Nevis LLC Formation

Nevis offers a Limited Liability Company (LLC) a structure that combines aspects of both a limited partnership and a private company to clients interested in forming an offshore company vehicle for collective investment schemes or other collaborative professional projects.

A Nevis LLC gives limited liability to its non-managerial members, protecting the personal assets of the parties that remain separate from the dealings and debts taken on by the company, making it an ideal corporate instrument.

All Nevis based LLC’s are protected by a common law legal framework with several pieces of legislation through the country’s Limited Liability Company Ordinance 1995 that created stringent financial privacy measures and confidentiality provisions ensuring maximum protection from public scrutiny.

Nevis has enacted two supporting Amendments in 2009 and 2015 that have further shown the governments commitment in continuing to support the jurisdictions offshore financial sector.

Nevis has several offshore corporate structures that are popular including a Nevis Company and a Nevis Foundation both which have been popular offshore formation products for offshore businesses.

A LLC has strong asset protection legislation that it is often used as an alternative to a Trust, as a manager can be used and is similar to that of a trustee and its members can be used similarly as a beneficiary.

LLC’s are also very popular vehicle for joint venture arrangements that are arranged through various international jurisdictions as each venture can enjoy all the benefits of incorporation though each member is made only liable for taxation in their own country.

At the most simple level, think of an LLC as a sleek cross between a company and a partnership, with all of the benefits of both. The general advantages of LLCs are enhanced by the jurisdictional advantage of Nevis, the first offshore financial centre anywhere to enact a Limited Liability Ordinance.

Nevis is a popular and affordable option widely known within the international financial and business community, as it has continuously provided clients with a safe and secure environment, the government continually standing its ground, supporting its long standing offshore financial industry.

Nevis also offers a citizenship by investment program which offers a passport for to individuals who contribute a development investment in real-estate or monetary contribution.

For more information on the Advantages of Nevis as an Offshore Financial Center, click here.

Advantages & Top Uses of a Nevis LLC

Excellent Privacy

• Since the beneficial owners and/or managers are not registered anywhere an LLC provides complete anonymity.
• Nevis has strict privacy-oriented laws that forbid any registering, recording, or disclosure of directors and shareholders of exempt companies incorporated there. This means that no annual or other reports by members need to be filed in the public records of Nevis; therefore, there is complete anonymity and their identities are not accessible by any outside party.
• The company's records may be located anywhere in the world.
• All of the affairs of the LLC are private and cannot be disclosed except under truly exceptional circumstances such as links to international terrorism. The only document that needs to be filed with the government is the annual corporate license and this contains minimal information. There is no annual report or annual financial return that needs to be made to the government. There is no public inspection of your LLCs' records. Confidentiality is further enhanced if the LLC appoints our company as manager and we perform the minimal corporate duties required under Nevisian law.

Excellent Asset Protection Features

• A Nevis LLC enables you to protect your assets and funds from government agencies, creditors, and lawsuits.
• As an owner, you are not exposed to personal liability.
• As an owner, you can participate in management without becoming personally liable for the company's debts.
• A Nevis LLC is particularly advantageous for asset protection purposes since there are no shares that can be attached by a court of law.
• Members are not liable for obligations of the company.

Tax Free

All LLCs are free from all forms of Nevisian taxation. There are no Nevisian taxes on dividends, income, capital distribution, or wages whatsoever. Moreover, unlike many onshore jurisdictions, Nevis does not tax an LLC for accumulated (but undistributed) earnings

Enhanced Confidentiality

Nevisian LLC laws contain many requirements related to confidentiality including strict financial secrecy laws. Strict legal requirements, known as fiduciary duties, would also govern the behavior of Offshore-Protection if acting as a manager of an LLC. 

These fiduciary duties are imposed on managers by both the equivalent of the LLCs bylaws and by the proper law of the LLC (usually the law of the country where the manager is located, i.e. Panama). Many of these fiduciary requirements relate to secrecy and accounting obligations by which the manager must abide. Nevisian LLC and Panamanian law prevent our company from discussing your LLC business with anyone you have not instructed us to talk to.

Other governments’ agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service in the United States, Revenue Canada, or the Inland Revenue in the United Kingdom cannot force Offshore-Protection to discuss your business with them unless they obtain a court order against you or us or both, ordering us to make disclosure.

But a court order from their respective jurisdiction is useless in Nevis or Panama. In accordance with strong Nevisian law, a judgment from outside of Nevis will not be recognised by Nevisian courts. This means an onshore judgment creditor who won a lawsuit against you or your LLC in, for example, the U.S. or Germany cannot take that U.S. or German judgment and require a Nevisian court to enforce it.

In addition to not recognizing the judgments of other countries, Nevisian law and Nevisian courts do not favor the granting of court orders against LLCs except under truly exceptional circumstances. Nevisian law favors upholding the independence and application of its own law over the enforcement of foreign, onshore laws.

Nevis LLCs Provide These Additional Advantages

• LLCs provide a mechanism by which managers can limit the authority of non-managing members.
• LLCs have no limitation on the number of members.
• There are no limitations on ownership of an LLC.
• No corporate tax, income tax, withholding tax, stamp tax, asset tax, exchange controls or other fees or taxes are levied in Nevis on assets or income originating outside of Nevis.
• Members of Nevis LLCs may be individuals or business entities of any nationality or domicile.
• Nevis LLCs may amend their Articles of Organisation, merge, or consolidate with other domestic or foreign LLCs or other business entities.
• Members of Nevis LLCs may assign their interests to other parties unless restricted otherwise.
• Nevis permits sole member LLCs.
• Management of LLCs may be accomplished by the members or by managers designated by the members.
• Nevis LLCs face no stock limitations and can issue preferred interests analogous to preferred stock of corporations.
• A Nevis LLC is an excellent vehicle if used by a group of investors for a joint venture investment. In this respect it functions as if it were a Limited Partnership, but with all the added features and advantages mentioned above of an LLC that Limited Partnerships for the most part do not have.
• A Nevis LLC can be set up within 24 hours and has low initial cost and low annual fees.

Unique Features of a Nevis Offshore LLC

• Beneficial owners, members and directors are not registered with the company registry
• Benefit from personal liability
• No corporate or local taxation
• No annual reporting
• No need to file financial statements or audit of accounts
• No public disclosure of any records, details, or financial information
• A LLC structure gives managers flexibility in limiting the authority of non managing members
• Sole membership is available
• Quick process and minimal annual costs
• Respected offshore financial centre
• No limitation as to the number of members
• Perfect vehicle for joint ventures
• Fraudulent transfer accusation has two year statute of limitations
• Can issue preferred interests that are similar to preferred stock of corporations
• Nevis was the first offshore jurisdiction that enacted LLC legislation

Top Uses of a Nevis LLC

• International business
• Multi-jurisdictional projects
• Asset protection
• Professional groups
• Family or estate planning
• Collective investment vehicle
• Trading Company
• Holding Company
• International Investment Company
• Tax planning vehicle
• Consultancy
• Professional Services
• Copyright and property holding

Key Corporate Features of a Nevis LLC