(BERMUDA COMPANY FORMATION)
Bermuda Company
A Bermuda Exempted Company is formed under the Companies Act 1981. Bermuda is the worldâs insurance and reinsurance capital, and its company law exists to serve that market, which makes it superb for captives and listed structures and largely beside the point for ordinary asset protection. Wealth Web coordinates direct, licensed Bermuda registered office relationships, formation within 3 to 7 days, and optional banking or Cook Islands or Nevis Trust pairing, with pricing available on application.
Specialist jurisdiction
Wealth Web · Bermuda Company
Latitude
00.0000° N
Longitude
000.0000° W
(BERMUDA COMPANY OVERVIEW)
A Bermuda company structure for insurance, reinsurance and institutional standing
A Bermuda Exempted Company is formed under Part I of the Companies Act 1981, with prior consent from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. It is the standard vehicle for the global insurance, reinsurance and captive market.From 1 January 2025 Bermuda applies a 15% corporate income tax under the Corporate Income Tax Act 2023, but only to Bermuda entities that form part of a multinational group with EUR 750 million or more in annual consolidated revenue. Privately held holding companies, family offices, captives and operating businesses below that threshold remain outside the charge.Bermuda is a top-tier, heavily regulated jurisdiction. It is not built around creditor-protection statutes. Where creditor protection is the primary objective, compare the Cook Islands Company and Nevis Company.
Governing law
Companies Act 1981, as amended
Entity type
Exempted Company, formed with Bermuda Monetary Authority consent
Minimum directors/shareholders
One director and one shareholder, may be the same person
Public register
No public register of shareholders; directors are filed
Formation time
3–7 days from KYC clearance
Primary use
Insurance, reinsurance, captives and listed structures
General summary only. Bermuda introduced a 15% corporate income tax from 1 January 2025, but it applies only to Bermuda entities within multinational groups having EUR 750 million or more in annual consolidated revenue.
(WHAT IS INCLUDED)
A complete Bermuda company formation service
Choose a standalone Exempted Company, Company + banking, or the complete Total Protection Package
Fixed fees, inclusive of all government registration and first-year registered office costs â no hidden costs, no surprise invoices.
Bermuda Exempted Company
On application
3–7 days
A standalone Bermuda Exempted Company. Bermuda is the world’s insurance and reinsurance capital, and its company law exists to serve that market, which makes it superb for captives and listed structures and largely beside the point for ordinary asset protection.
Certificate of Incorporation and constitutional documents
All Bermuda government registration fees
First-year Bermuda registered office and agent
Apostilled corporate documents
Company + Banking
On application
3–7 days + 4–10 weeks banking
A Bermuda Exempted Company bundled with a bank account at one of our partner institutions — offshore banks, private banks, Swiss banks, and institutional custodians.
Bermuda Exempted Company — fully registered and operational
Offshore bank account at a partner institution of your choice
All company documents
All government fees and first-year agent costs
Trust + Company + Banking
$12,000
inclusive of all first-year fees · Coordinated formation timeline
The complete 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 available, built on our two core jurisdictions.
Cook Islands or Nevis Trust — fully registered and operational
Cook Islands or Nevis Company (LLC or IBC) — fully registered and operational
All trust and company formation documents
All government fees and first-year trustee and agent costs
Offshore bank account at a partner institution of your choice
Every package includes drafted formation documents, apostilled copies, and direct coordination with licensed Bermuda registered offices and agents.
(BERMUDA COMPANY GUIDE)
Understanding the Bermuda Exempted Company structure
How does a Bermuda Exempted Company work?
A Bermuda Exempted Company is owned by its shareholders, who appoint directors to manage its affairs.
The company is formed under the Companies Act 1981 and registered through a licensed Bermuda registered office or agent. It can hold bank accounts and investments directly, own shares in subsidiaries, and conduct international business.
A Bermuda Exempted Company is formed under Part I of the Companies Act 1981, with prior consent from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. It is the standard vehicle for the global insurance, reinsurance and captive market.
- Shareholders: own the company and hold economic and voting rights.
- Directors: manage the company’s affairs and banking relationships.
- Registered office: maintains the company’s registration and statutory records in Bermuda.
- Constitutional documents: set out share structure, governance, and shareholder rights.
Wealth Web coordinates entity formation, registered office, due diligence, and banking.
Discuss your structureWho controls a Bermuda company?
A Bermuda company can generally be structured so you retain direct control over its banking and investment decisions.
Most Bermuda companies used for holding or investment purposes have the beneficial owner closely involved in governance, meaning day-to-day banking, investment and operating decisions remain in your hands.
Where a trust is added above the company, day-to-day control does not change — what changes is who legally holds the shares a creditor would need to reach.
- Director authority: covers routine banking, investment, and operational decisions.
- Shareholder rights: include dividends, voting, and amendment of governing documents.
- Trustee ownership: where a trust holds the shares, adds a jurisdictional barrier without changing daily management.
- Governance: the Companies Act 1981 supports board and committee structures where a more formal arrangement is needed.
What can be placed in a Bermuda company?
A company becomes operational once accepted assets are properly transferred and recorded as company property.
Common uses include cash and bank deposits, investment portfolios, intellectual property, and shares in operating subsidiaries. Wealth Web coordinates the bank or custodian introduction, with every institution reviewing the proposed assets, source of funds, and supporting documentation.
