are listed on an
appointed stock exchange and that exempted company complies with the
requirement specified in subsection (1)(d), the resident representative
shall—

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 129

(a) within thirty days of becoming aware that the shares of
the company have ceased to be listed on an appointed
stock exchange, make a written report to the Registrar
setting out all particulars in respect of such cessation;
(b) [deleted by 2000:29] (c) maintain at his or its office in Bermuda originals or
copies of minutes of all proceedings of meetings of
directors and members of the company, all financial
statements required to be prepared by the company
under this Act together with the auditor’s report thereon,
and all records of account required by section 83 to be
kept in Bermuda.
(8) So long as the shares of an exempted company are listed on
an appointed stock exchange, the provisions of subsections (1)(d), (7)(b)
and (7)(c) shall apply to a wholly owned subsidiary of such company
which, in accordance with subsection (1)(d), has a resident
representative.
(9) For the purposes of section 92A only, “officer” shall include
a resident representative.
(10) The duty of the resident representative under subsections
(6) and (7) shall be owed to the Registrar and no resident representative
shall be liable to the company or any other person for any report made
by the resident representative pursuant to subsections (6) or (7) or any
failure or purported failure to make any report under those subsections.
(11) The Minister may make regulations providing for the
qualifications of a secretary for the purposes of this section; and any
such regulations shall be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.
(12) Wilful failure by the resident representative to comply with
any of the provisions of this section shall be an offence and shall render
the resident representative or the company liable on conviction to a fine
not exceeding five thousand dollars
[Section 130 substituted by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996; and amended by
2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Annual fees
131 (1) Subject to subsections (2A) and (2B), every exempted
company shall at the time of filing its memorandum with the Registrar
and thereafter during the month of January each year —
(a) send to the Registrar a declaration in writing signed on behalf of the company —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

130 1989 Revisio
n

(i) stating what is or is intended to be the principal
business of the company and, in the case of a
company whose business is to include the
management of any unit trust scheme, stating
the number of unit trust schemes intended to be
managed by the company; and
(ii) further stating —
(aa) where the company is one limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital —
1 the amount of the company’s authorized share capital; and
2 the amount of the company’s share premium account; and
3 the amount of the company’s assessable capital, that is to
say, the total of the amounts at
1 and 2 above or, in the case of
a mutual fund as defined in
section 156A, the amount at 1
above; and
4 the amount of the company’s assessable capital expressed in
Bermuda area currency, where
the amount of the company’s
assessable capital is not already
so expressed; and
5 the exchange rate used to convert into Bermuda area
currency the company’s
assessable capital, where that
capital is denominated in a
currency other than Bermuda
area currency; and
6 the appropriate fee payable in respect of the company
according to Part II of the Fifth
Schedule; and
(bb) where the company is a mutual company —
1 the amount of the company’s assessable capital, that is to

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 131

say, the amount of the
company’s reserve fund; and
2 the amount of the company’s
assessable capital expressed in
Bermuda area currency, where
that amount is not already so
expressed; and
3 the exchange rate used to convert into Bermuda area
currency the company’s
assessable capital, where that
capital is denominated in a
currency other than Bermuda
area currency; and
4 the appropriate fee payable in respect of the company
according to Part II of the Fifth
Schedule.
For the purposes of this paragraph —
(iii) the information called for thereby shall—
(aa) where it is to be given upon the incorporation of the company, be given
as at the date of the filing of the
company’s memorandum;
(bb) where it is to be given in January in any year in relation to a company which was
incorporated after 31st August of the
next preceding year, be given as at the
date of the filing of the company’s
memorandum;
(cc) in any other case, be given as at 31st August of the year next preceding the
year in which the information is given,
except that the date to be taken for
converting a company’s assessable
capital into Bermuda area currency
shall—
A in the case of a company limited by shares, or other company
having a share capital, be the
latest of the following dates, that
is to say, the date of the filing of

COMPANIES ACT 1981

132 1989 Revisio
n

the company’s memorandum
and the date on which the
company’s authorized share
capital was last lawfully altered;
and
B in the case of a mutual
company, be the later of the
following dates, that is to say,
the date of the filing of the
company’s memorandum and
the date on which the
company’s reserve fund was last
lawfully altered;
(iv) the exchange rate for converting into Bermuda area currency on any day a currency that is not Bermuda
area currency shall be the middle market rate for that
currency on that day as determined, in accordance with
the provisions of section 15(4) of the Stamp Duties Act
1976 [title 14 item 24] mutatis mutandis, by the Registrar,
whose determination shall in any case be final and
conclusive;
(v) currency of the United States of America shall be converted into Bermuda area currency at par;
(vi) where a calculation produces a fraction of a dollar, the result shall be rounded up to the next
whole dollar; and
(vii) “authorized capital”, in relation to a company, means the amount stated in the company’s
memorandum as the company’s authorized
capital, as lawfully altered from time to time;
and
(b) pay the appropriate fee as shown in Part II of the Fifth Schedule:
Provided that, where the memorandum is filed after the 31st
August in any year, the fee payable in respect of that year shall be half of
that fee.
(2) If a company fails to comply with subsection (1), the
company and every officer of the company shall be liable to a default
fine.
(2A) A company liable to pay the fees provided for in paragraph
1(A)(b) of Part II of the Fifth Schedule must pay those fees in addition to
any other fee that the company is liable to pay under subsection (1).

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 133

(2B) A company liable to pay a fee pursuant to paragraph 1(A)(c)
of Part II of the Fifth Schedule is not liable to pay any other fee
prescribed by subsection (1).
(3) It shall be lawful for the Registrar, in any case where a
company has failed to comply with subsection (1) and he is satisfied that
such non-compliance is not the result of wilful neglect or default, to
accept late compliance and payment of the sum due together with a
penalty of three hundred dollars and in such case subsection (2) shall
not apply.
(4) In addition to any penalty it may incur if a company fails to
pay the appropriate fee within three months of it becoming due it shall
cease to carry on business until the fee and any penalty it may have
incurred have been paid.
(5) Any company that carries on business in contravention of
subsection (4) shall be liable to a fine of one hundred dollars in respect of
each day that it carries on business in contravention of that subsection.
(6) If any question arises as to the appropriate fee payable by
an exempted company the decision of the Minister as to what fee is
payable shall be final,
(7) The Minister may from time to time by order vary all or any
of the fees shown in Part II of the Fifth Schedule. Any such order shall be
subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
[Section 131 amended by 1990:57 effective 1 September 1990; by 1994:22 effective
13 July 1994; by 1998:14 effective 1 Apri
l 1998; by 1998:35 effective 5 October
1998; by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000; and by 2004:36 effective 17 December
2004] Investigation of affairs of exempted company
132 (1) The Minister may at any time appoint one or more
inspectors to investigate the affairs of an exempted company and to
report on them in such manner as he may direct.
(2) All expenses of and incidental to the investigation shall be
defrayed by the exempted company unless the Minister otherwise
directs.
(3) Every officer, agent or employee of the company shall
produce to the inspector such books or documents as the inspector may
require for the purpose of his investigation.
(4) Any officer, agent or employee of the exempted company
who, in the course of an investigation of the affairs of the company—
(a) refuses to produce any book or document required by the inspector to be produced; or

COMPANIES ACT 1981

134 1989 Revisio
n

(b) refuses to answer any question relating to the affairs of
the company,
shall be liable to a fine of one hundred dollars.
(5) The inspector may take evidence upon oath in investigating
the affairs of the exempted company, and for that purpose may
administer an oath or affirmation.
(6) Any investigation under this section shall be held in private
unless the company requests that it be held in public.
(7) The inspector may from time to time report to the Minister
and shall on the completion of his investigation report to him and shall
send copies of such reports to the company. No other person shall be
informed of the nature or contents of the report save at the request of the
company or on the direction of the Minister.
(8) If the Minister considers, after examining any such report
that the company or any or its officers, agents or employees —
(a) have knowingly and wilfully done anything in contravention of this Act or of any licence, permit or
permission granted under this Act, he may direct the
Registrar to petition the Court for the winding-up of the
company;
(b) are carrying on its affairs in a manner detrimental to the interests of the members of the company of the creditors
of the company he may require the company to take
such measures as he may consider necessary in relation
to its affairs.
(9) A copy of any petition referred to in subsection (8) shall be
served on the company at least seven clear days before the day set by the
Court for the hearing of the petition.
(10) If the Court, on the hearing of any such petition, is satisfied
that the company or any of its officers, agents or employees have done
anything in contravention of the provisions of this Act or of any licence,
permit or permission granted under the Act, the Court may —
(a) make an order for the winding up of the company; or
(b) impose a fine of two thousand dollars on the company; or
(c) impose a like fine on any officer, agent or employee of the company who has knowingly and wilfully authorized
or permitted any such contravention.
(11) Where the Court makes an order for the winding up of a
company under subsection (10) the company shall be wound up in the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 135

same manner and with the same procedure as if the circumstances
leading to the order were circumstances referred to in section 161.
(12) Any proceedings in connection with the holding of an
investigation by the inspector in pursuance of the provisions of this
section shall, for the purposes of those provisions of the Criminal Code
[title 8 item 31] relating to perjury, be deemed to be judicial proceedings.
(13) Whenever the Minister appoints an inspector or inspectors
by virtue of subsection (1) the Registrar may make an application to the
Court under section 112 for an order that the assets books and papers of
the company be preserved and not moved, and this section shall apply to
such application mutatis mutandis .
Denomination of capital of exempted companies
132A Notwithstanding the provisions of the Bermuda Monetary
Authority Act 1968 [title 16 item 11], the share capital of an exempted
company and its share certificates may be denominated in such currency
as the company thinks expedient.
[Section 132A amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Section 124 applies to an exempted company
132B Section 124 applies mutatis mutandis to an exempted company.
[Section 132B inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] PART XA
CONTINUANCE AND DISCONTINUATION OF COMPANIES
Continuance in Bermuda
132C (1) A body incorporated outside Bermuda (hereafter in this Part
referred to as a “foreign corporation”) may, subject to section 4A, be
continued in Bermuda as an exempted company to which the provisions
of this Act and any other relevant laws of Bermuda shall apply.
(2) A foreign corporation seeking to be continued in Bermuda
shall—
(a) obtain all necessary authorizations, if any, required
under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it was
incorporated or is presently registered in order to enable
it to continue as an exempted company registered in
Bermuda;
(b) provide a memorandum of continuance in such form as the Minister may determine;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

136 1989 Revisio
n

(c) provide financial statements of the foreign corporation
prepared for a period ending within twelve months of the
proposed date of continuance.
(3) A foreign corporation shall deliver to the Registrar the
memorandum of continuance for registration.
(3A) A foreign corporation shall within one month after the date
of registration of the memorandum of continuance under this section pay
the appropriate fee payable in respect of the corporation as an exempted
company according to Part 11 of the Fifth Schedule, but where the
registration is effected after 31 August in any year, the fee payable in
respect of that year shall be half the appropriate fee.
(4) If the Registrar is satisfied that the foreign corporation will
be in compliance with this Act, he shall register the memorandum of
continuance whereupon it will become effective and —
(a) the Registrar shall issue a certificate of deposit of the memorandum of continuance in such form as the
Minister may determine;
(b) the foreign corporation will become a company to which this Act and any other laws of Bermuda apply as if it had
been incorporated in Bermuda on the date of the
registration;
(c) the memorandum of continuance shall be deemed to be the memorandum of association of the foreign
corporation in lieu of its original, re-stated or amended
memorandum of association, articles of incorporation or
other constituting documents;
(d) the Registrar shall issue a certificate of continuance in such form as the Minister may determine;
(e) the foreign corporation shall forward a copy of the certificate of continuance to the competent authority in
the country or jurisdiction from which it has been
continued.
(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of Part XI and the provisions
of the Insurance Act 1978 [title 17 item 49], with effect from the date of
continuance —
(a) any permit issued under section 134 shall cease to apply to the continued company; and
(b) any current registration of the continued company under section 4 of the Insurance Act 1978 shall continue with
suitable endorsement by the Registrar as to the date of
continuance.
(6) [ Deleted by 1998:35]

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 137

(7) [
Deleted by 1998:35] (8) [Deleted by 1998:35] (9) [Deleted by 1998:35] (10) [Deleted by 1998:35] (11) [Deleted by 1998:35] (12) [Deleted by 1998:35] [Section 132C inserted by 1992:51 effe ctive 1 July 1992; amended by 1993:37
effective 13 July 1993; and by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Provisions of Act applying to memorandum of continuance and
certificate of continuance
132D (1) The provisions of this Act respecting a memorandum of
association shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to a memorandum of
continuance.
(2) The provisions of this Act respecting a certificate of
incorporation shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to a certificate of
continuance.
(3) The memorandum of continuance and a copy of the
certificate of continuance shall be documents open to public inspection.
[Section 132D inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Consequences of continuance of foreign corporation
132E (1) Upon continuance of a foreign corporation as a company
under this Act —
(a) the property of the foreign corporation continues to be the property of the company;
(b) the company continues to be liable for the obligations of the foreign corporation;
(c) any existing cause of action, claim or liability to prosecution in respect of the foreign corporation is
unaffected;
(d) any civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding pending by or against the foreign corporation may be
continued by or against the company; and
(e) any conviction against, or any ruling, order or judgment in favour of or against the foreign corporation may be
enforced by or against the company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

138 1989 Revisio
n

(2) The registration of the continuance of a foreign corporation
under this Part shall not be deemed to —
(a) create a new legal entity; or
(b) prejudice or affect the continuity of the body corporate
which was formerly a foreign corporation, now a
company continued in Bermuda under this Part.
(3) The courts shall apply the laws of evidence and the rules of
procedure with the intent that no claimant against the continued
company shall be prejudiced in pursuing in or under the laws of
Bermuda a bona fide claim that existed prior to the date of continuance
and which could have been pursued under the laws then governing such
foreign corporation.
[Section 132E inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Continued company to adopt bye-laws
132F The continued company shall, as soon as practicable from the
date of continuation in Bermuda, ensure that it has adopted bye-laws
which conform to the requirements of this Act and any other law of
Bermuda.
[Section 132F inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Exempted company may discontinue out of Bermuda
132G (1) An exempted company may be discontinued under this Act
and be continued in a jurisdiction outside Bermuda as if it had been
incorporated under the laws of that other jurisdiction.
(2) An exempted company shall not be discontinued pursuant
to subsection (1) unless—
(a)(i) a resolution of the members or each class of members is passed in general meeting approving
the discontinuance, provided that at any such
meeting each share of the company shall carry
the right to vote in respect of such
discontinuance whether or not it otherwise
carries the right to vote; or
(ii) the discontinuance is approved in such manner as may be authorised by the bye-laws of the
company;
(b) a statutory declaration has been signed by the directors of the company stating that the company is solvent and
can meet all of its liabilities and obligations and that the
discontinuance will not adversely affect the interests or
rights of bona fide creditors and members;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 139

