Gibraltar can easily be considered one of the most favorable offshore European jurisdictions. Even though it has strict compliance requirements, this can even add value to the jurisdiction and open up new business opportunities for businessmen around the world. This brief overview of this jurisdiction will help you make a final choice while considering Gibraltar as a destination to invest your funds.
Main forms of business presence in Gibraltar
If you want to establish your business presence in Gibraltar, you can do so in one of the following forms:
Limited Liability Company – this company is one of the easiest and most convenient to set up. The founders (shareholders) are liable for the entire company's business only to the extent of their contributions or the specified guarantee. There are no formal requirements regarding the amount of share capital. This type of company can be private, where certain restrictions apply to the transfer of shares, or public, where shares can be transferred to the public under certain conditions; the minimum share capital of a public company is GBP 20,500.
Unlimited company – the founders of the entity have unlimited liability for all existing businesses.
Protected cell company – an entity specifically designated to secure assets.
General company – a company is formed by partners who have full liability for entire businesses.
Limited Partnership – a business can be created and managed by at least one general partner who is fully responsible for all enterprises and manages the entire joint business activity and limited partners who contribute only to this agreement and bear financial responsibility for their enterprises exclusively within the limits of the invested amounts.
Limited Liability Company – is a company similar to the previous one (there is also one general partner), with the main difference being related to the liability of the partners – they bear zero liability for the actions and inactions of each other in the course of carrying out a joint business activity.
Branch – this business presence option is suitable for testing the commercial opportunities that Gibraltar offers its investors.
If you are going to create an offshore company in Gibraltar, a company of this type is not allowed to sell goods and services to Gibraltar citizens.
Requirements and steps for registration
Determining your business priorities in Gibraltar and drawing up a business plan.
Identifying a business name.
Collecting information about founders and beneficial owners.
Arranging the business address of the future enterprise.
Preparing regulatory documents (constituent agreement and statutes).
Filling in registration forms and submitting the set of documents for registration. Information about the newly established entity is entered in the Commercial Register maintained by the Chamber of Commerce.
Registration for tax and social security purposes.
Opening a bank account in a local bank.
Obtaining licenses and permits to carry out certain activities.
The exact registration procedure may vary depending on the specific case. Contact Smart Startup UK specialists for more accurate information on this issue.
Legal and Regulatory Framework
Gibraltar's legal system is quite stable and is based on the UK model. The legal environment can generally be considered very favorable for doing business, especially in terms of taxes. The registration procedure has been simplified to encourage foreign investors to enter Gibraltar.
The main legal acts regulating the formation and operation of a business are the Companies Act, the Limited Partnerships Act, the Limited Liability Companies Act, the Partnerships Act, the Protected Cell Companies Act, the Financial Services Act.
The main government bodies that non-resident investors can potentially deal with here are the Chamber of Commerce, the Financial Services Commission.
Advantages of the Jurisdiction
If you are thinking of forming a company in Gibraltar, you can potentially enjoy the following opportunities:
Generally favorable conditions for doing business
Fast-growing financial sectors
Numerous opportunities to enter European markets
Encourages work of start-ups
Skilled and qualified employees
Possibility for sufficient asset protection
Comparatively reasonable costs of setting up a business
Modern and well-developed infrastructure
Comparatively low tax rates
Tax system
If you consider Gibraltar as your target jurisdiction, it can offer you the following tax benefits:
Corporate tax rates – 10% (general), but 20% for energy and utility providers.
VAT – None
Withholding Tax Rates – None
Capital Gains Tax Rates – None
How Our Experts Can Help
Let’s say you are evaluating the formation or purchase of a company in Gibraltar. In this case, the lawyers of "Smart Startup UK" are ready to put this option into practice by providing legal support for the following aspects of business registration in Gibraltar:
Request and collect all data and documents for opening a business in Gibraltar;
Choose the name and in the interests of the client, all negotiations are conducted by us with local authorities and banks;
We arrange the legal address, accounts and employees, as well as all necessary documents for applying for the future company;
We provide comprehensive legal support for the further functioning of the new legal entity in Gibraltar.
The portfolio of specialists of "Smart Startup UK" is formed by more than 8,000 cases in the field of registration and support of international business. Our lawyers will apply this experience to the goals of your project.
CREATE A COMPANY
Company name check and reservation
Company registration, including state fees
Obtaining an administrative identification number
Registering the company with state structures
Writing a company charter
A set of statutory documents of the company in electronic form
Bank contribution for the authorized capital of the company
Obtaining a foreign investment permit
Opening an account at: Bank Jacob Safra (Gibraltar), Gibraltar International Bank
Opening a personal bank account
Apostille and translated corporate documents
Obtaining a residence permit
Free consultation
Help with online trading and opening an account at viva.com for online trading
Accounting services - 12 months
Accounting services
Annual renewal 1000 Euro (paid from the second year)
*Within 35 days
IMPORTANT! We can provide you with the initial share capital (if the amount is over 5000 Euro) for registering your company in the form of a loan from our company.
Please, if you are interested, make an inquiry to us.
What is the procedure!
1. You submit an application for company registration through the application form.
2. We check whether the company name for registration is free and eligible for registration.
3. Choose a bank that meets your company's needs from a list of Smart Startup UK partner banks.
4. We send you a proforma invoice for payment to be paid to our bank account + the amount for your company's initial capital.
5. You receive all the necessary company documents for reconciliation.
6. You receive details of your newly opened bank account.
7. Within the specified period (for Gibraltar it is 35 days) you receive all the services included in the package.
8. You can manage all the services included in the package through our platform, as our team works 24/7 and you can get help from us within up to 30 minutes. We have built an internal ticket system for our customers, through which we process each of your support requests.
All services such as management, accounting, bank account opening requests, licensing, tax return filing, tax payment and more are carried out through your account on our platform, making it easier to manage your business!
