Samoa Nominee Shareholder Services
Confidential Shareholding Solutions
Arrange nominee shareholders in Samoa to ensure beneficial ownership privacy, satisfy local statutory requirements, and maintain a compliant corporate structure.
Samoa Nominee Shareholder Benefits
Understand how nominee shareholding in Samoa can preserve ownership confidentiality and support your corporate structure
Share Register Privacy
The nominee's name replaces yours on Samoa's share register and corporate filings, ensuring your beneficial ownership stays entirely out of public records.
Private Ownership Adjustments
Reallocate economic interests through confidential documentation without updating formal registries or triggering notifications to third parties.
Legal-Economic Separation
Formally distinguish between who holds shares on record and who controls the underlying economic value—supporting succession, restructuring, and risk management.
Holding Structure Efficiency
Position nominee shareholders within international holding chains to keep corporate group diagrams clean and minimize administrative layering.
Financial Institution Readiness
Present banks with a stable, documented shareholding record while disclosing ultimate beneficial ownership through recognized compliance procedures.
Samoa Nominee Shareholder Legality & Regulatory Framework
Samoa's International Companies Act supports nominee shareholding as a recognized structuring arrangement, with beneficial ownership oversight by the Samoa International Finance Authority.
Samoa's Legal Basis for Nominee Shareholders
Authorized Under Samoa Law
The International Companies Act permits nominee shareholding in Samoa, with beneficial ownership information subject to reporting requirements administered by the Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA).
Global Shareholder Eligibility
Samoa-registered entities impose no nationality or residency restrictions on shareholders. Nominee shareholders may be individuals or corporate entities from any jurisdiction.
Registered Share Standards
Shares are issued in registered form, with the legal holder's name entered into the entity's share register to confirm the official chain of ownership.
Declaration of Trust
A formal Declaration of Trust underpins the nominee arrangement, documenting your economic ownership—including rights to dividends, capital returns, and share transfer decisions.
Ownership Exposure Without Nominees
Identity on Corporate Records
Without a nominee in place, your name appears as the registered shareholder across all entity filings, contracts, and documentation submitted to banks and partners.
Register Held with Registered Agent
The share register is maintained by the entity's registered agent and is available for inspection by SIFA and other competent Samoan authorities.
Partner and Bank Due Diligence
Commercial partners and financial institutions routinely request shareholder identification as a standard element of their onboarding and AML compliance programs.
Beneficial Owner Reporting
Beneficial ownership information must be provided to SIFA irrespective of the shareholding structure—whether shares are held directly or through a nominee.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does
Documented as the registered shareholder in the entity's share register and all filings submitted to Samoa's regulatory authorities.
Holds legal title under a formal Declaration of Trust, with you maintaining full economic ownership, dividend rights, and transfer authority.
Signs share certificates, transfer instruments, and shareholder resolutions only upon receiving your explicit written instructions.
Ensures your personal identity does not appear on entity documents exchanged with SIFA, banks, or commercial counterparties.
Votes and acts at shareholder meetings on dividend and share matters solely as authorized by your documented directions.
Protected by an indemnity agreement that clearly allocates liability between the nominee and the beneficial owner.
What a Nominee Shareholder Does Not Do
Retains no beneficial ownership of the shares—all economic interests and financial rights are held exclusively by the beneficial owner.
Makes no autonomous decisions regarding dividends, share disposals, or any other matter impacting the economic value of the shareholding.
Claims no entitlement to dividends, capital distributions, or sale proceeds—every financial return is the property of the beneficial owner.
Takes no action on share matters without first obtaining express written instructions from the beneficial owner.
Does not provide tax planning services or create any tax residency, domicile, or reporting implications for the beneficial owner.
Will not participate in or accept responsibility for any share arrangement that is illegal, fraudulent, or unethical.
Choose Between Individual and Corporate Nominee Shareholding in Samoa
Samoa permits nominee shareholders to be appointed as natural persons or through a corporate entity—each path offers different advantages for how your ownership structure is documented and perceived.
Practical Scenarios for Samoa Nominee Shareholder Services
Nominee shareholding in Samoa addresses ownership privacy and structural needs—these are the situations where this service is most commonly sought.
Legacy & Succession Arrangements
Families holding assets through Samoa international entities appoint nominee shareholders to prepare for generational transitions, ensuring share register entries do not complicate estate or probate matters.
Multinational Venture Structures
International partners forming a Samoa-registered entity designate a nominee shareholder to present a consolidated ownership profile to banks and regulators, while each partner's financial rights are governed separately.
Investment & Asset Holding
Investors using Samoa entities to hold portfolios of assets—whether financial, commercial, or real property—engage nominee shareholders to keep beneficial ownership details off documentation shared with third parties.
Internal Corporate Transitions
Samoa entities undergoing ownership realignments, whether through new investor onboarding, stake acquisitions, or group-wide restructuring, use nominees to manage shares during the transition period.
Samoa Nominee Shareholder Annual Fee Structure
Two nominee shareholder options with annual billing—corporate entity or natural person—each tailored to different ownership and compliance needs.
