(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY FORMATION)
Marshall Islands Company
A Marshall Islands NRDC is created under the Business Corporations Act 1990. Above all else this is a maritime jurisdiction: its company law exists to feed one of the world’s largest open ship registries, and owning vessels is what it does better than anywhere. We coordinate direct, licensed Marshall Islands registered office relationships, formation inside 1 to 3 days, and optional banking or Cook Islands or Nevis Trust pairing, with pricing available on application.
Specialist jurisdiction
Offshore Companies Online · Marshall Islands Company
Latitude
00.0000° N
Longitude
000.0000° E
(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY OVERVIEW)
A Marshall Islands company structure for owning ships and financing them
A Marshall Islands Non-Resident Domestic Corporation is created under the Business Corporations Act 1990, part of the Associations Law, and run through the Registrar of Corporations. Set-up is quick, frequently done inside one to three days.An NRDC is exempt by statute from every Marshall Islands tax on income arising outside the Republic, as long as the company does no business inside it. On that income there is no corporate tax, no capital gains tax, no withholding tax and no exchange control.What defines the jurisdiction is its maritime registry, among the largest open registries anywhere, and the usual arrangement has an NRDC owning a vessel that flies the Marshall Islands flag. Where creditor protection is the main objective, compare the Cook Islands Company and Nevis Company.
Governing law
Business Corporations Act 1990, under the Associations Law
Entity type
Non-Resident Domestic Corporation (NRDC); LLC and partnership forms also available
Minimum directors/shareholders
One director and one shareholder, who may be the same person
Public register
No public register of directors or shareholders
Formation time
1–3 days from KYC clearance
Primary use
Owning ships, maritime finance and holding structures
General summary only. The Marshall Islands is the leading jurisdiction for vessel-owning structures. Its corporate exemption hinges on doing no business inside the Republic. It is not a creditor-protection jurisdiction.
(WHAT IS INCLUDED)
A complete formation service for Marshall Islands companies
Take a standalone Non-Resident Domestic Corporation, a Company with banking, or the complete Total Protection Package
Flat fees covering every government registration charge and the first-year registered office cost — nothing hidden, no invoices you didn’t expect.
Marshall Islands NRDC
On application
1–3 days
A standalone Marshall Islands NRDC. Above all else the Marshall Islands is a maritime jurisdiction: its company law exists to feed one of the world's largest open ship registries, and owning vessels is what it does better than anywhere.
Certificate of Incorporation and constitutional documents
Every Marshall Islands government registration fee
First-year Marshall Islands registered office and agent
Apostilled corporate documents
Company + Banking
On application
1–3 days + 4–10 weeks banking
A Marshall Islands NRDC bundled with an account at one of our partner institutions — offshore banks, private banks, Swiss banks, and institutional custodians.
Marshall Islands NRDC — registered and operational in full
An offshore bank account at whichever partner institution you prefer
All company documents
All government fees plus first-year agent costs
Trust + Company + Banking
$12,000
first-year fees all included · formation timeline coordinated throughout
The full structure. A Cook Islands or Nevis Trust, a Cook Islands or Nevis Company (LLC or IBC), and a bank account — the strongest asset protection line-up we offer, built on our two core jurisdictions.
Cook Islands or Nevis Trust — registered and operational in full
Cook Islands or Nevis Company (LLC or IBC) — registered and operational in full
Every trust and company formation document
All government fees plus first-year trustee and agent costs
An offshore bank account at whichever partner institution you prefer
Each package covers drafted formation documents, apostilled copies, and hands-on coordination with licensed Marshall Islands registered offices and agents.
(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY GUIDE)
Making sense of the Marshall Islands NRDC structure
How does a Marshall Islands NRDC work?
A Marshall Islands NRDC is owned by its shareholders, who appoint directors to run its affairs.
The company is created under the Business Corporations Act 1990 and registered through a licensed Marshall Islands registered office or agent. It can hold bank accounts and investments directly, own shares in subsidiaries, and carry on international business.
