Last reviewed April 2026 by Anna Modlinska, Company Formation Specialist

Company Formation in Nevis — Register an LLC, IBC, Trust or Foundation

ShelfCompanies24 has been forming Nevis companies for international clients since 1995. Our Nevis registered-agent partners handle every step of company formation in Nevis on a single fixed-price contract — from picking the right legal form through Registrar registration, registered-agent engagement and beneficial-ownership filing. Most clients are trading inside 1–3 weeks, or in 3–7 working days via a ready-made off-the-shelf Nevis entity.

One-figure cost

Single payment covers Registrar filings, registered agent and our service fee.

One-stop-shop

Nevis LLC/IBC + registered agent + banking introduction + asset-protection structuring under one roof.

Speed & service

Standard formation 1–3 weeks. English-speaking case manager.

Fully remote

No notarisation required.

Burden is ours

We file Articles of Organisation/Incorporation, register the BO, organise compliance.

Which Nevis Company Type Should You Register?

Nevis LLC — strongest asset-protection LLC globally

Governed by the Nevis Limited Liability Company Ordinance 1995 (as amended). Charging-order-only remedy, 1-year statute of limitations, US$100,000 creditor bond requirement.

  • Members: 1+, any nationality.
  • Manager: Member-managed or Manager-managed.
  • Registered agent: mandatory.

Nevis IBC (Business Corporation)

Governed by the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance 1984.

  • Shareholders: 1+, any nationality.
  • Directors: at least one.

Other forms

  • Nevis International Exempt Trust — under Nevis Trust Ordinance
  • Nevis Multiform Foundation — distinctive Nevis foundation form (introduced 2004)
  • Branch of foreign company
Form Min. capital Formation time Best for
Nevis LLC None 1–3 weeks Asset-protection, wealth, holding
Nevis IBC None statutory 1–3 weeks Trading, conventional corporate
Nevis Multiform Foundation None 3–6 weeks Private wealth, succession
Off-the-shelf entity Capital varies 3–7 days Need immediate trading

Step-by-Step Nevis Company Formation Process

1. Strategy call and entity choice

Confirm legal form (LLC for asset-protection vs. IBC for trading), member structure, business purpose.

2. Name reservation with Nevis Registrar

Apply via the registered agent.

3. Drafting articles

Articles of Organisation (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (IBC) drafted by our registered agent.

4. Registrar filing

Articles filed with the Nevis Registrar by the registered agent. Certificate issued typically within 1–5 working days.

5. Beneficial Ownership Register filing

BO Register filing per Federation rules.

6. Bank account and operational readiness

Many Nevis clients use offshore-friendly EU/Singapore banks rather than Nevis domestic banks.

Nevis Corporate Tax Environment (2026)

  • 0% CIT on foreign-source income for LLCs and IBCs.
  • 17% Federation VAT on Saint Kitts and Nevis-source goods/services.
  • Annual government fee from US$220.
  • Economic Substance regime in place — Federation aligned with OECD standards.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nevis Company Formation

How long does company formation in Nevis really take?

Standard LLC or IBC: 1–3 weeks. Off-the-shelf transfer: 3–7 working days.

Why choose Nevis LLC over BVI BC for asset protection?

The Nevis LLC’s charging-order-only remedy + 1-year statute of limitations + US$100,000 creditor bond requirement provide stronger asset-protection than the BVI BC’s general framework. For clients prioritising asset protection over operational simplicity, Nevis LLC is structurally superior.

Do I need to be Nevis-resident?

No. Registered agent must be Nevis-licensed; we provide.

What comes after Registrar incorporation?

BO Register filing, bank account opening, ongoing registered-agent service.

Ready to register your Nevis LLC or IBC? Contact our Nevis desk.

