St. Vincent Company Formation

Want a company that takes a day to register, costs about a hundred dollars a year to keep alive, and doesn't tax the money you earn abroad? St Vincent company formation still does all three. The islands rebuilt their rules in 2018 to meet EU and OECD standards, so what you get now is a cleaner, better-respected structure than the old one. You can own it from anywhere, run it with one director, and open a business bank account without ever flying to Kingstown. Here's exactly how setting up a company there works in 2026.

The IBC No Longer Exists — Read This First

St. Vincent and the Grenadines abolished the International Business Company (IBC) at the end of 2018. Under the International Business Companies (Amendment and Consolidation) (Amendment) Act, No. 36 of 2018, the statute was renamed the Business Companies Act and every IBC became a Business Company (BC). You cannot register a new IBC today. New clients are incorporated as a BC or as a St Vincent LLC. Everything below reflects the current law.

What Types of Companies Can You Register in St. Vincent?

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines offers several types of companies, but two structures do almost all the international work. Both are supervised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), and both must be filed through a licensed local agent. Whichever you pick, the St Vincent and the Grenadines company you end up with is a separate legal person that can contract, hold assets and sue in its own name.

• Business Company (BC) — the direct replacement for the old IBCs. Governed by the Business Companies (Amendment and Consolidation) Act, Cap 149. Shares, directors, shareholders. This is the default trading company.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) — governed by the Limited Liability Companies Act, Cap 151. Run by managers and members under an Operating Agreement instead of by directors and shares. The LLC comes in two flavours: a Single LLC or a Series LLC.

A BC can be formed as a company limited by shares, limited by guarantee, limited by both, or unlimited. Limited by shares is what nearly everyone picks. Both are legitimate offshore structures; the choice usually comes down to whether your bank and your home-country accountant prefer to see shares or membership interests.

BC or LLC — A Quick Comparison

Fees taken directly from the FSA fee schedule, cross-checked against the Authority's pages for Business Companies and Limited Liability Companies. The Series LLC variable annual fee is US$250 per series, subject to a maximum of US$10,000.

Why Form a Company in St Vincent and the Grenadines?

The islands lost their old tax-exemption pitch in 2018 — and quietly got more useful because of it. A jurisdiction that passes EU screening is a jurisdiction your bank will actually accept.

• Foreign income isn't taxed. St. Vincent runs a territorial system. Money your company earns outside the islands falls outside the corporate tax net.
• No capital gains tax. The Inland Revenue Department lists no capital gains tax among the taxes it administers.
• One person is enough. The Authority allows a company with a single director and a single shareholder — and they can be the same person.
• Live wherever you like. Shareholders, directors and officers may reside anywhere in the world. There is no residency or nationality test.
• Cheap to keep. US$100 a year to the government keeps a BC in good standing.
• Fast. Registration happens within 24 hours of a complete application reaching the registry.
• Meetings anywhere. Directors and members can meet wherever they decide, including by video.

How Does the St. Vincent Company Formation Process Work?

You will never file anything yourself. By law, every application reaches the Registrar through a licensed St. Vincent registered agent. That agent is us. The incorporation process is broadly the same whether you choose a BC or an LLC — here is the company formation process from your side of the desk.

1. Pick your company name. We run it against the register. It cannot match or closely resemble an existing entity, and it cannot suggest royal, government or municipal backing.
2. Tell us what the company will do. The regulator requires every applicant to state the nature of the business activities it intends to carry on. This is not a formality — it drives your risk rating.
3. Send your due diligence. Certified passport, proof of address, and a copy of a bank statement or other source-of-funds evidence. The Authority requires full customer due diligence on the ultimate beneficial owner, shareholder and director to reach the agent before the application is filed. See the checklist below.
4. We file. Articles of Incorporation, Notice of Directors and Members, and the government fee go to the Registrar of Business Companies.
5. You receive your company documents. Certificate of Incorporation, registers, and share certificates — usually within 24 hours of a complete filing.
6. Get your tax number. A newly company incorporated in St. Vincent must obtain a Tax Identification Number (TIN) from the Inland Revenue Department.