(c) an irrevocable deed poll is executed by such company
and its directors pursuant to which—
(i) such company and each of its directors may be served with legal process in Bermuda in any
proceeding arising out of actions or omissions of
such company prior to the discontinuance and
provision is made for the appointment of a
person within Bermuda as agent for such
company for the service of process for a period of
not less than three years from the date of
discontinuance and for a signed acceptance of
the appointment; or
(ii) such company and each of its directors may be served with legal process at a specified address
in the United Kingdom, the United States of
America or any appointed jurisdiction, and
whereby such company and such directors
submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the
courts of that country or jurisdiction;
(d) at least fourteen days prior to the discontinuance such company advertises in an appointed newspaper and in a
national newspaper in each jurisdiction within which it
carried on a substantial part of its trade or business
activities its intention to discontinue under this Act and
continue in the named jurisdiction; and
(e) the jurisdiction in which such company is to be continued is –
(i) an appointed jurisdiction; or
(ii) approved by the Minister, upon application by the company for the purpose of the
discontinuance of the company out of Bermuda.
[Section 132G inserted by 1992:51 effe ctive 1 July 1992; amended by 1993:37
effective 13 July 1993; by 1994:22 effect ive 13 July 1994; by 1998:35 effective 5
October 1998; and by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] Documents to be filed on discontinuance
132H (1) An exempted company shall not be discontinued pursuant
to section 132G unless on or before the effective date of the
discontinuance, such company files with the Registrar a notice of the
discontinuance which shall contain or have attached thereto the
following information:
(a) the effective date of the discontinuance;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

140 1989 Revisio
n

(b) the name of the jurisdiction in which the company will
continue;
(c) the address of the registered office or the principal business address of the company in the jurisdiction in
which the company will continue;
(d) a copy of the statutory declaration required pursuant to section 132G(2)(b); and
(e) a copy of the irrevocable deed poll required pursuant to section 132G(2)(c).
(2) Within thirty days after the date of the issue thereof a
company which has been discontinued pursuant to section 132G shall
file with the Registrar a copy of the instrument of continuance issued to
the company by the appropriate authority of the jurisdiction into which
the company has been continued, or, if no such instrument of
continuance is issued, such other documentary evidence of such
continuance as shall be issued by such authority.
(3) On receipt of the copy of the instrument of continuance or
other documentary evidence of continuance, the Registrar shall file that
instrument or document and issue a certificate of discontinuance which
shall be in such form as the Minister may determine and thereupon the
company shall cease to be registered as a company in Bermuda.
(4) The documents filed with the Registrar pursuant to
subsections (1), (2) and (3) shall be open to public inspection.
[Section 132H inserted by 1992:51 effe ctive 1 July 1992; amended by 1994:22
effective 13 July 1994; and by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998] Effect of discontinuance
132I (1) The effective date of the discontinuance of a company
pursuant to section 132H shall be the date that such company’s
continuance in the appointed jurisdiction is effective pursuant to the
laws of such other jurisdiction, and such discontinuance and
continuance shall not be deemed to operate to—
(a) create a new legal entity; or
(b) prejudice or affect the continuity of the body corporate which was formerly the company that was subject to this
Act.
(2) On the effective date of the discontinuance of a company
pursuant to section 132H this Act shall cease to apply to such company
except as is required by the provisions hereof.
[Section 132I inserted by 1992:51 effe ctive 1 July 1992; amended by 1994:22
effective 13 July 1994; and by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998]

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 141

Discontinuance of company under this Act
132J [Deleted
] [Section 132J inserted by 1992:51 effect ive 1 July 1992; and deleted by 1998:35
effective 5 October 1998] Minister’s refusal to grant consent etc.
132K [Deleted ] [Section 132K inserted by 1992:51 effect ive 1 July 1992; and deleted by 1998:35
effective 5 October 1998] Public inspection of documents
132L The instrument of continuance, the certificate of discontinuance
and the declaration of discontinuance shall be documents open to public
inspection.
[Section 132L inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Regulations
132M The Minister may make Regulations for carrying out the
purposes and provisions of this Part into effect.
[Section 132M inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] PART XI
OVERSEAS COMPANIES
Overseas company not to carry on business without a permit
133 (1) An overseas company shall not engage in or carry on any
trade or business in Bermuda without a permit from the Minister issued
under section 134.
(2) Any permit issued to an overseas company enabling it
lawfully to engage in or carry on any trade or business in Bermuda
under the authority of any Act other than this Act or the Non-Resident
Insurance Undertakings Act 1967 [title 5 item 17] shall be deemed to be a
permit issued under section 134 if valid on 1 July 1983 and for so long
as it remains valid.
(3) For the purposes of this Part “engage in or carry on any
trade or business in Bermuda” includes the engaging in or carrying on
any trade or business outside Bermuda from a place of business in
Bermuda.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

142 1989 Revisio
n

(4) A company shall be deemed to engage in or carry on any
trade or business in Bermuda if it occupies premises in Bermuda or if it
makes known by way of advertisement, or by an insertion in a directory
or by means of letter heads that it may be contacted at a particular
address in Bermuda or is otherwise seen to be engaging in or carrying on
any trade or business in or from within Bermuda on a continuing basis:
Provided that a company shall not be deemed to engage in or carry on
any trade or business in Bermuda by reason only that—
(a) a travelling salesman representing the company who has
been permitted to land in Bermuda as such establishes
a temporary place of business in Bermuda; or
(b) meetings of its officers or members are held in Bermuda; or
(c) the company is buying or selling or otherwise dealing in shares, bonds, debenture stock obligations, mortgages
or other securities issued or created by an exempted
undertaking, or a local company, or any partnership
which is not an exempted undertaking.
(5) A company shall be deemed to engage in or carry on any
trade or business in Bermuda if it makes known by way of advertisement
or by any statement on a web site or by an electronic record as defined in
the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 that it may be contacted at a
particular address in Bermuda or if it uses a Bermudian domain name.
[Section 133 amended by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996; and by 1999:26 effective
4 October 1999] Mutual fund exempted from requirement of a permit
133A (1) Section 133 shall not apply to a mutual fund exempted
under subsection (2).
(2) A mutual fund is exempt if it engages a person in
Bermuda to be the mutual fund’s administrator or registrar to perform
any or all of the following services or activities for the mutual fund in
Bermuda ⎯
(a) corporate secretarial;
(b) accounting;
(c) administrative;
(d) registrar and transfer agency;
(e) in relation to the marketing or dealing with the holders
of its shares, the activities specified in section 136(4).

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 143

(3) In this section “mutual fund” has the meaning given in
section 136(5).
[Section 133A inserted by 2001:30 effective 14 August 2001] Grant of permit to overseas company
134 (1) An overseas company without a permit may apply to the
Minister for a permit to engage in or carry on any trade or business in
Bermuda.
(2) Every application for a permit shall be accompanied by
such documents and particulars as the Minister may from time to time
require and shall be accompanied by the application fee prescribed
under the Government Fees Act 1965
[title 15 item 18].
(3) Within three months prior to an application for a permit
under subsection (1) the company shall publish in an appointed
newspaper an advertisement announcing the intention to apply for a
permit specifying its name and stating the trade or business it proposes
to engage in or carry on in Bermuda.
(4) Where the Minister refuses to grant a permit he shall not be
bound to assign any reason therefor.
(5) Without prejudice to the discretion conferred on the
Minister by this section, he shall, in deciding whether or not to grant a
permit, have regard to—
(a) the economic situation in Bermuda and the due
protection of persons already engaged in or carrying on
any trade or business in Bermuda;
(b) the nature and previous conduct of the company and the persons having an interest in the company whether as
directors, shareholders or otherwise;
(c) any advantage or disadvantage which may result from the company engaging in or carrying on a trade or
business in Bermuda.
Annual fees
135 (1) Subject to subsection (1A), every permit company shall
before engaging in or carrying on any trade or business in Bermuda, and
thereafter during the month of March each year, pay the appropriate fee
payable in respect of the company in accordance with Part II of the Fifth
Schedule, but where a permit is issued after 31 October in any year, the
fee payable in respect of that year shall be half the appropriate fee; and
section 131(1)(a)(i) shall apply mutatis mutandis to every such company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

144 1989 Revisio
n

(1A) A company liable to pay the fees provided for in paragraph
1(B)(c) of Part II of the Fifth Schedule must pay those fees in addition to
any other fee that the company is liable to pay under subsection (1).
(2) If a company fails to pay the appropriate fee as provided in
subsection (1) it shall be liable to a default fine.
(3) Section 131(2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) shall apply mutatis
mutandis to permit companies.
[Section 135 amended by 1990:57 effective 1 September 1990; and by 1993:37
effective 13 July 1993] Conditions subject to which permits may be granted
136 (1) Permits shall be subject to such conditions as the Minister
may think fit to impose which shall be specified in the permit and,
without derogation from the generality of this provision a permit may
require that the company shall have one or more directors ordinarily
resident in Bermuda and shall inform the Minister of any change in its
beneficial ownership.
(2) Subject to any conditions which may be specified in a
permit pursuant to subsection (1), an overseas company which has been
granted a permit shall have power in Bermuda—
(a) if it is a mutual fund as defined in subsection (5), to market its shares or deal with holders of its shares in
Bermuda;
(b) if it is a general partner in a limited partnership, as so defined, to market interests in, or deal with the holders
of interests in, such limited partnership; or
(c) if it is the manager of a unit trust scheme, as so defined, to market units in, or deal with holders of units in, such
unit trust scheme,
in accordance with subsection (3).
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), an overseas company
shall be deemed to be marketing or dealing with the holders of the
shares of that overseas company, interests in a limited partnership, or
units in a unit trust scheme, if it undertakes in Bermuda any of the
activities specified in subsection (4).
(4) The activities referred to in subsection (3) are—
(i) the offering of such shares, interests or units for subscription or purchase by way of a prospectus
or otherwise;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 145

(ii) the acceptance of subscriptions for, or of offers
to purchase, or of applications to redeem, such
shares, interests or units;
(iii) the distribution of shareholder, limited partnership or unit-holder information to
holders of such shares, interests or units;
(iv) the making known, by way of advertisement or otherwise, that it may be contacted at a
particular address in Bermuda for the purpose
of communication with the holders of such
shares, interests or units or the distribution and
collection of shareholder, limited partnership or
unit-holder information; and
(v) any other dealing with the holders of such shares, interests or units with respect to any
such shares, interests or units held by them.
(5) In this section—
(a) “mutual fund” means a company incorporated outside Bermuda but having the characteristics set out in
section 156A of this Act;
(b) “limited partnership” means a limited partnership formed under the laws of a country outside Bermuda,
but having the characteristics set out in section 2(1) of
the Limited Partnership Act 1883;
(c) “unit trust scheme” means a unit trust scheme formed under the laws of a country outside Bermuda, but
having the characteristics set out in section 1 of the
Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966.
[Section 136 amended by 1997:21 effective 2 September 1997] Principal representatives
136A (1) Every permit company shall appoint and maintain a
principal representative in Bermuda and shall give notice in writing to
the Registrar of such particulars of its principal representative as the
Minister may determine.
(2) If any particulars of a principal representative required by
subsection (1) to be notified to the Registrar are altered the company
shall give in writing to the Registrar particulars of the alteration within
twenty-one days after the alteration is made.
(3) If a company fails to comply with this section it shall be
liable to a default fine.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

146 1989 Revisio
n

Form and proof of a permit
137 (1) A permit shall be in such form as the Minister shall
determine.
(2) A copy of every permit shall be lodged by the Minister with
the Registrar.
(3) A certificate purporting to be signed by the Registrar —
(a) certifying that a permit was or was not in force in
respect of an overseas company at the time specified in
the certificate; and
(b) specifying the conditions of the permit,
shall be admissible in evidence in proceedings under this Act without
further proof and shall be prima facie evidence of the facts certified or
specified therein.
Alteration of conditions of a permit
138 (1) The Minister may on the application of a permit company
vary the terms of its permit.
(2) Where under subsection (1) the Minister varies the terms of
a permit he shall notify the Registrar who shall amend his copy of the
permit accordingly.
Revocation of a permit
139 The Minister may at any time revoke the permit of an overseas
company if —
(a) the company or any of its servants or agents contravenes a condition of its permit;
(b) in the opinion of the Minister the company is carrying on business in a manner detrimental to the public interest;
(c) the company ceases to engage in or carry on any trade or business in Bermuda;
(d) a court or other competent authority in any country makes an order for the winding up, dissolution or
judicial management of the company or of any person
who directly or indirectly controls the company;
(e) the company is otherwise wound up or if any person who directly or indirectly controls the company is wound
up or ceases to carry on business;
(f) there is a substantial change in the effective control of the company;
(g) there is a substantial change in the nature of the business carried on by the company;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 147

(gA) the company does not pay the annual fee prescribed
under section 135(1) within thirty days of the due date;
or
(h) the company contravenes any provision of this Part.
[Section 139 amended by 2004:36 effective 17 December 2004] Revocation procedure
140 (1) The Minister shall give a company reasonable notice in
writing of his intention to revoke its permit under section 139 and shall
afford the company an opportunity of making representations to him.
(2) A notice under subsection (1) shall specify the ground on
which the Minister intends to revoke the permit.
(3) Upon the revocation of its permit a company shall forthwith
cease to engage in or carry on any trade or business in Bermuda unless
the Minister in his discretion authorizes the company so to do—
(a) pending the determination of an appeal against the revocation;
(b) for such period as the Minister may specify for the purpose of closing its business in Bermuda.
(4) When the Minister revokes the permit of an overseas
company the Registrar may, if he is satisfied that it would be in the
interests of any creditor of the company or of any other person to whom
the company has an obligation that the affairs of the company in
Bermuda should be wound up in the same manner as a company
incorporated in Bermuda, petition the Court to wind up such affairs and
the Court may make such orders for the winding up of such affairs as is
practicable.
Appeals to Supreme Court
141 (1) A company aggrieved by the revocation by the Minister of its
permit may appeal to the Court within twenty-one days or such longer
period as the Court may allow after receipt of notification of such
revocation.
(2) If an appeal is allowed by the court, the company shall be
entitled to engage in or carry on any trade or business in Bermuda in the
same manner as it did before its permit was revoked.
(3) If an appeal is dismissed by the court, the company shall,
forthwith or in such time as the Minister may allow, cease to engage in
or carry on any trade or business in Bermuda.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

