Offshore Company Formation and Corporate Services

Which service fits your task

Popular jurisdictions for offshore company formation

For each country, we maintain a separate page with the corporate form, registry and annual obligations. Here is a short summary of what most often affects the choice:

• BVI offshore company: a BVI Business Company with a registered agent; an annual financial return to the agent within 9 months after the end of the financial year, unless an exemption applies.
• Hong Kong offshore company: incorporation with the Companies Registry, an annual NAR1; the company secretary resides in Hong Kong or is a legal entity with an office there.
• Singapore company formation: at least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore, and a company secretary resident in Singapore appointed within 6 months after incorporation.
• United Kingdom (UK Ltd): Companies House, a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, information on owners holding more than 25%.
• Panama offshore company, Belize, Nevis and the Cayman Islands suit holding companies and international projects; the terms depend on the form and the agent.
• Andorra and Austria suit European operating businesses with a local presence.

A full comparison of ten countries with their EU list status is on the offshore jurisdictions page. Legal entities in the US, the UAE, Cyprus, Estonia and Georgia are covered in the jurisdictions section.

What we need for a quote

• The countries of tax residency of the owners and directors.
• The business activity and the countries of clients and suppliers.
• Payment flows: currencies, volumes, and whether you need a bank or a payment service provider is enough.
• Timing: when the business should start operating.

With this information, we prepare a proposal that shows first-year and renewal costs separately. If it is more convenient to buy an existing structure, start with shelf offshore companies or companies with a history. If your main question is the account, see banking preparation.

What goes into the estimate

Every proposal separates the payments that go to the government from the work of the agent and our own fees:

• government fees: incorporation and annual renewal with the registry; for example, Companies House charges £100 for online incorporation, and the Hong Kong Companies Registry charges HK$1,545 for an electronic filing and HK$105 for an annual return (NAR1) filed on time;
• the registered agent or company secretary and the registered address;
• KYC checks on the owners and, where needed, certification and apostille of documents;
• accounting and reporting where the jurisdiction requires them;
• bank preparation if you need an account.

We price our services for each task: the fees depend on the country, the scope of work and the number of parties in the structure. A two-year budget is broken down in the guide what an offshore company costs over 24 months.

Who we work with

• entrepreneurs entering foreign markets who need a legal entity and an account;
• IT teams, consultants and freelancers with clients abroad;
• trading businesses with suppliers in Asia and buyers in Europe;
• owners who need a holding company for their stakes in several businesses;
• accountants and lawyers who refer clients through our partner program.

What to read before registering

The bank, beneficial owners, the owner’s taxes and economic substance are covered in separate guides. We will calculate the rest for your task.

• Bank account for an offshore company: how banks check you
• KYC and KYB: which documents to prepare
• Beneficial owner (UBO): who is disclosed and to whom
• CFC rules and the offshore company
• Economic substance: who needs a local presence
• What an offshore company costs over 24 months