Documents Required for Offshore Due Diligence

Anti-money-laundering rules set the requirements for offshore onboarding, and they apply to every beneficial owner, director and shareholder:

• Certified colour copy of a valid passport
• Certified national ID or driver's licence
• Proof of address dated within the last three months — utility bill, or a certified bank statement
• A bank or professional reference letter
• Evidence of source of funds

What Does St. Vincent Company Formation Cost?

Two numbers matter: what the government charges, and what your agent charges to do the work.

Government fees are fixed and published by the FSA. Registration is US$125. The annual fee is US$100. Any other application or filing is US$50. These are among the lowest government fees of any Caribbean jurisdiction — Panama's franchise tax alone is US$300 a year, and the BVI's annual licence fee starts at US$550.

Our fees. An Offshore Protection formation service for a new SVG company starts from US$1,395, with annual renewal from US$1,095. That covers the government fee, the registered office, the registered agent licence and your full set of corporate documents.

The costs of maintaining the company are the part people underestimate. Your renewal covers the government fee, the registered office and the registered agent licence. Nominee services, if you use them, renew separately.

How Is St. Vincent Company Formation Changing in 2026?

The direction of travel is transparency, and St. Vincent is keeping pace rather than resisting.

The stat: On 28 May 2026, the Financial Action Task Force published a Follow-Up Report on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, tracking its progress against the technical requirements of the FATF Recommendations since its February 2024 Mutual Evaluation. St. Vincent is not on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring — the so-called grey list — as of the Authority's 19 June 2026 statement. The British Virgin Islands is.

Crypto and forex now need a licence. This is the biggest practical change for anyone forming an SVG company in 2026. The Virtual Asset Business Act, enacted in 2022, became effective on 31 May 2025. A Business Company or LLC that carries on virtual asset business in or from within SVG must now register with the FSA through its registered agent, and the application runs to roughly 90 days with a business plan, AML/CFT policies, fit-and-proper assessment of directors and beneficial owners, and a principal representative resident in SVG for foreign entities. Government fees are XCD 4,000 to apply and XCD 12,000 to register, renewable annually at XCD 12,000. If you were planning to run an unlicensed crypto or forex operation through an SVG shell, that route is closed.

What 25 years of formation work tells us: the jurisdictions that survive are the boring ones. When St. Vincent gave up its tax-exemption regime in 2018, a lot of promoters treated it as a death sentence and moved their marketing elsewhere. The opposite happened. Compliance officers at correspondent banks stopped treating an SVG entity as an automatic red flag, because there was no longer a ring-fenced tax carve-out to explain away. Clients who once needed three weeks to get an account opened now get answers in days. Losing the headline benefit bought something worth more: a company in St Vincent that a bank will actually onboard.

Where this likely goes: if the current pattern holds, expect the pressure to land on substance rather than secrecy. Economic substance returns and beneficial-ownership filing are already in force, and the virtual-asset regime shows the Authority is willing to license rather than ban. The plausible next step is tighter enforcement and higher penalties for late or thin filings, not new restrictions on who may form a company. That is a prediction based on the direction of the last three review cycles, not a certainty — treat it as a planning assumption and keep your filings current.

Tax Rules for a St. Vincent Company

Forget everything you have read about 25-year tax exemptions. That regime is gone, and any page still advertising it is out of date.