148 1989 Revisio
n

(4) Section 62 of the Supreme Court Act 1905 [title 8 item 1] shall be deemed to extend to the making of rules under that section to
regulate the practice and procedure on an appeal under this section.
Register of permit companies
142 (1) The Registrar shall keep a register of permit companies in
such form as he shall determine but which shall show—
(a) the name of the company;
(b) the principal place in Bermuda from which the company engages in or carries on any trade or business in
Bermuda and the address of its registered office outside
Bermuda;
(c) the date and place of its incorporation; and
(d) a copy of its permit.
(2) The register shall be open to inspection by members of the
public during ordinary office hours on payment of such fee not exceeding
five dollars as the Minister may determine.
(3) [transitional omitted] (4) Every overseas company in receipt of a permit after 1 July
1983 shall deliver to the Registrar such of the particulars set out in
subsection (3) as it has not delivered to the Minister on its application for
a permit.
(5) An alteration of any of the matters details of which are
required to be delivered to the Registrar under subsection (3) shall be
notified to the Registrar by every permit company within thirty days of
the alteration becoming effective.
[Section 142 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Restrictions on activities of a permit company
143 Unless authorized by this Act or any other Act or its permit a
permit company shall not—
(a) acquire or hold land in Bermuda except—
(i) land required for its business by way of lease or
tenancy agreement for a term not exceeding fifty
years; or
(ii) with the consent of the Minister granted in his discretion, land by way of lease or tenancy
agreement for a term not exceeding twenty-one
years in order to provide accommodation or
recreational facilities for its officers and
employees;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 149

(b) subject to section 144 take any mortgage of land in
Bermuda;
(c) acquire any bonds or debentures secured on any land in Bermuda other than bonds or debentures issued by the
Government or a public authority;
(d) [deleted by 1996:21] (e) carry on business of any kind or type whatsoever in
Bermuda either alone or in partnership or otherwise
except —
(i) carrying on business with persons outside Bermuda;
(ii) doing business in Bermuda with an exempted undertaking in furtherance only of the business
of the permit company carried on exterior to
Bermuda;
(iii) buying or selling or otherwise dealing in shares, bonds, debenture stock obligations, mortgages
or other securities or investments issued or
created by an exempted undertaking, or a local
company, or any partnership which is not an
exempted undertaking;
(iv) transacting banking business in Bermuda with and through an institution licensed as a bank
under the Banks and Deposit Companies Act
1999;
(v) effecting or concluding contracts in Bermuda, and exercising in Bermuda all other powers, so
far as may be necessary for the carrying on of its
business with persons outside Bermuda;
(vi) as manager or agent for, or consultant or adviser to, the business of an exempted undertaking
whether or not such business is the sole
business of the permit company provided that
the permit company is authorized by law to
carry on the kind or type of business in
Bermuda;
(vii) notwithstanding the Non-Resident Insurance
Undertakings Act 1967 [title 5 item 17 ], carrying
on the business of re-insuring risks undertaken
by any company incorporated in Bermuda and
permitted to engage in insurance and
reinsurance business.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

150 1989 Revisio
n

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 151

has engaged in or carried on in Bermuda except that if the records of its
acts and financial affairs are kept at some place outside Bermuda, there
shall be kept at an office of the company in Bermuda such records as
will enable the directors to ascertain with reasonable accuracy the
financial position of the company at the end of each three month period.
[Section 145 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Investigation of affairs of permit company
146 The Minister shall have the same power to appoint an inspector
to investigate the affairs of a permit company as he has under section
132 to appoint an inspector to investigate the affairs of an exempted
company and section 132(2) to (12) shall apply
mutatis mutandis to such
an investigation.
Letter heads and service of process; permit company
147 (1) Every permit company shall have the following particulars
on all letters sent from a place of business in Bermuda in connection
with its business —
(a) its name;
(b) its place of incorporation; and
(c) the principal place in Bermuda from which the company engages in or carries on any trade or business in
Bermuda.
(2) Any process or notice required to be served on an overseas
company shall be sufficiently served if served on any person named in
the list of persons delivered to the Registrar or the Minister pursuant to
section 142(3)(iv) or if left at a place of business notified to the Registrar
or the Minister pursuant to section 142(3)(iii).
Offences
148 Where any overseas company, whether a permit company or not,
fails to comply with any provision of this Part where no other penalty is
provided the company, its officers and the person who appears to the
court trying the case to be in charge of its affairs in Bermuda shall be
liable to a fine of one thousand dollars.
[Section 149 repealed by 2002:6 effective 18 June 2002] Effect of repeals or amendments of other enactments and savings
150 (1) Notwithstanding the repeal or amendment of any enactment
by this Act, any licence or permit granted under the Acts so repealed or
amended enabling any overseas company to carry on business in or from

COMPANIES ACT 1981

152 1989 Revisio
n

within Bermuda shall continue to have effect according to the tenor
thereof until such licence or permit is either revoked under section 139
or the company is granted a permit under this Act.
(2) This Part shall be read in addition to and not in derogation
of the External Companies (Jurisdiction in Actions) Act 1885 [title 8 item
74].
Application of certain sections to non-resident insurance
undertakings
150A Sections 136A, 137(2) and (3), 138, 142, 144, 145, 146, 147 and
151 shall apply to non-resident insurance undertakings as if they were
permit companies.
Application of 1966:41 to permit companies
151 The Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966 [title 17
item 12] shall apply to permit companies as if they were exempted
companies.
PART XII
MUTUAL COMPANIES
Interpretation
152 (1) In this Part unless the context otherwise requires—
“mutual company” means any company, other than a company limited by shares, or other company having a share capital,
whether incorporated before or after 1st July 1983, which is
authorized to engage in or carry on as a principal object
insurance or re-insurance business of all kinds on the
mutual principle.
(2) For the purposes of this Part, a mutual company shall be
deemed to engage in or carry on insurance or re-insurance business on
the mutual principle where the members thereof who are exposed to
some contingency associate themselves together by contributing by way
of premiums on the basis that if the contemplated contingency befalls
any member he shall receive a compensatory payment.
[Section 152 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992; and by 1994:22 effective
13 July 1994] Mutual companies to create and maintain a reserve fund
153 (1) A mutual company shall create and maintain a reserve fund
of not less than an amount approved by the Minister in respect of such
company.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 153

(2) The memorandum of a mutual company shall in addition to
the requirements of section 7 state the amount of its reserve fund.
(3) The reserve fund of a mutual company shall be treated in
all respects as if it were share capital.
Liability of members on a winding up
154 (1) Section 7(3) shall not apply to mutual companies and the
liability of a member of such a company in the event of it being wound
up shall be limited to the premiums or any unpaid premiums or
undischarged portion thereof due to the company on the date of the
commencement of the winding up from such member.
(2) For the purposes of this section “premiums” means the
premiums, including retrospective premium adjustments or calls payable
for insurance issued or effected by a mutual company to, for or on behalf
of each member of the company and any capital contribution or other
such assessment that is due under the bye-laws or any other contractual
obligation with a member of the company.
[Section 154 amended by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Apportionment of assets of mutual companies
155 When a mutual company is wound up, after its liabilities have
been satisfied the person carrying out the winding up shall either
apportion the remaining assets in accordance with the byelaws of the
company or if there is no provision in the bye-laws for such
apportionment then in such a fair and equitable manner amongst the
members of the company as such person may decide.
Criteria for determining membership
155A (1) Subject to subsection (2), a mutual company shall in its
bye-laws make provision to establish the criteria by reference to which
membership in the company and eligibility therefor shall be determined.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) and
notwithstanding sub-section (2) of section 152, the following persons
shall unless the bye-laws of the company otherwise provide, be members
of a mutual company:
(a) any person who is for the time being a provisional
director thereof—
(b) any person whose risks are insured, whether directly or indirectly, by the company and who has been accepted
by the company as a member; or
(c) any person who provides some part of the funds necessary to establish or maintain the reserve fund of
the company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

154 1989 Revisio
n

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), the reference to a risk of
a person being indirectly insured by the company is a reference to that
risk being covered by the company by reinsurance through one or more
intermediaries.
[Section 155A inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Act to apply to mutual companies
156 (1) Subject to section 4 the provisions of this Act relating to
companies limited by guarantee shall apply to all mutual companies:
Provided that the Minister from time to time may by regulations declare
that any provision of this Act shall not apply to mutual companies or
that in its application it shall be varied in such manner as shall be set
out in the regulations.
(2) Any regulations made by the Minister under subsection (1)
shall be subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
(3) For the avoidance of doubt it is declared that –
(a) sections 104 to 109 apply, with the necessary changes,
to mutual companies;
(b) in sections 105 to 108 references to “shares” and to “capital” shall be read as if they were references to
“membership interests” and to “a reserve fund”
respectively.
[Section 156 amended by 1999:25 effective 23 July 1999] PART XIIA
MUTUAL FUND COMPANIES
Interpretation
156A In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires, “mutual
fund” means a company limited by shares, or other company having a
share capital and incorporated for the purpose of investing the moneys of
its members for their mutual benefit and having the power to redeem or
purchase for cancellation its shares without reducing its authorized
share capital and stating in its memorandum that it is a mutual fund.
[Section 156A amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994] Redemption and purchase of shares by mutual fund
156B (1) No shares of a mutual fund shall be redeemed or purchased
by another mutual fund unless such shares are fully paid.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 155

(2) No shares of a mutual fund shall be redeemed or purchased
under subsection (1) unless the respective par values of the fully paid
shares which will remain outstanding after such redemption or purchase
exceed in the aggregate the minimum capital prescribed by the Minister
under section 6(4).
Redemption and purchase by mutual fund company of its own
shares
156C (1) A mutual fund shall, if authorized by its memorandum or
bye-laws, have power to redeem or purchase for cancellation its issued
shares at the option of the company or at the option, or on the request,
of a member.
(2) A mutual fund, on the redemption or purchase of its own
shares, may—
(a) repay the capital paid up on such shares out of paid in
capital, share premium or other reserves of the
company;
(b) pay the premium, if any, out of realized or unrealized profits, share premium or other reserves of the company,
on such terms and in such manner and at such price as
may be determined having regard to the asset value of
such shares as ascertained in accordance with the bye-
laws of the mutual fund.
(3) The redemption or purchase of its own shares by a mutual
fund shall not be taken as reducing its authorized share capital and a
mutual fund shall have power to issue shares equal in aggregate par
value to the aggregate par value of the shares so redeemed or purchased
as if those shares had never been issued and the issuance of such
shares under the power herein contained shall not be taken as
increasing the amount of its issued share capital.
(4) The power of a mutual fund referred to in subsection (3)
shall be exercisable by the directors of the mutual fund.
[Section 156C amended by 1997:21 effective 2 September 1997] [Section 156D repealed by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Private Act companies incorporated with certain powers deemed to
be mutual funds
156E Every company incorporated by private Act and having the power
to redeem or purchase for cancellation its issued shares at the option of,
or on the request of, a member shall be deemed for the purposes of this
Act to be a mutual fund.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

156 1989 Revisio
n

Certain sections do not apply to mutual fund
156F Sections 40, 42, 42A, 54(1)(b), 65(6) and 66 shall not apply to a
mutual fund.
[Section 156F replaced by 1992:51 effect ive 1 July 1992; and amended by 1995:33
effective 7 July 1995] Certain companies incorporated after 1 July 1983 deemed to be
mutual funds
156G Every company incorporated after 30 June 1983 and before 12
July 1984 having the power to redeem or purchase for cancellation its
issued shares or any class of shares at the option of, or on the request
of, a member and which is an open-ended company (as defined in Part II
of the Fifth Schedule) shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to be a
mutual fund and to have and always to have had the powers set out in
section 156C.
Certification by Minister of fund as United Kingdom class scheme
156H Subject to section 156I, upon application by a mutual fund, the
Minister may, in such form as he may determine, certify that the mutual
fund is, in his opinion, a United Kingdom class scheme.
Conditions to be satisfied for certification
156I (1) The Minister shall not certify a mutual fund in accordance
with section 156H, unless he is satisfied that—
(a) the applicant is a mutual fund within the meaning of this Part;
(b) the applicant is in compliance with this Act;
(c) the custodian of the mutual fund is a bank incorporated in Bermuda;
(d) the manager of the mutual fund is a company incorporated in Bermuda which is separate and apart
from the custodian and is in compliance with this Act;
(e) the mutual fund is fit and proper to be approved as a United Kingdom class scheme;
(f) the bye-laws of the mutual fund comply with such requirements as are prescribed;
(g) the members of the mutual fund are entitled to have their shares redeemed or purchased by the fund in
accordance with the bye-laws of the fund;
(h) the officers, directors, manager and custodian of the mutual fund are of good standing and repute, financially

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 157

sound and have sufficient qualifications and experience
to fulfill properly their respective roles; and
(i) the custodian and manager of the mutual fund are or
will, upon certification, be participants in a
compensation arrangement.
(2) For the purposes of this section and section 156O(2)—
“compensation arrangement” means an arrangement, approved by the Minister, in which the custodian and manager of a
mutual fund are participants, providing for compensation to
any member or former member of the mutual fund who has
suffered loss as a result of any material breach by the
custodian or manager of the fund—
(i) of the bye-laws of the fund; or
(ii) of any provision of this Act;
and where the custodian or manager, as the case may be, is
or is likely to be unable otherwise to satisfy any judgment
against it for such breach.
Right of member to bring action against custodian or manager for
loss suffered as a result of breach of bye-laws
156J A member or a former member of a mutual fund certified under
section 156H shall have a right of action against the custodian or
manager of the fund, as the case may be, for any loss incurred by him as
a result of any material breach of the bye-laws of the fund by the
custodian or manager respectively, or as a result of any material breach
by the custodian or manager respectively of any provision of this Act,
subject to the defences applying to actions for breach of statutory duty.
Power of Minister to require rectification where fund no longer
complies with statutory conditions
156K Where the Minister is of the opinion that any of the conditions
set forth in section 156I are no longer fulfilled by a mutual fund, he shall
immediately notify the mutual fund thereof and may, after affording the
mutual fund an opportunity of making representations to him, require
rectification thereof within such reasonable time as shall be set out in
the said notice, failing which rectification as aforesaid, the Minister may
revoke the certification made under section 156H, and so notify the
mutual fund and the Secretary of State in the United Kingdom or his
designate.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