A Marshall Islands Non-Resident Domestic Corporation is created under the Business Corporations Act 1990, part of the Associations Law, and run through the Registrar of Corporations. Set-up is quick, frequently done inside one to three days.
- Shareholders: own the company and hold its economic and voting rights.
- Directors: run the company's affairs and its banking relationships.
- Registered office: keeps the company's registration and statutory records in the Marshall Islands.
- Constitutional documents: set out the share structure, the governance and shareholder rights.
We coordinate the entity formation, the registered office, the due diligence and the banking.
Discuss your structureWho controls a Marshall Islands company?
A Marshall Islands company can usually be arranged so that you keep direct control over its banking and investment decisions.
Most Marshall Islands companies used for holding or investment have the beneficial owner closely involved in governance, so everyday banking, investment and operating calls stay with you.
Add a trust above the company and daily control is unchanged — what changes is who legally holds the shares a creditor would need to reach.
- Director authority: covers routine banking, investment and operational decisions.
- Shareholder rights: cover dividends, voting, and amendments to the governing documents.
- Trustee ownership: where a trust holds the shares, adds a jurisdictional barrier without touching daily management.
- Governance: the Business Corporations Act 1990 allows board and committee structures where something more formal is wanted.
What can be held in a Marshall Islands company?
A company starts working once accepted assets are properly moved in and booked as its property.
Typical uses run to cash and bank deposits, investment portfolios, intellectual property, and shares in operating subsidiaries. We handle the bank or custodian introduction, with each institution reviewing the proposed assets, source of funds and supporting documents.
An NRDC is exempt by statute from every Marshall Islands tax on income arising outside the Republic, as long as it does no business within it. On that income there is no corporate tax, no capital gains tax, no withholding tax and no exchange control.
- Cash and deposits: held through approved offshore or institutional banking arrangements.
- Investment portfolios: held through approved custodian or brokerage arrangements.
- Subsidiary shares: brought together under a single holding layer.
- Vessel-owning companies flagging under the Marshall Islands registry: the jurisdiction’s most common application.
Why pair a Marshall Islands company with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust?
The Marshall Islands gives you the strengths set out on this page; a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust adds the dedicated creditor-protection statute it lacks.
A Marshall Islands company on its own has no dedicated charging-order or creditor-bond statute of the sort the Cook Islands and Nevis provide. Putting a Cook Islands Trust above the Marshall Islands company shifts the shares a creditor would need to reach to an independent, licensed trustee working wholly outside US jurisdiction.
Daily control does not change: you carry on running the Marshall Islands company's banking and investment activity exactly as before. What changes is what happens under real legal pressure, when the trust deed's anti-duress provisions tell the trustee to refuse any instruction given under compulsion.
- Practical control preserved: daily management carries on exactly as it did before formation.
- Shares relocated: held by an independent trustee rather than by you personally.
- Dedicated statute added: the trust supplies the purpose-built creditor protection the Marshall Islands itself lacks.
- Jurisdictional strengths retained: the Marshall Islands entity still does the job you formed it for.
We coordinate Marshall Islands companies with Cook Islands and Nevis Trusts as a single engagement.
See the Cook Islands TrustWhat are the limits of Marshall Islands company protection?
A Marshall Islands company is a structuring vehicle, not a purpose-built creditor-protection statute.
A transfer made once a claim already exists, while the transferor is insolvent, or for a bad-faith purpose can be challenged — there is no criminal burden of proof and no short statutory limitation period of the kind the Cook Islands and Nevis provide.
The exemption for a Non-Resident Domestic Corporation hinges on doing no business within the Republic. The registered agent runs beneficial-ownership and source-of-funds review as standard.
- No dedicated creditor statute: protection rests on general common law, not on purpose-built legislation.
- No secrecy from authorities: home-country tax and reporting duties carry on in full whatever the structure.
- No guaranteed outcome: the facts, the timing and the applicable law stay decisive in any dispute.
