What formation includes
- Task review: business activity, clients’ countries, the owners’ residency, whether a bank is needed.
- Choice of jurisdiction and legal form with costs for the first and following years.
- Name check and ownership structure, preparation of the articles.
- KYC on the parties with the agent or registry.
- Filing of documents and receipt of the corporate kit.
- Address and bank: a registered office and, if needed, account opening preparation.
Documents needed to register an offshore company
The exact list is set by the agent or registry of the chosen country. The basic package is almost the same everywhere, and it is worth collecting before you choose a jurisdiction:
- a passport for each owner, director and beneficial owner;
- proof of residential address: a utility bill or a bank statement from recent months;
- a short description of the business: what you sell, to whom, and where your clients and suppliers are;
- information on the source of funds for the share capital and the first transactions;
- an ownership chart down to individuals if a shareholder is another company, with that company’s constitutional documents;
- for some agents, a CV or a bank reference letter.
If the owner is a company, the agent will ask for its register extract, articles and information on its beneficial owners. What exactly banks and agents ask for, and in what form, is covered in the guide KYC and KYB: which documents to prepare.
Director, company secretary and shareholders
Requirements for officers vary by country, and we take them into account when choosing the jurisdiction:
- United Kingdom: a director must be at least 16 years old; since 18 November 2025, directors go through Companies House identity verification.
- Hong Kong: a private company has at least one director who is an individual; the company secretary is a Hong Kong resident or a legal entity with an office there.
- Singapore: at least one director is ordinarily resident in Singapore, and the company secretary is appointed within 6 months after incorporation.
- BVI, Nevis, Belize: registration goes through a registered agent, who also checks the owners and keeps the beneficial ownership information.
If the owner wants to manage the company personally from their own country, this affects the company’s tax residency. The topic is covered in the guide company tax residency.
Government fees and the price of the service
The government fee is only part of the cost. For example, Companies House charges £100 for online incorporation of a private company, and the Hong Kong Companies Registry charges HK$1,545 for electronic filing of NNC1 and HK$1,720 for a paper filing. Agent services, the address, accounting and the bank are calculated separately. We send an estimate with these parts separated; the full two-year cost of owning a company is covered in a separate article.
What you receive after registration
- the certificate of incorporation and the articles;
- resolutions appointing the directors and issuing shares, and the share certificates;
- the registers of directors and shareholders and, where required, a register of beneficial owners or significant controllers;
- the registered office address and the agent’s contacts;
- a calendar of annual obligations with the dates of the first fees and returns.
In the United Kingdom, since 4 March 2024 a company must have a registered email address for contact with Companies House; it is not shown on the public register. We add requirements like this to the calendar straight away.
What maintenance includes
Annual obligations depend on the jurisdiction. A few examples:
| Jurisdiction | Annual obligation |
|---|---|
| BVI | Annual Financial Return to the registered agent within 9 months after the end of the financial year, unless the company falls under the exemptions in section 98A of the BVI Business Companies Act. |
| Hong Kong | Annual Return (NAR1) within 42 days after the incorporation anniversary, fee HK$105 when filed on time. |
| United Kingdom | Confirmation statement at least once every 12 months (£50 online), annual accounts within 9 months after the end of the financial year. |
| Nevis | Annual renewal fee of USD 300 under the FSRC fee schedule, late payment penalty from USD 200. |
| Cayman Islands | Annual return to the General Registry with a declaration on activity outside the islands. |
Maintenance includes a calendar of deadlines, renewal of the agent and office, preparation and filing of returns, updates of information on directors and beneficial owners, and safekeeping of corporate documents. We arrange a registered address and mail handling through the virtual office service. A full calendar by country, with the consequences of missed deadlines, is collected in the guide annual offshore company maintenance.
Which jurisdiction to choose
The choice starts with the business activity and the owner’s residency. For a holding company, people more often consider a BVI offshore company or the Cayman Islands; for trade with Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore; for work with European clients, the UK. Structures for specific industries are described on the structures for IT, trading and holding companies page, and seven selection filters are set out in the guide how to choose a jurisdiction.
If you need a company with an incorporation date in the past, we will compare a new registration with buying a shelf offshore company.
The owner’s taxes
Registering a company in an offshore jurisdiction leaves the owner’s tax obligations in their own country in place. We take into account CFC rules and the exchange of account information under the CRS (more in the article on CRS in 2026) and propose a structure that can be declared with confidence. If the business falls under economic substance rules, we budget for the office and staff in advance: more in the guide economic substance.
Popular jurisdictions
BVI offshore company · Hong Kong · Panama · Singapore · Belize · Nevis · Cayman Islands · United Kingdom · all offshore jurisdictions
Frequently asked questions
How much does offshore company formation cost?
The price is made up of government fees (for example, £100 at Companies House or HK$1,545 for electronic filing in Hong Kong), agent services, the address and accounting. We will send an estimate with these parts separated after your request.
What does annual offshore company maintenance include?
Renewal of the agent and the registered office, government fees, annual returns under the jurisdiction’s rules (NAR1 in Hong Kong, the Annual Financial Return in the BVI, the confirmation statement in the UK), and updates of information on directors and beneficial owners.
What documents are needed to register an offshore company?
A passport and proof of address for each owner and director, a description of the business, information on the source of funds and an ownership chart down to individuals. The exact list is set by the agent or registry of the chosen country.
Who can be a director of an offshore company?
The jurisdiction sets the requirements. In the UK, a director must be at least 16 years old; in Hong Kong, a private company has at least one director who is an individual; in Singapore, at least one director is ordinarily resident in the country.
Can I register an offshore company remotely?
In many jurisdictions, registration goes through an agent without a personal visit, and identity is verified on the basis of documents. Certain steps, especially banking ones, may require in-person identification; we clarify this before starting.
Which jurisdiction should I choose for an offshore company?
It depends on the business activity, the clients’ countries and the owner’s residency. An overview is on the “Offshore jurisdictions” page, and we will make a selection for your task on request.
Describe your task in the form below: we will select a solution and send an estimate that separates government fees from our services.
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