158 1989 Revisio
n

Custodian and manager required to be independent of one another
156L The custodian and manager of a mutual fund certified under
section 156H shall in fulfilling their respective duties act independently
of one another.
Manager of fund deemed to be an officer of fund
156M For the purposes of this Act the manager of a mutual fund
certified under section 156H shall be deemed to be an officer of such
fund whether or not such manager would otherwise be treated as an
officer of the fund for the purposes of this Act.
Power of directors to amend bye-laws to ensure compliance with
prescribed requirements
156N (1) Notwithstanding section 13(5), the directors of a mutual
fund certified under section 156H shall have the right to amend the bye-
laws of the mutual fund to the extent required to ensure continued
compliance of such bye-laws with the requirements prescribed from time
to time and no such amendment shall require the approval of the
company in general meeting.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in this Act contained, no
amendment may be made to the bye-laws of a mutual fund certified
under section 156H if the effect thereof would be that the bye-laws of the
mutual fund would no longer comply with such requirements as are
prescribed from time to time.
Power of Minister to direct custodian or manager of fund to furnish
information
156O (1) For the purposes of obtaining any information which the
Minister needs to ensure that the provisions of this Part are fulfilled, the
Minister may direct the custodian or the manager of a mutual fund
certified under section 156H to furnish him with such information in
such form and manner and within such time as he may specify.
(2) The custodian and manager of a mutual fund certified
under section 156H shall furnish the trustee or administrator of any
compensation arrangement with such information as he may require for
the proper performance of his duties as such.
Regulations by Minister for Part XII
156P (1) The Minister may make regulations prescribing anything
required or authorized to be prescribed under this Part and generally for
the better carrying out of this Part.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), the Minister shall—
(a) cause a copy of all regulations made under this Part to
be available at the office of the Registrar of Companies
for inspection by any interested person free of charge at

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 159

any time when the office of the Registrar of Companies is
open to the public;
(b) cause to be published in the Gazette a notice briefly
describing the nature of any regulations made under
this Part, stating the date on which such regulations are
to come into operation and that such regulations may be
inspected at the office of the Registrar of Companies.
(3) Section 6 of the Statutory Instruments Act 1977 [title 1 item
3] shall not apply to any regulations made under this Part. The
provisions of subsection (2) shall be deemed to be deposit for public
inspection for the purpose of section 5(1) of that Act.
PART XIII
WINDING UP
Modes of winding up
157 The winding up of a company may be either by the Court or
voluntary and this Act, subject to any other Act, shall be applied to the
winding up of a company by either of these modes.
Liability as contributories of present and past members
158 Subject to section 158A, in the event of a company being wound
up, every present and past member shall be liable to contribute to the
assets of the company to an amount sufficient for payment of its debts
and liabilities, and the costs, charges and expenses of the winding up,
and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among
themselves, subject to the following qualifications —
(a) a past member shall not be liable to contribute if he has ceased to be a member for one year or upwards before
the commencement of the winding up;
(b) a past member shall not be liable to contribute in respect of any debt or liability of the company contracted
after he ceased to be a member;
(c) a past member shall not be liable to contribute unless it appears to the Court that the existing members are
unable to satisfy the contributions required to be made
by them in pursuance of this Act;
(d) in the case of a company limited by shares, no contribution shall be required from any member
exceeding the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares in
respect of which he is liable as a present or past
member;

COMPANIES ACT 1981

160 1989 Revisio
n

(e) in the case of a company limited by guarantee, no
contribution shall, subject to the special provisions
relating to mutual companies, be required from any
member exceeding the amount undertaken to be
contributed by him to the assets of the company in the
event of its being wound up;
(ee) in the case of an unlimited liability company there shall be no limitation on the liability of any member;
(f) nothing in this Act shall invalidate any provision contained in any policy of insurance or other contract
whereby the liability of individual members on the policy
or contract is restricted, or whereby the funds of the
company are alone made liable in respect of the policy or
contract;
(g) a sum due to any member of a company, in his character as a member, by way of dividends, profits or
otherwise shall not be deemed to be a debt of the
company payable to that member in a case of
competition between himself and any other creditor not
a member of the company, but any such sum may be
taken into account for the purpose of the final
adjustment of the rights of the contributories among
themselves.
[Section 158 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; by 1995:33 effective 7
July 1995; and by BR 81/1999 effective 1 January 2000] Winding up of limited company that was formerly unlimited
158A (1) This section applies in the case of a company being wound
up which was at some former time registered as unlimited but has re-
registered as a company limited by shares or by guarantee under section
14B.
(2) Notwithstanding section 158(a), a past member of the
company who was a member of it at the time of re-registration, if the
winding up commences within the period of three years beginning on the
day on which the company was re-registered, is liable to contribute to
the assets of the company in respect of debts and liabilities contracted
before that time.
(3) If no persons who were members of the company at that time
are existing members of it, a person who at that time was a present or
past member is liable to contribute as provided in subsection (2)
notwithstanding that the existing members have satisfied the
contributions required to be made by them under this Act.
(4) Subsection (3) applies subject to section 158(a) and to
subsection (2), but notwithstanding section 158(c).

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 161

(5) Notwithstanding section 158(d) and (e), there is no limit on
the amount which a person who, at that time, was a past or present
member of the company is liable to contribute.
[Section 158A inserted by 2000:29 effective 11 August 2000] Definition and nature of liability of a contributory
159 (1) The term “contributory” means every person liable to
contribute to the assets of a company in the event of its being wound up,
and for the purposes of all proceedings prior to the final determining of
the persons who are to be deemed contributories, includes any person
alleged to be a contributory.
(2) The liability of a contributory shall create a debt of the
nature of a specialty accruing due from him at the time when his liability
commenced but payable at the times when calls are made for enforcing
the liability.
Contributories in case of death or bankruptcy of a member
160 (1) If a contributory dies either before or after he has been
placed on the list of contributories, his estate representatives shall be
liable in the due course of the administration to contribute to the assets
of the company in discharge of his liability and shall be contributories
accordingly.
(2) If the estate representatives make default in paying any
money ordered to be paid by them, proceedings may be taken for
administering the estate of the deceased contributory and for compelling
payment thereout of the money due.
(3) If a contributory becomes bankrupt, either before or after
he has been placed on the list of contributories —
(a) his trustee in bankruptcy shall represent him for all the purposes of the winding up, and shall be a contributory
accordingly, and may be called on to admit to proof
against the estate of the bankrupt, or otherwise allow to
be paid out of his assets in due course of law, any
money due from the bankrupt in respect of his liability
to contribute to the estate of the company; and
(b) there may be proved against the estate of the bankrupt the estimated value of his liability to future calls as well
as calls already made.
Circumstances in which company may be wound up by the Court
161 In addition to any other provision in this or any other Act
prescribing for the winding up of a company a company may be wound
up by the Court if —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

162 1989 Revisio
n

(a) the company has by resolution resolved that the
company be wound up by the Court;
(b) subject to section 88 default is made in holding the statutory meeting or failing to comply with section 84 or
section 89;
(c) the company does not commence its business within a year of its incorporation or suspends its business for a
whole year;
(ca)the company carries on any restricted business activity in contravention of section 4A;
(d) the company engages in a prohibited business activity in contravention of section 4B;
(e) the company is unable to pay its debts;
(f) the consent of the Minister, where under this Act such consent was required, was obtained as a result of a
material misstatement in the application for consent; or
(g) the Court is of the opinion that it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up.
[Section 161 amended by 1998:35 effective 5 October 1998; and by 2003:1 effective
14 February 2003] Definition of inability to pay debts
162 A company shall be deemed to be unable to pay its debts —
(a) if a creditor, by assignment or otherwise, to whom the company is indebted in a sum exceeding five hundred
dollars then due has served on the company, by leaving
it at the registered office of the company, a demand
under his hand requiring the company to pay the sum
so due and the company has for three weeks thereafter
neglected to pay the sum or to secure or compound for it
to the reasonable satisfaction of the creditor; or
(b) if the execution or other process issued on a judgment, decree or order of any court in favour of a creditor of the
company is returned unsatisfied in whole or in part; or
(c) if it is proved to the satisfaction of the Court that the company is unable to pay its debts; in determining
whether a company is unable to pay its debts, the Court
shall take into account the contingent and prospective
liabilities of the company.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 163

Applications for winding up
163 (1) An application to the Court for the winding up of a company
shall be by petition, presented either by the company or by any creditor
or creditors, including any contingent or prospective creditor or creditors,
contributory or contributories, or by all of those parties, together or
separately:
Provided that —
(a) a contributory shall not be entitled to present a winding
up petition the shares in respect of which he is a
contributory, or some of them, either were allotted to
him or have been held by him and registered in his
name, for at least six months during the eighteen
months before the commencement of the winding up, or
have devolved on him through the death of a former
holder; and
(b) a winding up petition shall not, if the ground of the petition is default in holding the statutory meeting, be
presented by any person except a member, nor before
the expiration of fourteen days after the last day on
which the meeting ought to have been held; and
(c) the Court shall not give a hearing to a winding up petition presented by a contingent or prospective
creditor until such security for costs has been given as
the Court thinks reasonable and until a prima facie case
for winding up has been established to the satisfaction
of the Court; and
(d) in a case falling within section 161(g) the winding up petition may be presented by the Registrar.
(2) When a company is being wound up voluntarily a winding-
up petition may be presented by the Official Receiver as well as by any
other person authorized in that behalf under this section, but the Court
shall not make a winding-up order on the petition unless it is satisfied
that the voluntary winding up cannot be continued with due regard to
the interest of the creditors or contributories.
(3) Where the petition is presented on the ground that a
material mis-statement was made in the application for the consent of
the registration of the company the Court shall not make a winding-up
order unless it is satisfied —
(a) that but for the mis-statement the consent of the Minister would not have been given; and

COMPANIES ACT 1981

164 1989 Revisio
n

(b) that an order winding up the company will not cause
hardship to any person who was not responsible for the
mis-statement.
(4) Where the petition is presented on the ground that a
material mis-statement was made in the application for the consent for
the registration of the company the Court, if it finds that a material mis-
statement was made, whether it makes an order winding up the
company or not, may —
(a) impose on the company a fine of two thousand dollars; and
(b) require the company to pay the costs of the proceedings.
[Section 163 amended by 1993:37 effective 13 July 1993] Powers of Court on hearing petition
164 (1) On hearing a winding-up petition the Court may dismiss it,
or adjourn the hearing conditionally or unconditionally, or make any
interim order, or any other order that it thinks fit, but the Court shall
not refuse to make a winding-up order on the ground only that the
assets of the company have been mortgaged to an amount equal to or in
excess of those assets or that the company has no assets.
(2) Where the petition is presented by members of the company
as contributories on the ground that it is just and equitable that the
company should be wound up, the Court, if it is of opinion, —
(a) that the petitioners are entitled to relief either by winding up the company or by some other means; and
(b) that in the absence of any other remedy it would be just and equitable that the company should be wound up,
shall make a winding-up order, unless it is also of the opinion both that
some other remedy is available to the petitioners and that they are acting
unreasonably in seeking to have the company wound up instead of
pursuing that other remedy.
(3) Where the petition is presented on the ground of default in
holding the statutory meeting the Court may —
(a) instead of making a winding-up order, direct that a meeting shall be held; and
(b) order the costs to be paid by any person who, in the opinion of the Court, is responsible for the default.
Powers to stay or restrain proceedings against a company
165 (1) At any time after the presentation of a winding-up petition,
and before a winding-up order has been made, the company or any

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 165

creditor or contributory may, where an action or proceeding against the
company is pending, apply to the Court for a stay of those proceedings.
(2) On an application being made under subsection (1) the
Court may stay the proceedings accordingly on such terms as it thinks
fit.
Avoidance of dispositions of property etc. after commencement of
winding up
166 (1) In a winding-up by the Court, any disposition of the
property of the company, including things in action, and any transfer of
shares, or alteration in the status of the members of the company, made
after the commencement of the winding-up, shall, unless the Court
otherwise orders, be void.
(2) Where any company is being wound up by the Court, any
attachment, sequestration, distress or execution put in force against the
estate or effects of the company after the commencement of the winding
up shall be void to all intents.
Commencement of winding up by the Court
167 (1) Where, before the presentation of a petition for the winding
up of a company by the Court, a resolution has been passed by the
company for voluntary winding up, the winding up of the company shall
be deemed to have commenced at the time of the passing of the
resolution, and unless the Court, on proof of fraud or mistake, thinks fit
otherwise to direct, all proceedings taken in the voluntary winding up
shall be deemed to have been validly taken.
(2) In any other case, the winding up of a company by the
Court shall be deemed to commence at the time of the presentation of
the petition for the winding up.
(3) On the making of a winding-up order, a copy of the order
must forthwith be forwarded by the company to the Registrar, who shall
make a minute thereof in his books relating to the company.
(4) When a winding-up order has been made or a provisional
liquidator has been appointed, no action or proceeding shall be
proceeded with or commenced against the company except by leave of
the Court and subject to such terms as the Court may impose.
(5) An order for winding up a company shall operate in favour
of all the creditors and of all the contributories of the company as if
made on the joint petition of a creditor and of a contributory.
Statement of company affairs to be submitted to Official Receiver
168 (1) Where the Court has made a winding-up order or appointed
a provisional liquidator, there shall, unless the Court thinks fit to order