Since December 2018 the tax exemptions and ring-fencing were removed, and St. Vincent moved to a territorial system. The Inland Revenue Department's economic substance guidance sets out how this works in practice:

• Corporate Income Tax is 28% on profits sourced in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, per the Inland Revenue Department. Foreign-source income falls outside it. Note: several competing guides still quote 30% — that figure is out of date. The IRD publishes 28%.
• Income tax returns for companies are due three months after the financial year ends.
• Withholding tax on services paid to non-residents is 20%, rental 10%, and 15% on CARICOM royalties, interest and management fees.
• VAT is 16% standard-rated (11% on accommodation), with registration required above XCD 300,000 in annual sales.
• Companies carrying on geographically mobile business must meet economic substance requirements and file an annual substance return. The relevant activities are banking, distribution and service centre, finance and leasing, fund management, headquarters, holding entity, insurance, intellectual property holding, and shipping.

If your offshore business earns nothing inside the islands, your St. Vincent tax bill is generally nil — but the return is still required to be filed. Filing zero is not the same as not filing.

Company Requirements at a Glance

The Authority publishes its requirements plainly. These are the ones that decide whether your structure works.

• Registered agent: mandatory. Every application to the Registrar goes through a licensed local firm.
• Due diligence: full CDD on the ultimate beneficial owner, shareholder and director must reach the agent before the application is filed.
• Directors and shareholders: a company may have only one of each. Corporate directors are permitted.
• Shares: registered shares only. Bearer shares are not permitted.
• Share capital: no minimum. Capital may be expressed in any currency, and annual fees are not linked to it.
• Business activity: must be stated on incorporation.
• Licensing: a company cannot carry on banking, insurance, mutual funds, virtual asset business or other licensed activity without an FSA licence.
• Land: a company may own land in SVG once it holds an Alien Land Holding Licence.
• Company secretary: not required.

Opening a Bank Account for Your St. Vincent Company

Registration and banking are two different projects, and the second one takes longer.

Your company will need a corporate bank account to trade. St. Vincent companies bank across the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the digital-EMI sector; the right business bank depends on where your customers are and what you sell. Expect the bank to ask for the same due diligence the registered agent already collected, plus a clear description of expected flows.

Realistic timelines run from a few days with a payment institution to several weeks with a traditional bank. Some offshore banks will want an initial deposit; many will not. An offshore bank account is not automatic, and any agent promising a guaranteed approval is selling you something they cannot deliver.

Privacy and Disclosure: What Is Actually Confidential Now

This is where most published information about St. Vincent is simply wrong, so read carefully.

The Preservation of Confidential Relationships (International Finance) Act 1996 no longer exists. It was repealed outright by section 9 of the Exchange of Information Act 2002 (Act No. 29 of 2002), which replaced it with a framework for assisting foreign regulatory authorities. Any provider still selling St. Vincent on the strength of "the world's strictest confidentiality law" is citing a statute that has been off the books for more than twenty years. We have removed every claim that rested on it.

Ownership is private from the public, not from regulators. Your registered agent holds full beneficial-ownership records and must produce them to the authorities on request. St. Vincent has enacted beneficial-ownership register legislation and participates in the Common Reporting Standard and FATCA, so account information flows to tax authorities automatically.

What you do get is commercial privacy, and it is worth being precise about where that stops. Director and member details are filed with the Registrar at incorporation: the Authority requires Articles of Incorporation and a Notice of Directors and Members before a company is registered. What the public can browse is far narrower. The FSA's entity search, refreshed weekly, publishes a company's name, registration number, entity type, status, date of incorporation and registered agent, and nothing about who owns or directs it. Registering the company's own registers of members and directors with the Registrar is a separate step the company elects to take under section 184 of the Act, and can later cancel. So a competitor or a journalist cannot look up your name online; what a determined litigant can obtain by asking the Registrar for the company file is a different question, and one to put to your agent in writing before you incorporate. It is not secrecy, and structuring your affairs as though it were secrecy is how people get into trouble.

Annual Renewal and Ongoing Compliance

Keeping the company alive is cheap. Keeping it compliant takes a diary.