Related Services in Nevis

The Nevis Formation Process — Step by Step

Forming a Nevisian IBC through ShelfCompanies24 follows a defined sequence. Knowing what happens at each stage helps you prepare documentation and avoid surprises:

  1. Initial consultation and KYC — your consultant validates your business model against Nevis substance, tax-residency, and licensing requirements. We collect KYC on you and any other beneficial owners (passport, proof of address, source-of-funds declaration).
  2. Name reservation — we run availability and uniqueness checks against the FSRC. Reserved name typically holds for 30 days while documentation is finalised.
  3. Document preparation — memorandum and articles of association, director and shareholder appointments, registered-office agreement, beneficial-owner declarations. All drafted in compliance with Nevis Financial Services Regulatory Commission requirements.
  4. Filing with FSRC — incorporation documents are submitted electronically (or by hand where required). 3 days is our typical end-to-end timeline.
  5. Post-incorporation registrations — tax identification number, beneficial-owner register entry, any sector-specific licences. We handle each as part of the fixed fee.
  6. Bank account introduction — your consultant presents your IBC to one or more banking partners suited to your operating profile. Onboarding KYC runs in parallel with the post-incorporation registrations to compress total time-to-trade.
  7. Handover — you receive an organised digital pack: certificate of incorporation, articles, share certificates, register extracts, tax registration, banking credentials, plus a 12-month compliance calendar.

Documents You’ll Need to Provide

  • Certified passport copy — for every director and beneficial owner. Apostilled where it crosses jurisdictions.
  • Proof of residential address — utility bill or bank statement no older than 3 months, in name of the individual.
  • Source-of-funds declaration — short statement explaining the origin of capital invested into the IBC.
  • Brief business plan — 1-2 pages describing the company’s intended activity, target markets, and approximate revenue/transaction volumes. Used for KYC and bank onboarding.
  • Specimen signature — for the directors who will sign incorporation and banking documents.

Pricing Transparency

The fixed fee for a new Nevisian IBC formation through ShelfCompanies24 starts at EUR 2,200. This single invoice covers:

  • Nevis Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) filing fees
  • Drafting of all incorporation documents
  • Registered office service for the first 12 months
  • Beneficial-owner register filings
  • Tax registration
  • One bank account introduction
  • Apostille and courier (where needed)

Optional add-ons priced separately: virtual office, mail forwarding, accountant retainer, payroll setup, sector-specific licences. Specialised structures (foundations, partnership variants) are quoted individually after the consultation.

Substance, FATCA, CRS, and Economic Substance for Nevis Entities

Modern offshore practice has shifted substantially since 2019. Nevis, like most international financial centres, requires entities engaged in ‘relevant activities’ (banking, insurance, fund management, financing & leasing, headquarters, distribution & service centre, holding-company business, IP, shipping) to demonstrate economic substance — adequate staff, premises, and management presence in Nevis commensurate with the activity carried on. Pure passive holding companies face a reduced substance test; active income-generating activities face the full test.

Nevis-resident corporates are also subject to FATCA and Common Reporting Standard (CRS) automatic exchange of financial-account information with US IRS and OECD partner jurisdictions respectively. We brief every client on these obligations during scoping; they are not deal-breakers but they materially shape how the IBC should be structured and where the beneficial owner sits for tax-residency purposes. Our consultant helps you build a structure that is both efficient and demonstrably compliant — Google’s E-E-A-T standards, OECD pressure, and your home jurisdiction’s controlled-foreign-company rules all push in the same direction: substance matters more than ever.

Your Nevisian Company in 2026 — Tax and Compliance Outlook

Headline Nevis corporate tax in 2026: 0% offshore.

0% on offshore; LLC asset-protection statute is the strongest globally; charging-order-only remedy.

Annual obligations after incorporation typically include FSRC confirmation/return filings, beneficial-owner-register updates whenever ownership changes, and corporate-tax filings on the company’s financial year. Where VAT/sales-tax registration applies, periodic VAT returns are filed on calendar-quarter or monthly cadence depending on turnover. Our retainer-based bookkeeping and tax-compliance service handles the entire annual cycle for a fixed fee — typically EUR 1,500-4,500 per year for a non-trading IBC and EUR 4,000-12,000 for an actively trading one.

Corporate Banking for Your Nevisian IBC

The right bank for a Nevisian IBC depends on what you’ll actually do with the company. Operating-account-only with low transaction volume is straightforward. International EUR/USD multi-currency with high-volume B2B transfers requires a different banking partner. E-commerce processing has yet another set of requirements.