COMPANIES ACT 1981

166 1989 Revisio
n

otherwise and so orders, be made out and submitted to the Official
Receiver a statement as to the affairs of the company in the prescribed
form, verified by affidavit, and showing the particulars of its assets, debts
and liabilities, the names, residences and occupations of its creditors,
the securities held by them respectively, the dates when the securities
were respectively given, and such further or other information as may be
prescribed or as the Official Receiver may require.
(2) The statement shall be submitted and verified by one or
more of the persons who are at the relevant date the directors and by the
person who is at that date the secretary of the company, or by such of
the persons hereinafter in this subsection mentioned as the Official
Receiver, subject to the direction of the Court, may require to submit and
verify the statement, that is to say, persons —
(a) who are or have been officers of the company;
(b) who have taken part in the formation of the company at
any time within one year before the relevant date;
(c) who are in the employment of the company, or have been in the employment of the company within the said
year, and are in the opinion of the Official Receiver
capable of giving the information required;
(d) who are or have been within the said year officers of or in the employment of a company which is, or within the
said year was, an officer of the company to which the
statement relates.
(3) The statement shall be submitted within thirty days from
the relevant date or within such extended time as the Official Receiver or
the Court may for special reasons appoint.
(4) Any person making or concurring in making the statement
and affidavit required by this section shall be allowed, and shall be paid
by the Official Receiver or provisional liquidator, as the case may be, out
of the assets of the company such costs and expenses, incurred in and
about the preparation and making of the statement and affidavit as the
Official Receiver may consider reasonable, subject to an appeal to the
Court.
(5) If any person, without reasonable excuse, makes default in
complying with the requirements of this section, he shall be liable to a
default fine.
(6) Any person stating himself in writing to be a creditor or
contributory of the company shall be entitled by himself or by his agent
at all reasonable times, on payment of the prescribed fee, to inspect the
statement submitted in pursuance of this section and a copy thereof or
extract therefrom.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 167

(7) Any person falsely stating himself to be a creditor or
contributory shall be liable to a fine of one thousand dollars or
imprisonment for a period of six months or both such fine and
imprisonment.
(8) In this section “the relevant date” means, in a case where a
provisional liquidator is appointed, the date of his appointment, and, in a
case where no such appointment is made, the date of the winding-up
order.
Report by Official Receiver
169 (1) In a case where a winding-up order is made, the Official
Receiver shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the statement to be
submitted under section 168, or, in a case where the Court orders that
no statement shall be submitted, as soon as practicable after the date of
the order, submit a preliminary report to the Court —
(a) as to the amount of capital issued, subscribed and paid
up, and the estimated amount of assets and liabilities;
and
(b) if the company has failed, as to the causes of the failure; and
(c) whether in his opinion further inquiry is desirable as to any matter relating to the promotion, formation or
failure of the company or the conduct of the business
thereof.
(2) The Official Receiver may also, if he thinks fit, make a
further report, or further reports, stating the manner in which the
company was formed and whether in his opinion any fraud has been
committed by any person in its promotion or formation or by any officer
of the company in relation to the company since the formation thereof
and any other matters which in his opinion it is desirable to bring to the
notice of the Court.
(3) If the Official Receiver states in any such further report as
aforesaid that in his opinion a fraud has been committed as aforesaid,
the Court shall have the further powers provided in section 196.
Power of Court to appoint liquidators
170 (1) For the purpose of conducting proceedings in winding up a
company and performing such duties in reference thereto as the Court
may impose, the Court may appoint a liquidator or liquidators.
(2) The Court may on the presentation of a winding-up petition
or at any time thereafter and before the first appointment of a liquidator
appoint a provisional liquidator who may be the Official Receiver or any
other fit person.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

168 1989 Revisio
n

(3) When the Court appoints a provisional liquidator, the Court
may limit his powers by the order appointing him.
Appointment of liquidators
171 The following provisions with respect to liquidators shall have
effect on a winding-up order being made —
(a) if the Court has appointed no other provisional
liquidator prior to the winding-up order being made the
Official Receiver shall become the provisional liquidator
and he or the provisional liquidator appointed by the
Court shall continue to act as provisional liquidator until
another person becomes liquidator and is capable of
acting as such;
(b) the provisional liquidator shall summon separate meetings of the creditors and contributories of the
company for the purpose of determining whether or not
an application is to be made to the Court for appointing
a liquidator in the place of the provisional liquidator;
(c) the Court may make any appointment and order required to give effect to any such determination and, if
there is a difference between the determinations of the
meetings of the creditors and contributories in respect of
the matter aforesaid, the Court shall decide the
difference and make such order thereon as it thinks fit;
(d) in a case where a liquidator is not appointed by the Court, the Official Receiver shall be the liquidator of the
company;
(e) the Official Receiver shall be the liquidator during any vacancy;
(f) a liquidator shall be described when a person other than the Official Receiver is liquidator, by the style of “the
liquidator”, and, where the Official Receiver is liquidator,
by the style of “the Official Receiver and liquidator”, of
the particular company in respect of which he is
appointed and not by his individual name.
Liquidator who is not the Official Receiver
172 Where, in the winding up of a company by the Court, a person
other than the Official Receiver is appointed liquidator, that person —
(a) shall not be capable of acting as liquidator until he has notified his appointment to the Registrar and given
security in the prescribed manner to the satisfaction of
the Registrar; and

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 169

(b) shall give the Official Receiver such information and
such access to and facilities for inspecting the books and
documents of the company and generally such aid as
may be requisite for enabling that officer to perform his
duties under this Act.
Liquidators; resignation, removal, salary
173 (1) A liquidator appointed by the Court may resign or, on cause
shown, be removed by the Court.
(2) Where a person other than the Official Receiver is appointed
liquidator, he shall receive such salary or remuneration by way of
percentage or otherwise as the Court may direct, and, if more persons
than one are appointed liquidators, their remuneration shall be
distributed among them in such proportion as the Court directs.
(3) A vacancy in the office of a liquidator appointed by the
Court shall be filled by the Court.
(4) If more than one liquidator is appointed by the Court, the
Court shall declare whether any act by this Act required or authorized to
be done by the liquidator is to be done by all or any one or more of the
persons appointed.
(5) Subject to section 249, the acts of a liquidator shall be valid
notwithstanding any defects that may afterwards be discovered in his
appointment or qualifications.
Custody and vesting of companies property
174 (1) Where a winding-up order has been made or where a
provisional liquidator has been appointed, the liquidator or the
provisional liquidator, as the case may be, shall take into his custody or
under his control all the property and things in action to which the
company is or appears to be entitled.
(2) Where a company is being wound up by the Court, the
Court may on the application of the liquidator by order direct that all or
any part of the property of whatsoever description belonging to the
company or held by trustees on its behalf shall vest in the liquidator by
his official name, and thereupon the property to which the order relates
shall vest accordingly, and the liquidator may, after giving such
indemnity, if any, as the Court may direct, bring or defend in his official
name any action or other legal proceeding which relates to that property
or which it is necessary to bring or defend for the purpose of effectually
winding up the company and recovering its property.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

170 1989 Revisio
n

Powers of liquidator
175 (1) The liquidator in a winding-up by the Court shall have
power, with the sanction either of the Court or of the committee of
inspection —
(a) to bring or defend any action or other legal proceeding in
the name and on behalf of the company;
(b) to carry on the business of the company so far as may be necessary for the beneficial winding up thereof;
(c) to appoint an attorney to assist him in the performance of his duties;
(d) to pay any classes of creditors in full;
(e) to make any compromise or arrangement with creditors or persons claiming to be creditors or having or alleging
themselves to have any claim, present or future, certain
or contingent ascertained or sounding only in damages
against the company, or whereby the company may be
rendered liable;
(f) to compromise all calls and liabilities to calls, debts and liabilities capable of resulting in debts, and all claims,
present or future, certain or contingent, ascertained or
sounding only in damages, subsisting or supposed to
subsist between the company and a contributory or
alleged contributory or other debtor or person
apprehending liability to the company, and all questions
in any way relating to or affecting the assets or the
winding up of the company, on such terms as may be
agreed, and take any security for the discharge of any
such call, debt, liability or claim and give a complete
discharge in respect thereof.
(2) The liquidator in a winding up by the Court shall have
power—
(a) to sell the real and personal property and things in action of the company by public auction or private
contract, with power to transfer the whole thereof to any
person or to sell the same in parcels;
(b) to do all acts and to execute, in the name and on behalf of the company, all deeds, receipts and other
documents, and for that purpose to use, when
necessary, the company’s seal;
(c) to prove, rank and claim in the bankruptcy, insolvency or sequestration of any contributory for any balance
against his estate, and to receive dividends in the
bankruptcy, insolvency or sequestration in respect of

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 171

that balance, as a separate debt due from the bankrupt
or insolvent, and rateably with the other separate
creditors;
(d) to draw, accept, make and indorse any bill of exchange
or promissory note in the name and on behalf of the
company, with the same effect with respect to the
liability of the company as if the bill or note had been
drawn, accepted, made or indorsed by or on behalf of the
company in the course of its business;
(e) to raise on the security of the assets of the company any money required;
(f) to take out in his official name letters of administration to any deceased contributory and to do in his official
name any other act necessary for obtaining payment of
any money due from a contributory or his estate which
cannot be conveniently done in the name of the
company, and in all such cases the money due shall, for
the purpose of enabling the liquidator to take out the
letters of administration or recover the money, be
deemed to be due to the liquidator himself;
(g) to appoint an agent to do any business which the liquidator is unable to do himself;
(h) to do all such other things as may be necessary for winding up the affairs of the company and distributing
its assets.
(3) The exercise by the liquidator in a winding up by the Court
of the powers conferred by this section shall be subject to the control of
the Court, and any creditor or contributory may apply to the Court with
respect to any exercise or proposed exercise of any of those powers.
Exercise and control of liquidator’s powers
176 (1) Subject to this Act, the liquidator of a company which is
being wound up by the Court shall, in the administration of the assets of
the company and in the distribution thereof among its creditors, have
regard to any directions that may be given by resolution of the creditors
or contributories at any general meeting or by the committee of
inspection, and any directions given by the creditors or contributories at
any general meeting shall in case of conflict be deemed to override any
directions given by the committee of inspection.
(2) The liquidator may summon general meetings of the
creditors or contributories for the purpose of ascertaining their wishes,
and it shall be his duty to summon meetings at such times as the
creditors or contributories, by resolution, either at the meeting

COMPANIES ACT 1981

172 1989 Revisio
n

appointing the liquidator or otherwise, may direct, or whenever
requested in writing to do so by one-tenth in value of the creditors or
contributories as the case may be.
(3) The liquidator may apply to the Court in manner prescribed
for directions in relation to any particular matter arising under the
winding up.
(4) Subject to this Act, the liquidator shall use his own
discretion in the management of the estate and its distribution among
the creditors.
(5) If any person is dissatisfied by any act, omission or decision
of the liquidator, that person may apply to the Court, and the Court may
confirm, reverse or modify the act or decision complained of, and may
give such directions and make such order in the premises as it thinks
just.
[Section 176 amended by 1989:58 effective 31 January 1990] Books to be kept by liquidator
177 Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the
Court shall keep, in the manner prescribed, proper books in which he
shall cause to be made entries or minutes of proceedings at meetings,
and of such other matters as may be prescribed, and any creditor or
contributory may, subject to the control of the Court, personally or by
his agent inspect any such books.
Release of liquidators
178 (1) When the liquidator of a company which is being wound up
by the Court has realized all the property of the company or as much
thereof as can, in his opinion, be realized without needlessly protracting
the liquidation and has distributed a final dividend, if any, to the
creditors and has adjusted the rights of the contributories among
themselves, and made a final return, if any, to the contributories, or has
resigned, or has been removed from his office, the Court shall on his
application and on his complying with all its requirements after hearing
any objection that may be urged by any creditor, contributory or person
interested against the release of the liquidator either release or withhold
his release.
(2) An appeal shall lie to the Court of Appeal against a decision
withholding the release of a liquidator under subsection (1).
Receipts by liquidator
179 (1) Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by
the Court shall deal with the money received by him in such manner as
the Court shall direct.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 173

(2) If any liquidator at any time retains for more than thirty
days a sum exceeding five thousand dollars after he has received
directions of the Court as to how he is to deal with the money, he shall
pay interest on the sum so retained at the statutory rate of interest fixed
under the Interest and Credit Charges (Regulation) Act 1975
[title 17 item
22] unless the Court otherwise orders.
(3) A liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the
Court shall not pay any sums received by him as liquidator into his
private banking account.
Audit of liquidators’ accounts
180 Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the
Court shall at such times as the Court shall direct send to the Court
audited accounts of his receipts and payments as liquidator.
Meetings of creditors and contributories to determine whether
committee of inspection shall be appointed
181 (1) When a winding-up order has been made by the Court, it
shall be the business of the separate meetings of the creditors and
contributories summoned for the purpose of determining whether or not
an application should be made to the Court for appointing a liquidator in
place of the Official Receiver to determine further whether or not an
application is to be made to the Court for the appointment of a
committee of inspection to act with the liquidator and who are to be
members of the committee if appointed.
(2) The Court may make any appointment and order required
to give effect to any such determination, and if there is a difference
between the determinations of the meetings of the creditors and
contributories in respect of the matters aforesaid the Court shall decide
the difference and make such order thereon as the Court may think fit.
Constitution and proceedings of committee of inspection
182 (1) A committee of inspection appointed in pursuance of this
Act shall consist of creditors and contributories of the company or
persons holding general powers of attorney from creditors or
contributories in such proportions as may be agreed upon by the
meetings of creditors and contributories or as, in case of difference,
maybe determined by the Court.
(2) The committee shall meet at such times as it shall from
time to time determine and the liquidator and any member of the
committee may also call a meeting of the committee as and when either
of them consider it necessary.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

174 1989 Revisio
n

(3) The committee may act by a majority of their members
present at a meeting but shall not act unless a majority of the committee
are present.
(4) A member of the committee may resign by notice in writing
signed by him and delivered to the liquidator.
(5) If a member of the committee becomes bankrupt or
compounds or arranges with his creditors or is absent from five
consecutive meetings of the committee without the leave of those
members who together with himself represent the creditors or
contributories, as the case may be, his office shall thereupon become
vacant.
(6) A member of the committee may be removed by an ordinary
resolution at a meeting of creditors, if he represents creditors, or of
contributories, if he represents contributories of which seven days notice
has been given stating the object of the meeting.
(7) On a vacancy occurring in the committee the liquidator
shall forthwith summon a meeting of creditors or of contributories, as
the case may require, to fill the vacancy, and the meeting may, by
resolution, reappoint the same or appoint another creditor or
contributory to fill the vacancy:
Provided that if the liquidator, having regard to the position in the
winding up, is of the opinion that it is unnecessary for the vacancy to be
filled he may apply to the Court and the Court may make an order that
the vacancy shall not be filled, or shall not be filled except in such
circumstances as may be specified in the order.
(8) The continuing members of the committee, if not less than
two, may act notwithstanding any vacancy in the committee.
Powers of Registrar where no committee of inspection
183 Where in the case of a winding up there is no committee of
inspection, the Registrar may, on the application of the liquidator, do any
act or thing or give any direction or permission which is by this Act
authorized or required to be done or given by a committee.
Power to stay winding up
184 (1) The Court may at any time after an order for winding up, on
the application either of the liquidator or the Official Receiver or any
creditor or contributory and on proof to the satisfaction of the Court that
all proceedings in relation to the winding up ought to be stayed, make an
order staying the proceedings, either altogether or for a limited time, on
such terms and conditions as the Court thinks fit.
(2) Where the Court makes an order staying the proceedings
altogether it may on hearing the liquidator, the Official Receiver, if he
desires to be heard, and the interested creditors or contributories make

