(NEVIS LLC & IBC FORMATION)
Nevis Company
A Nevis company — LLC or IBC — brings together the $100,000 mandatory creditor bond and a three-year non-renewable charging order as the only creditor remedy, which puts it among the world’s strongest offshore entities for asset protection. We coordinate direct, licensed Nevis registered agent relationships, formation inside one to three days, and optional banking or Cook Islands Trust pairing, from $2,000.
Core jurisdiction
Offshore Companies · Nevis Company
Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Latitude
00.0000° N
Longitude
000.0000° W
(NEVIS LLC & IBC OVERVIEW)
A fast, fixed-fee company structure for offshore asset protection
A Nevis LLC and a Nevis IBC rank among the world’s most powerful offshore company structures — carrying the mandatory $100,000 creditor bond, a three-year non-renewable charging order as the only creditor remedy, and a beyond-reasonable-doubt standard for fraudulent transfer.A Nevis LLC is created under the Nevis Limited Liability Company Ordinance 1995, reinforced by amendments in 2015 and 2017. Before a creditor can bring any claim in the Nevis courts, they must post a bond of up to $100,000 — which shuts down speculative litigation before it begins.Either structure can sit within a Cook Islands Trust as the operating layer — the gold-standard cross-jurisdictional combination for offshore asset protection.
Governing law
Nevis LLC Ordinance 1995, amended 2015 and 2017
Entity types
LLC (asset protection) or IBC (trading, holding)
Creditor bond
$100,000 minimum before any suit can be filed
Charging order
3 years, non-renewable — the only creditor remedy
Formation time
1–3 days from KYC clearance
Best paired with
A Cook Islands Trust, for double-lock protection
General summary only. The Nevis LLC is the world's strongest standalone offshore LLC for creditor protection. The Nevis IBC suits international trading and holding structures. What suits you turns on the client, the assets and the objectives.
(WHAT IS INCLUDED)
A complete formation service for Nevis companies
Take a standalone LLC, an LLC with banking, or the complete LLC + Trust + Banking package
Flat, all-in fees covering every government registration charge and the first-year registered agent cost — nothing hidden, no invoices you didn’t expect.
Nevis LLC or IBC
$2,000
first-year fees all included · 1–3 days
A standalone Nevis LLC or IBC — the world-leading offshore creditor protection vehicle, or a conventional share company for international trading. We settle the right entity type during your consultation. The charging order is the only creditor remedy for the LLC, valid for three years only, with a $100,000 bond required before any creditor can file suit.
Articles of Organisation (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (IBC)
All Nevis government registration fees
First-year Nevis registered agent
Apostilled corporate documents
LLC or IBC + Banking
$3,000
first-year fees all included · 1–3 days plus 4–8 weeks banking
A Nevis LLC or IBC bundled with an account at one of our partner institutions — offshore banks, private banks, Swiss banks, investment custodians, and EMI banking partners.
Nevis LLC or IBC — 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 combination on 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 Nevis registered agents.
(NEVIS COMPANY GUIDE)
Making sense of the Nevis LLC and IBC structure
How does a Nevis LLC or IBC work?
A Nevis LLC keeps legal ownership of company assets separate from the members who own it; a Nevis IBC does the same through a conventional share structure.
The LLC is created under the Nevis Limited Liability Company Ordinance 1995 and owned by one or more members, who can either run the company themselves or appoint a manager for day-to-day operations. The Operating Agreement records the membership interests, management authority and distribution rules.
The IBC is created under the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance and owned by shareholders who appoint directors to run it. Both structures are registered through a licensed Nevis registered agent and can hold bank accounts, investments and other approved assets in the company's own name.
- Members or shareholders: own the company and hold its economic and voting rights.
- Manager or directors: handle day-to-day banking, investment and operational decisions.
- Registered agent: keeps the company's registration and statutory records in Nevis.
- Operating Agreement or M&A: sets out governance, distributions, and member or shareholder rights.
