British Virgin IslandsCompany Incorporation and Registration Services

The Basic package already pays the US$875 government fee and a first year of registered agent and registered office. On top of that we check names, advise on structure, run due diligence, draft and file the memorandum, articles and application, prepare the statutory registers and send you digital copies of it all. Standard and Premium add original certificates, apostille and bank account support. Every task is listed under Scope of Work.

Yes, you can open a BVI company without leaving home. Every stage is handled remotely: the first conversation, the due diligence, the signing of documents and the filing with the Registry. You never need to visit the British Virgin Islands, and no original document has to be posted to us beforehand. Signing instructions come with every document, and an advisor is on hand by email throughout.

By hand, then by scan. Each page arrives with its signature points flagged and a one-line instruction. Print it, sign it, scan it and email it back. Any page that also needs a witness or a notary is pointed out in advance, so you only sign once.

Four things from each director, shareholder and beneficial owner: a certified passport copy, proof of address no older than three months, evidence of where the funds come from, and a CV or similar. Corporate owners add their constitution and registers. Certification rules are in the Documents section, and we go through every item with you before the Registry sees anything.

No. Under BVI anti-money laundering law, nobody connected to the business can be left unchecked before the application goes to the Registry, and no client is exempt. Speed is where we help: a single checklist, format notes for each document, and same-day review as items arrive.

Start with the form below or an email covering two points: what it is for and who is behind it. In reply you get our recommended structure, your personal document list and the full fee. Paying the invoice starts due diligence, and from there your incorporation follows the five steps in the Process section.

Not in the BVI. There is no corporate income tax, capital gains tax or withholding tax there, and dividends and interest paid out are not taxed either. Tax can still arise where the owners live or where the business is actually run, which is worth checking before you start, and we are happy to talk it through.

No. The register of directors is filed with the Registry but is not open to public inspection. Since January 2025 anyone can request, for a fee, the names of the current directors, but no further details. The registers of members and beneficial owners stay private. Beneficial ownership is filed through the Registrar's VIRRGIN system and is available only to competent authorities.

One of each is enough, and the same person can hold both roles. Neither has to live in the BVI or be a BVI national, and companies as well as individuals can act as directors and shareholders. A sole founder can therefore act alone, with no nominee needed to make up the numbers.

There is no minimum share capital. Most are formed with an authorised maximum of 50,000 shares, which keeps the government fee in the lower band (US$875 at incorporation and US$550 a year after). Authorising more than that raises the fee by US$800. Shares can be issued with or without par value and in any currency.

It can hold assets, trade internationally, own intellectual property, hold shares in other businesses and act as a holding or investment vehicle. Banking, insurance, fund management and other financial services need a separate licence from the Financial Services Commission. Carrying on business with residents of the BVI also needs a licence.

The name must end in Limited, Corporation, Incorporated, Société Anonyme or Sociedad Anónima, or an accepted abbreviation such as Ltd, Corp, Inc or S.A. It cannot be identical or confusingly similar to an existing name, and words such as bank, insurance, trust or royal need consent. We check availability with the Registry before anything is filed.

Yes. The BVI Business Companies Act lets the board meet in any country or by phone and video, and nobody has to be based in the territory. The catch is at home: management from where you live may make it tax resident there. Check that with a local tax adviser before trading starts.

No office or staff in the BVI is required. The only local presence the law asks for is a registered agent and a registered office, and both are included in every package for the first year. Carrying on one of the relevant activities under the economic substance rules may call for more presence, which we assess with you.

There is no audit requirement and no accounts are filed with the Registry. Since 2023 a simple annual financial return goes to the registered agent within nine months of the year end, and underlying records explaining the transactions must be kept for at least five years.

The BVI is not on the European Union's list of non-cooperative jurisdictions (Annex I), though it appears on the EU's Annex II watch list of cooperative jurisdictions with pending commitments, and the OECD Global Forum rates it Largely Compliant on tax transparency (March 2025). It has committed to the international standards on tax transparency and economic substance, and banks and counterparties in most countries deal with BVI structures routinely.

No. The annual financial return goes to the registered agent within nine months of the financial year end. It is a short balance sheet and income statement, it is not audited and it does not go on any public record. Failing to file can bring a penalty of up to US$5,000.

Economic substance applies only where the business carries on one of the nine relevant activities, such as holding company business, finance and leasing, fund management, shipping or intellectual property. An annual declaration is still required, even if only to confirm that no relevant activity applies. A pure equity holding company faces a reduced test.

A late government fee attracts penalties of 10 per cent and then 50 per cent, and an unpaid fee leads to strike-off. Once struck off it cannot legally act, and restoring it costs more than keeping it in good standing. Missing the annual return or the economic substance declaration brings separate fines. Our annual engagement is there to make sure none of this happens.

Send us one email. We draft the resolution, collect the signature, update the register and prepare the filing for the Registry. A change of director or beneficial owner has to be filed within 30 days, and a change of name takes effect once the Registrar records it and issues a new certificate. Most changes are completed within the week.

Yes. It can change its registered agent at any time. The BVI Business Companies Act also lets it continue out of the BVI into another jurisdiction, and lets a foreign entity continue in. Both are formal filings, and we handle either one if you ever need it.