Company formation for non-residents
We form Nevis IBCs for international trade, holding structures, IT and online businesses, including companies applying for a Nevis gaming licence. The whole process is remote: name check, KYC, incorporation, corporate documents and help with a bank account. Owners' details are never placed on a public register.
Corporate, tax and annual compliance rules for a Nevis IBC that non-residents should know before incorporating.
A business corporation under the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance 1984. Suits trading, IT, holding structures and online businesses, including those applying for a gaming licence.
One director and one shareholder are enough, and they can be the same person of any nationality. A company can act as director. Owners' details stay off the public register.
A Nevis company can only be formed through a licensed registered agent, so non-residents cannot file directly. Appointing the agent is part of the incorporation.
If the company is managed outside Nevis and has no permanent establishment there, no local corporate tax is due. The 33% rate applies only to tax residents.
No capital has to be paid in. The standard authorised capital is 50,000 shares of $1, in any currency. Only registered shares are allowed, bearer shares are prohibited.
A $300 government fee before the incorporation anniversary, agent renewal and a simplified CIT-101 tax return. No accounts are filed with the registry, but records must be kept.
The final cost depends on the package you choose, whether you need a notarised and apostilled set of documents, and the scope of the project, for example preparing the company for an online gambling licence.
Information correct as of October 2026.
From a basic Nevis IBC incorporation to a package with a registered office, notarised documents and support in opening a bank or fintech account.
Basic Nevis IBC incorporation
Registered office and notarised documents
Company and bank account
For launching a Nevis IBC with a complete document set and hands-on support in opening a bank or fintech account that fits your business.
Please note: we select the bank or fintech, prepare the documents and support the application, but we cannot guarantee that an account will be opened. The final decision always rests with the bank or EMI after it has reviewed the company and its beneficial owners.
Nevis is a long-standing choice for holding structures, international trade and redomiciling existing companies. Since 2025 there is another reason: the Nevis regulator grants online gambling licences only to companies incorporated on the island.
A Nevis company is a prerequisite for an online gambling licence. It suits online casinos, sports betting, poker and B2B platforms. We set the company up with the regulator's requirements in mind.
Holding shares in operating companies, real estate and investment portfolios. Nevis has long been known for asset protection and family wealth planning.
Contracts with overseas clients and suppliers, consulting, software development and SaaS. Income from business carried on outside Nevis is not subject to local tax.
Nevis law lets you move a company from another jurisdiction without liquidating it and keep its corporate history. Moving out of Nevis and emergency transfers are also provided for.
If the company is managed outside Nevis and does not operate there, no corporate tax is due. All it files is a simplified annual tax return.
The Nevis corporate statute dates from 1984 and is modelled on Delaware law. The final court of appeal is the Privy Council in London.
Shareholder and beneficial owner details are held by the registered agent and never go on a public register. Shares can only be registered, so the structure stays transparent to banks.
Following the February 2026 review, St Kitts and Nevis appears on neither the EU blacklist nor the grey list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. That removes some of the questions banks and counterparties tend to ask.
To register a Nevis IBC, we need documents for every director, shareholder and beneficial owner. KYC here goes further than in many offshore jurisdictions: on top of a passport and proof of address, you will need reference letters and a CV. Everything is done remotely, and we check your documents before filing.
If a director or shareholder is a legal entity, we also need a structure chart up to the ultimate beneficial owners and corporate documents for each entity in the chain. We confirm the exact list after an initial review.
At least one director, either an individual or a company, of any nationality. There is no Nevis residency requirement. Directors do not have to be named in the Articles, and board decisions can be passed in writing without a meeting.
One shareholder is enough, either an individual or a company. If a shareholder holds shares on behalf of someone else, that person must be disclosed as a beneficial owner. Ownership details are kept by the registered agent and are not made public.
Required by law: only a registered agent licensed in Nevis can file with the Registrar of Corporations. Any change of directors, shareholders or beneficial owners must be reflected in the agent's records. Appointing the agent is part of the incorporation.
