Cayman Islands Exempt Offshore Company
Overview of a Cayman Islands Offshore Company
The Cayman Islands, a prominent and reputable offshore centre, located on three islands in the Caribbean has a world class legal, banking and financial services network. The Cayman Islands offer six different types of offshore companies, with the Exempt Company having the least restrictions and reporting requirements.
The Islands offer particular advantages to banks, hedge funds and trusts and as a result its offshore banking sector has become the largest in the world with over 600 banks, claims over 85% of the worlds Hedge Funds, and is home to a significant number of leading Trust Companies. The Islands also boast of having several Special Economic Zones and a special business links with China to encourage international investment
The Cayman Islands Company Law dates back to 1961 and is based off the 1921 UK Company Act. There have been four other amendments passed since its inception that have kept the Islands apace with the continually changing nature of the worlds financial system making it a great place to go offshore.
For more information on the Advantages of the Cayman Islands as an Offshore Financial Center, click here.
Advantages of a Cayman Islands Offshore Company
- Tax free jurisdiction
- No corporate taxes
- Availability of Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC) that gives clients a guarantee that their company will not be taxed if in the future the government levies a tax
- Single member ownership is allowed
- No reporting and financial accounting obligations
- Minimal annual return filing requirements
- Prestigious banking jurisdiction
- Sophisticated financial and banking system
- Long standing and renowned offshore banking tradition
- No requirements to keep a registry of its members that is open to the public
- Flexibility in changings its founding documents ie. Memorandum and Articles of Association
- An Exempt Company may offer shares to the public
- The Confidential Relationships (preservations) Law 1976 makes it a criminal offences to divulge information to a third party
- The government does not supports foreign government ‘fishing’ tax requests
- The Cayman Islands have signed a number of tax information exchange agreements with a number of countries in order to retain good relations with trade partners
- British Overseas Territory
- English speaking country
- Quick formation turnaround
- Stable political and economic environment
- Outstanding commercial, financial and professional services
- Excellent communications system
- Reliable and competent legal system based off of English Common Law
- Cayman Islands has business links with China (Companies are approved to be listed on the HK stock exchange)
- Largest offshore banking centre in the world
- Cayman Islands government recently enacted a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to further international investment
Top Uses of an Offshore Structure in the Cayman Islands
- Own company shares or other legal entities
- E-Commerce Companies
- Management Companies
- Hold bank accounts, financial or commercial titles
- Asset Protection
- International Hedge Fund
- International commercial and financial activities
- Ship registration
Key Corporate Features of a Cayman Islands Offshore Exempt Company
| Cayman Islands Exempt Company | Corporate Details |
| General | |
| Type of Entity | Exempt |
| Type of Law | English Common Law |
| Governed by | Companies Law 1961 Companies Law 2007 Revision Companies Amendment 2009, 2011, 2013 |
| Registered Office in Belize | Yes |
| Shelf company availability | Yes |
| Our time to establish a new company | two business day |
| Minimum government fees (excluding taxation) | USD $854 |
| Corporate Taxation | No |
| Access to Double Taxation Treaties | No |
| Share capital or equivalent | |
| Standard currency | US Dollar |
| Permitted currencies | Any |
| Minimum paid up | No minimum |
| Usual authorized | Any amount (USD $50,000 optimal) |
| Bearer shares allowed | Yes |
| No par value shares allowed | Yes |
| Directors | |
| Minimum number | One |
| Local required | No |
| Publicly accessible records | No |
| Location of meetings | Anywhere |
| Corporate directorship allowed | Yes |
| Shareholders | |
| Minimum number | One |
| Publicly accessible records | No |
| Corporate shareholder allowed | Yes |
| Location of meetings | Anywhere |
| Company Secretary | |
| Required | No |
| Local or qualified | No |
| Accounts | |
| Requirements to prepare | Yes |
| Audit requirements | No |
| Requirements to file accounts | No |
| Publicly accessible accounts | No |
| Recurring Government Costs | |
| Minimum Annual Tax / License Fee | USD $854 |
| Annual Return Filing Fee | USD $1250 |
| Other | |
| Requirement to file annual return | Yes, minimal requirements |
| Migration of domicile permitted | Yes |
Cayman Islands Company Product Package
Includes:
- Government Registration Fee (First year)
- Registered Office Address (First year)
- Registered Agent Services (First year)
- Company Secretarial Maintenance
- Certificate of Organisation
- Articles of Organisation
- Minutes of First Organisers Meeting
- Ownership Certificates
- Register of Members
- FREE Phone and/or email consultations
Requirements For Company Formation
To Incorporate an Exempt Company in the Cayman Island the following details are needed:
- Submission of a Memorandum and Articles of Association
- Registration fee
- Amount of authorised share capital, number of shares and class of shares
- Names and addresses of Director must be disclosed to the Registry
- Sworn signed statement that the business activities proposed under the Memorandum will be conducted outside the Cayman Islands
- Name of the LLC
- Registered address of the LLC
- Name and address of the registered agent
Cayman Islands Taxation on Company
There are no taxation requirements within the Cayman Islands for Exempt Companies who conduct their business outside of the Cayman Islands. This includes taxes on income, capital gains, profits, dividends, or capital transfers. The Cayman Islands offer a Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC), though there currently are no taxes, this gives clients a guarantee that their company will not be taxed in the future in case there are changes to the existing company tax law.