Corporate Entity
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Corporate Body
A Samoa-registered company is documented as the legal shareholder—appropriate for international holding entities and structures that benefit from a corporate name on the share register.
Natural Person
Nominee Shareholder Service by a Natural Person
An individual based in Samoa acts as nominee shareholder on your behalf—used in situations where SIFA requirements or banking counterparties necessitate a named person on shareholder records.
Natural Person vs Corporate Body Nominee: A Side-by-Side View
Contrast the two nominee shareholder options available for Samoa entities—practical differences in registration, documentation, and typical application.
Individual Nominee
Corporate Body Nominee
Nominee Description
Register Details
Ownership Appearance
Compliance Documents
Trust Structure
Transfer Formalities
Regulatory Perception
When a Natural Person Nominee Suits Your Needs
Advisable when:
- SIFA requirements or banking counterparties ask for personal shareholder identification
- Compliance procedures mandate government-issued ID from every registered shareholder
- Commercial partners need to confirm an individual's name on the share register
- Single-owner entities where a straightforward nominee arrangement is sufficient
When a Corporate Body Nominee Suits Your Needs
Advisable when:
- Financial institutions accept corporate shareholders without requiring personal details
- Holding structures channel ownership through corporate nominee vehicles
- The entity benefits from a formal, organization-level shareholder identity
- Investment or commercial structures where corporate-level nominees are industry practice
How It Works — 4 Steps to Nominee Shareholding
Setting up a nominee shareholder for your Samoan company is a structured process. Here's what each stage involves, from planning through to ongoing compliance.
Purpose & Structure Review
We evaluate your existing corporate setup, determine why a nominee arrangement is needed, and note any requirements from financial institutions or commercial partners.
Screening & Trust Preparation
The beneficial owner undergoes standard due diligence, and a Declaration of Trust is prepared outlining the rights, responsibilities, and limitations of the nominee.
Share Allocation to Nominee
A formal transfer places the shares under the nominee's legal name, and the company's Register of Members is revised to record the updated shareholding.
Continuing Compliance & Instructions
The nominee retains the shares under the trust terms, acting on dividend payments, share transfers, or voting matters only when directed by you in writing.
Let Expanship Handle Your Samoan Nominee Shareholder Requirements
Setting up a nominee shareholder in Samoa requires careful planning and precise documentation. We oversee the entire process — sourcing qualified nominees, preparing the agreements, and managing the relationship on your behalf.
Experienced Nominee Partners in Samoa
We facilitate introductions to qualified Samoan-based individuals and corporate entities who can act as nominee shareholders, giving your company a reliable local presence on the share register.
Detailed Legal Records
Your nominee arrangement is underpinned by a Declaration of Trust and related agreements that leave no ambiguity about beneficial ownership, economic entitlements, and the scope of the nominee's role.
Regulatory Fluency
We keep pace with Samoa's corporate compliance framework and beneficial ownership obligations, ensuring your nominee arrangement reflects the latest regulatory expectations.
Comprehensive Service Delivery
From the moment the nominee is appointed through ongoing matters like share transfers, voting decisions, and dividend disbursements, we manage every touchpoint so nothing falls through the cracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key questions and answers about nominee registration and share custody arrangements for Samoa companies, covering the trust-based holding structure and practical steps involved.
Owners typically pursue this arrangement to maintain separation between their personal identity and the company's publicly recorded shareholding. It also serves practical purposes such as simplifying cross-border corporate structures, supporting long-term succession planning, and providing operational flexibility when reorganising business interests across multiple jurisdictions.
Yes. You may select a natural person based in Samoa or a Samoan-incorporated corporate entity to serve as the nominee. Each option carries its own profile in terms of documentation, due diligence procedures, and how the share custody arrangement is structured.
The two services address separate aspects of a company's structure. Nominee registration on the share register concerns ownership and economic interests in the company. Directorship, on the other hand, pertains to governance duties and management authority. A company may utilise either or both arrangements depending on its requirements.
Without exception. Under the trust-based holding arrangement, all financial benefits flowing from the shares — dividends, capital gains, and sale proceeds — are yours exclusively. The nominee holds no independent claim to any value derived from the shareholding.
The arrangement is formalised through a Declaration of Trust, a binding legal document in which the nominee confirms that the shares are held for your sole benefit. This document clearly establishes the custody relationship and provides robust legal protection of your beneficial ownership rights.
Following submission of all necessary documentation and successful completion of due diligence, the nominee registration process generally takes between 1 and 3 business days. This covers preparation of the Declaration of Trust, the share transfer, and updating the register of members.
Yes, you may change nominees whenever you choose. The transition involves transferring shares to the new nominee, executing a fresh Declaration of Trust, and amending the company's register of members to reflect the updated share custody arrangement.
Discuss Your Samoan Nominee Shareholder Requirements
Have questions about structuring a nominee shareholding arrangement in Samoa, or want to understand the process and associated costs? Our team is available to provide the answers you need.