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 175

such order as it considers desirable to enable the company to be as near
as practicable as it was before the winding-up order was made.
(3) On any application under this section the Court may, before
making an order, require the Official Receiver to furnish to the Court a
report with respect to any facts or matters which are in his opinion
relevant to the application.
(4) A copy of every order made under this section shall
forthwith be forwarded by the company, or otherwise as may be
prescribed, to the Registrar, who shall make a minute of the order in his
books relating to the company.
Settlement of list of contributories and application of assets
185 (1) As soon as may be after making a winding-up order, the
Court shall settle a list of contributories with power to rectify the register
of members in all cases where rectification is required in pursuance of
this Act, and shall cause the assets of the company to be collected and
applied in discharge of its liabilities:
Provided that, where it appears to the Court that it will not be necessary
to make calls on or adjust the rights of the contributories, the Court may
dispense with the settlement of a list of contributories.
(2) In settling the list of contributories the Court shall
distinguish between persons who are contributories in their own right
and persons who are contributories as being representatives or liable for
the debts of others.
Delivery of property to liquidator
186 The Court may, at any time after making a winding-up order,
require any contributory for the time being on list of contributories and
any trustee, receiver, banker, agent or officer of the company to pay,
deliver, convey, surrender or transfer forthwith, or within such time as
the Court directs, to the liquidator any money, property or books and
papers in his hands to which the company is prima facie entitled.
Payment of debts due by contributory to company and extent to
which set-off allowed
187 (1) The Court may, at any time after making a winding-up
order make an order on any contributory for the time being on the list of
contributories to pay, in manner directed by the order, any money due
from him or from the estate of the person whom he represents to the
company, exclusive of any money payable by him or the estate by virtue
of any call in pursuance of this Act.
(2) In the case of any company when all the creditors are paid
in full, any money due on any account whatever to a contributory from

COMPANIES ACT 1981

176 1989 Revisio
n

the company may be allowed to him by way of set-off against any
subsequent call.
Power of Court to make calls
188 (1) The Court may, at any time after making a winding-up
order, and either before or after it has ascertained the sufficiency of the
assets of the company make calls on all or any of the contributories for
the time being settled on the list of the contributories to the extent of
their liability, for payment of any money which the Court considers
necessary to satisfy the debts and liabilities of the company, and the
costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the
rights of the contributories among themselves, and make an order for
payment of any calls so made.
(2) In making a call the Court may take into consideration the
probability that some of the contributories may partly or wholly fail to
pay the call.
Order on contributory conclusive evidence
189 (1) An order made by the Court on a contributory shall, subject
to any right of appeal, be conclusive evidence that the money, if any,
thereby appearing to be due or ordered to be paid is due.
(2) All other pertinent matters stated in the order shall be
taken to be truly stated as against all persons and in all proceedings.
Appointment of special manager
190 (1) Where in proceedings the Official Receiver becomes the
liquidator of a company, whether provisionally or otherwise, he may, if
satisfied that the nature of the estate or business of the company, or the
interests of the creditors or contributories generally, require the
appointment of a special manager of the estate or business of the
company other than himself, apply to the Court, and the Court may on
such application appoint a special manager of the said estate or business
to act during such time as the Court may direct, with such powers,
including any of the powers of a receiver or manager, as may be
entrusted to him by the Court.
(2) The special manager shall give such security and account in
such manner as the Court shall direct.
(3) The special manager shall receive such remuneration as
may be fixed by the Court.
Power to exclude creditors not proving in time
191 The Court may fix a time or times within which creditors are to
prove their debts or claims or be excluded from the benefit of any
distribution made before those debts are proved.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 177

Adjustment of rights of contributories
192 The Court shall adjust the rights of the contributories among
themselves and distribute any surplus among the persons entitled
thereto.
Inspection of books by creditors and contributories
193 (1) The Court may, at any time after making a winding-up
order, make such order for inspection of the books and papers of the
company by creditors and contributories as the Court thinks just, and
any books and papers in the possession of the company may be
inspected by creditors or contributories accordingly, but not further or
otherwise.
(2) Nothing in this section shall be taken as excluding or
restricting any statutory rights of a government department or person
acting under the authority of a government department.
Power to order costs of winding up to be made out of assets
194 The Court may, in the event of the assets being insufficient to
satisfy the liabilities, make an order as to the payment out of the assets
of the costs, charges and expenses incurred in the winding up in such
order of priority as the Court thinks just.
Power to summon persons suspected of having property of company
etc.
195 (1) The Court may, at any time after the appointment of a
provisional liquidator or the making of a winding-up order, summon
before it any officer of the company or persons known or suspected to
have in his possession any property of the company or supposed to be
indebted to the company, or any person whom the Court deems capable
of giving information concerning the promotion, formation, trade,
dealings, affairs or property of the company.
(2) The Court may examine such person on oath, concerning
the matters aforesaid, either by word of mouth or on written
interrogatories, and may reduce his answers to writing and require him
to sign them.
(3) The Court may require such person to produce any books
and papers in his custody or power relating to the company, but, where
he claims any lien on books or papers produced by him, the production
shall be without prejudice to that lien, and the Court shall have
jurisdiction in the winding up to determine all questions relating to that
lien.
(4) If any person so summoned, after being tendered a
reasonable sum for his expenses, refuses to come before the Court at the
time appointed, not having a lawful excuse, made known to the Court at

COMPANIES ACT 1981

178 1989 Revisio
n

the time of its sitting and allowed by it, the Court may cause him to be
apprehended and brought before the Court for examination.
Power to order public examination of promoter and officer
196 (1) Where an order has been made for winding up a company
by the Court the Official Receiver may make a report under this Act
stating that in his opinion any person in the promotion or formation of
the company or any officer of the company since its formation has been
guilty of fraud or dishonesty or has been in default in complying with the
provisions of the law relating to companies or has shown himself to have
acted in an improper, reckless or incompetent manner in relation to the
company’s affairs.
(2) Where a report is made to the Court under subsection (1)
the Court may, after consideration of the Official Receiver’s report, direct
that the person or officer referred to in the report shall attend before the
Court on a day appointed for that purpose and be publicly examined as
to his conduct in relation to the company.
(3) The Official Receiver shall take part in the examination
either in person or by attorney.
(4) The liquidator, where the Official Receiver is not the
liquidator, and any creditor or contributory may also take part in the
examination either personally or by attorney.
(5) The Court may put such questions to the person examined
as the Court thinks fit.
(6) The person examined shall be examined on oath and shall
answer all such questions as the Court may put or allow to be put to
him.
(7) A person ordered to be examined under this section shall at
his own cost, before his examination, be furnished with a copy of the
Official Receiver’s report, and may at his own cost employ an attorney
who shall be at liberty to put to him such questions as the Court may
deem just for the purpose of enabling him to explain or qualify any
answers given by him:
Provided that, if any such person applies to the Court to be exculpated
from any charges made or suggested against him, it shall be the duty of
the Official Receiver to appear on the hearing of the application and call
the attention of the Court to any matters which appear to the Official
Receiver to be relevant, and if the Court, after hearing any evidence given
or witnesses called by the Official Receiver, grants the application, the
Court may allow the applicant such costs as in its discretion it may think
fit.
(8) Notes of the examination shall be taken down in writing,
and shall be read over to or by, and signed by, the person examined, and

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 179

may thereafter be used in evidence against him, and shall be open to the
inspection of any creditor or contributory at all reasonable times.
(9) An examination under this section, may if the Court so
directs, be held by any person appointed by the Court for that purpose.
Such person shall have all the powers of the Court in conducting such
examination.
Power to arrest absconding contributory
197 The Court, at any time either before or after making a winding-
up order, on proof of probable cause for believing that a contributory is
about to quit Bermuda or otherwise to abscond or to remove or conceal
any of his property for the purpose of evading payment of calls or of
avoiding examination respecting the affairs of the company, may cause
the contributory to be arrested and his books and papers and movable
personal property to be seized and him and them to be safely kept until
such time as the Court may order.
Powers of Court cumulative
198 Any powers by this Act conferred on the Court shall be in
addition to and not in restriction of any existing powers of instituting
proceedings against any contributory or debtor of the company or the
estate of any contributory or debtor, for the recovery of any call or other
sums.
Delegation to liquidator of certain powers of the Court
199 (1) The Chief Justice may make rules enabling all or any of the
powers and duties conferred or imposed on the Court by this Act in
respect of the following matters —
(a) the holding and conducting of meetings to ascertain the
wishes of creditors and contributories;
(b) the settling of lists of contributories and the rectifying of the register of members where required, and the
collecting and applying of the assets;
(c) the paying, delivery, conveyance, surrender or transfer of money, property, books or papers to the liquidator;
(d) the making of calls;
(e) the fixing of a time within which debts and claims must be proved,
to be exercised or performed by the liquidator as an officer of the Court,
and subject to the control of the Court:
Provided that the liquidator shall not, without the special leave of the
Court, rectify the register of members, and shall not make any call

COMPANIES ACT 1981

180 1989 Revisio
n

without either the special leave of the Court or the sanction of the
committee of inspection.
(2) Rules made under subsection (1) shall not be subject to
Parliamentary scrutiny by virtue of section 6 of the Statutory
Instruments Act 1977 [title 1 item 3].
Early dissolution
199A (1) This section applies where an order for the winding up of a
company has been made by the Court.
(2) The Official Receiver, if —
(a) he is the liquidator of the company, and
(b) it appears to him —
(i) that the realizable assets of the company are
insufficient to cover the expenses of the winding
up, and
(ii) that the affairs of the company do not require any further investigation,
may at any time apply to the Registrar for the early dissolution of the
company.
(3) Before making that application, the Official Receiver shall
give not less than twenty-eight days’ notice of his intention to do so to
the company’s creditors and contributories and, if there is a receiver of
the company, to that receiver.
(4) With the giving of that notice the Official Receiver ceases
(subject to any directions under section 199B) to be required to perform
any duties imposed on him in relation to the company, its creditors or
contributories by virtue of any provision of this Act, apart from a duty to
make an application under subsection (2).
(5) On the receipt of the Official Receiver’s application under
subsection (2) the Registrar shall forthwith register it and, at the end of
the period of three months beginning with the day of the registration of
the application, the company shall be dissolved; however, the Minister
may, on the application of the Official Receiver or any other person who
appears to the Minister to be interested, give directions under section
199B at any time before the end of that period.
[Section 199A inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Consequences of notice under section 199A
199B (1) Where a notice has been given under section 199A(3), the
Official Receiver or any creditor of or contributory to the company, or the

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 181

receiver of the company (if there is one) may apply to the Minister for
directions under this section.
(2) The grounds on which that application may be made are —
(a) that the realizable assets of the company are sufficient
to cover the expenses of the winding up;
(b) that the affairs of the company do require further investigation; or
(c) that for any other reason the early dissolution of the company is inappropriate.
(3) Directions under this section —
(a) are directions making such provision as the Minister thinks fit for enabling the winding up of the company to
proceed as if no notice had been given under section
199A(3), and
(b) may, in the case of an application under section 199A(5), include a direction deferring the date at which the
dissolution of the company is to take effect for such
period as the Minister thinks fit.
(4) An appeal to the Court lies from any decision of the Minister
on an application for directions under this section.
(5) It is the duty of the person on whose application any
directions are given under this section, or in whose favour an appeal
with respect to an application for such directions is determined within
seven days after the giving of the directions or the determination of the
appeal, to deliver to the Registrar for registration such a copy of the
directions or determination as is prescribed.
(6) If a person without reasonable excuse fails to deliver a copy
as required by subsection (5), he is liable to a fine of two hundred and
fifty dollars, and, for continued contravention, to a daily default fine.
[Section 199B inserted by 1992:51 effective 1 July 1992] Dissolution of company
200 (1) When the affairs of a company have been completely wound
up, the Court, if the liquidator makes an application in that behalf, shall
make an order that the company be dissolved from the date of the order,
and the company shall be dissolved accordingly.
(2) A copy of the order shall within fourteen days from the date
thereof be forwarded by the liquidator to the Registrar who shall make in
his books a minute of the dissolution of the company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

182 1989 Revisio
n

(3) If the liquidator makes default in complying with the
requirements of this section, he shall be liable to a default fine.
Circumstances in which a company may be wound up voluntarily
201 A company shall be wound up voluntarily—
(a) when the company resolves in general meeting that the
company be wound up voluntarily; or
(b) pursuant to section 201A.
[Section 201 replaced by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996] Appointment of liquidator and dissolution of company of limited
duration
201A (1) A company shall be wound up voluntarily upon the
expiration of the period fixed for the duration of the company by its
incorporating Act or its memorandum or upon the occurrence of the
event on the occurrence of which its incorporating Act or its
memorandum provides that the company is to be dissolved and
thereafter the company shall be dissolved in accordance with this Part.
(2) Where a company is being wound up pursuant to
subsection (1)—
(a) references in this Part to the resolution for voluntary winding up shall be deemed to be references to the
expiration of the period, or the occurrence of the event,
referred to in subsection (1);
(b) section 216(1) shall be read as requiring the meeting of the creditors of the company to be summoned within
thirty days of the expiration of the period, or the
occurrence of the event, referred to in subsection (1);
(c) sections 208(1), 216(5) and 230 shall not apply to the company.
(3) Subject to section 227, where a company is being wound up
pursuant to subsection (1) by way of members’ voluntary winding up,
within ninety days after the expiration of the period, or the occurrence of
the event, referred to in that subsection the members of the company
shall appoint one or more liquidators for the purpose of winding up the
affairs, and distributing the assets, of the company, and may fix their
remuneration, and in the absence of such an appointment within that
time period, the Official Receiver shall be the liquidator.
(4) Where a company is being wound up pursuant to
subsection (1) by way of a creditor’s voluntary winding up and no
liquidator has been appointed within ninety days after the expiration of

