Nominee Shareholder Services
in St. Kitts and Nevis
Preserve beneficial ownership confidentiality in St. Kitts and Nevis through nominee shareholding structures that comply with the federation's corporate governance requirements.
Benefits of Nominee Shareholder Services in St. Kitts and Nevis
Find out how nominee shareholding structures in the federation can enhance privacy and simplify your ownership arrangements
Discreet Ownership Profile
The nominee holds shares on your behalf and appears in all shareholder-facing records, keeping your beneficial ownership details strictly confidential.
Smooth Shareholder Changes
Adjust economic interests through private instruments without requiring formal amendments to the share register or notifying external stakeholders.
Ownership Partitioning
Maintain a clean separation between who appears on the register and who controls the economic value—ideal for inheritance planning and corporate restructuring.
Subsidiary Management
Use nominee shareholders to create straightforward holding hierarchies across multiple entities within or outside the federation.
Financial Service Compatibility
Meet financial institution requirements with a well-documented shareholding structure, facilitating account openings and ongoing banking relationships.
Nominee Shareholder Legality in St. Kitts and Nevis
The federation's corporate legislation permits nominee shareholding as a legitimate privacy tool, with beneficial ownership information reported to the Financial Services Regulatory Commission.
Legal Basis for Nominee Shareholders
Permitted Under Federation Law
St. Kitts and Nevis corporate legislation recognizes nominee shareholding as a lawful structuring mechanism, subject to beneficial ownership reporting to the Financial Services Regulatory Commission.
No Local Shareholder Mandate
Entities incorporated in the federation are not required to have local shareholders. Nominees can be individuals or corporate bodies of any nationality or residency.
Registered Share Format
Shares are issued in registered form only, with the legal holder's name recorded in the entity's official share register maintained by the registered agent.
Declaration of Trust
The nominee-beneficial owner relationship is formalized through a Declaration of Trust, establishing your entitlement to all economic benefits, voting rights, and proceeds.
Consequences of Direct Shareholding
Name on Shareholder Records
Without a nominee, your personal information is recorded as the legal shareholder on all entity documentation, financial applications, and regulatory filings.
Share Register Maintenance
The share register is kept by the entity's registered agent and is accessible to the federation's competent authorities for regulatory and compliance purposes.
Information Requests from Third Parties
Financial service providers and business counterparties commonly request shareholder details during due diligence, account setup, and ongoing relationship monitoring.
Beneficial Ownership Reporting
Beneficial ownership must be disclosed to the Financial Services Regulatory Commission regardless of whether shares are held directly or through a nominee.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does
Named as the legal shareholder on the share register and all documentation where shareholder identification is presented to external parties.
Holds registered title to shares in accordance with a Declaration of Trust that confirms you as the economic owner with complete decision-making power.
Signs all share-related documents—certificates, transfers, and resolutions—following your explicit written instructions.
Prevents your identity from appearing on entity records used in dealings with banks, counterparties, and regulatory bodies.
Attends shareholder meetings and acts on dividend and voting matters strictly as directed by your written authorizations.
Protected under an indemnity agreement that separates the nominee's liability from that of the beneficial owner.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does Not Do
Has no economic stake in the shares—all beneficial ownership rights remain with the beneficial owner without exception.
Exercises no independent authority over dividends, share sales, or economic decisions affecting the shareholding.
Entitled to no dividends, distributions, or transfer proceeds—every financial return belongs to the beneficial owner.
Will not vote, sign transfers, or take any shareholder action unless explicitly instructed in writing by the beneficial owner.
Does not give tax advice or establish any tax residency or reporting implications for the beneficial owner.
Will not participate in any share-related activities that are unlawful, fraudulent, or ethically inappropriate.
Identify the Best Nominee Shareholder Option in St. Kitts and Nevis
Whether you select a natural person or corporate entity as your nominee shareholder in the Federation, the choice influences how the shareholding is perceived by financial institutions and business partners.
Situations Where Nominee Shareholders Are Used in St. Kitts and Nevis
Nominee arrangements in the Federation serve a variety of ownership structuring needs—these are the most frequent applications.
Family Wealth Continuity
Families holding assets through entities registered in the Federation appoint nominee shareholders to ensure seamless succession, keeping personal names off share records that would otherwise enter probate proceedings.
Joint Commercial Ventures
Business partners operating through a St. Kitts and Nevis entity use nominee shareholders to maintain a single shareholder of record, while each participant's economic interest is documented in confidential side agreements.
Long-Term Asset Holding
Individuals and groups acquiring long-term investments—property, securities, or business interests—through a Federation entity employ nominees to separate their personal identity from the assets held.
Ownership Restructuring
When entity ownership changes due to partner exits, new investors entering, or group-level reorganizations, nominee shareholders provide a buffer that keeps transitional shareholding movements off external records.
Nominee Shareholder Pricing for St. Kitts and Nevis
Annual fees for corporate and individual nominee shareholding—pick the format that matches your entity's commercial profile in the Federation.
