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Company
Formation Bahamas -Offshore Company formation
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double taxation agreements
(DTA) |
NO |
| Corporate tax Offshore Companies |
NO |
| Corporate
tax Onshore Companies
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NO |
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tax free receipt of foreign dividends |
NO |
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EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive applicable |
No |
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Holding company privileges |
Yes |
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Banking secrecy |
High |
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Nominee relationships allowed |
Yes |
The closest island to the United States is
Bimini, which is
also known as the gateway to the Bahamas. The island of
Abaco is to the
east of
Grand Bahama. The
southeasternmost island is
Great Inagua.
Other notable islands include the Bahamas' largest island,
Andros Island,
and
Eleuthera,
Cat Island,
Long Island,
San Salvador Island,
Acklins,
Crooked Island,
Exuma and
Mayaguana.
Nassau, the
Bahamas capital city, lies on the island of
New Providence.
All the islands are low and flat, with ridges
that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft). The highest
point in the country is Mount Alvernia, or Como Hill, which has an
altitude of 63 metres (210 ft). To the southeast, the
Turks and Caicos Islands,
and three more extensive submarine features called
Mouchoir Bank,
Silver Bank, and
Navidad Bank, are
geographically a continuation of the Bahamas, but not part of the
Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
The climate of the Bahamas is subtropical to
tropical, and is moderated significantly by the waters of the
Gulf Stream,
particularly in winter.[11]
Conversely, this often proves very dangerous in
the summer and autumn, when hurricanes pass near or through the islands.
Hurricane Andrew
hit the northern islands during the
1992 Atlantic hurricane season,
and
Hurricane Floyd
hit most of the islands during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season.
Hurricane Frances
hit in 2004; the Atlantic hurricane season of 2004 was expected to be
the worst ever for the islands. Also in 2004, the northern Bahamas were
hit by a less potent
Hurricane Jeanne.
In 2005 the northern islands were once again struck, this time by
Hurricane Wilma.
In Grand Bahama, tidal surges and high winds destroyed homes and schools,
floated graves and made roughly 1,000 people homeless, most of whom
lived on the west coast of the island.
While there has never been a freeze reported in
the Bahamas, the temperature can fall as low as 2-3°C during Arctic
outbreaks that affect nearby Florida. Snow has been reported to have
mixed with rain in Freeport in January, 1977, the same time that it
snowed in the Miami, FL area. The temperature was about 5°C at the time.
Services provided by our Law Firm – or our Partner Network:
-Formation of
the company, Apostille, upon request certified translation of the
formation documents
-Certificate of Incorporation:
The certificate of incorporation is an official document that confirms
the name of a registered company, as well as the registration number.
-Certificate
of Good Standing
-Ranging from
Registered Office to maintaining a business office
- Upon request:
Nominee Director (attorney acts as a trustee and acts as the Director of
the company during the formation phase) and / or Nominee Shareholder
(natural person or legal entity – Law firm acts as a trustee in the form
of the shareholder of the company)
- Upon
request:
Permanent Nominee Director (Attorney acts
as trustee in the capacity of Director of the company during the entire
term of the agreement)
Clarification:
A production site, a site for the exploitation of mineral
resources or construction works whose duration is greater than 12 months
always constitutes the establishment of a place of business in the
country of the company's seat
(for
example: Belize, BVI, Cayman Islands, Nevis etc….), independent „of the
place of managerial supervision” (analogous to Article 5 OECD_Model
Convention). Otherwise the taxable permanent establishment is defined
via the „place of managerial supervision”.
As a rule this implies, that a person who
maintains his ordinary residence in the country of the company's seat
must act as the Director of the company.
Either the client or an agent relocates his ordinary residence to the
country of the company’s seat and he, himself, acts as the Director of
the company or our Law Firm in the country of the company’s seat
provides a Nominee Director.
Alternative: For example: The Danish client / founder acts as the
Director of the company and establishes credibility that he is present
in the country of the company’s seat within the course of carrying out
the required managerial supervision. Due to the fact that as a rule tax
havens (Belize, BVI Cayman Islands, Nevis etc…) do not maintain a public
commercial register, the installation of a “Nominee Director in the
formation phase” is possible and not necessarily a "permanently present
Nominee Director”.
- Upon request:
Bearer shares
- Upon request:
Liechtenstein Institute as the shareholder of the company
Clarification:
The shareholder or the shareholders are the „Owner”
of the company. It can be individuals or companies.
Bearer shares, nominee shareholder or for
example a Liechtenstein Institute as a shareholder serve to conceal the
true ownership relationships.
Which constellation is best suited, is
dependent upon different prerequisites. We would welcome the opportunity
to discuss this with you in a personal setting.
- Opening of an
account in the name of the company, incl. Online banking and VisaCard
(in the case of bearer shares the opening of an account is often only
possible, if the client / founder is not present at the opening of the
account)
- Upon request:
Investment account in Switzerland (Minimum deposit 10,000 CHF)
- To the extent
it is a requirement of domestic law: Provision of proof of the exempt
status to the authorities (most tax havens differentiate between
offshore and onshore companies. Onshore companies are taxed normally,
offshore companies – i.e. companies which transact business outside of
the country are not taxed. The Cayman Islands is the exception: Real
zero-tax haven)
Basic
considerations within the framework of international taxation
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