Offshore

Various Offshore Incorporation Options

The process of offshore incorporation across various jurisdictions may vary in time, compliance requirements and fees. The most advanced Registrars are implemented by BVI, Anguilla and Belize. In most jurisdictions, incorporation is completed the same date when the procedure is initiated. However, only Anguilla offers electronic versions of principal registered documents within minutes of incorporation. At the same time, Nevis offer the fastest incorporation times when it comes to the issuance of original documents.

The two principal documents for most offshore jurisdictions include Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&AA) and Certificate of Incorporation or their equivalents. Memorandum of Association is a document that specifies the key aspects of a company such as corporate name, registered office and share structure. Articles of Association are effectively a standard set of governing rules and regulations, completed in accordance with the local business laws. Certificate of Incorporation is the official certificate issued by the government, stating the name of an offshore company, its registered number, date of incorporation and relevant governing law.

The standard M&AA for a BVI company comes with 50,000 shares of no par value. However, amendments to the regular M&AA could be initiated at the time of incorporation, should the client wish to set a particular par value (e.g. $1.00). Seychelles companies are authorized to issue up to $100,000, while Belize companies' standard authorized capital is $50,000. Both Seychelles and Belize companies must have a stated par value of each share. This is often $1.00. The authorized capital could be increased for an additional annual fee payable to the government. Other jurisdictions have varying par value and maximum authorized capital requirements as well.

Below is the relative list of estimated offshore incorporation timelines, costs and popularity of some notable offshore jurisdictions. Timelines are based on the average preparation of original documents, including legalization with Apostille.

Offshore Incorporation Time to Incorporate
 Cost Popularity
BVI Incorporation 6 days Medium-High High
Belize Incorporation 9 days Medium Medium-High
Panama Incorporation 15 days Medium High
Seychelles Incorporation 6 days Low Medium
Hong Kong Incorporation 20 days High High
Anguilla Incorporation 5 days Medium-High Low-Medium
Nevis Incorporation 3 days Medium-High Low-Medium


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