Corporate Entity
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Corporate Body
A corporate entity registered in the Federation holds shares as nominee—ideal for business groups and structures where an organizational name on the register is preferred.
Natural Person
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Natural Person
An individual in St. Kitts and Nevis is named as nominee shareholder—best suited where banks or partners need personal identification linked to the shareholding.
Choosing Between Individual and Corporate Nominee Shareholders
Explore the differences between natural person and corporate nominee shareholding in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis—practical guidance for each option.
Natural Person Nominee
Corporate Body Nominee
Arrangement Type
Register Content
Shareholder Profile
Supporting Documents
Trust Framework
Transfer Procedure
Third-Party Impression
When a Natural Person Is the Right Choice
Consider this option for:
- Financial institutions in the Federation that require named individual shareholders
- KYC and compliance processes where personal documentation is essential
- Commercial partners who expect to see a real person on shareholder records
- Single-entity ownership structures with straightforward beneficial ownership
When a Corporate Body Is the Right Choice
Consider this option for:
- Institutions and counterparties that accept or prefer corporate shareholders
- Group structures where entities are held through corporate holding vehicles
- Ownership arrangements where continuity and institutional character matter
- Structured finance or investment vehicles requiring corporate-level shareholders
St. Kitts and Nevis Nominee Shareholding — A Clear 4-Step Path
Whether for privacy or operational reasons, appointing a nominee shareholder for your company in the Federation follows a straightforward and well-documented process.
Governance Review
We examine your existing corporate governance, understand why a nominee arrangement is needed, and note any specific expectations from financial institutions or counterparties.
Documentation Preparation
Identity verification and background checks are completed for the beneficial owner, and the Declaration of Trust is drafted to formalise the terms of the nominee arrangement.
Nominee Registration
The shares are formally transferred to the nominee, and the company's Register of Members is updated so that the nominee appears as the legal shareholder on record.
Standing Instructions & Administration
Once in place, the nominee holds shares strictly according to the trust deed—executing any transfer, vote, or dividend action only when directed by you in writing.
Expanship — Your Trusted Partner for Nominee Shareholding in St. Kitts and Nevis
We take care of the full nominee shareholder process in the Federation—identifying the right nominees for your company and ensuring every agreement is properly structured and documented.
Qualified Nominee Connections
We pair you with trusted individuals and corporate entities based in St. Kitts and Nevis who are prepared to serve as nominee shareholders for your company.
Meticulous Record-Keeping
All nominee arrangements are backed by a Declaration of Trust and related agreements that precisely outline the nominee relationship and safeguard your economic rights.
Regulatory Insight
We keep pace with St. Kitts and Nevis corporate governance standards, including beneficial ownership reporting rules, to help ensure your structure meets ongoing regulatory expectations.
Complete Service Coordination
Whether it involves initial share allocation, subsequent transfers, voting directives, or dividend management—we serve as the single point of coordination between you and your nominee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key questions about nominee shareholding engagements under St. Kitts and Nevis company law, how trust declarations protect your interests, and what the process involves from start to finish.
Company owners pursue nominee engagements for a range of legitimate purposes under St. Kitts and Nevis company law. These include maintaining separation between personal identity and registered shareholding in commercial dealings, streamlining multi-entity corporate structures, supporting succession planning, and ensuring flexibility when restructuring ownership across jurisdictions.
St. Kitts and Nevis accommodates both forms: a natural person serving as the registered shareholder or a corporate body fulfilling the same role. The choice between the two depends on factors such as the nature of the trust declaration, the depth of due diligence required, and the specific documentation preferences of your corporate structure.
These are distinct roles under the Federation's corporate legislation. A nominee shareholder is concerned exclusively with registered shareholding — they appear on the share register as the legal owner of shares. A nominee director, by contrast, occupies an officer position and participates in company governance. One relates to ownership records; the other relates to management authority.
Without question. The trust declaration that underpins every nominee engagement explicitly confirms your status as the beneficial owner. All financial entitlements — including dividend distributions, proceeds from any sale of shares, and appreciation in value — are legally attributed to you. The nominee holds no personal economic interest in the shares whatsoever.
A trust declaration is the foundational legal instrument in a nominee shareholding engagement. It is a written document in which the nominee formally acknowledges that the shares are held entirely on your behalf and for your benefit. This instrument establishes the legal trust relationship and serves as enforceable evidence of your beneficial ownership under St. Kitts and Nevis law.
Once you have provided the required documentation and the due diligence review is satisfactorily concluded, the nominee engagement can typically be formalized within 1 to 3 business days. This timeframe covers the preparation of share transfer instruments, execution of the trust declaration, and updates to the company's share register.
Yes, nominee engagements are not permanent. You may instruct a change of nominee or a transfer of shares at any point, subject to standard share transfer formalities under St. Kitts and Nevis company law. A new trust declaration will be executed to reflect the updated arrangement, ensuring continuity of your beneficial ownership rights.
Get in Touch About Nominee Shareholder Services in St. Kitts and Nevis
Have questions about how nominee shareholding works in the Federation, what it costs, or how to get started? Reach out and our team will walk you through it.