Corporate Details
Anonymity, Confidentiality and Disclosure
There are no requirements to disclose beneficial ownership nor the details and personal information of shareholders and directors to the public. However the name and details of the director needs to be submitted to the Company Registry upon submission of incorporation documents. All information is held confidential with minimal personal exposure. The use of nominee directors and shareholders are permitted.
Company Shares
A Cayman Islands Exempt Company can issue registered shares with par or no par value, preference shares, redeemable shares, voting and non-voting shares. Bearer shares are also permitted although they must be held by an authorised depository.
Required Capital
The minimum issued share capital is USD 1 and the usual authorized share capital is USD 50,000 normally divided into 50,000 shares which is the maximum amount of shares given for the minimum amount of capital duty.
Financial Statements Required
An Exempt Company does not need to file any accounts, however, it is required that a company keeps appropriate financial records under the Companies (Amendment) Law 2012 which includes contracts and invoices for up to five years.
Directors
The minimum number of directors required for a Cayman Island Exempt Company is one. A director can be a natural person or a body corporate and of any nationality. Directors details and beneficial owners information are not open to the public, however details of the directors must be submitted to the Company Registry upon incorporation though they are held confidentially.
Company Secretary
There are no requirements for a secretary for a Cayman Island Exempt Company, though it is customary to appoint one. A director can be the company secretary.
Company Meetings
There are no requirements that a Exempt Company needs to conduct formal meetings. If they do take place they can take place anywhere in the world, need not be recorded and can be conducted electronically.
Type of Law
The Cayman Islands law is based off of English Common Law
Shareholders
The minimum number of shareholders required for an Exempt Company is one. A shareholder may be a natural person or a body corporate of any nationality and may reside anywhere in the world. Personal details of shareholders are not publicly available and need not be submitted to the Company Registry.
Exchange Controls
There are no exchange controls in the Cayman Island
Powers of the Company
A Cayman Islands Exempt Company has all the powers given to a natural person.
Language of legislation and Corporate Documents
English is the main and official language of the country and all corporate documents are in English.
Registered Office required
Yes a registered office is required for all Exempt Companies.
Local Presence
There are no local requirements for a Cayman Islands Exempt Company except for a local registered office. A registry of the members of the company must be kept at the local office, though the registry is not open to the public.
Audit Requirements
There are no audit requirements for a Cayman Island Exempt Company.
Annual Reporting
Exempt Companies are required to file annual reports. Though the requirements are minimal and consist only of a short statement that the business operations have been carried out outside of the Cayman Islands, (Section 193 of the Companies Law) and that all Bearer shares are held by a custodian.
Language of Name
A company name can be in any language in the Latin alphabet including Arabic and Chinese if a translation is included.
Access to Double Tax Treaties
The Cayman Islands does not have any Double Tax Treaties in place.
Licence Fee
Licence fee for share capital less than USD 50,000 is USD 854
Companies with a share capital between USD 50,000 and USD 1 million is USD 1,220
Companies with a share capital between USD 1 million and USD 2 million is USD 2,420
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