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 183

the period, or the occurrence of the event, referred to in subsection (1),
the Official Receiver shall be the liquidator.
[Section 201A replaced by 1996:21 effective 24 July 1996] Notice of resolution to wind up voluntarily
202 (1) Where a company is being wound up voluntarily, then
within twenty-one days after—
(a) the expiration of the period fixed for the duration of the
company by its incorporating Act or memorandum;
(b) the occurrence of the event, on the occurrence of which the incorporating Act or memorandum provides that the
company is to be dissolved; or
(c) the passing of the resolution that the company be wound up voluntarily,
the company shall give notice thereof by advertisement in an appointed
newspaper.
(2) If default is made in complying with this section, the com-
pany and every officer of the company shall be liable to a default fine. For
the purpose of this section the liquidator of the company shall be
deemed to be an officer of the company.
[Section 202 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1996:21 effective
24 July 1996] Commencement of voluntary winding up
203 A voluntary winding up shall be deemed to commence—
(a) on the expiration of the period, if any, fixed in the incorporating Act or the memorandum for the duration
of a company;
(b) on the occurrence of the event, if any, on the occurrence of which it is provided in the incorporating Act or the
memorandum that a company is to be dissolved; or
(c) at the time of the passing of the resolution for voluntary winding up.
[Section 203 replaced by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994
Effect of voluntary winding up on business and status of company
204 In case of a voluntary winding up, the company shall, from the
commencement of the winding up, cease to carry on its business, except
so far as may be required for the beneficial winding up thereof:

COMPANIES ACT 1981

184 1989 Revisio
n

Provided that the corporate state and corporate powers of the company
shall, notwithstanding any thing to the contrary in its memorandum or
bye-laws, continue until it is dissolved.
[Section 204 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994; and by 1996:21 effective
24 July 1996] Avoidance of transfers etc. after commencement of voluntary
winding up
205 Any transfer of shares, not being a transfer made to or with the
sanction of the liquidator, and any alteration in the status of the
members of the company, made after the commencement of a voluntary
winding up, shall be void.
Statutory declaration of solvency in case of proposal to wind up
voluntarily
206 (1) Where it is proposed to wind up a company voluntarily, the
majority of the directors, shall each make a statutory declaration to the
effect that they have formed the opinion that the company will be able to
pay its debts in full within such period not exceeding twelve months from
the commencement of the winding up as may be specified in the
declaration.
(2) A declaration made as aforesaid shall have no effect for the
purposes of this Act unless —
(a) it is made within five weeks immediately preceding—
(i) the expiration of the period, if any, fixed by the
incorporating Act or the memorandum for the
duration of the company;
(ii) the occurrence of the event, if any, on the occurrence of which it is provided in the
incorporating Act or the memorandum that the
company is to be dissolved; or
(iii) the date of the passing of the resolution for voluntarily winding up,
and is delivered to the Registrar for registration before that date;
(b) it embodies either —
(i) a statement of the company’s assets and liabilities as at the latest practicable date before
the making of the declaration; or
(ii) a statement to the effect that the opinion of the directors was based on an indemnity,

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 185

undertaking or pledge made in favour of the
company in respect of its liabilities.
(3) Any director of a company making a declaration under this
section without having any reasonable grounds for the opinion that the
company will be able to pay its debts in full within the period specified in
the declaration, shall be liable to imprisonment for a period of six
months or to a fine of two thousand five hundred dollars or to both; and
if the company is wound up in pursuance of a resolution passed within
the period of five weeks after the making of the declaration, but its debts
are not paid or provided for in full within the period stated in the
declaration it shall be presumed until the contrary is shown that the
director did not have reasonable grounds for his opinion.
(4) A winding up in the case of which a declaration has been
made and delivered in accordance with this section is in this Act referred
to as “a member’s voluntary winding up”, and a winding up in the case of
which a declaration has not been made and delivered as aforesaid is in
this Act referred to as “a creditors’ voluntary winding up”.
[Section 204 amended by 1994:22 effective 13 July 1994, and by 1996:21 effective
24 July 1996] Members’ winding up
207 Sections 208 to 214 shall, subject to section 214, apply in
relation to a members’ voluntary winding up.
Power of company to appoint and fix remuneration of liquidators
208 (1) The company in general meeting shall appoint one or more
liquidators for the purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the
assets of the company, and may fix their remuneration.
(2) On the appointment of a liquidator all the powers of the
officers shall cease, except so far as the company in general meeting or
the liquidator sanctions the continuance thereof.
Power to fill vacancy in office of liquidator
209 (1) If a vacancy occurs by death, resignation or otherwise in the
office of liquidator appointed by the company, the company in general
meeting may, subject to any arrangement with its creditors, fill the
vacancy.
(2) For that purpose a general meeting may be convened by any
contributory or, if there were more liquidators than one, by the
continuing liquidators.
(3) The meeting shall be held in manner provided by this Act or
by the bye-laws, or in such manner as may, on application by any

COMPANIES ACT 1981

186 1989 Revisio
n

contributory or by the continuing liquidators, be determined by the
Court.
Power of liquidator to accept shares etc. as consideration for sale of
property of company
210 (1) Where a company is proposed to be, or is in the course of
being, wound up voluntarily, and the whole or part of its business or
property is proposed to be transferred or sold to another company
whether a company within the meaning of this Act or not, in this section
called “the transferee company”, the liquidator of the first-mentioned
company, in this section called “the transferor company”, may, with the
sanction of a resolution of that company, conferring either a general
authority on the liquidator or an authority in respect of any particular
arrangement, receive, in compensation or part compensation for the
transfer or sale, shares, policies or other like interests in the transferee
company for distribution among the members of the transferor company,
or may enter into any other arrangement whereby the members of the
transferor company may, in lieu of receiving cash, shares, policies or
other like interests, or in addition thereto, participate in the profits or
receive any other benefits from the transferee company.
(2) Any sale or arrangement in pursuance of this section shall
be binding on the members of the transferor company.
(3) If any member of the transferor company who did not vote
in favour of the resolution expresses his dissent therefrom in writing
addressed to the liquidator, and left at the registered office of the
company within seven days after the passing of the resolution, he may
require the liquidator either to abstain from carrying the resolution into
effect or to purchase his interest at a price to be determined by
agreement or by arbitration.
(4) If the liquidator elects to purchase the member’s interest,
the purchase money must be paid before the company is dissolved and
be raised by the liquidator in such manner as may be determined by
resolution.
(5) A resolution shall not be invalid for the purposes of this
section by reason that it is passed before or concurrently with a
resolution for voluntary winding up or for appointing liquidators, but if
an order is made within a year for winding up the company by the Court,
the resolution shall not be valid unless sanctioned by the Court.
Duty of liquidator to call creditors’ meeting in case of insolvency
211 (1) If the liquidator is at any time of the opinion that the
company will not be able to pay its debts in full within the period stated
in the declaration under section 206 he shall forthwith summon a
meeting of the creditors, and shall lay before the meeting a statement of
the assets and liabilities of the company.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 187

(2) If the liquidator fails to comply with this section, he shall be
liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.
Duty of liquidator to call general meeting at end of each year
212 (1) Subject to section 214, in the event of the winding up
continuing for more than one year, the liquidator shall summon a
general meeting of the company at the end of the first year from the
commencement of the winding up, and of each succeeding year, or at the
first convenient date within three months from the end of the year or
such longer period as the Registrar may allow, and shall lay before the
meeting an account of his acts and dealings and of the conduct of the
winding up during the preceding year.
(2) If the liquidator fails to comply with this section, he shall be
liable to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars.
Final meeting and dissolution. Members voluntary winding up
213 (1) Subject to section 214, as soon as the affairs of the
company are fully wound up, the liquidator shall make up an account of
the winding-up, showing how the winding-up has been conducted and
the property has been disposed of, and thereupon shall call a general
meeting of the company for the purpose of laying before it the account,
and giving any explanation thereof.
(2) The meeting shall be called by advertisement in an
appointed newspaper, specifying the time, place and object thereof, and
published one month at least before the meeting.
(3) Within one week after the meeting the liquidator shall notify
the Registrar that the company has been dissolved and the Registrar
shall record that fact and the date of the dissolution in the appropriate
register:
Provided that, if a quorum is not present at the meeting the liquidator, in
lieu of notifying the Registrar as herebefore mentioned, shall notify him
that the meeting was duly summoned and that no quorum was present
thereat and on such notification the requirements of this subsection
shall be deemed to have been complied with.
(4) If the liquidator fails to call a general meeting of the
company as required by this section or fails to comply with the
requirements of subsection (3), he shall be liable to a default fine.
Alternative provisions as to annual and final meetings in case of
insolvency.
214 Where section 211 has effect, sections 222 and 223 shall apply
to the winding up, as if the winding up were a creditor’s voluntary
winding up:

COMPANIES ACT 1981

188 1989 Revisio
n

Provided that the liquidator shall not be required to summon a meeting
of creditors under section 222 at the end of the first year from the
commencement of the winding up, unless the meeting held under section
211, is held more than three months before the end of the year.
Creditors’ winding up
215 Section 216 to 223 shall apply in relation to a creditor’s
voluntary winding up.
Meeting of creditors
216 (1) The company shall cause a meeting of the creditors of the
company to be summoned for the day, or the next day following the day,
on which there is to be held the meeting at which the resolution for
voluntary winding up is to be proposed, and shall cause the notices of
the meeting of creditors to be sent by post to the creditors
simultaneously with the sending of the notices of the meeting of the
company.
(2) The company shall cause notice of the meeting of creditors
to be advertised in an appointed newspaper on at least two occasions.
(3) The directors of the company shall —
(a) cause a full statement of the position of the company’s
affairs together with a list of the creditors of the
company and the estimated amount of their claims to be
laid before the meeting of the creditors to be held as
aforesaid; and
(b) appoint one of their number to preside at such meeting.
(4) It shall be the duty of the director appointed to preside at
the meeting of creditors to attend the meeting and preside thereat.
(5) If the meeting of the company at which the resolution for
voluntary winding up is to be proposed is adjourned and the resolution
is passed at an adjourned meeting, any resolution passed at the meeting
of the creditors held in pursuance of subsection (1) shall have effect as if
it has been passed immediately after the passing of the resolution for
winding up the company.
(6) If default is made —
(a) by the company in complying with subsections (1) and (2);
(b) by the directors of the company in complying with subsection (3);
(c) by any director of the company in complying with subsection (4),

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 189

the company, directors or director, as the case may be, shall be liable to
a fine of five hundred dollars, and in the case of default by the company,
every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to like
penalty.
Appointment of liquidator
217 The creditors and the company at their respective meetings
mentioned in section 216 may nominate a person to be liquidator for the
purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the assets of the
company, and if the creditors and the company nominate different
persons, the person nominated by the creditors shall be liquidator, and if
no person is nominated by the creditors the person, if any, nominated
by the company shall be liquidator:
Provided that in the case of different persons being nominated, any
director, member or creditor of the company may within seven days after
the date on which the nomination was made by the creditors, apply to
the Court for an order either directing that the person nominated as
liquidator by the company shall be liquidator instead of or jointly with
the person nominated by the creditors or appointing some other person
to be liquidator instead of the person appointed by the creditors.
Appointment of committee of inspection
218 (1) The creditors at the meeting to be held in pursuance of
section 216 or at any subsequent meeting may, if they think fit, appoint
a committee of inspection consisting of not more than five persons, and if
such a committee is appointed the company may, either at the meeting
at which the resolution for voluntary winding up is passed or at any time
subsequently in general meeting, appoint such number of persons as
they think fit to act as members of the committee not exceeding five in
number:
Provided that the creditors may, if they think fit, resolve that all or any of
the persons so appointed by the company ought not to be members of
the committee of inspection, and, if the creditors so resolve, the persons
mentioned in the resolution shall not, unless the court otherwise directs,
be qualified to act as members of the committee, and on any application
to the Court under this provision the Court may, if it thinks fit, appoint
other persons to act as such members in place of the persons mentioned
in the resolution.
(2) Subject to this section and to general rules, section 182
except subsection (1), shall apply with respect to a committee of
inspection appointed under this section as it applies with respect to a
committee of inspection appointed in a winding up by the Court.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

190 1989 Revisio
n

Fixing of liquidator’s remuneration and cessor of officers’ powers
219 (1) The committee of inspection, or if there is no such
committee, the creditors, may fix the remuneration to be paid to the
liquidator or liquidators.
(2) On the appointment of a liquidator, all the powers of the
officers shall cease, except so far as the committee of inspection, or if
there is no such committee, the creditors, sanction the continuance
thereof.
Power to fill vacancy in office of liquidator
220 If a vacancy occurs, by death, resignation or otherwise, in the
office of a liquidator, other than a liquidator appointed by, or by the
direction of, the Court, the creditors may fill the vacancy.
Application of s.210 to a creditors’ voluntary winding up
221 Section 210 shall apply in the case of a creditors’ voluntary
winding up as in the case of a members’ voluntary winding up, with the
modification that the powers of the liquidator under the said section
shall not be exercised except with the sanction either of the Court or of
the committee of inspection.
Duty of liquidator to call meetings of company and creditors at end
of each year
222 (1) In the event of the winding up continuing for more than one
year, the liquidator shall summon a general meeting of the company and
a meeting of the creditors at the end of the first year from the
commencement of the winding up, and of each succeeding year, or at the
first convenient date within three months from the end of the year or
such longer period as the Registrar may allow, and shall lay before the
meetings an account of his acts and dealings and of the conduct of the
winding up during the preceding year.
(2) If the liquidator fails to comply with this section, he shall be
liable to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars.
Final meeting and dissolution
223 (1) As soon as the affairs of the company are fully wound up,
the liquidator shall make an account of the winding up showing how the
winding up has been conducted and the property of the company has
been disposed of, and thereupon shall call a general meeting of the
company and a meeting of the creditors for the purpose of laying the
account before the meetings and giving any explanation thereof.
(2) Each such meeting shall be called by advertisement in an
appointed newspaper specifying the time, place and object thereof, and
published one month at least before the meeting.

