CROS handles Companies Registry business names, company formation and related corporate filings. TTBizLink provides access to trade-related e-services, including certain import and export permit applications. The correct sequence depends on the planned goods and business structure.
Start with the legal trading identity
The Companies Registry is responsible for registering individual business names and firms and incorporating companies under the applicable laws. An importer may choose sole-trader registration or a company depending on ownership, financing, liability and operating plans. CROS provides the account and filing path for the relevant structure.
A certificate of registration or incorporation helps identify the contracting trader to suppliers and banks. It is not itself an import permit, product authorisation or customs release document. Define exactly what the enterprise will import before assuming the Registry certificate covers trade controls.
What TTBizLink provides
The government ttconnect guidance directs users to the TTBizLink portal for trade-related applications including import and export permits or licences, with service selection, supporting uploads and submission tracking. Users may require appropriate portal registration and roles.
A trader may need different authorisations depending on whether products are food, plants, chemicals, machinery or other controlled categories. The applicable ministry or licensing authority must decide what is required for those goods. Avoid paying for a generic 'import licence' before confirming the actual product and shipment.
Match goods to the responsible agency
Prepare a product list with plain-language descriptions, intended quantities, country of origin, supplier details and proposed use. Then identify any import permit, standards, health or other approval that applies. The government trade-permit directory distinguishes multiple categories rather than one universal permission.
A business importing skincare products may face different controls from a trader importing generic household furnishings. Registration consultants can help identify administrative sequences, but the sector regulator determines acceptance and technical product requirements.
Connect banking, customs and invoices
Suppliers will need a legally correct buyer name and sometimes business registration evidence. Banks may require source-of-funds details and a registered entity's identity before processing commercial payments. Customs-related registration, declarations and broker involvement are separate from opening a trading name in CROS.
Keep invoices, purchase orders, shipping documents and receipts consistent with the actual legal importer. A business operating under several approved trading names should be particularly careful that names shown on goods declarations and banking records match the party responsible for the shipment.
Avoid common timing mistakes
An entrepreneur might order a shipment, pay the supplier, then discover that a product requires an approval not yet granted. Storage fees, returns or delays can result. Research the required product permits before the shipping date and allow time for supporting certificates.
The same planning applies to name reservation. The Registry's reservation period is time-limited, so confirm the owner and registration path rather than reserving multiple names before deciding how the importing company will be structured.
Illustrative launch plan
A new household-products importer selects a trading name, registers the appropriate legal entity through CROS, prepares its bank account and reviews the intended goods against the ttconnect permit directory. Where a permit is needed, the trader follows the relevant TTBizLink and issuing-agency process.
The business then maintains a compliance file for supplier contracts, permits, Customs documentation, tax and accounting records. Keeping those steps separate makes the operation easier to audit and reduces the chance of treating one certificate as permission for everything.
Questions to settle before paying an overseas supplier
Ask for the precise product specification and tariff-related information needed by the relevant trade professionals. Confirm whether permits apply before shipment, not merely before the goods reach a port. Determine who acts as importer of record, whether a customs broker is involved and what evidence the bank will require to explain the foreign payment.
For example, a sole trader who imports branded beauty products should verify any applicable product or health approvals instead of treating a company certificate as blanket clearance. Keep clear purchase orders, supplier invoices, transport paperwork and correspondence with the relevant authority. That preparation reduces the chance of unexpected charges after a container or parcel has already arrived.
Action checklist
- Define the legal importer and register the appropriate entity.
- List products and classify potential permits before placing orders.
- Identify the appropriate TTBizLink service and issuing agency.
- Align legal names on bank, supplier and shipping records.
- Save permits, invoices and customs evidence separately.
- Check approvals before dispatch and maintain an import calendar.
Questions people ask
Is CROS the same as TTBizLink?
No. CROS handles Companies Registry services, while TTBizLink provides access to trade e-services.
Does a certificate of incorporation approve all imports?
No. Goods-specific permits or product controls may apply.
Should I order goods before checking permits?
Check applicable approvals early to avoid unnecessary shipment delays or losses.
Official references
Check the responsible authority for instructions that apply when you file. These sources informed this guide:
Related BizReg guides
What BizReg can help with
BizReg can assist with the business-registration component of an import venture; trade agencies determine product permit requirements.
View BizReg services Ask BizRegGeneral information for Trinidad and Tobago, researched 21 October 2026. This article does not replace individual legal, tax or accounting advice. The relevant authorities decide applications and requirements.