- Strongest when paired: a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust adds the statutory protection the Marshall Islands alone lacks.
When should a Marshall Islands company be set up?
The strongest planning is done while finances are stable and before any particular claim or dispute exists.
Formation usually finishes inside 1 to 3 days once KYC is cleared. Non-Resident Domestic Corporations are exempt by statute from RMI tax on income arising outside the Republic, provided no business is done within it.
Opening an offshore bank account generally takes a further four to ten weeks, particularly where the structure calls for extra due diligence.
- Plan before pressure: don't hold off until a transfer turns urgent or disputed.
- Prepare documentation early: certified passport, proof of address and source-of-funds evidence should be current.
- Confirm the tax position: exempt on non-RMI-source income — check how that fits with your own residence.
- Consider a trust pairing: if creditor protection, not just the company itself, is a priority.
What tax and reporting obligations apply?
Offshore does not mean unreported. What is owed turns on the shareholders, the assets and the countries involved.
The Marshall Islands registered office or agent and any bank run KYC and beneficial-ownership checks as standard. The exemption for a Non-Resident Domestic Corporation hinges on doing no business within the Republic. The registered agent runs beneficial-ownership and source-of-funds review as standard.
US persons typically file Form 5471 each year for the company, along with an FBAR for offshore accounts. These obligations are non-negotiable, and every structure we form is built for full home-country compliance from day one.
- Form 5471: yearly US reporting for foreign corporations.
- FBAR: applies to offshore bank and financial accounts held by the company.
- Substance and residence: where the company is managed and controlled can decide its tax outcome.
- Professional advice: worth obtaining before formation and before any assets are funded.
Who might consider a Marshall Islands company?
Above all else the Marshall Islands is a maritime jurisdiction: its company law exists to feed one of the world's largest open ship registries, and owning vessels is what it does better than anywhere.
Shipping is the reason the jurisdiction operates at the scale it does. The Marshall Islands International Ship Registry ranks among the largest open registries in the world, and the textbook arrangement is a single NRDC owning one vessel flagged in the Marshall Islands. Ship finance, mortgage registration and maritime lending are all built around that, and lenders know exactly how to work with it.
As a standalone it is a weaker choice where dedicated creditor protection is the main objective — pairing with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust closes that gap directly.
- Best fit: vessel-owning companies flagging under the Marshall Islands registry.
- Also suited to: ship finance and maritime lending structures with registered mortgages.
- And: holding structures that want Delaware-modelled corporate law.
- Clients wanting Total Protection: via a Marshall Islands company paired with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust.
Before we recommend a structure, we set the Marshall Islands honestly against the Cook Islands and Nevis.
Book a consultation(WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE OFFSHORE COMPANIES ONLINE)
Marshall Islands company formation with a cross-jurisdiction perspective
We coordinate Marshall Islands companies and Cook Islands or Nevis Trusts as one engagement. This is not a referral service — we run the whole formation ourselves and pass on the keenest pricing available.
Direct Marshall Islands registered office relationships
Ours are direct, licensed Marshall Islands registered office and agent relationships — no referral middleman — the same team that builds Cook Islands and Nevis structures in 20+ jurisdictions.
First-hand jurisdictional knowledge
Our specialists know the practical realities of Marshall Islands structuring, not generic offshore formation scripts.
Fixed-fee formation
All government fees plus first-year agent costs are built into the price — nothing hidden, no invoices you didn't expect.
Honest jurisdiction guidance
We set the Marshall Islands honestly against the Cook Islands and Nevis, so a jurisdiction's strengths are not mistaken for adversarial creditor defence.
Full compliance from day one
Optional legal and tax advisory keeps you in full home-country compliance — every structure is built to be reported correctly, not concealed.
(WHO SHOULD FORM A MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY?)
A natural fit for owning ships and financing them
Above all else the Marshall Islands is a maritime jurisdiction: its company law exists to feed one of the world’s largest open ship registries, and owning vessels is what it does better than anywhere. For dedicated creditor protection, pair it with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust.