For Nevis entities specifically, we work with relationship managers at international banks that accept nevis-domiciled corporate structures — a noticeably narrower set than for onshore EU companies. The banks that do accept offshore entities focus on substance evidence, beneficial-owner CV, and source-of-funds documentation rather than just incorporation paperwork. Our consultant pre-positions your application against the bank’s specific scoring model so the application clears on first submission.

Comparable Jurisdictions

Operators evaluating Nevis for a formation project frequently also look at:

Each of those jurisdictions has its own trade-off matrix on tax, banking, substance, and operational practicalities. If you’re early in your evaluation, your consultant will walk you through the comparison in the first call — we are deliberately jurisdiction-agnostic about which structure fits your business best.

More Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Nevisian IBC need a local-resident director?

Most Nevis corporate structures do not require a local-resident director — you and your appointed directors can be resident anywhere. A few jurisdictions, and certain regulated activities, do require local-substance directors or a registered local agent. Your consultant confirms the exact requirement for your structure in the initial call.

How do I close or sell my Nevisian IBC later?

A Nevisian IBC can be wound up voluntarily through a FSRC dissolution procedure (typical timeline 6-12 months including the statutory creditor-notice period). It can also be sold — the share-purchase mechanism is the same one we use to transfer shelf companies, just operating in reverse. We handle both routes; clients often resell a no-longer-needed IBC as a shelf entity to recover part of the original investment.

Are there sector-specific licences I should know about?

Some activities require sector-specific licences in Nevis — banking, insurance, investment services, crypto-asset services, gambling, and others depending on your business model. The standard IBC we form is suitable for non-regulated commercial activity; licensing is layered on afterwards where needed. Your consultant confirms the licence position for your specific activity during the initial scoping call.

What if I need to operate in multiple countries?

A Nevisian IBC can hold subsidiaries, branches, or contractual relationships in other jurisdictions. The optimal multi-country structure depends on tax-residency rules, treaty access, transfer pricing, and beneficial-owner reporting in each country. ShelfCompanies24 covers 56 jurisdictions across our network, so we can implement a multi-country structure end-to-end without you needing separate providers in each country.

How do I get started?

Send us a short message with your country preference (or that you’re undecided), the activity you have in mind, and whether you’d prefer a pre-formed shelf IBC ready in 48 hours (from EUR 4,000) or a fresh formation taking 3 days (from EUR 2,200). We respond within one working day with a fixed-fee proposal tailored to your situation. The first consultation is free and covers structure, tax, banking, and timelines — no obligation.

What ongoing support does ShelfCompanies24 provide after the IBC is formed?

Our retainer-based ongoing service covers the full annual lifecycle of a Nevisian IBC: registered office and mail handling, accounting and bookkeeping, periodic VAT/sales-tax filings (where applicable), payroll for any employed staff, beneficial-owner-register maintenance, FSRC confirmation/return filings, and the year-end financial statements plus corporate-tax return. We also provide a dedicated point of contact who knows your file and signs off every filing — no rotating-account-manager experience. Specialised work (transfer-pricing studies, restructurings, M&A on the IBC, or sector-specific licensing) is quoted separately. Most clients find the predictable annual fixed fee far easier to budget than buying piecemeal services from local accountants and lawyers, especially when starting out in Nevis.

What happens if my circumstances change and I no longer need the IBC?

You have three practical options. Voluntary dissolution through a FSRC winding-up is the cleanest route — fixed-fee handled by us, typically completed inside 6-12 months including the statutory creditor-notice period. Sale of the IBC as a shelf entity to another buyer is sometimes possible — especially if it has clean trading history and a recognisable name; we evaluate this on a case-by-case basis. Mothballing via reduced-cost dormant filings keeps the IBC alive at minimal annual cost (registered office plus nil filings, typically EUR 1,200-1,800 per year) for the day you might want to use it again. Your consultant walks you through trade-offs before you commit either way.

We accept cryptocurrency payments Get details →