International Company Knowledge Base

How the knowledge base is organised

The Offshora knowledge base takes you from the question "which country should I choose" to a working company with a bank account. The materials fall into four sections: jurisdiction reviews, practical guides, jurisdictions compared in pairs and solutions by industry. The service pages and the offshore jurisdictions catalogue describe the destinations where we register and maintain companies, while the knowledge base articles answer the questions that come up before and after incorporation.

Where to start

You are choosing a country. Start with the guide to choosing a jurisdiction: seven filters rule out the countries that do not fit your clients, the owner's taxes, the bank or the annual obligations. Compare the remaining options in pairs and work out the total cost of ownership over two years.

You already have a company. Check the annual maintenance calendar, the accounting requirements and the economic substance report. Confirm where the company is tax resident and how its profit is taxed under the CFC rules of the owner's country.

You need an account. Incorporating a company and opening an account are two independent procedures. Prepare the KYC package in advance, compare an EMI with a bank and check whether the payment service you need is available in the country of incorporation.

You are weighing a ready-made company against a new one. If a counterparty requires an earlier incorporation date or the structure is needed for a specific deal, compare a new registration with buying a ready-made company: the agent transfers the shares and directors to the new owner, and the bank reviews that owner again under its own rules.

You work in a specific industry. Consultants, IT agencies, SaaS, online stores and crypto projects each have their own walk-through: jurisdiction, payments and the bank's review for the business model.

Three rules that run through every article

The owner's taxes are set by the country of the owner's residence, and an offshore company's zero rate does not guarantee savings by itself. Information about beneficial owners goes to the registered agent, the bank and the payment provider, and in many countries to a state register as well. The budget is calculated over two years: incorporation, annual fees, the agent or secretary, reporting, bookkeeping and the bank.

Short answers are collected on the page of frequently asked questions about offshore companies, and the list of countries with their registers and EU list status is in the catalogue of offshore jurisdictions.

Knowledge base sections

• Jurisdictions

  Jurisdictions for company formation, including offshore ones: registry requirements, annual obligations and banks’ questions for each country. Country reviews: the Bahamas, Cyprus, Delaware, Estonia, Georgia, the Marshall Islands, Seychelles, the UAE, the US and Wyoming. Articles: 10.

• Practical guides

  Step-by-step guides to maintaining a foreign company: documents, banking, taxes and annual obligations. Inside: CFC rules, beneficial ownership disclosure, choosing a jurisdiction, holding and trading companies, accounting and the total cost of ownership. Articles: 15.

• Country comparisons

  Jurisdictions compared in pairs: where registration, accounting and reporting are simpler, how banks view them, what it costs to maintain the structure and which jurisdiction fits the owner’s task. Articles: 10.

• Business solutions

  A company abroad for your business: how to choose a jurisdiction for your business model, accept payments and pass the bank’s checks. Articles: 5.

All articles in one list