Offshore Companies

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Saint Kitts & Nevis

Business Corporation | International Tax-Exempt Company

General Info

Procedures to incorporate

Nevis is situated in the northern part of the Leeward Islands and was once known as “The Queen of the Caribbean” due to its breath-taking palm-fringed beaches and scenery dominated by Nevis Peak in the centre of the island which rises to a height of 3,232 feet.

Nevis was a British colony from 1628 until 1983 when it became independent and joined the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. The Federation is an active member of the British Commonwealth. Nevis is a democracy based upon the British Parliamentary system with an elected local assembly. The Head of State is HM Queen Elizabeth II who is represented on the island by a Governor General.

Infrastructure and Economy

Nevis was virtually a sugar monocrop economy until the late 1970s, when the government backed a drive into small-scale industrialization. In July 2005, sugar production ceased. Tourism has become the largest source of foreign exchange although mass tourism has been rejected in favour of quality development and five-star resorts. The arrival of the first direct flight from Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International to St Kitts in February 2008 marks a significant milestone in the Federation’s (Federation of St Kitts & Nevis) efforts to penetrate the US travel market.

Offshore Incorporation

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Language: English is the official and commercial language of the Island. Nevis enjoys a literacy rate of 98%, one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

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Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), which is fixed to the US Dollar.

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Exchange Control: None.

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Type of Law: Common Law based on English Common Law and American Corporate Law.

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Principal Corporate Legislation: Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance 2017, an ordinance to repeal and replace the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance Cap. 7.01(N) as amended, to provide for the establishment of international business corporations in the Island of Nevis and to provide for matters incidental or consequential thereto.

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Type of company for international Trade and Investment: Offshore Exempt Company (NBCO).

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Procedure to incorporate: By submission of the Articles of Incorporation to the Registrar of Companies, together with the appropriate fee.

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Restrictions on Trading: Cannot trade within Nevis or own real estate there. A company may not engage in the business of banking, insurance, assurance, fund and collective investment schemes or any other activity that would suggest an association with the banking or Insurance industries.

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Powers of Company: A company incorporated in Nevis has the same powers as a natural person.

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Language of Legislation and Corporate Documents: English.

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Name Approval Required: Yes.

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Shelf Companies Available: Yes.

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Registered Office Required: Yes, must be maintained in Nevis. The Registered Agent must be licensed by the Minister of Finance.

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Time to incorporate: One day but allow five days for delivery of documentation.

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Name Restrictions: Any name that is identical to or similar to an existing company. Any name that in the opinion of the Registrar is undesirable or suggests an illegal activity or any name that may imply government patronage.

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Language of Name: May be in any language that uses the Latin alphabet. The Registrar may request an English translation if a foreign language name is to be used.

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Names Requiring Consent or License: Bank, building society, savings, loans, insurance, assurance, reinsurance, fund management, investment fund, municipal, trust, trustee, Chamber of Commerce, university or their foreign language equivalent.

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Suffixes to denote Limited Liability: Limited, Company, Corporation, Incorporated, Sociedad Anónima, Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung or their abbreviations.

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Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership to Authorities: None.

Compliance

+ Authorised and Issued Share Capital

Normally the authorised share capital is either 1,000 no par value shares or US$ 100,000 with a par value of US$1. There is no minimum or maximum number of shares issued, the government fee is US$220 irrespective of authorised or issued shares.

+ Classes of Shares Permitted

Registered shares, preference shares, bearer shares, redeemable shares and shares with or without par value. Bearer shares must be held by a licensed custodian in Nevis.

+ Taxation

A Nevis offshore exempt company is exempt from local taxation.

+ Double Taxation Agreement

Although Nevis does have double tax agreements, a company incorporated under the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance 1984 cannot obtain any treaty relief through them.

+ License Fee

There is an annual registration fee of US$ 220 payable to the Minister of Finance.

+ Financial Statements Required

Whilst there is no requirement to submit or file audited financial statements, a Nevis company is required to maintain financial records to reflect the financial position of the company.

+ Directors

The minimum number of directors is three if the number of shareholders is three. If fewer than three, the number of directors may be equal to the number of shareholders. The directors may be natural persons or bodies corporate and may be of any nationality and need not be residents of Nevis.

+ Company Secretary

A Nevis exempt company must appoint a company secretary, who may be a natural person or a body corporate, may be of any nationality and need not be resident in Nevis.

+ Shareholders

The minimum number of shareholders is one.

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