Marshall Islands Nominee
Shareholder Services
Safeguard your beneficial ownership details in the Marshall Islands with nominee shareholding solutions structured to meet jurisdictional requirements and ensure ongoing compliance.
Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholder Benefits
Understand how nominee shareholding in the Marshall Islands can strengthen ownership privacy and streamline corporate structures
Privacy in Business Dealings
A nominee is recorded as the shareholder of record, ensuring your name stays off corporate documents presented to banks, counterparties, and government registries.
Low-Profile Ownership Shifts
Transfer economic stakes through private documentation without updating the public share register or alerting commercial partners to ownership changes.
Layered Ownership Design
Establish a formal tier between registered and economic ownership—supporting maritime, trading, and multi-jurisdictional structures commonly used in the Marshall Islands.
Organizational Simplicity
Reduce structural complexity across vessel-owning entities and corporate groups by positioning nominee shareholders at key points in the ownership chain.
Credible Banking Profile
Present banks with a clean shareholder record while disclosing beneficial ownership through established KYC procedures, facilitating financial access.
Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholder Legality & Legal Framework
The Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act supports nominee shareholding as a recognized corporate arrangement, with beneficial ownership obligations managed through the jurisdiction's regulatory system.
Marshall Islands Legal Standing for Nominees
Authorized Under Marshall Islands Law
The Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act permits nominee shareholding arrangements, with beneficial ownership information subject to the jurisdiction's regulatory reporting requirements.
No Shareholder Location Restrictions
Marshall Islands entities may have shareholders from any country or territory. Nominee shareholders can be individuals or corporate bodies without geographic limitation.
Registered Share Issuance
Shares are issued in registered form, with the legal holder's name documented in the entity's official stock ledger maintained by the entity or its agent.
Trust Documentation Standards
A Declaration of Trust formalizes the arrangement, documenting your status as the economic owner with rights to dividends, capital returns, and share transfer authority.
Ownership Visibility Without Nominee Arrangements
Direct Shareholder Identification
Without a nominee, your identity appears as the registered shareholder on the entity's stock ledger, corporate filings, and documents presented to banks and counterparties.
Stock Ledger Accessibility
The entity's stock ledger is maintained by the registered agent and may be inspected by relevant Marshall Islands authorities for regulatory and compliance purposes.
Maritime and Commercial Due Diligence
Banks, maritime registries, and commercial partners routinely request shareholder information during onboarding, vessel registration, and business relationship establishment.
Beneficial Ownership Requirements
Beneficial ownership details must be reported through the jurisdiction's designated compliance channels, regardless of whether shares are held directly or through a nominee.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does
Recorded as the shareholder of record across the entity's stock ledger, corporate filings, and documents submitted to banks and maritime registries.
Assumes legal title to shares under a Declaration of Trust, with economic ownership—including all financial rights and control—reserved entirely for you.
Signs stock certificates, transfer instruments, and shareholder resolutions exclusively upon your written direction.
Keeps your name off entity records used in dealings with banks, shipping registries, and commercial counterparties.
Votes at shareholder meetings and handles dividend approvals and share matters only as instructed by you in writing.
Covered by an indemnity agreement that establishes distinct liability boundaries between nominee and beneficial owner.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does Not Do
Has no beneficial ownership of the shares—all economic rights, interests, and entitlements belong to the beneficial owner.
Does not independently determine dividend distributions, share transfers, or any matters affecting the shareholding's economic value.
Receives no dividends, capital returns, or sale proceeds—the beneficial owner is the sole recipient of all financial returns.
Will not vote, execute transfers, or take any shareholder action without receiving your explicit written instructions.
Provides no tax guidance and does not create any tax domicile, residency, or reporting implications for the beneficial owner.
Refuses involvement in any share arrangement that is illegal, fraudulent, or inconsistent with ethical business practices.
Determine Your Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholding Preference
Marshall Islands nominee shareholders may be appointed as natural persons or corporate entities—the optimal choice reflects your holding structure and how counterparties evaluate shareholder records.
Common Reasons for Nominee Shareholding in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands nominee shareholders are frequently employed in maritime, holding, and international structuring—these are the primary use cases.
Generational Asset Transfer
Shipping families and holding groups use Marshall Islands nominee shareholders to manage succession of vessel-owning entities and asset portfolios without disrupting operational registrations or charter agreements.
Maritime & Shipping Ventures
Vessel co-ownership arrangements and shipping joint ventures rely on nominee shareholding to present a streamlined ownership profile to flag registries, port authorities, and maritime lenders.
Vessel & Asset Holding Entities
Single-vessel SPVs and fleet holding structures registered in the Marshall Islands appoint nominees to ensure beneficial ownership details remain separate from the documentation filed with maritime registries.
Fleet & Portfolio Consolidation
Shipowners reorganizing fleet structures—whether combining entities, divesting tonnage, or bringing in new investors—use nominee shareholders to manage shareholding transitions without alerting commercial counterparties prematurely.
Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholding Annual Rates
Two nominee formats to match your Marshall Islands entity's requirements—priced annually for corporate body and natural person arrangements.
Corporate Entity
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Corporate Body
A Marshall Islands-registered corporate body appears on the stock ledger as legal shareholder—suited to maritime holding entities, fleet structures, and multi-vessel arrangements.
Natural Person
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Natural Person
A natural person serves as the nominee shareholder for your Marshall Islands entity—chosen when maritime lenders or commercial counterparties require an individual name on ownership records.
Individual vs Corporate Nominee Shareholder Options
Compare how natural person and corporate body nominees operate within the Marshall Islands corporate registry system—from stock ledger entries to transfer mechanics.
Natural Person Nominee
Corporate Body Nominee
Service Overview
Stock Ledger Entry
Ownership Profile
Documents Furnished
Ownership Layer
Stock Transfer Process
Counterparty Perception
When to Appoint a Natural Person
Suited to situations where:
- Flag-state registries or maritime counterparties request a named person as shareholder
- Compliance checks require government-issued identification from the registered owner
- Commercial agreements or charters specify an individual on the stock ledger
- Straightforward ownership of a single-vessel or single-asset entity
When to Appoint a Corporate Body
Suited to situations where:
- Maritime industry norms expect corporate shareholders on vessel-owning entities
- Fleet structures with multiple vessels are held through corporate layers
- Institutional or fund-backed ownership requires corporate-level shareholders
- International trading or shipping structures where corporate nominees are standard
Nominee Shareholding in 4 Clear Steps
Setting up a nominee shareholder for your Marshall Islands company follows a structured path—from corporate review through to long-term stewardship.
Corporate Review
Your existing corporate structure is examined alongside the intended purpose of the nominee arrangement, factoring in any third-party or banking expectations.
Identity Verification & Trust Drafting
The beneficial owner undergoes standard identity verification, after which the Declaration of Trust is drafted to formally define the nominee relationship.
Share Reallocation
Shares are reallocated into the nominee's name, and the company's Register of Members is amended to accurately record the updated shareholding.
Nominee Stewardship
From this point forward, the nominee retains shares under the trust terms—acting on transfers, voting matters, or dividend distributions solely upon your written direction.
How Expanship Supports Your Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholder Arrangement
Our team manages every aspect of your nominee shareholding setup in the Marshall Islands—sourcing suitable nominees, preparing the required agreements, and keeping the arrangement running smoothly over time.
Nominee Network in the Marshall Islands
We connect you with vetted individuals and corporate entities in the RMI who are qualified to hold shares on your behalf, ensuring a reliable nominee arrangement for your company.
Structured Documentation
Every nominee engagement is backed by a Declaration of Trust and accompanying agreements, providing a clear written record of your beneficial ownership and economic entitlements.
Local Regulatory Knowledge
We monitor Marshall Islands corporate governance standards and beneficial ownership disclosure requirements so your nominee structure stays aligned with current obligations.
Single-Window Service
Share transfers, dividend directions, voting instructions, and ongoing nominee communications—everything is handled through one dedicated point of contact at Expanship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key questions about nominee shareholding for Marshall Islands companies, including how trust-based holding works, the benefits of share registration through a nominee, and what the ownership arrangement involves.
A nominee shareholding arrangement delivers several practical benefits. It allows you to maintain a layer of separation between your personal identity and the company's share registration, streamline multi-entity corporate structures, support succession planning, and provide flexibility when restructuring commercial interests across jurisdictions.
Yes, you may select either a natural person or a corporate body to serve as the nominee shareholder. An individual nominee may suit straightforward ownership arrangements, while a corporate nominee can offer continuity advantages since the entity persists independently of any single person. The choice depends on your specific commercial and structural requirements.
These are fundamentally different roles. A nominee shareholder is concerned exclusively with share registration and ownership — their name appears on the share register. A nominee director, by contrast, participates in the management and decision-making of the company. One relates to who owns the company on record; the other relates to who governs it.
Completely. The trust-based holding arrangement ensures that every financial benefit attached to the shares — including dividend payments, proceeds from any future sale, and growth in value — belongs to you as the beneficial owner. The nominee has no personal claim to these economic rights.
A Declaration of Trust serves as the foundational document for the ownership arrangement. Through this instrument, the nominee formally acknowledges that the shares are held for your exclusive benefit. It defines the scope of the trust-based holding relationship and provides a clear legal record of your beneficial ownership.
Once you have provided the required identification and background documents, the nominee appointment is generally completed within 1 to 3 business days. This timeline covers the due diligence review, preparation of the Declaration of Trust, and updating the share registration records.
Yes, the ownership arrangement is fully flexible. You can instruct a change of nominee or a transfer of shares whenever needed. The process involves executing updated share transfer documentation and issuing a new Declaration of Trust to reflect the revised arrangement.
Speak With Our Marshall Islands Nominee Shareholder Team
Whether you need guidance on nominee shareholding structures, documentation requirements, or the overall process in the Marshall Islands, our specialists are ready to assist.