• Pay the US$100 government annual fee to maintain good standing.
• Maintain the registered agent and registered office in SVG.
• Keep financial records sufficient to explain the company's transactions. They may be held at the agent's office or elsewhere by resolution of the directors.
• File the annual tax return, whether or not tax is payable.
• File the economic substance return where the company carries on relevant activity.
• File annual financial statements if gross revenue for the year exceeded US$4 million or total assets exceeded US$2 million; otherwise a declaration of solvency signed by the directors. Either way something is filed, within five months of the company's balance date. The Act does not require an audit — the statements are signed off by the directors. Those thresholds are in US dollars: the Business Companies Act defines "dollar" as the currency of the United States, which is also why the government fees above are quoted in US$. Guides that publish EC-dollar figures are reading the same section as local currency.

Corporate Details

Are Shelf Companies or Ready-Made Companies Available?

Sometimes an aged entity opens doors that a brand-new one does not. Not here.

Shelf companies — also sold as ready-made offshore companies — are non-trading entities registered earlier and held until someone buys them. The appeal is age: an older registration date can smooth introductions with banks and counterparties. St. Vincent shelf companies are not available. Because a St. Vincent company incorporation completes within 24 hours, the time-saving argument barely applies here anyway. If an aged entity is genuinely what your structure needs, talk to us about jurisdictions where they exist.

St. Vincent Company Formation with Offshore Protection

Your company registration package includes:

1. Government registration fee (first year)
2. Registered office address (first year)
3. Registered agent services (first year)
4. Company secretarial maintenance
5. Certificate of Incorporation
6. Memorandum & Articles of Association
7. Appointment of first directors
8. Consent actions of the BOD
9. Share certificates
10. Register of Directors
11. Register of Officers
12. Register of Shareholders
13. Free phone and email consultations

Join thousands of satisfied clients who have used Offshore Protection for more than 25 years. Buy any offshore corporate formation product and you get free support from our lawyers on day-to-day management questions.

Start your St Vincent company registration with Offshore-Protection.com today. Order a St. Vincent Business Company or St Vincent LLC, with or without a bank account, below.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can a foreigner start a business in St. Vincent and the Grenadines?

  Yes. There is no residency or nationality requirement. The Authority confirms that shareholders, directors and officers of a St. Vincent company may reside anywhere in the world, and their meetings may be held wherever they decide. You do not need to visit the islands. Everything is filed through a licensed local registered agent on your behalf. The only practical limits come from your agent's and your bank's own risk policies, which may exclude certain nationalities or high-risk activities.

• How much does it cost to form and renew a St. Vincent company?

  Government fees are fixed: US$125 to register a Business Company or Single LLC, US$100 a year afterwards, and US$50 for any other application or filing. A Series LLC costs US$500 to register, with an annual fee of US$300 plus US$250 per series up to a US$10,000 cap. Agent fees sit on top. Our St. Vincent formation package starts from US$1,395, with annual renewal from US$1,095, covering the government fee, registered office, registered agent and your corporate documents. Nominee services and bank account introductions are priced separately.

• Is the St. Vincent IBC still available?

  No. The International Business Company was abolished at the end of 2018 by Act No. 36 of 2018. The governing statute was renamed the Business Companies Act and all IBCs became Business Companies. New clients are registered as a Business Company or as a Limited Liability Company. Any provider still advertising a new St. Vincent IBC is working from outdated material.

• How long does St. Vincent company formation take?

  The Authority registers both Business Companies and LLCs within 24 hours of receiving a complete application. In practice the clock starts when your due diligence clears, not when you place the order, so allow a few days overall. Bank account opening is separate and takes considerably longer.

• Do I need to visit St. Vincent to register my company?

  No. The entire process runs remotely through your registered agent. You send certified copies of your identification documents electronically, and your company documents are delivered the same way. Some agents require original certified documents by post before releasing hard copies.

• How many directors and shareholders does a St. Vincent company need?

  One of each is enough, and the same person can hold both roles. Directors may be individuals or corporate bodies, of any nationality, and need not live in St. Vincent. An LLC works the same way with a single manager and a single member.