We coordinate the entity selection, the registered agent, the due diligence and the formation.
Discuss your structureWho controls a Nevis LLC?
A Nevis LLC can be arranged so that you keep direct, practical control as manager under normal circumstances.
Most Nevis LLCs used for asset protection are member-managed, or have the settlor appointed as manager, which means everyday banking, investment and operating decisions stay in your hands exactly as they would with any company you run yourself.
What a trust above the LLC changes is not day-to-day control — it is who legally holds the membership interest a creditor would need to reach. That distinction is the whole basis of the LLC-plus-trust combination described in the next tab.
- Manager authority: covers routine banking, investment and operational decisions.
- Member rights: cover distributions, voting, and amendments to the Operating Agreement.
- Trustee intervention: only comes into play if a genuine legal threat arises, where a trust sits above the LLC.
- Continuity planning: the Operating Agreement can set out succession and emergency authority in advance.
What can be held in a Nevis LLC?
A company becomes operational once accepted assets are properly transferred and recorded as its property.
Common holdings include cash and bank deposits, investment portfolios, cryptocurrency, precious metals and business interests. We coordinate the bank or custodian introduction, and every institution reviews the proposed assets, source of funds and supporting documentation before an account is opened.
US real estate generally cannot be shifted offshore in the conventional sense, since property stays subject to the law of the place where it sits. The structure works most cleanly for liquid financial assets held in offshore accounts in the company's own name.
- Cash and deposits: held through approved offshore banking arrangements.
- Investment portfolios: transferred in-kind, or accepted by the bank or custodian.
- Cryptocurrency: held through institutions that actively support digital asset custody.
- Business interests: brought together under a single company ownership layer.
Why pair a Nevis LLC with a trust?
The short answer is control: you keep it day to day, while the structure itself is built to change hands only when it is genuinely put to the test.
When a Cook Islands Trust owns the Nevis LLC rather than you personally, the membership interest a creditor would need to reach rests with an independent trustee operating wholly outside US jurisdiction. Nothing changes about how you manage the LLC in ordinary circumstances — you carry on as manager, making banking and investment decisions just as before.
What changes is what happens under real legal pressure. The trust deed's anti-duress provisions direct the trustee to decline any instruction given under compulsion, including one from you if a US court has ordered you to direct a distribution. This is why the combination is called double-lock protection: two independent jurisdictions and two independent legal barriers, working together.
- Practical control preserved: day-to-day management carries on exactly as it did before formation.
- Membership interest relocated: held by an independent trustee rather than by you personally.
- Anti-duress protection: the trustee is bound to turn down instructions given under legal compulsion.
- Two-jurisdiction barrier: a creditor has to defeat both the Nevis LLC protections and the trust.
We form Nevis LLCs and Cook Islands Trusts together as a single, coordinated engagement.
See the Total Protection PackageWhat are the limits of Nevis company protection?
A Nevis LLC or IBC is a proactive planning structure, not a way to hide assets or sidestep obligations you already have.
Transfers made after a claim has already arisen, while the settlor is insolvent, or for an improper purpose can still be challenged — though Nevis law requires the challenge to be proven beyond reasonable doubt, a materially higher bar than most jurisdictions. The registered agent will also insist on full disclosure of the people, assets and source of funds behind the structure.
Some US courts have held that domestic foreclosure of a single-member foreign LLC's membership interest may be possible under US law — one reason pairing the LLC with a Cook Islands Trust gives materially stronger protection than the LLC on its own.
- No retroactive protection: existing or foreseeable disputes call for immediate legal advice, not a same-week transfer.
- No secrecy from authorities: US 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.
- No substitute for compliance: the structure works alongside correct filings, not in place of them.
When should a Nevis company be set up?
The strongest planning is done while finances are stable and before any specific dispute or claim exists.
