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This is the Commission's live concierge for foreign investors. Type any question about doing business in Tobago in the box below and our AI will answer using only the Commission's own guides on setup, funding, permits, incentives, land and repatriation. Prefer to read directly? Every guide is in the catalog further down the page.
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Practical how-to guides
These are the guides most investors read first. Follow the workflow from your initial engagement through to permits, banking and repatriation.
Engage the Tobago FDIC
Start here. This guide explains what the Commission is responsible for, how those responsibilities are organised, and the four practical touchpoints available to a prospective investor: pre-application briefing, project submission, approval facilitation, and ongoing monitoring. Written for investors, referring bodies, and local partners who want to know exactly what the Commission owns, and how to bring a proposal into its pipeline.
- The Commission is the body responsible for foreign direct investment in Tobago, established within the Office of the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly.
- Its three mandate functions under the Governance Charter are Evaluate, Facilitate, and Monitor & Advise, each performed as an owned responsibility.
Apply for Fiscal Incentives
A guided walkthrough of the Fiscal Incentives application process on TTBizLink: eligibility screening, the required feasibility and financial projections, the review pathway through the Ministry of Trade & Industry, and the follow-on Trade Licence Unit process for pre-clearing capital equipment.
- Applicant must be a T&T-incorporated, tax-resident company, a foreign branch is not eligible.
- The application requires a technical feasibility report, financial projections, and evidence of local economic contribution.
Acquire Property in Tobago as a Foreign Investor
This guide is essential reading for any foreign investor contemplating a property acquisition in Tobago. Unlike Trinidad, where up to 5 acres for business use can be acquired without a licence, every acquisition of land or built property in Tobago requires a Foreign Investor Licence (FIL). This walkthrough covers due diligence, the FIL application, funding through an authorised dealer, and closing.
- A Foreign Investor Licence is required for ANY land acquisition in Tobago, no acreage threshold.
- The FIL is issued by the President on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance.
Register a Company in Trinidad & Tobago
A practical checklist for setting up a T&T subsidiary. Covers name search, incorporation forms, director/secretary appointments, beneficial ownership disclosures, and the post-incorporation registrations for BIR (tax), NIS (social security), and VAT.
- Choose the right structure, local subsidiary is usually the right vehicle for a long-term project.
- Reserve the name via CROS (Companies Registry Online System) before drafting documents.
Register with BIR, VAT, and NIBTT
Once your company is incorporated it cannot legally operate until it is registered with the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR file number), obtains a PAYE number to remit employee taxes, registers for VAT if it will exceed the turnover threshold, and registers with the National Insurance Board (NIBTT) as an employer. This guide walks you through each step in the right order.
- All companies need a BIR file number, apply using Form AOI-002 with the Certificate of Incorporation, Notice of Directors, and Notice of Addresses.
- You need a separate PAYE number to withhold and remit income tax on employee salaries.
Open a Corporate Bank Account in Trinidad & Tobago
Opening a corporate bank account in T&T is a KYC-intensive process that can take four to eight weeks, sometimes longer for structures with multiple layers or beneficial owners in high-risk jurisdictions. This guide walks you through the documents most banks will demand, how to accelerate approval, and how the chosen bank becomes your Authorised Dealer for FX and repatriation.
- Start early, plan on 4–8 weeks from first meeting to first working account.
- Bank account opening cannot begin until the company is incorporated AND has a BIR file number.
Repatriate Profits and Dividends Out of Trinidad & Tobago
T&T does not restrict the repatriation of capital, profits, dividends, interest, or investment gains. However, the mechanics still matter: withholding tax must be discharged at source, funds must be routed through an Authorised Dealer, and FX allocation must be lined up in advance. This guide covers the full sequence for both scheduled and one-off repatriations.
- There are NO exchange-control restrictions on repatriation of capital, profits, dividends, interest, or gains.
- Repatriation must be routed through an Authorised Dealer (your corporate bank).
Apply for a Work Permit
A step-by-step playbook for employers bringing foreign staff into T&T: from setting up TTBizLink, running the 7-day newspaper advertisement, assembling supporting documents, and calculating the correct fee under the 2025 regulations.
- Start at least 6 weeks before the intended start date, 8+ weeks is safer.
- The role MUST be advertised in a daily newspaper for at least 7 consecutive days.
Obtain Planning Permission from the Town & Country Planning Division
Any development, building, engineering works, mining, or subdividing land, requires planning permission from the Town & Country Planning Division (TCPD) under the Town and Country Planning Act, Chap. 35:01. Applications flow through the DevelopTT online portal. There is no TCPD application fee, but a Municipal or THA-issued building permit and completion certificate follow the TCPD decision, those may carry fees.
- Planning permission is required under the Town and Country Planning Act, Chap. 35:01.
- Applications flow through the DevelopTT portal (https://www.developtt.gov.tt).
Obtain a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) from the EMA
Many investor-scale projects, resorts, industrial facilities, marinas, subdivisions above certain sizes, trigger the Certificate of Environmental Clearance requirement under the CEC Rules 2001. This guide walks you through the EMA Customer Service Portal, the standard CEC pathway, and the more onerous Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) pathway where the Authority determines an EIA is required.
- CECs are administered by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
- Applications flow through the EMA Customer Service Portal (fully digital as of 2026).
Sector briefs
Priority investment sectors identified by the Tobago House of Assembly and the Commission.
Legislation
The Acts that govern foreign investment. Read these when a how-to guide sends you here for the underlying rule.