A registered office address in Nevis for official correspondence is included in the Corporate and Full service packages. Corporate and accounting records can be kept in any country, but you must disclose where they are held and make them available on request.
There is no minimum capital, and nothing has to be paid in at incorporation. The standard authorised capital is 50,000 shares with a par value of $1, in any currency. Only registered shares can be issued, bearer shares are prohibited by law.
A Nevis company managed from abroad pays no local corporate tax. It still has annual obligations, though: a simplified tax return, the government fee and proper record-keeping.
Tax on foreign income
0%
for a company managed outside Nevis
Rate for tax residents
33%
if the company is managed from Nevis or has a permanent establishment there
CIT-101 tax return
Once a year
simplified, filed even with no activity and no tax due
Annual government fee
$300
due before the incorporation anniversary, late penalties from $200
Place of management
Residency depends on where the company is managed and controlled. If the directors and decision-making sit outside Nevis, the company is treated as non-resident.
Permanent establishment
An office, staff or an agent concluding contracts in Nevis creates a taxable presence. Profits from that activity are then taxed at 33%.
Tax in your home country
0% in Nevis does not cancel tax where you live. It is worth checking controlled foreign company (CFC) rules before you incorporate.
File the CIT-101 return with the St Kitts and Nevis Inland Revenue Department
Pay the $300 government fee and renew registered agent services before the incorporation anniversary
Keep accounting records and make them available to the agent or regulator on request
Notify the agent of any change of directors, shareholders or beneficial owners
A Nevis IBC needs no audit and files no public accounts, and the CIT-101 return does not disclose financial figures. If the company obtains an online gambling licence, the gaming regulator will have its own reporting requirements.
Information correct as of October 2026
For international business, a Nevis IBC usually banks abroad, with either a traditional bank or a fintech provider. We choose the route based on what the company does, the currencies it uses and where its counterparties are.
For companies with a clear structure and verifiable business. We approach foreign banks that work with Caribbean IBCs. Due diligence takes longer, but the account can handle larger volumes.
A faster route with fully remote onboarding. For online gambling projects, we source specialist payment providers that work with licensed operators.
We prepare the company profile before applying, so the bank or fintech sees a clear business and source of funds from day one. We handle the correspondence until a decision is made.
We will review your business, payment geography and beneficial owner profile before any application is made.
Setting up a Nevis IBC takes six steps and is fully remote. Most of the time goes into collecting and checking KYC documents. Once they are approved, the company is incorporated within a few business days.
Nevis works well for holding structures, international projects and online gambling, but it is not the answer to every task. Below are its honest limitations and the jurisdictions that cover them.
Nevis has stricter KYC: reference letters, a CV and source of funds. If the lowest price and speed matter most, another offshore jurisdiction is easier.
A Caribbean incorporation makes it harder to open an account with major banks and to work with some counterparties, especially without a proven business track record.
Nevis has a limited network of double tax treaties. Dividends and royalties from other countries may be hit by withholding tax at source.
If you run the business with an office and employees on Nevis itself, profits are taxed at 33%. An operating business is better served by a jurisdiction built for real presence.
Belize Cheaper and quicker than Nevis if you need a simple offshore company for trading or holding without a complex structure.
British Virgin Islands The best-known offshore jurisdiction for holding companies, investment deals and SPVs. A structure banks and investors are used to.
St Vincent and the Grenadines A neighbouring Caribbean offshore jurisdiction under English law. Suits trading and holding if you do not need a Nevis licence.
Costa Rica For businesses with a real presence in the region: an office, staff and service projects in Central America.
Three projects we took through Nevis IBC incorporation: software development, online gambling and international trade. Each had its own goal and its own hurdles along the way.
Nevis A team from Brazil built mobile apps for US start-ups and a few companies in Mexico and Colombia. They invoiced through the founder personally, and US clients kept getting stuck at the contract stage: they wanted a foreign company that could provide a W-8BEN-E form. The team also wanted to be paid in dollars without constant conversions.
