Cayman Islands: Cayman Companies

1. An exempted company is entitled to receive a tax-free guarantee from the Government of the Cayman Islands for up to 30 years. The Government in the first instance normally grants a guarantee for 20 years, but it is normally renewable for a further ten years on expiry.

2. The identity of the shareholders of an exempted company are not a public record and are not known by any Governmental authority in the Cayman Islands.

3. Annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist only of a statement, signed by the company secretary or a director, that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Law.

4. The law permits an exempted company to issue bearer shares.

5. The name of an exempted company need not include the word Limited or the abbreviation Ltd. However, if the company is to be a limited duration company (see below), the name must contain the words Limited Duration Company or the abbreviation LDC.

6. The law permits an exempted company to issue shares without nominal or par value.

7. An exempted company may deregister itself in the Cayman Islands and transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction whose laws allow or do not prohibit the transfer. Similarly, a company incorporated in a jurisdiction elsewhere may register by way of continuation as an exempted company in the Cayman Islands.

1. The Articles of Association of an LDC may provide that the transfer of any share of a member requires the unanimous resolution of all other members.

2. The Articles of Association of an LDC may provide that the management of the company is vested in the members either equally per capita or in proportion to their share holding. The members are then considered to be the directors of the company. However those members can delegate management to a board of directors.

3. Subject to any contrary provision in its Memorandum and Articles of Association, an LDC is taken to have commenced voluntary winding up on the expiry of 90 days from:

The LDC has been designed to be consistent with "Limited Liability Companies" and as a result to receive treatment by the Internal Revenue Service as partnerships. They do however have many aspects of corporate existence, including separate legal personality and limited liability.

Non-Resident Companies

Approval for a non-resident company designation may be obtained on submission of a certificate to the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands that the company does not intend to carry on business in the Cayman Islands.

The non-resident company is an alternative offshore vehicle to the more commonly used exempted company. The law requires a non-resident company to maintain a publicly available register of past and current members at the Registered Office. Furthermore a director or secretary is required to file an annual return to the Registrar of Companies stating the names and addresses of members, directors and officers and the amount of paid-up capital. Although non-resident companies are unable to receive a tax-free guarantee from the Government they are presently not subject to any form of taxation in the Cayman Islands.

Re-registration of a non-resident company as an exempted company is easily achieved and preserves the basic structure of the company.

INCORPORATION

Companies may be formed with or without limited liability and in the former case may be limited by shares or limited by guarantee. Companies may also have classes of both limited liability shares and unlimited liability shares. Usually, companies are formed with limited liability and are limited by shares.

Upon receiving the following information by letter, telefax, pdf or telephone, we can proceed to incorporate the company, usually within 24 hours of receipt of instructions. The Registrar of Companies normally issues a Certificate of Incorporation within 2-3 days of filing. The information we require is set out below.

Name

A proposed name of the company with two alternatives, which we will submit for approval.

Status

The status of the company, ie exempted, LDC or non-resident. We normally recommend an exempted company or an LDC for offshore business.

Limited or guarantee

Is the company to be limited by shares or by guarantee? A company will normally be limited by shares.

Authorised share capital

Under the present laws we would normally recommend that a company be incorporated with an authorised capital of US$50,000.00. This figure is just short of the maximum authorised capital permitted for payment of the minimum Government fee.

Issue of capital

We need to know the amount of share capital to be issued, any special classes of shares (with details of special provisions), and what the par value of the shares will be.

Shareholders

Details are required concerning the name and the address of each beneficial owner of the shares, whether the shares are to be in registered or bearer form, and the number of shares the company will issue to each shareholder. Even if the shares will be bearer shares or will be held by nominees for the beneficial owner, the full name and address of each beneficial owner must be provided. We do not recommend bearer shares because of the inherent security risks and the problems associated with shareholder actions. In addition, the Government's policy is that we must know our client. The identity of the beneficial owners is kept confidential.

Guarantors

If the company is to be limited by guarantee, we will need to know the names and addresses of the guarantors, the amount of each guarantee and whether or not it is to have a share capital and guarantors.

Restricted objects

Will the company have restricted objects? If so, what are they?

Directors and officers

Details of the names and addresses of the directors and officers are required. A minimum of one director is required but we would recommend that at least two directors be appointed. We would also recommend the appointment of a company secretary, but suggest that a sole director should not also be company secretary.

Registered office

A company must have a registered office in the Cayman Islands. This facility can be provided by Walkers SPV Limited with prior approval.

Seals

It should be noted that if the company requires a common seal this will usually be kept at the company's registered office.

FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS

Legal fees

Our legal fees for an exempted company include filing of standard Memorandum and Articles of Association, obtaining the Tax Undertaking Certificate, holding initial subscriber's shares and organising directors' meeting, issuing subscriber's share certificate and preparation of registers.

Our legal fees for an LDC include work done as for an exempted company, together with Special Resolutions pursuant to section 196 of the Companies Law to continue the company in existence following transfer of the shares issued to the subscriber.

All other services in relation to the specific requirements of the client, including special provisions in the Memorandum or Articles of Association, powers of attorney and bank accounts, will be charged in accordance with our usual billing practices.

