British Virgin Islands

Located in the north-eastern Caribbean Sea, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a group of some 32 islands, 188 rocks and 20 cays situated 60 miles east of Puerto Rico and at the top of the Leeward Islands chain, officially and historically named the Virgin Islands.  The BVI is a British overseas territory and consists of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over 50 other smaller islands and cays. About 15 of the islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is situated on Tortola, the largest island, which is approximately 20 km long and 5 km wide. The islands have a population of about 27,800, of whom approximately 23,000 live on Tortola.

The BVI legal system is based upon English Law and is a combination of common law and statute. The BVI is a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, with its local legislature and courts independent of the United Kingdom, but the British Government deals with most international relations on behalf of the Territory. 

The BVI Business Companies Act 2004 governs the operations of BVI Business Companies (BC).

    Key features of the BVI BC: 

    • Exempt from all forms of taxation for business conducted outside the BVI
    • Simple corporate structure - minimum requirement of one shareholder and one director
    • First directors are required to be appointed within 6 months of incorporation
    • Register of Directors is required to file with the Registry
    • No minimum share capital is required and it can be expressed in any currency
    • Shares can be issued with or without a nominal or par value
    • Chinese company name and Chinese Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) can be registered with the Registrar
    • Directors can determine and amend the M&A provisions, including change of company name, by passing Board resolutions
    • No requirements for audited accounts or holding of annual general meetings
    • Economic substance filing is required for submission to the BVI International Tax Authority
    • Information of beneficial ownership is required for uploading to the BVI Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System