Information about company directors in Bermuda is no longer available for free since the launch of a new online registry system.

The Government now charges users a $12 fee each time they want to find out the directors of a company.

The information previously cost the public nothing to access.

A government spokeswoman said: “The Registrar of Companies has received no pushback from the industry on the fee, as it is general practice that public searches come with a prescribed fee.”

She said before the new online registration system was launched last year, company directors’ information was not held at the Registrar of Companies but at the registered office of each company.

But in 2016, the island amended the Companies Act to meet international obligations, making it mandatory for every company to file its directors’ information with the Registrar and for the Registrar to make the information public.

She said: “At that time, to meet the immediacy of the international obligation, the Registrar of Companies created a simple and temporary register to meet the requirement.

“This temporary system did not include the functionality to charge the prescribed fee to view this information.

“The new online system that was implemented has rectified the limitation of the previous temporary directors’ register.”

The Government Fees Regulations 1976 set the fee at $12 for the inspection of a document, register or index held by the Registrar.

Users have to register an account to access the Bermuda Registrar of Companies Online Register.