Formation itself is quick — usually one to three days once KYC is cleared — but the protective value of the structure rests on setting it up well ahead of any pressure, not in reaction to an active threat.
Opening an offshore bank account generally takes a further four to eight weeks, so clients planning a complete structure should expect the full engagement, from consultation to a funded, operational company, to run several weeks in total.
- Plan before pressure: do not wait until a transfer becomes urgent or contested.
- Prepare documentation early: certified passport, proof of address and source-of-funds evidence should be current.
- Coordinate funding: decide which assets will move before formation is finalised.
- Review existing obligations: creditors, guarantees and disputes must be disclosed to the registered agent.
What tax and reporting obligations apply?
Offshore does not mean unreported. What is owed depends on the members, the assets and the countries involved.
The Nevis registered agent and any bank or custodian carry out KYC and beneficial-ownership checks as a matter of course. Home-country tax, foreign-entity, foreign-account and asset-reporting rules keep applying wherever the company is formed.
US persons typically file Form 5471 each year for the company and an FBAR for offshore accounts, along with Form 8938 under FATCA where it applies. 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 and certain LLCs.
- FBAR: applies to offshore bank and financial accounts held by the company.
- Form 8938: may apply under FATCA depending on account values and filing status.
- Professional advice: should be obtained before formation and before any assets are funded.
Who might consider a Nevis company?
The structure is usually considered by people with meaningful assets, genuine cross-border needs, and a long-term planning horizon.
Likely users include business owners, professionals with elevated litigation exposure, international families, and individuals looking for offshore banking access that has grown hard to obtain directly as an individual since FATCA. The benefits should justify the formation cost and ongoing administration.
It is a poorer fit where the asset base is modest, the purpose is short term, or the client is unwilling to complete the disclosure a licensed registered agent and bank will require as standard practice.
- Business owners: keeping personal wealth apart from operating and litigation risk.
- Professionals: in fields with elevated liability exposure looking for standalone protection.
- International families: coordinating cross-border banking and succession planning.
- Clients seeking Total Protection: through a combined trust, company and banking structure.
We weigh your objectives, assets and timing before recommending an LLC, IBC, or a paired structure.
Book a consultation(WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE OFFSHORE COMPANIES ONLINE)
Nevis company formation with a cross-jurisdiction perspective
We coordinate Nevis LLCs, IBCs and Cook Islands Trusts as one engagement. This is not a referral service — we run the whole formation process ourselves and pass on the best pricing available.
Direct registered agent relationships
We work through direct, licensed Nevis registered agent relationships — not a referral intermediary — the same team that forms Cook Islands LLCs, BVI companies, and offshore structures across 20+ jurisdictions.
First-hand jurisdictional knowledge
Our Nevis LLC and IBC specialists bring first-hand jurisdictional knowledge, 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.
Commonly paired with a trust
We form Nevis LLCs and Cook Islands Trusts in the same engagement — the two most commonly paired offshore structures.
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 NEVIS COMPANY?)
A natural fit for creditor protection, banking access, and international business
A Nevis company suits clients after standalone offshore creditor protection, people who need offshore banking access, and owners of international businesses. For the deepest protection, put the LLC beneath a Cook Islands Trust as the owning structure.
Standalone protection, banking access, and business use
A Nevis company is most compelling for clients wanting genuine offshore creditor protection, banking access, or an international operating entity.
Clients after standalone offshore creditor protection without the full cost of a trust
Individuals needing offshore banking access that is hard for individuals to get post-FATCA
International business owners with clients or revenue across several countries
Clients building a multi-jurisdictional structure with a Cook Islands Trust above
When a standalone LLC's protection isn't enough
The Nevis LLC on its own provides genuine, powerful protection — but for the deepest protection available, it should sit inside a Cook Islands Trust.
