Striking off a company under sections 411, 412 and 413 of the Companies Act 2014
section 411 of the Companies Act, the Registrar may strike off the register the name of any company in respect of which no annual return has been filed for the previous 3 calendar years.
Under section 412 of the Companies Act, the Registrar has a discretionary power to strike off defunct companies from the Register.
- the Registrar instigates the procedure if he believes that the company is not carrying on business.
- section 413 of the Companies Act, the Company itself may apply for the striking-off the application must be made in writing by the Company’s Directors on behalf of the Company or by a majority of them and must state that the Company has no assets or liabilities.
The Striking Off procedure provides an alternative to Voluntary Liquidation, particularly when the Company has no assets or liabilities. However, unlike the Liquidation, Striking Off a Company is at the Registrar’s discretion.
Although a company may be dissolved under this section, the liability of every director, managing officer and member or shareholder will continue and may be enforced even after the Company has been struck off.
Filing a Request for a Voluntary Striking Off (Section 413 of the Act)
An application to strike off a Company must be made using the prescribed form and must contain the following: –
- Name of the Company
- Incorporation Number of the Company
- Date of Incorporation of the Company
- The Directors of the Company must request the Registrar to exercise his discretion under section 413 of the Companies Act to strike off the Company
- The Directors of the Company must state that the Company is free from charges or mortgages and/or liabilities and has no assets in Gibraltar or abroad.
- The application must be dated and signed by the Directors of the Company or the majority of them.
- In deciding whether or not to exercise his discretion, the Registrar reserves the right to request further information, evidence or confirmation from all or any of the officers of the Company that the Company has no assets or liabilities.
Filing Fee
A statutory filing fee of £37 is payable for filing a request to Strike off the company.
First Notice
The First Notice , states that: –
“upon the expiration of three months from the date of this notice the name of the under mentioned company will, unless cause be shown to the contrary, be struck off the Register of Companies and the Company will be dissolved subject to the provisions of Section 413 of the Companies Act.”
Striking Off Pending
Once the process to strike off a company has been commenced the Company Name is flagged on the Registry’s database with “Striking off 411 / 412 / 413 pending.” This gives notice that the Company will be struck off at a future date.
Striking Off
After the expiry of the statutory three months, the companies appearing in the First Notice will automatically be struck off unless the Registrar has received any objections.
Final Notic
A Final Notice will then be issued stating that: –
“pursuant to the provisions of Section 411 / 412 / 413 of the Companies Act, on the date of this notice, the names of the under mentioned companies have been struck from the Register of Companies and that the said companies are hereby dissolved.”
Once the company has been struck off the company name will be flagged on the database at the Registry with “Struck off under section 411 / 412 / 413”.
Section 411
Under section 411, the Registrar has the power to strike from the register of companies any company that has not filed annual returns in the previous three calendar years.
Reinstatement of Struck Off companies
Pursuant to section 414 of the Companies Act 2014, the Registrar has a discretionary power to restore a company to the Register of Companies if the company has been struck off under either of sections 411, 412 or 413 of the Companies Act 2014 before the expiry of 10 years from the publication of the Final Notice to strike off the company.
Similarly, under section 332(1) of the Companies Act 1930 the Registrar has that same discretionary power to restore companies that have been struck off under either of sections 267A or 331 of the Companies Act 1930 before the expiry of 10 years from the publication of the Final Notice to strike off the company.
The application must be accompanied by an affidavit stating the applicant’s interest in the matter and the facts on which the application is based and, in respect of a company licensed under the Financial Services Act, 2019 or in accordance with another Community requirement, evidence of the consent of the competent authority under the relevant legislation to the restoration of the company to the register.
Should the Registrar not exercise his discretion to reinstate a company under section 414 of the 2014 Act or 332(1) of the 1930 Act, or be unable to do so because more than 10 years have elapsed since the company was dissolved, an application must be made to court to restore the company to the register.
Registry Contact Details
Companies House Gibraltar
30-38 Main Street
P O Box 848
Gibraltar