Europe · Company formation

Company formation in Jersey

This suits founders who want a tax-neutral, strongly regulated holding, fund or SPV vehicle backed by a high-reputation legal system. They need to absorb CSP and administration costs along with economic-substance obligations.

Last verified July 2026

At a glance

Entity
Private company limited by shares (Ltd), incorporated under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991
Corporate tax
0% standard rate under the '0/10' regime; 10% for financial-services companies and 20% for utilities, large corporate retailers and Jersey property/rental income. No capital gains tax and no withholding tax on dividends. As of 2026.
Incorporation time
~5 business days on the standard tier; expedited service levels available down to 2 business days, 1 business day, or 2 hours for higher fees
Minimum capital
No minimum share capital; the authorised-capital requirement for par-value companies has been removed. Companies are usually formed with nominal capital (e.g. a small number of £1 shares).
Resident director
No resident-director requirement. Directors may be individuals or corporate, of any nationality or residence. In practice a licensed Jersey trust/company service provider (CSP) is engaged to file and administer.
Audit
No statutory audit for a private company unless required by its articles of association or a members' resolution. Public companies must be audited.
Remote set-up
Yes. Filed online through the JFSC myRegistry portal with no notarisation. Certified ID and proof of address (KYC) are required for every beneficial owner, controller and director, and in practice the filing is routed through a regulated Jersey CSP.
Government fee
Standard 5-business-day incorporation is roughly £205 (2026, after a 2.5% uplift), plus £10 to reserve the name; faster SLAs cost more (up to around £840 for a 2-hour incorporation). Annual confirmation statement is £75 (or £155 for CSP-administered companies).
Best for
This suits founders who want a tax-neutral, strongly regulated holding, fund or SPV vehicle backed by a high-reputation legal system. They need to absorb CSP and administration costs along with economic-substance obligations.

The process

  1. Reserve the company name via myRegistry (£10) and engage a licensed Jersey trust/company service provider to act as filer and registered office
  2. Prepare the memorandum and articles of association and complete KYC / beneficial-ownership disclosure for all associated parties (owners, controllers, directors, secretary)
  3. Submit the incorporation application online through myRegistry, select a processing SLA and pay the non-refundable government fee
  4. Receive registrar approval and the certificate of incorporation, then attend to tax registration and any economic-substance and annual-filing obligations
What can go wrong
  • The real cost is dominated by the mandatory licensed CSP, registered office and ongoing administration, not the modest government fee — Jersey is inexpensive to file but not cheap to run
  • Economic-substance rules apply to companies carrying on relevant activities (e.g. holding, financing, IP, fund management); tax neutrality does not remove substance and reporting duties
  • The Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 was amended with changes taking effect from 1 June 2026 and further amendments approved — confirm the current rules and fees with the JFSC before filing

Form a company in Jersey?

One named person on the file, an honest read on tax and substance, and a fixed quote before you commit.