Non-Resident Gibraltar Companies

The Gibraltar non-resident company is the simplest and best type of all offshore corporate entities available in Gibraltar.

A Gibraltar non-resident company only pays a small fee to the Registrar of Companies at the time of filing of the Annual Return. Quite often the non-resident company is directed by the beneficial owners themselves, or by non resident third-party directors appointed by the owners. The non-resident company will still need to maintain a Registered Office in Gibraltar and to have a Resident Secretary.

A Gibraltar non-resident company has to satisfy the following criteria:

  • The company must be owned by persons who are not resident in Gibraltar.
  • The company must be controlled (directed) by persons who are not resident in Gibraltar.
  • The company may not trade or carry on business in Gibraltar with residents of Gibraltar. It may however trade with other exempt or qualifying companies or non-resident persons.
  • The company must maintain its Company Register, Registered Office and Resident Secretary in Gibraltar.
  • The company must not remit income to Gibraltar including any operations with any Gibraltar banks.

The last requirement effectively means that in order to maintain its no-tax status a Gibraltar non-resident company should not hold any bank accounts in a Gibraltar-situated bank. This simply means that the non-resident company would usually operate its bank accounts in another country. Often it would be just a different offshore jurisdiction - like Isle of Man, for example. It may also be practical to open the offshore bank account in a country situated closer to the place of the actual business of the company - or to the actual location of its beneficial owners.

If the above four criteria are satisfied, a Gibraltar company will be considered non-resident. As such, it will not fall under the Gibraltar tax system by definition and will not be required to register for Gibraltar taxation purposes. This also means that, unlike the tax-exempt company, the non-resident company can in no circumstances be considered as a Gibraltar taxpayer.

Factor Description
Tax in Gibraltar Not taxable if has non-resident company characteristics
Currency of capital Any, usually £ or US$
Standard authorised capital £2000
Net time to incorporate 5 days
Shelf companies available Yes
Resident directors Not required
Corporate directors Permitted
Resident secretary Required (we can organise this)
Minimum number of directors One
Minimum number of shareholders One
Public register of shares Yes, can be nominees
Disclosure of beneficial owners No
Filing of accounts In most cases abridged, non-audited.
Audited accounts Only for public and large companies
Exchange controls None
Double tax treaties None