Best Offshore Trust Jurisdictions

Why Set up an Offshore Trust?

There are any number of reasons why you might want to open an offshore trust. Shielding your assets works by creating an extra layer of protection around your money and wealth. Whether a trust is being used for family planning, lawsuit protection, or tax planning, it will give you better asset security, tax savings, and will increase your opportunity and capacity to invest in foreign markets.

In today's world, asset protection is a necessity.

Wherever you live in the world, having a safe jurisdiction outside the country where you reside is an important yet often overlooked factor when looking into trust formation. The problem with a domestic asset protection trust is that local court rulings can easily break into the trust, whereas foreign trusts have asset protection clauses that make it extra difficult for creditors to make a claim against the trust from outside the country.

Consequently, the potential creditor can not pursue the trust within your home country but must do so within the jurisdiction where the trust is located. Such barriers to entry help ensure that only the most persistent individuals will likely see through any claim.

Table of Contents:

• Why Set Up An Offshore Trust? 
• Offshore Trust Benefits
• Best Jurisdictions To Form An Offshore Trust
• 1. Cook Islands Trust
• 2. Nevis Trust
• 3. Belize Trust
• Takeaway

Benefits

An offshore asset protection trust offers some of the following benefits that include:

• Financial Privacy
• Protection of wealth
• Statute of limitation
• Protection from Foreign Court Rulings
• Family planning
• Tax planning 

While there are a number of offshore jurisdictions that are available, there are three countries in particular where we set up the majority of the international trusts. The Cook Islands, Nevis and Belize are perhaps the most popular foreign trust formation structures in the world.

For more information on asset protection trusts:

• How to set up an asset protection trust
• Asset protection for wealth preservation
• Offshore asset protect trusts 

Best Jurisdictions to Form an Offshore Trust

1. Cook Islands

The Cook Islands trust in the world's best foreign asset protection structure to safeguard your business assets. The Cook Islands with their International Trust Act of 1989 was the first country in the world that incorporated strong asset protection features within the legislation, making it a standard for other countries in the world to follow.

Nearly 10% of the country's GDP comes from forming trusts, making the government increasingly dedicated to ensuring the stability of the industry. The Cook Islands has several barriers to entry that prevent the wrongful claim or seizure of trust assets by unlawful creditors.

The Cook Islands also provides a number of benefits including:

• Corporate laws do not recognize foreign judgments forcing any creditor to file a claim within the country in order for any claim to be recognized
• Both the beneficiaries and the settlor have the protection of complete anonymity under the statues that safeguard the details of anyone who has entered into the trusts' structure
• Statute of limitations is one year to prove fraudulent conveyance
• Creditors must prove the assets were placed in the trust intentionally to defraud the particular creditor
• The trust can hold a broad range of assets classes including, funds or accounts, investments, real estate or property.
• All claims against the trust must be made in person within the country and as the Cook Islands is geographically isolated only the very diligent creditor will seek to follow the claim
• The trust structure is tax neutral
• Best asset protection legislation in the world
• A trust used in combination of an LLC gives you complete control over your assets
• Long-standing record of trust integrity 

The legal precedent established by the Cook Islands trust guarantees its impenetrability. Any such real protection arrangement is only so good as it stands the test of time. The Cook Islands have such difficult measures in places that it is world renowned, making it nearly impossible for the trust to be broken into.

Establishing a trust in a country that has a precedent for upholding the statues of a trust is incredibly important, especially in comparison to a domestic jurisdiction where the laws might be either newly established or not time tested and therefore may not carry the same guarantee.

2. Nevis

After the Cook Islands, a Nevis Trust is often considered as the next best place to form a foreign trust. Like The Cook Islands, it has many of the same benefits in its asset protection legislation.

Nevis Trust has several notable benefits including:

• The settlor can also be the beneficiary (meaning the owner who creates the trust can also be the one who benefits from the trust)
• Trusts are allowed to be split or combined
• The trust can hold many different types of assets
• A Nevis trust can exist indefinitely
• Assets can not be broken into by any members of the trust against the beneficiaries will even if under legal duress from a creditor
• Must have a strong burden of proof that the assets were fraudulently transferred in order to move forward a claim
• Nevis courts do not recognize foreign court orders; any legal action taking against a Nevis trust must be made within the country
• There is a short statute of limitations (depending on the case it is 1-2 years) meaning claims that a fraudulent transfer was made into the trust must be made within the time frame
• Any creditor looking to file a claim against the trust must post a 100,000 USD bond before bringing any legal action against the trust
• Deposit is forfeited if legal claims prove to be false and must reimburse legal fees for the trustee
• Creditors must bring the case forward to local Nevis courts (including legal representation)

The most potent form of asset protection is combining a Nevis Trust with an LLC which can hold investments or bank accounts and gives an added layer of protection. 

3. Belize

A Belize Trust has been an industry-standard formation structure for many years. It is often touted by many offshore providers as one of the best offshore trusts in the world. The Trust Act of Belize was formed in 1992 which was amended again in the Belize Trust Act 2007 which further strengthen fraudulent conveyance clauses.

Some of the notable Belize Trust advantages include:

• Tax-free entity
• Trusts are limited to 120 years; whereas charitable trusts are unlimited
• Belize trust details are not open to the public
• Provisions protect assets from reciprocal enforcement of the judgment
• Fees are much lower than Nevis and Cook Islands
• Great estate planning provision to avoid forced heir and inheritance taxes
• Complete confidentiality guaranteed under Belize law

Takeaway

Whatever jurisdiction you chose, you can be assured that you can not go wrong with any of these three countries which together provide the world's best asset protection offshore possibilities.