BahamasCompany Incorporation and Registration, Start to Finish

The name check, structure advice, due diligence, drafting and lodging of the memorandum and articles, the government fee, the statutory registers, digital copies of every document, and a registered agent and registered office for the first year. The Scope of Work section above lists each task. The Premium package adds the original Certificate of Incorporation, a Certificate of Incumbency, a Certificate of Good Standing, apostille and a corporate seal.

Yes. Every stage runs remotely: the first conversation, the KYC checks, signing and the filing itself. You do not need to visit Nassau or meet anyone in person, and no original document has to be posted to us beforehand. Scans of the certificate and registers reach you by email once they are issued.

We send the memorandum, articles and first resolutions with each signature point flagged and a note on how to sign it. You print, sign in ink, scan and email them back. If a page has to be witnessed or notarised, we tell you before you sign, so nothing needs redoing and the application is not held up.

Each director, shareholder and beneficial owner provides a certified passport copy, a proof of address dated within three months, evidence of source of funds and a CV or LinkedIn profile. A corporate shareholder adds its certificate of incorporation, constitution and registers, and the people behind it are checked as individuals. The KYC section above gives the certification wording each copy needs.

Bahamian anti-money laundering law requires due diligence on every person involved before the papers can be lodged, and it applies to every client. It cannot be skipped. We keep it quick with one checklist, clear format rules and a same-day review of each document, so most clients clear it in one to three days.

Use the form below or email us with what you plan to do and who will own and run it. An advisor replies with the structure we recommend, the exact document list and the full fee. If you go ahead, we invoice you and send the KYC checklist as soon as payment is received.

None on income, capital gains or withholding, and dividends are not taxed either. Value added tax applies only to supplies made inside the Bahamas. Owners may still owe tax where they live, and management from abroad can create tax residence there.

Directors are, shareholders are not. A copy of the register of directors and officers is filed with the Registrar General and open to inspection, and nominee directors are available where that matters. The register of members stays at the registered office and is not filed. Beneficial owners sit on a secure register that only the authorities can access.

One director and one shareholder are enough, and one person can hold both roles. Neither needs to live in the Bahamas or hold any particular nationality. Corporate directors and shareholders are allowed too, and due diligence then identifies the individuals behind them.

No minimum applies, and shares can be issued in any currency. Because the Bahamian dollar is pegged one to one to the United States dollar, US dollar capital is the usual choice. Several share classes with different voting or dividend rights can be created in the articles.

It can trade internationally, hold investments and property, own intellectual property and hold shares in other businesses. Banking, insurance, investment fund and securities business needs a licence from the relevant Bahamian regulator. It also cannot do business with Bahamian residents without prior permission from the Central Bank of The Bahamas under exchange control.

The name must end in Limited, Limited Liability Company, Corporation, Incorporated, Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, Société Anonyme or Sociedad Anónima, or the abbreviation Ltd., LLC, Corp., Inc., GmbH or S.A. It cannot match or closely resemble a name already on the register, and words suggesting a bank, trust, insurer or government body need consent. We check availability with the Registrar General before filing.

Yes. Directors and shareholders can live anywhere, and board meetings can be held by any means, including video call. Bear in mind that management from your home country can create tax residence there, so a word with a local adviser on that point is worthwhile before you start trading.

No local office or employees are needed unless a relevant activity is carried on under the substance rules. The only required presence is a registered agent and registered office in the Bahamas, and both are included for the first year in every incorporation package we sell.

No audit is required and no financial statements are filed. Accounting records must be kept for five years, with an annual accounting records declaration lodged with the Registrar General by 30 September confirming that the records exist and where they are kept. We prepare that declaration as part of the annual engagement.

Yes. Under the Commercial Entities (Substance Requirements) Act 2023, every IBC files an economic substance report within nine months of its fiscal year end, whether or not it carries on a relevant activity. Relevant activities include holding company business, finance and leasing, shipping, intellectual property and headquarters business. Where one of these is carried on, adequate substance must be shown in the Bahamas, which we assess with you.

Not in the usual sense. No annual return is filed at all. The nearest equivalent is the accounting records declaration, lodged with the Registrar General by 30 September each year to confirm that records are kept and where. The declaration is not public, and we prepare it for you each year.

An unpaid government fee attracts a 10 per cent surcharge from April and 50 per cent from November, with strike-off if it remains unpaid at 31 December. A late accounting records declaration means lost good standing until it is filed. Substance failures carry penalties of up to B$150,000, then B$1,000 a day, with strike-off in serious cases.

Send us one email. We draft the resolution, collect signatures, update the registers and file the change of directors or officers with the Registrar General. A new name is filed as an amendment to the memorandum, and the Registrar General issues a certificate of change of name. Most changes are finished within the week.

Yes. The registered agent can be changed at any time, and the International Business Companies Act allows continuation out of the Bahamas into another jurisdiction, or into the Bahamas from abroad. We handle either filing if the need arises, and we can take over administration from another provider.