Some US courts have allowed domestic foreclosure of single-member foreign LLC interests
A standalone LLC membership interest stays held in your own name
A Cook Islands Trust puts that membership interest beyond US creditor enforcement altogether
The Trust + LLC combination is the gold standard for offshore asset protection
For the deepest protection available, pair your Nevis LLC with a Cook Islands Trust as the owning structure — the two most commonly paired offshore structures.
(TOTAL PROTECTION PACKAGE)
The Nevis Total Protection Package
A company on paper achieves nothing — the structure only functions once it is funded and operating. We run the bank introduction, aligning your entity profile with institutions that are actively onboarding Nevis entities. Opening an account usually takes four to eight weeks.
- Nevis registered agent application handled from start to finish
- Trustee, registration and third-party charges set out line by line in the written quote
- Nevis-compliant formation documents and operating agreement drawn up where they are needed
- Structure registered and ready to take in trustee-approved assets
(NEVIS 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, the right entity type — LLC or IBC — whether a Cook Islands Trust ought to sit above it, and where you stand for tax at home.
02
Confirm structure and complete KYC
We settle the entity type, check that the name is available, and give you a tailored KYC checklist — certified passport, proof of address and source of funds.
03
Draft, sign, and register
We draw up your Articles of Organisation or Incorporation, lodge them with the Nevis Registry, and settle all government fees. Formation is finished inside one to three days.
04
Receive documents and open banking
You receive the full corporate document pack, ready to open a bank account. We carry the bank introduction through to a live, funded offshore account.
(NEVIS COMPANY INSIGHTS)
Nevis Company Insights
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(ABOUT NEVIS COMPANIES)
What is a Nevis company?
A Nevis LLC and a Nevis IBC rank among the world’s most powerful offshore company structures — with the mandatory $100,000 creditor bond, a three-year non-renewable charging order as the only creditor remedy, and a beyond-reasonable-doubt standard for fraudulent transfer that together make Nevis uniquely effective for asset protection.
A Nevis LLC is created under the Nevis Limited Liability Company Ordinance 1995, reinforced by amendments in 2015 and 2017 aimed squarely at its creditor protection provisions. The Ordinance builds on Nevis’s own experience with the International Business Corporation Ordinance 1984 and adapts it to a member-managed structure, giving Nevis two distinct but complementary company vehicles under a single regulatory framework. Both are registered through the Nevis registered agent system and administered under the Confidential Relationships Act, which places professional confidentiality obligations on anyone handling information about Nevis companies and trusts.
What defines the Nevis LLC is the pairing of the $100,000 creditor bond with the exclusive charging order remedy. Before a creditor can bring any claim in the Nevis courts — whether to challenge a charging order or to try to pierce the corporate veil — they must first post a bond with the Nevis High Court, usually set at $100,000 or more. That single requirement clears out the great majority of speculative litigation before a case is even filed, because most creditors holding ordinary commercial judgments will not sink six figures into chasing a remedy that, even if it succeeds, entitles them to nothing more than a non-renewable three-year charging order with no power to force distributions or compel a wind-up.
Why put a Nevis LLC beneath a trust? The short answer is control. A Nevis LLC can be set up as member-managed, so you keep direct, day-to-day authority over banking, investment and operating decisions in normal circumstances — nothing changes about how you run the entity from day to day. What changes is who holds the membership interest itself. When a Cook Islands Trust owns the Nevis LLC rather than you personally, the interest a creditor would need to reach rests with an independent trustee operating wholly outside US jurisdiction. You carry on managing the LLC exactly as before; the trustee’s protective authority only comes into play if a genuine legal threat arises, at which point the trust deed’s anti-duress provisions direct the trustee to decline any instruction given under compulsion. This is why the LLC-plus-trust combination is called “double-lock” protection — you keep practical control under normal conditions, while the structure itself is built to change hands the moment it is tested.
Either structure can sit within a Cook Islands Trust as the operating layer — the gold-standard cross-jurisdictional combination for offshore asset protection.
(NEVIS COMPANY QUESTIONS)
Common questions about Nevis 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.