Initial registration fees

Miscellaneous disbursements

These usually amount to approximately US$320.00 for each type of company and include stamp duty, filing fees, seal, nameplate and notarial fees.

We also advise clients to apply for a Tax Undertaking Certificate for a one-off fee of US$610.00. Whilst this is optional, it gives clients comfort that no law enacted in the Cayman Islands after the date of the Undertaking imposing tax on profits, income or capital gains will apply to the company or its operations, and nor will any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax apply on or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the company. Although no such taxes currently exist or, to our knowledge, are contemplated, our clients invariably apply for this Undertaking for the additional certainty it provides.

REGISTERED OFFICE

It is a statutory requirement that every Cayman Islands' company maintains a registered office in the Cayman Islands. Following the incorporation of a company, Walkers SPV Limited would be pleased to provide registered office facilities. Our fees for this service are pro-rated for each part of a calendar year and are set out below:

In addition, miscellaneous disbursements will be payable each year and additional administrative services will be charged on a time-spent basis.

EXCHANGE CONTROL

The Cayman Islands have no exchange control laws. There is therefore no restriction on the movement of assets in or out of the Cayman Islands either by residents or non-residents of the Islands. Further, bank accounts may be kept in any currency available at the local banks, and the company's share capital may also be expressed in a currency suitable to the requirements of the beneficial owners.

TYPES OF OPERATION

Companies can be established in the Cayman Islands for any type of offshore business and subject to receiving the necessary work permits, offices may be set up in the Cayman Islands with local directors, management and staff.

Clients are advised to seek professional advice in their own country on the proposed operations of the company and the question of share ownership before proceeding.

Banks and trust companies

Banks and trust companies are regulated in the Cayman Islands by the Banks & Trust Companies Law (as amended). Many international banks and trust companies establish branches or subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands to handle their Euro-dollar transactions or to provide conventional banking or trust facilities for their offshore clients. In addition, it is possible to establish private banks either to carry on offshore business generally or on a restricted basis for specified objects. All such operations are strictly controlled by the Cayman Islands Government and we refer you to our Memorandum on the subject for further information.

Insurance companies

Insurance companies are regulated in the Cayman Islands by the Insurance Law. Many insurance companies are established in the Cayman Islands, most of them being so-called "captive insurance companies". These are usually established by major international corporations as "in-house" insurance companies or by groups of individuals who are associated by a common interest to provide insurance cover for risks of the parent or group. Some advantages of establishing a captive insurance company are:

For further information on Insurance Companies please refer to our Memorandum on Insurance Companies in the Cayman Islands.

Trading companies

The Cayman company takes orders from the customer in the export market and has the goods shipped directly from the manufacturers. The difference between the purchase and sale price is then accumulated in the Cayman Islands and can be utilised as a fund to develop further markets or used for investment purposes. Trading companies can be effective for either the buyers or sellers of the goods.

Investment companies

Funds accumulated through such companies can be invested or deposited in the Cayman Islands for local investment or investment abroad. Funds invested outside the Cayman Islands are subject to the tax legislation of the country of investment, usually in the form of withholding tax. However, investments can be made on the Euro-dollar market, or in tax free bonds or in investments which have low income but high capital gains. Open ended investment companies (mutual funds) can be conveniently operated using Cayman Islands companies as they may issue shares which are redeemable out of profits or capital (or a combination of both) or may repurchase their own shares.

Shipping companies

A Cayman company can own and operate ships registered in the Cayman Islands. The only major requirements are that a survey be conducted by a surveyor licensed by the Department of Industry in the United Kingdom and that the company's principal place of business is within a British Commonwealth country. There is normally no need for the ship to come to the Cayman Islands since the survey prior to registration can usually be conducted in British and Commonwealth ports all over the world. The advantages of the Cayman registration are as follows:

1. ships registered in the Cayman Islands are British ships;

2. tonnage taxes are moderate; and

3. the British flag has always been regarded as one of the world's most dependable marine registries.

For further information please refer to our Memorandum on Ship Registration in the Cayman Islands.

Foreign Companies

A company incorporated outside the Cayman Islands and wishing to carry on business in or from the Islands must register with the Registrar of Companies as a foreign company and must maintain a "place of business" and have a resident agent in the Cayman Islands. As in the case of a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, this firm will be pleased to attend to the registration of the foreign company and provide the place of business and resident agent.

There are currently no Cayman Islands taxes applicable to the income or assets of foreign companies, although it is not possible to obtain a tax undertaking from the Government to this effect.

The documentation required to register a foreign company is as follows:

1. a certified copy of the company's Charter and By-Laws, or equivalent, authenticated under the Public Seal of the country of incorporation, together with a certified translation if the document is not written in English;

2. a certified copy of the company's Certificate of Incorporation, or equivalent document, authenticated and translated as above;

3. a list of the directors of the company certified to be correct by the Secretary of the company before a Notary Public; and

4. the names and addresses of one or more persons resident in the Islands who is authorised to accept service of process and any notice on behalf of this company. We would be pleased to provide this service. This appointment is normally evidenced by a letter of appointment from the company together with an acceptance from the person appointed.

Costs of registering a foreign company are set out in the table below:

Please note that we require advance payment of our incorporation fees and disbursements.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.