St. Kitts and NevisCompany Incorporation Guided by Our Experts From Day One

Everything needed to bring the company into existence and see it through its first year: name check, structure advice, due diligence, drafting and filing of the incorporation documents, the government fee, the statutory registers, digital copies of every document, and the registered agent and registered office for the first year. The Scope of Work section above lists every item; the higher packages add original certificates, apostille and further services.

Our packages start from US$1,149, which covers the government fee, our work and the first year of registered agent and office. The pricing section above shows what each package includes; from year two, renewal starts from US$999 a year. The figure we quote is the figure you pay.

Yes. The whole process is handled remotely: the initial conversation, the due diligence, the signing of documents and the filing. Nothing requires your presence, and no original document has to be posted to us before incorporation.

We send the documents with every signature point marked and a short note on how to sign each one. You print, sign by hand, scan and return them electronically. Where a document needs to be witnessed or notarised, we tell you in advance so nothing has to be redone.

For every director, shareholder and beneficial owner: a certified copy of a passport, a proof of address issued within the last three months, and a short description of the source of funds and professional background. Corporate shareholders provide their constitutional documents and registers. The Documents section above sets out the list and the certification rules, and an advisor checks each item with you before anything is submitted.

No. Due diligence on every person connected to the company is required by Nevis's anti-money laundering law before anything can be filed, and it applies to every client without exception. What we can do is make it quick: one checklist, clear format guidance, and a review of each document as it arrives.

Tell us what the company is for and who is behind it, using the form below or by email. An advisor comes back with the structure we recommend, the exact document list and the full fee. If you decide to go ahead, we issue an invoice and begin the due diligence as soon as it is settled.

No. Expanship is a privately owned company. We are not a government agency, department, registry or regulator, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Nevis Financial Services Regulatory Commission, or the Registrar of Companies. We advise you, prepare and coordinate your paperwork, and handle the incorporation on your behalf. Whether a company is approved, and when, is decided by those authorities alone.

Our own work: advice on the right structure, due diligence on every member, preparing and coordinating the incorporation paperwork, handling the incorporation on your behalf, and the first year of registered agent and registered office. The government fees are set by the Nevis authorities, not by us, and are passed on at cost inside the package price.

Not on foreign income, provided it is managed from outside the Federation. St. Kitts and Nevis taxes a company on its worldwide income only if the company is tax resident there, which turns on where it is managed and controlled. A Nevis corporation or LLC that is managed from abroad and has no income or permanent establishment in the Federation pays no income tax in St. Kitts and Nevis, and there is no capital gains tax. Every entity files a simplified tax return with the Inland Revenue Department each year confirming its position. The owners may still have obligations where they live.

No. Nevis puts neither directors, shareholders, members nor beneficial owners on a public register. The registers are kept by the registered agent, and beneficial ownership information is available to the authorities only on request.

One director and one shareholder are enough for a corporation, and one member for an LLC. There is no residency or nationality requirement, and corporate directors, shareholders and members are permitted.

There is no minimum share capital for a corporation and no minimum capital contribution for an LLC. Shares and interests may be issued in any currency.

A Nevis corporation or LLC can hold assets and investments, trade internationally, own intellectual property and act as a holding or asset protection vehicle. Banking, insurance, trust and similar financial business require a licence from the Financial Services Regulatory Commission. Trading within the Federation is permitted but makes the entity taxable in St. Kitts and Nevis at 33 per cent, so it should be planned with us in advance.

A corporation's name must end in Corporation, Incorporated, Limited or an accepted abbreviation, and an LLC's name must end in Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, or the abbreviation LLC, L.L.C., LC or L.C. Names cannot duplicate or closely resemble an existing entity, and words implying a bank, trust, insurer or government connection need consent. We check availability with the Registrar before filing.

Yes. Directors, shareholders and members can be anywhere, and meetings can be held by any means. Managing the entity from your home country can make it tax resident there, which is worth confirming with a local adviser.

No office or staff in Nevis are required. The law requires a registered agent and a registered office in Nevis, which are included in your first year. Nevis has no offshore-style economic substance regime for these entities.

There is no audit requirement and no accounts are filed. The entity must keep accounting records that explain its transactions, and it files a simplified tax return with the Inland Revenue Department by 15 April each year.

A corporation has shares and directors and suits trading and holding structures. A Nevis LLC has members and an operating agreement, and its asset protection is unusually strong: a member's personal creditor is limited to a charging order and must post a bond to sue in Nevis. We recommend one after understanding what the entity is for.

The annual renewal fee is fixed by the Registrar of Companies in Nevis and does not depend on capital. It is due on the anniversary of registration; late payment adds US$200 within the first six months and US$400 after that, and the entity is struck off once the fee is a year overdue. Our renewal packages include it.

Nevis does not require an annual return. The two yearly obligations are the renewal fee on the anniversary and the simplified tax return by 15 April, and neither is public.

Nevis does not apply an offshore-style economic substance test to corporations and LLCs. The simplified tax return each year records the entity's tax position, and we assess with you whether any substance considerations arise elsewhere.

A late renewal fee adds US$200 within six months, US$400 after six months, and the entity is struck off once the fee is a year overdue. A late simplified tax return is an offence under the Income Tax Act carrying a penalty of up to EC$10,000 (about US$3,700), whether or not any tax is owing; where tax is owing, a further 5 per cent of the tax plus 1 per cent a month is added. A struck-off entity cannot act and costs more to restore than to maintain, so we hold both dates for you.

One email is enough. We draft the resolution, collect signatures and update the registers held by the registered agent; most changes do not need to be filed with the Registrar. A change of name is an amendment to the articles filed with the Registrar, who issues a new certificate. Most changes are done within the week.

Renewal starts from US$999 a year and covers the government fee, the registered agent and registered office, the annual filings, secretarial work and the statutory records. The Compliance section above shows what each renewal package includes, and the full detail is on the compliance pricing page.

Yes. An entity can change its registered agent, and the Nevis ordinances allow a corporation or LLC to redomicile out of Nevis or a foreign entity to redomicile in. We handle either filing on request.