Offshore Companies
offshore company formation - privacy & tax minimization

Offshore Company Formation



Before we get to know about offshore company formation, it would be wiser to known what an offshore company is. An offshore company or an offshore international business company is a company that has been incorporated in a tax haven where there are no corporate or personal income taxes, capital gains taxes, reporting requirements, or restrictions of any sort. An offshore company refers to a company that is formed in an area outside one’s own jurisdiction. An offshore corporation refers to a company that is formed in an offshore jurisdiction. Some countries like the Seychelles or Mauritius are popular countries as they have very little or no corporate regulations, very few taxes, and they charge moderate fees. Countries with no taxes are known as tax havens. However, there is only one restriction which is that the company should not conduct business within the territory of the tax haven.

Many people dream of setting up their own offshore company and becoming the boss – you too can do so and see that your company becomes a reality very soon. It is possible that you are employed elsewhere, but you still have the inherent urge to start your own offshore company. There are many offshore company formation agencies that would definitely help you in this regard.

Today, we find that offshore company formation is not just for business moguls alone. You will find that having an offshore company is now within your reach. You will be surprised to see that there are a few countries that can help you preserve your earnings with more privacy with almost no taxation. The process of an offshore company formation has detailed procedures as laid down by the law of the country where you would be starting your company. The offshore company formation agencies will take care of all the formalities and paper work required for opening the company.

Taxes are a major concern for the formation of an offshore company. The company formation agencies maintain complete and up-to-date information about the latest tax laws prevailing in almost all the countries and are extremely competent to advise you to how to maximize your assets and profits and how to lessen your tax liability. Another important factor to remember is that the policies of some countries keep changing so rapidly that a country which was favorable to offshore investment last month may not be so now. Therefore, chose a company which has knowledge of the latest information including privy information.

Usually, offshore company formation is done to fulfill the following objectives:

• To protect your assets from claims, lawsuits, or taxation
• To maintain financial privacy and confidentiality
• To be free of restrictive business laws
• To permit your clients to expand their business globally
• To permit your clients to reduce their tax liabilities

Some countries tempt foreign investors to open offshore companies in their country by offering the following advantages:

• Exemption from all local taxes and stamp duty
• Online incorporation and name reservation
• Limited public filing requirements, optional disclosure of directors and share holders
• No accounting or annual general body meeting requirements
• Freedom to sell or transfer assets
• Availability of bearer shares without any minimum required capital
• Issues of shares in any currency
• Access to experienced and reliable locally available industry professionals.

We have seen that offshore company formation is not as herculean a task as you had imagined it to be. So, why not go ahead and start your offshore company.