🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands registers non-resident corporations and LLCs under company law modelled on Delaware. It is the established home of vessel-owning and maritime finance structures, and pays no local tax on income earned outside the country.
Who it suits
Who it does not
Living
A Pacific nation used purely as a corporate domicile; the registry is run through international offices rather than on the islands.
Business
A non-resident entity forms in a day or two through the registry. Corporate law follows Delaware precedent, which is why lenders and shipowners are comfortable with it, and why it pairs with the vessel registry.
Tax
Non-resident entities pay no Marshall Islands tax on income earned outside the country. Economic substance regulations apply to relevant activities and are reported annually; where the company is tax resident is decided by where it is managed, not by the registry.
Figures are indicative and change over time. We confirm the current rules, rates and requirements for your specific situation before you commit.
How incorporation works
- Entity choiceDecide between a non-resident corporation and an LLC — the difference matters for lenders and for how owners are taxed at home.
- Name and agentReserve the name and appoint the registry agent that will hold the records.
- Due diligenceIdentification and source-of-funds material on owners and directors is collected before filing.
- FormationArticles of incorporation or formation are filed with the registry.
- CertificateThe registry issues the certificate and the entity number, usually within a day or two.
- RegistersRegisters of directors, members and beneficial owners are put in place with the agent.
- Substance assessmentClassify the activity under the economic substance regulations and set up the annual reporting that follows.
- Bank or vessel registrationOpen the account, and where the structure is maritime, register the vessel alongside the company.
What we need from you
- Passport copies for every shareholder, director and beneficial owner
- Recent proof of address for each of them
- A description of the business and where its money comes from
- Source-of-funds evidence
- Preferred entity names, in order
- Vessel details where the structure is maritime
- Powers of attorney where we act on your behalf
What you end up with
- Certificate of incorporation or formation
- Articles and bylaws, or the LLC operating agreement
- Registers of directors, members and beneficial owners
- Share certificates or membership certificates
- Registered agent and registered address
- An apostilled corporate set for banks, lenders and registries
Every year after that
- Annual registry fee, paid through the agent
- Annual filing confirming the entity remains in good standing
- Economic substance reporting where the activity is in scope
- Records kept with the agent and available on request
- Beneficial ownership information kept current
Common questions
Why is this the shipping jurisdiction?
Because the corporate law follows Delaware precedent that lenders already understand, and because the company and the vessel registry work together. For a ship-owning structure that combination is worth more than a lower fee elsewhere.
Corporation or LLC?
An LLC is usually simpler and may be transparent for tax where the owner sits; a corporation is often what a lender or a counterparty expects. The right answer depends on your own tax position, not on the registry.
Does economic substance apply?
It applies by activity. Pure equity holding is treated differently from financing, shipping or headquarters activity, so the classification comes first and the reporting follows from it.
Is there any local tax?
Not on income earned outside the Marshall Islands for a non-resident entity. That says nothing about where the company is tax resident in practice, which is decided by where it is actually managed.
How quickly can it be formed?
The entity itself is usually a day or two once due diligence clears. Banking and, for maritime structures, vessel registration are what set the real timetable.
Set up your company in Marshall Islands
Tell us about your business and we will confirm whether Marshall Islands is the right fit — and handle the full incorporation.
- A reply within one working day
- The first consultation is 30 minutes
- Confidential, no obligation