Company Registration in the Cayman Islands

Yes, there is no need to travel to Cayman. Documents are signed online, and originals are sent by courier when needed. We need your passport, proof of address, a reference letter and a description of the business.

Filings with the Registry are made by the licensed Cayman provider that hosts the company’s registered office, and the same provider carries out client due diligence. We work through such a provider, so the whole process is remote.

There are three packages: Start at US$3,800, Corporate at US$4,800 and Full service at US$5,900. The Registry fee is included in all of them. Start covers the agent and office at incorporation only, Corporate pays for them for a year, and Full service adds account support through to activation.

Paid separately: the annual Registry fee each January after the year of incorporation (US$1,250 from 2027), plus director and shareholder services, apostille and a tax undertaking if you need them.

We register the company from 5 days after document checks. The Registry usually issues the Certificate of Incorporation within 3-5 working days, or within 1 day for an express fee.

Then the account: a fintech or EMI from 5 days, a bank from 10 days. We choose the payment solution before filing, so the account application goes in right after incorporation.

We choose the bank or payment provider based on your business and payment flows: for a Cayman company this is always a case-by-case decision. Fintechs and EMIs open accounts faster, while banks take longer but suit larger volumes better.

An application usually needs the articles, the Certificate of Incorporation, a recent Certificate of Good Standing, a business description and contracts with counterparties. If the bank asks for an apostilled set, we arrange it separately.

There is no tax on profits, dividends or capital gains in the Cayman Islands. On application, a company can obtain a tax undertaking: a government guarantee that new taxes will not apply to it for 20 years.

Economic substance is required only for companies carrying on one of the 9 relevant activities in the law, such as holding, financing and leasing, intellectual property or headquarters. They file an ESR within 12 months of year end. Everyone else files the annual ESN notification only.

Most likely, yes. Tax depends on your tax residence, not on Cayman. Many countries have controlled foreign company (CFC) rules: a resident who owns a stake in a low-tax company may have to report it, and the company’s profits may be taxed in their hands.

If the company is actually managed from another country, it may also become tax resident there. It is best to review the structure with a tax adviser in your country before incorporation.

The beneficial ownership register is not public. It is kept by the Cayman provider and is available to the authorities, and since 28 February 2025 to persons with a legitimate interest on separate application. The register of members is kept by the company and is also private.

Directors’ names are public: anyone can obtain them from the Registry for a fee of CI$50.

The agent and office are renewed, and by 31 January the company files its annual return and ESN notification and pays the annual fee: from 1 January 2027 it is US$1,250 for authorised capital up to US$50,000, up from US$1,128 in 2026. We quote renewal costs before you pay for incorporation.

Late fees increase the amount: by 33.33% from 1 April, 66.67% from 1 July and 100% from 1 October. Until the fee is paid, the company is not in good standing and cannot get a Certificate of Good Standing for the bank. If the fee stays unpaid for over a year, the Registrar may strike the company off.

An exempted company is the standard form for international business and holdings: it has shares, and investors are used to this structure. An LLC has no share capital and more flexible management, and its annual fee is higher. A foundation company can exist without owners and is used for asset management and Web3 projects, with a licensed secretary required. An exempted limited partnership (ELP) is used by investment funds. Banking, insurance and fund business, as well as virtual asset services, require CIMA registration or a licence whatever the legal form.

We register exempted companies. One can later be re-registered as an LLC, and if another form suits your goals better, we will tell you at the consultation.

Yes, this is called continuation or redomiciliation. A company from another jurisdiction, such as the BVI, continues in Cayman as an exempted company and keeps its legal identity, contracts and track record. The Registry fee is the same as for a new incorporation.

The law of the original jurisdiction must allow the move, and the company must be in good standing. Creditors and shareholders are notified, and bank and contract details are updated separately. In our practice, a move from the BVI took about six weeks.