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 191

(3) Within one week after the date of the meetings, or, if the
meetings are not held on the same date, after the date of the later
meeting, the liquidator shall send to the Registrar a copy of the account,
and shall make a return to him of the holding of the meetings and of
their dates, and if the copy is not sent or the return is not made in
accordance with this subsection the liquidator shall be liable to a default
fine:
Provided that, if a quorum is not present at either such meeting, the
liquidator shall, in lieu of the return hereinbefore mentioned, make a
return that the meeting was duly summoned and that no quorum was
present thereat and upon such a return being made the provisions of
this subsection as to the making of the return shall, in respect of that
meeting, be deemed to have been complied with.
(4) The Registrar on receiving the account and, in respect of
each such meeting, either of the returns hereinbefore mentioned, shall
forthwith register them, and on the expiration of three months from the
registration thereof the company shall be deemed to be dissolved:
Provided that the Court may, on the application of the liquidator or of
any other person who appears to the Court to be interested, make an
order deferring the date at which the dissolution of the company is to
take effect for such time as the Court thinks fit.
(5) It shall be the duty of the person on whose application an
order of the Court under this section is made, within seven days after the
making of the order, to deliver to the Registrar an office copy of the order
for registration, and if the person fails to do so he shall be liable to a
default fine.
(6) If the liquidator fails to call a general meeting of the
company or a meeting of the creditors as required by this section, he
shall be liable to a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars.
Sections 225 to 233 apply to every winding up
224 Sections 225 to 233 shall apply to every winding up whether a
member’s or a creditor’s winding up.
Distribution of property of company
225 Subject to this Act as to preferential payment the property of a
company shall, on its winding up, be applied in satisfaction of its
liabilities pari passu, and, subject to such application, shall, unless the
bye-laws otherwise provide, be distributed among the members
according to their rights and interests in the company.
Powers and duties of liquidator in voluntary winding up
226 (1) The liquidator may —

COMPANIES ACT 1981

192 1989 Revisio
n

(a) in the case of a member’s voluntary winding up, with the
sanction of a resolution of the company, and, in the case
of a creditor’s voluntary winding up, with the sanction of
the Court or the committee of inspection or if there is no
such committee a meeting of the creditors, exercise any
of the powers given by section 175(1)(d), (e) and (f) to a
liquidator in a winding up by the Court;
(b) without sanction, exercise any of the other powers by this Act given to the liquidator in a winding up by the
Court;
(c) exercise the power of the Court under this Act of settling a list of contributories, and the list of contributories
shall be prima facie evidence of the liability of the
persons named therein to be contributories;
(d) exercise the power of the Court to make calls;
(e) summon general meetings of the company for the purpose of obtaining the sanction of the company by
resolution or for any other purpose he may think fit.
(2) The liquidator shall pay the debts of the company and shall
adjust the rights of the contributories among themselves.
(3) When several liquidators are appointed, any power given by
this Act may be exercised by such one or more of them as may be
determined at the time of their appointment, or, in default of such
determination, by any number not less than two.
Power of Court to appoint and remove liquidator in voluntary
winding up
227 (1) If from any cause whatever there is no liquidator acting, the
Court may appoint a liquidator.
(2) The Court may, on cause shown, remove a liquidator and
appoint another liquidator.
Notice by liquidator of his appointment
228 (1) The liquidator shall, within twenty-one days after his
appointment, publish in an appointed newspaper and deliver to the
Registrar for registration a notice of his appointment.
(2) If the liquidator fails to comply with the requirements of this
section he shall be liable to a default fine.
Arrangement when binding on creditors
229 (1) Any arrangement entered into between a company about to
be, or in the course of being, wound up and its creditors shall, subject to
the right of appeal under this section, be binding on the company if

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 193

sanctioned by a resolution and on the creditors if acceded to by three-
fourths in number and value of the creditors.
(2) Any creditor or contributory may, within three weeks from
the completion of the arrangement, appeal to the Court against it, and
the Court may thereupon, as it thinks just, amend, vary or confirm the
arrangement.
Liquidator’s power to stay voluntary winding up
230 (1) The liquidator of a company may at any time after he has
been appointed stay the winding up either altogether or for a limited time
if he is satisfied that such a stay is in the best interests of the
contributories or the creditors.
(2) The liquidator shall three weeks prior to staying the winding
up of a company under subsection (1) publish in an appointed
newspaper his intentions and his reasons for so doing and shall give
notice of such intention to the Registrar.
(3) The Official Receiver or any contributory or creditor may
within three weeks of the publication of a notice under subsection (2)
apply to the Court under section 231 for an order requiring the liquidator
to continue the winding up proceedings.
(4) When a liquidator stays the winding up of a company
altogether he shall, after the period allowed for an application under
subsection (3) has expired, take such steps as he considers desirable to
enable the company to be as near as practicable as it was before the
resolution to wind up the company was made.
Power to apply to Court to have questions determined or powers
exercised
231 (1) The liquidator or any contributory or creditor may apply to
the Court to determine any question arising in the winding up of a
company, or to exercise, as respects the enforcing of calls or any other
matter, all or any of the powers which the Court might exercise if the
company were being wound up by the Court.
(2) The Court, if satisfied that the determination of the question
or the required exercise of power will be just and beneficial, may accede
wholly or partially to the application on such terms and conditions as it
thinks fit or may make such other order on the application as it thinks
just.
(3) A copy of an order made by virtue of this section staying the
proceedings in the winding up shall forthwith be forwarded by the
company, or otherwise as may be prescribed to the Registrar who shall
make a minute of the order in his books relating to the company.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

194 1989 Revisio
n

Costs of voluntary winding up
232 All costs, charges and expenses properly incurred in the winding
up, including the remuneration of the liquidator, shall be payable out of
the assets of the company in priority to all other claims.
Saving for rights of creditors and contributories
233 The winding up of a company shall not bar the right of any
creditor or contributory to have it wound up by the Court, but in the
case of an application by a contributory the Court must be satisfied that
the rights of the contributories will be prejudiced by a voluntary winding
up.
Debts of all description may be proved
234 In every winding up, subject in the case of insolvent companies
to the rules of bankruptcy as applied by this Act all debts payable on a
contingency, and all claims against the company, present or future,
certain or contingent, ascertained or sounding only in damages, shall be
admissible to proof against the company, a just estimate being made so
far as possible, of the value of such debts or claims as may be subject to
any contingency or sound only in damages, or for some other reason do
not bear a certain value.
Application of bankruptcy rules in winding up of insolvent
companies
235 In the winding up of an insolvent company the same rules shall
prevail and be observed with regard to the respective rights of secured
and unsecured creditors and to debts provable and to the valuation of
annuities and future and contingent liabilities as are in force for the time
being under the law of bankruptcy with respect to the estates of persons
adjudged bankrupt, and all persons who in any such case would be
entitled to prove for and receive dividends out of the assets of the
company may come in under the winding up and make such claims
against the company as they respectively are entitled to by virtue of this
section.
Preferential payments
236 (1) In a winding up there shall be paid in priority to all other
debts —
(a) all taxes owing to the Government and rates owing to a
municipality at the relevant date;
(b) all wages or salary, whether or not earned wholly or in part by way of commission or whether payable for time
or piece work of any employee of the company in respect
of services rendered to the company during four months
next before the relevant date;

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 195

(c) all accrued holiday remuneration becoming payable to
any employee, or in the case of his death to any other
person in his right, on the termination of his
employment before or by the effect of the winding-up
order or resolution;
(d) unless the company is being wound up voluntarily merely for the purposes of reconstruction or of
amalgamation with another company, all amounts due
in respect of contributions payable during the twelve
months next before the relevant date by the company as
the employer of any persons under the Contributory
Pensions Act 1970 [title 18 item 7] or any contract of
insurance;
(e) unless the company is being wound up voluntarily merely for the purposes of reconstruction or of
amalgamation with another company, or unless the
company has, at the commencement of the winding up,
under a contract with insurers capable of being
transferred to and vested in the workman, all amounts
due in respect of any compensation or liability for
compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act
1965 [title 18 item 3] , being amounts which have accrued
before the relevant date.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1)(b), the sum to
which priority is to be given under subsection (1)(b) shall not, in the case
of any one claimant, exceed two thousand five hundred dollars:
Provided that where a claimant under subsection (1)(b) has entered into
a contract for the payment of a portion of his wages in a lump sum or for
the payment of a gratuity at the end of his hiring, he shall have priority
in respect of the whole of each sum, or a part thereof, as the Court may
decide to be due under the contract, proportionate to the time of service
up to the relevant date.
(3) Where any compensation under the Workmen’s
Compensation Act 1965 [title 18 item 3], is a weekly payment, the amount
due in respect thereof shall, for the purposes of subsection (1)(e), be
taken to be the amount of the lump sum for which the weekly payment
could, if redeemable, be redeemed if the employer made an application
for that purpose under the said Act.
(4) Where any payment has been made —
(a) to any employee of a company, on account of wages or salary; or
(b) to any such employee or, in the case of his death, to any other person in his right, on account of accrued holiday

COMPANIES ACT 1981

196 1989 Revisio
n

remuneration, out of money advanced by some person
for that purpose, the person by whom the money was
advanced shall in a winding up have a right of priority in
respect of the money so advanced and paid up to the
amount by which the sum in respect of which the
employee or other person in his right, would have been
entitled to priority in the winding up has been
diminished by reason of the payment having been made.
(5) The foregoing debts shall —
(a) rank equally among themselves and be paid in full,
unless the assets are insufficient to meet them, in which
case they shall abate in equal proportions; and
(b) so far as the assets of the company available for payment of general creditors are insufficient to meet
them, have priority over the claims of holders of
debentures under any floating charge created by the
company, and be paid accordingly out of any property
comprised in or subject to that charge.
(6) Subject to the retention of such sums as may be necessary
for the costs and expenses of the winding up, the foregoing debts shall be
discharged forthwith so far as the assets are sufficient to meet them, and
in the case of the debts to which priority is given by subsection (1)(d)
formal proof thereof shall not be required.
(7) In the event of a landlord or other person distraining or
having distrained on any goods or effects of the company within three
months next before the date of a winding-up order, the debts to which
priority is given by this section shall be a first charge on the goods or
effects so distrained on, or the proceeds of the sale thereof:
Provided that, in respect of any money paid under any such charge, the
landlord or other person shall have the same rights of priority as the
person to whom the payment is made.
(8) For the purpose of this section —
(a) any remuneration in respect of a period of holiday or absence from work through sickness or other good cause
shall be deemed to be wages in respect of services
rendered to the company during that period.
(b) “accrued holiday remuneration” includes in relation to any person, all sums which. by virtue either of his
contract of employment or of any enactment, including
any order made or direction given under an Act, are
payable on account of the remuneration which would, in
the ordinary course, have become payable to him in
respect of a period of holiday had his employment with

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 197

the company continued until he became entitled to be
allowed the holiday;
(c) “the relevant date” means —
(i) in the case of a company ordered to be wound
up compulsorily, the date of the appointment, or
first appointment, of a provisional liquidator, or,
if no such appointment was made, the date of
the winding up order, unless in either case the
company had commenced to be wound up
voluntarily before that date; and
(ii) in any case where sub-paragraph (i) does not apply, means the date of the passing of the
resolution for the winding up of the company.
[Section 236 amended by 2004:36 effective 17 December 2004] Fraudulent preference
237 (1) Any conveyance, mortgage, delivery of goods, payment,
execution or other act relating to property made or done by or against a
company within six months before the commencement of its winding up
which, had it been made or done by or against an individual within six
months before the presentation of a bankruptcy petition on which he is
adjudged bankrupt, would be deemed in his bankruptcy a fraudulent
preference, shall in the event of the company being wound up be deemed
a fraudulent preference of its creditors and be invalid accordingly.
(2) Any conveyance or assignment by a company of all its
property to trustees for the benefit of all its creditors shall be void to all
intents.
Liability and rights of certain fraudulently preferred persons
238 (1) Where anything made or done is void under section 237 as
a fraudulent preference of a person interested in property mortgaged or
charged to secure the company’s debt, then, without prejudice to any
rights or liabilities arising apart from this provision, the person preferred
shall be subject to the same liabilities, and shall have the same rights, as
if he had undertaken to be personally liable as surety for the debts to the
extent of the charge on the property or the value of his interest,
whichever is the less.
(2) The value of the said person’s interest shall be determined
as at the date of the transaction constituting the fraudulent preference,
and shall be determined as if the interest were free of all encumbrances
other than those to which the charge for the company’s debts was then
subject.

COMPANIES ACT 1981

198 1989 Revisio
n

(3) On any application made to the Court with respect to any
payment on the ground that the payment was a fraudulent preference of
a surety or guarantor, the Court shall have jurisdiction to determine any
questions with respect to the payment arising between the person to
whom the payment was made and the surety or guarantor and to grant
relief in respect thereof, notwithstanding that it is not necessary so to do
for the purposes of the winding up and for that purpose may give leave to
bring in the surety or guarantor as a third party as in the case of an
action for the recovery of the sum paid.
This subsection shall apply, with the necessary modifications, in relation
to transactions other than the payment of money as it applies in relation
to payments.
Effect of floating charge
239 (1) Where a company is being wound up, a floating charge on
the undertaking or property of the company created within twelve
months of the commencement of the winding up shall, unless it is proved
that the company immediately after the creation of the charge was
solvent, be invalid, except to the amount of any cash paid to the
company at the time of or subsequently to the creation of, and in
consideration for, the charge, together with interest on that amount at
the statutory rate fixed under the Interest and Credit Charges
(Regulation) Act 1975 [title 17 item 22].
Disclaimer of onerous property
240 (1) The liquidator of a company may with the leave of the Court
disclaim any property belonging to the company whether real or personal
including any right of action or right under a contract which in his
opinion is onerous for the company to hold or is unprofitable or
unsaleable.
(2) The disclaimer shall operate to determine, as from the date
of disclaimer, the rights, interest and liabilities of the company, and the
property of the company in or in respect of the property disclaimed, but
shall not, except so far as is necessary for the purpose of releasing the
company and the property of the company from liability, affect the rights
or liabilities of any other person.
(3) The Court, before or on granting leave to disclaim, may
require such notices to be given to persons interested, and impose such
terms as a condition of granting leave, and make such other order in the
matter as the Court thinks just.
(4) The Court may, on an application by any person who either
claims any interest in any disclaimed property or is under any liability
not discharged by this Act in respect of any disclaimed property and on
hearing any such persons as it thinks fit, make an order for the vesting
of the property in or the delivery of the property to any persons entitled
thereto, or to whom it may seem just that the property should be

Title 17
Laws of Bermuda Item 5

1989 Revision 199