Apply for a business licence: sole trader or partnership
If you’re registering your business as a sole trader or partnership, you'll need to apply for a business licence.
You don't need to apply for a business licence if you meet all three of the following criteria:
- have 'entitled' or 'entitled to work' status, and
- you're the only employee, and
- you work for less than 8 hours per week
You can fill in the new business application form online, but you'll need to print off and sign the form before you submit your application.
Download new business application form
You can submit your signed application by:
We’ll review your application and we may need to contact you to check or update your
residential status.
For more information, read our
sole trader and partnership application guidance notes.
Registering a new business name
If you’ve indicated on your form that you’re registering a new business name as part of your application, we’ll pass your application onto the
Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC).
The JFSC will contact you to take a £55 registration fee before your business name can be registered.
You’ll either receive a certificate confirming that you’ve registered your business name, or the JFSC will contact you if there is a reason why your requested business name has been refused.
You should check that your preferred business name is not already registered, and that it complies with any guidance issued by the JFSC. You can do this by looking at the
company search on the JFSC website.
Registering to trade as a limited company
For information on how to set up a limited company, contact
Jersey Business or the
Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC).
Your company must be approved and registered with the JFSC before you can apply for a business licence.
You don't need to apply for a business licence if you meet all three of the following criteria:
- the company has only one member of staff, and
- the member of staff has 'entitled' or 'entitled for work' status and
- the member of staff works for less than 8 hours per week
Once your company is set up, complete an application form for a business licence and return it to us by email, post, or by dropping it into the Customer and Local Services building.
Download application form for a business licence by a limited company
Paying tax and social security contributions
Startup Plan
If you’ve recently become self-employed and have
set up a business, you can apply for a startup rate of Class 2 contributions. Visit our Startup
Plan page for more information
Registering as an employer for contributions
Paying Class 2 contributions (if you’re self-employed or don’t pay Class 1 contributions)
Paying employers’ ITIS
Register with the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC)
The Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 requires all controllers and processors established in Jersey who process personal data to register with them and to pay a fee (subject to certain exemptions). Under the Law anyone who does not comply with these provisions is guilty of a criminal offence and subject to a fine.
You'll need to let the JOIC know certain details about how you process personal information.
Find out more and register on the
JOIC website.
Employing staff
Find information about this on our
employing staff page.
You can also find out how to use
Back to Work Recruitment to help you find staff.
Setting up a business if you're on Income Support
If you’re receiving Income Support and you have started up a business, you need to let us know what your profit and loss accounts are. This is so your Income Support payments can be changed if necessary.
Let us know using the form below.
Profit and loss accounts form for self-employed people on Income Support
Processing your new business registration data
Where an application for a business licence is successful, information provided to the Business Licensing will be securely shared with other States of Jersey departments and the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC).
This is in order to:
-
process the application for a business name with the JFSC
-
register the business with Social Security (as an employer and to assess your personal contribution liability) and the Taxes Office (for Income Tax and ITIS purposes)
-
improve the services we provide to our business customers
As we improve our processes, the departments that we notify may change. If you have any questions regarding how your information may be used, contact us.
Tell Us Once Data Sharing Agreement