General information

Company structure

• ▪ Only one shareholder (can also be a legal person, no nationality restriction or residency restrictions)
• ▪ Only one director (can also be a legal person, no nationality or residency restrictions)

Confidentiality

• ▪ Beneficial owners’ details – Not part of public record
• ▪ Shareholders’ details – Not part of public record
• ▪ Directors’ details –Not part of public record

Taxation

• ▪ Vanuatu International Company is exempt from all forms of taxation in Vanuatu

Other benefits

There is no legal requirement for Annual General Meetings to be held. Directors and Shareholders can vote by Proxy. Meetings can be held anyway in the world thus do not have to be in Vanuatu. If held outside Vanuatu, meeting can be made through telephone, or other means. 

Accounting requirements

Annual Returns or Audited accounts are not required to be filed with the authorities. However, it is necessary for the companies to maintain financial records that reflect the company’s financial situation.

Secretary

Optional, although it is customary to have one

Registered Agent

Required

Registered office

Required

Company name

• ▪ Language: Any
• ▪ Letters: Any
• ▪ Company name must end with such sufixes or their abbreviations: Limited, Corporation, Incorporated, Societe Anonyme, Sociedad Anonima, Sendirian Berhad, Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Besloten Vennootschap, Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung. An International Company may utilise a broad range of internationally accepted abbreviated words as suffixes to denote their limited liability
• ▪ Names Requiring Consent or a Licence: Bank, buildings society, insurance, assurance, reinsurance, fund management, investment fund, trust, trustees, finance

N.B.

• ▪ Restricted connections for company name: name of state, national or local government.
• ▪ Any name that implies illegal activity or implies royal or government patronage is restricted.
• ▪ Registrar may reject any name which it considers undesirable or contrary to the public interest.
  
• ▪ Company name is restricted to be identical or similar that of an existing company.
• ▪ In case when foreign language is used for company name the translation must be provided to Registrar which will ensure conformity to above listed restrictions.

Incorporation

• ▪ Name check and approval
• ▪ Filling incorporation documents with the Registrar of Companies
• ▪ A standard set of original corporate documents
• ▪ Payment of the government fee
• ▪ Provision of registered agent and registered address for one year

Please provide us with the following documents and data:

 Incorporation

• ▪ A notarized copy of valid passport (of each Shareholder, Director, Beneficial Owner, Authorized Signatory)
• ▪ A copy of proof of residential address (ex. utility bill of each Shareholder, Director, Beneficial Owner, Authorized Signatory that is not older than 3 months) in English
• ▪ Optional: A notarized copy of Bank reference (of each Shareholder, Director, Beneficial Owner, Authorized Signatory)
• ▪ Optional: CV (of each Director and Shareholder)

N.B.

• ▪ If Shareholders and/or directors are legal persons, then it is required to submit full set of apostilled company documents and if company is operating more than 1 year it is required to submit certificate of Good Standing.
• ▪ If documents are not in English language or language of particular country, then they must be accompanied by a notarized translation.

 Capital

• ▪ Amount of paid up capital

 Company name

• ▪ Three company names in order of preference