• Are bearer shares allowed in St. Vincent?

  No. The Authority states plainly that a Business Company may issue registered shares only, and bearer shares are not permitted. This changed with the 2018 reforms. A company also cannot convert registered shares into bearer shares. Pages that still advertise St. Vincent bearer shares are describing a regime that no longer exists.

• Does a St. Vincent company pay tax?

  St. Vincent operates a territorial tax system. The Inland Revenue Department charges corporate income tax at 28% on profits sourced within St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and foreign-source income falls outside the charge. Some competing guides still quote 30%; the IRD publishes 28%. There is no capital gains tax. Every company must still obtain a Tax Identification Number and file an annual return within three months of its financial year end, even where no tax is due. Your home country will tax you according to its own rules, so take local advice.

• What is the minimum share capital?

  There is no minimum. Share capital may be expressed in any currency, and the annual government fee is not linked to the amount of capital. The minimum issued capital is a single share, with or without par value.

• Can my St. Vincent company do business inside the islands?

  Yes. The restriction that stopped the old IBCs from trading with residents was removed by the 2018 reforms. Business Companies can now transact locally. Bear in mind that income earned inside St. Vincent becomes taxable at 28%, and some activities need a licence.

• Do I need a company secretary?

  No. There is no requirement for a company secretary in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for either a Business Company or an LLC.

• What documents do I need to provide?

  For each beneficial owner, director and shareholder: a certified copy of a valid passport, a certified national ID or driver's licence, proof of address dated within the last three months such as a utility bill or bank statement, a bank or professional reference letter, and evidence of source of funds. Corporate shareholders must also supply their own incorporation documents and registers. All of this must reach the registered agent before the application is filed.

• Does my St. Vincent company have to file accounts?

  Something is filed every year. A company above the small-company threshold files financial statements; every other company files a declaration of solvency signed by its directors. Both are due within five months of the company's balance date, which defaults to 31 December unless the board adopts another date with the Registrar's approval. The Act does not require an audit, so there is no auditor's fee attached to crossing the threshold. Separately, you file a tax return with the Inland Revenue Department within three months of your financial year end, and an economic substance return if you carry on a relevant activity.

• Can I run a crypto or forex business through a St. Vincent company?

  Only with a licence. The Virtual Asset Business Act took effect on 31 May 2025, and a Business Company or LLC carrying on virtual asset business in or from within St. Vincent must now register with the Financial Services Authority through its registered agent. Expect roughly 90 days, a five-year business plan, AML/CFT and cyber-security policies, fit-and-proper assessment of directors and beneficial owners, and a principal representative resident in SVG if the applicant is a foreign entity. Government fees are XCD 4,000 to apply and XCD 12,000 to register, renewable annually. The days of running an unlicensed forex or crypto operation from an SVG shell are over.

• Is St. Vincent still a secrecy jurisdiction?

  No, and it has not been for a long time. The Preservation of Confidential Relationships (International Finance) Act 1996, still cited across the industry as the strictest privacy law in the world, was repealed by section 9 of the Exchange of Information Act 2002. St. Vincent also participates in the Common Reporting Standard and FATCA, and beneficial-ownership information is held by your registered agent and available to regulators on request. What St. Vincent offers today is commercial privacy rather than secrecy: the FSA public entity search lists a company name, registration number, entity type, status, date of incorporation and registered agent, not its directors or owners, although director and member details are filed with the Registrar at incorporation.

Ready to Register Your St. Vincent Company?

A St. Vincent Business Company gives you a fast, low-cost company setup with no tax on foreign income, no minimum capital, and no requirement to live anywhere in particular. One director, one shareholder, twenty-four hours. The 2018 reforms traded away the old exemptions and bought something better: a structure banks accept. Talk to Offshore Protection about forming your entity in St Vincent — and let us handle the filings.