The Ministry of Commerce has extended the deadline for companies to re-register their businesses online for a third – and “final” – time, giving companies until December 31 to complete the online registration before penalties kick in, according to a document posted yesterday on the ministry’s Facebook page.

The notice said that after the deadline, the ministry will disseminate a list of firms that failed to comply to the Ministry of Economy and Finance for tax collection purposes, as well as to the courts for possible legal action.

It said the deadline was extended because of the large number of companies that failed to comply with the directive to register on the online portal, which was launched last December.