Solution We incorporated a Nevis IBC for software development and prepared a contract template in English and Spanish. We helped open a fintech account with USD details. A couple of months later one client asked for a Certificate of Good Standing, which we arranged separately.
At first I didn't get why they needed so much, a bank letter, a CV. But when our US client signed with the company without a single question, it made sense. The account took two tries: the first fintech said no, the second one approved us.
Nevis The team had run an online casino and sportsbook under someone else's licence for several years and decided to get their own. They compared several jurisdictions and chose Nevis: the regulator is new, and the licence is only granted to a company incorporated on the island. Their first choice of name included the word Casino, so it had to change.
Solution We picked a name without restricted words, incorporated a Nevis IBC and collected KYC on all beneficial owners in advance, with the regulator's review in mind. We prepared an apostilled document set for the licence application.
Losing the name hurt a bit, we'd already bought the domains. Still, better to find out at the start than after applying. The company is set up and the documents came in exactly the format the application needs. Now we're waiting on the regulator.
Nevis The client supplied pumping equipment to the agricultural sector, buying in China and selling in Colombia and Panama. Deals went through different partners' companies, and suppliers began asking to contract directly with a single entity. The buyer's bank also wanted to know who was behind the shipments.
Solution We incorporated a Nevis IBC for international trade and prepared a notarised and apostilled document set for the suppliers. We documented the supply chain for the bank and supported the opening of a multi-currency account with a foreign bank.
The longest part wasn't the incorporation, it was the reference letter. My bank took almost two weeks to issue it. After that everything went to plan. Suppliers stopped asking for documents every time, and things got easier with our buyer in Colombia.
These are the questions clients ask us most often about Nevis. If yours is not here, send us a request and we will look at your situation personally.
Book a consultationIncorporation itself takes a few business days once KYC is approved. In practice, the slowest part is gathering documents, especially the bank reference letter: some banks take one to two weeks to issue it. That is why we advise requesting the letter on day one, while you are still choosing a name. Apostilles and bank account opening are separate stages.
Yes, you never need to travel to Nevis. The only offline step is getting your passport copy certified by a notary or lawyer in your own country. A common mistake is sending a plain scan, which stalls the review. Reference letters must be in English or come with a certified translation, so it pays to plan for that from the start.
If the company is managed outside Nevis and has no office or staff there, no corporate tax is payable. The 33% rate applies only to tax residents. Every year the company files a simplified CIT-101 return, even with no turnover. We always look at tax in the owner's country of residence too: CFC rules usually matter more than the Nevis rate.
Yes. The Nevis regulator only licenses companies incorporated on the island, so a company from Cyprus or Curaçao will not qualify. We set up the IBC with the regulator's review in mind: KYC on beneficial owners, apostilled documents and a clear structure. You will also need a local Reporting Officer, a role we cover as a separate service. Players from St Kitts and Nevis cannot be accepted.
Prohibited words include Bank, Forex, Payment, Exchange, Offshore, Gambling, Betting and Lottery. Casino, Gaming, Finance, Trading, Fund and Nevis are restricted: they can only be used with the registry's approval and an extra fee. For gaming projects we usually recommend a neutral company name and keeping the casino brand at domain level. It saves time and avoids questions from banks.
Nevis has no public register of owners: shareholder and beneficial owner details are held by the registered agent, and the regulator can access them on request. It helps to understand the difference between confidentiality and anonymity. Your bank or payment provider will still see the beneficial owners when you open an account, and bearer shares are prohibited by law.
No. The decision always rests with the bank or fintech after its own review. In our experience, accounts open fastest for companies with a clear business, contracts in place and a documented source of funds. Rejections come from a vague business description more often than from the jurisdiction itself. For gaming projects we source specialist payment providers, usually once the licence is granted.
Before each incorporation anniversary, pay the $300 government fee and renew the registered agent and office. File the CIT-101 return once a year and report any change of directors or owners. A late fee costs $200 in the first six months and $400 after that. Most companies fall out of good standing simply because the owner forgot the date, so we send reminders ahead of every deadline.
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