Ship owning and maritime finance
Above all else the Marshall Islands is a maritime jurisdiction: its company law exists to feed one of the world's largest open ship registries, and owning vessels is what it does better than anywhere.
Vessel-owning companies flagging under the Marshall Islands registry
Ship finance and maritime lending structures with registered mortgages
Holding structures that want Delaware-modelled corporate law
Owners needing very quick formation, often one to three days
Outside shipping, other jurisdictions serve better
The The Marshall Islands has real strengths, but it is not built around dedicated creditor-protection statutes.
The exemption hinges on doing no business within the Republic
No dedicated charging-order or creditor-bond statute like the Cook Islands or Nevis
Outside shipping, the jurisdiction offers no special edge over the alternatives
Best paired with a trust where creditor protection is the real priority
For creditor protection specifically, compare the Cook Islands Company and Nevis Company, or the Cook Islands Trust where the exposure is serious. For owning ships and financing them, the Marshall Islands is frequently the stronger fit.
(TOTAL PROTECTION PACKAGE)
The Marshall Islands Total Protection Package
A company on paper achieves nothing — the structure only works once it is funded and running. We handle the bank introduction, matching your entity profile to institutions actively onboarding Marshall Islands entities. Opening an account usually takes four to ten weeks.
- Marshall Islands registered agent and incorporation handled end to end
- Government, registration and third-party charges itemised in the written quote
- Marshall Islands-compliant constitutional documents and share structure drawn up where needed
- Company registered and ready for banking and asset transfer
(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY EXPERTISE)
Meet our company formation specialists
John Evans
Forbes Business Council Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
More than two decades of experience across offshore banking, asset protection, international companies and trusts.
Melanie Tetuaiteroi
Sales Assistant
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Supports client onboarding, communications, documentation and operational coordination, backed by fiduciary administration experience.
(FORMATION PROCESS)
01
Initial consultation
We talk through your objectives, whether a Marshall Islands company or a Cook Islands or Nevis structure best suits you, and where you stand for tax at home.
02
Confirm structure and complete KYC
We settle the structure, confirm the name is free, and hand you a tailored KYC checklist — certified passport, proof of address and source of funds.
03
Draft, sign, and register
We draw up your constitutional documents, lodge them with the Registrar of Corporations (IRI), and settle all government fees. Formation is done inside 1 to 3 days.
04
Receive documents and open banking
You get the full corporate document pack, ready to open a bank account. We carry the bank introduction through to a live, funded offshore account.
(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY INSIGHTS)
Marshall Islands Company Insights
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(ABOUT MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANYS)
What is a Marshall Islands company?
A Marshall Islands Non-Resident Domestic Corporation is created under the Business Corporations Act 1990. Its company law is closely modelled on Delaware, which makes it familiar to US lawyers and to the international finance market, and set-up is among the quickest available anywhere.
Shipping is the reason the jurisdiction operates at the scale it does. The Marshall Islands International Ship Registry ranks among the largest open registries in the world, and the textbook arrangement is a single NRDC owning one vessel flagged in the Marshall Islands. Ship finance, mortgage registration and maritime lending are all built around that, and lenders know exactly how to work with it.
The tax exemption is statutory and comes with a condition: it covers income arising outside the Republic, provided the company does no business inside it. The Marshall Islands lacks the creditor-protection statutes of the Cook Islands or Nevis, so for adversarial claims a different jurisdiction is the right call. It does not carry the charging-order and creditor-bond statutes that make Cook Islands and Nevis companies so effective against live claims, so pairing a Marshall Islands company with a Cook Islands Trust above it is how the two are usually put together.
(MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY QUESTIONS)
Common questions about Marshall Islands companies
(CONTACT US)
Speak to a specialist. Let’s build your structure.
Book a confidential, no-obligation consultation with a senior member of our team to discuss your objectives and the services we have available.