From 1 January 2025 Bermuda applies a 15% corporate income tax under the Corporate Income Tax Act 2023, but only to Bermuda entities that form part of a multinational group with EUR 750 million or more in annual consolidated revenue. Privately held holding companies, family offices, captives and operating businesses below that threshold remain outside the charge.
- Cash and deposits: held through approved offshore or institutional banking arrangements.
- Investment portfolios: held through approved custodian or brokerage arrangements.
- Subsidiary shares: consolidated under a single holding layer.
- Captive insurance and reinsurance vehicles: the jurisdiction’s most common application.
Why pair a Bermuda company with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust?
Bermuda gives you the strengths set out on this page; a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust adds the dedicated creditor-protection statute it does not have.
A Bermuda company alone has no dedicated charging-order or creditor-bond statute of the kind Cook Islands and Nevis provide. Placing a Cook Islands Trust above the Bermuda company relocates the shares a creditor would need to reach to an independent, licensed trustee operating entirely outside US jurisdiction.
Day-to-day control does not change: you continue managing the Bermuda company’s banking and investment activity exactly as before. What changes is what happens under genuine legal pressure, when the trust deed’s anti-duress provisions direct the trustee to decline any instruction given under compulsion.
- Practical control preserved: day-to-day management continues exactly as before formation.
- Shares relocated: held by an independent trustee, not by you personally.
- Dedicated statute added: the trust brings the purpose-built creditor protection Bermuda itself lacks.
- Jurisdictional strengths retained: the Bermuda entity still does what you formed it to do.
Wealth Web coordinates Bermuda companies with Cook Islands and Nevis Trusts as a single engagement.
See the Cook Islands TrustWhat are the limits of Bermuda company protection?
A Bermuda company is a structuring vehicle, not a purpose-built creditor-protection statute.
Transfers made after a claim has already arisen, while the transferor is insolvent, or with an improper purpose can be challenged — there is no criminal burden of proof or short statutory limitation period of the kind Cook Islands and Nevis provide.
Bermuda applies economic substance requirements to companies carrying on relevant activities, and BMA consent is required before incorporation.
- No dedicated creditor statute: protection relies on general common law, not purpose-built legislation.
- No secrecy from authorities: home-country tax and reporting duties continue in full regardless of structure.
- No guaranteed outcome: facts, timing, and applicable law remain decisive in any dispute.
- Strongest when paired: a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust adds the statutory protection Bermuda alone lacks.
When should a Bermuda company be established?
The strongest planning happens while finances are stable and before any specific dispute or claim exists.
Formation typically completes within 3 to 7 days once KYC is cleared. From 1 January 2025 a 15% corporate income tax applies only to entities in MNE groups with EUR 750m+ revenue. Most privately held companies are out of scope.
Offshore bank account opening generally takes a further four to ten weeks, particularly where the structure requires additional due diligence.
- 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.
- Confirm the tax position: 15% cit for large mne groups only — check how that interacts with your own residence.
- Consider a trust pairing: if creditor protection, not just the company itself, is a priority.
What tax and reporting obligations apply?
Offshore does not mean unreported. Obligations depend on the shareholders, assets, and countries involved.
The Bermuda registered office or agent and any bank will complete KYC and beneficial-ownership checks as standard practice. Bermuda applies economic substance requirements to companies carrying on relevant activities, and BMA consent is required before incorporation.
US persons typically file Form 5471 annually for the company, alongside FBAR for offshore accounts. These obligations are non-negotiable, and every structure Wealth Web forms is built for full home-country compliance from day one.
- Form 5471: annual US reporting for foreign corporations.
- FBAR: applies to offshore bank and financial accounts held by the company.
- Substance and residence: where the company is managed and controlled can decide its tax outcome.
- Professional advice: should be obtained before formation and before assets are funded.
Who may consider a Bermuda company?
Bermuda is the world’s insurance and reinsurance capital, and its company law exists to serve that market, which makes it superb for captives and listed structures and largely beside the point for ordinary asset protection.
Why choose Bermuda? Because of what it is the world capital of. More captive insurers and reinsurance capacity sit in Bermuda than anywhere else, and the legal, actuarial and regulatory infrastructure has developed specifically around that market. For a captive, a reinsurance vehicle or a structure heading for a listing, Bermuda is frequently the obvious answer.
It is less suitable as a standalone structure where dedicated creditor protection is the primary objective — pairing with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust addresses that gap directly.
- Best fit: captive insurance and reinsurance vehicles.
- Also suited to: structures heading for a listing or requiring top-tier institutional standing.
- And: investment and holding structures where regulatory quality matters most.
- Clients wanting Total Protection: through a Bermuda company paired with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust.
We compare Bermuda against Cook Islands and Nevis honestly before recommending a structure.
Book a consultation(WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE WEALTH WEB)
Bermuda company formation with cross-jurisdiction perspective
Wealth Web coordinates Bermuda companies and Cook Islands or Nevis Trusts as a single engagement. We are not a referral service â we manage the entire formation process directly and pass on the best available pricing.
Direct Bermuda registered office relationships
We work with direct, licensed Bermuda registered office and agent relationships — not a referral intermediary — the same team that forms Cook Islands and Nevis structures across 20+ jurisdictions.
First-hand jurisdictional knowledge
Our specialists understand the practical realities of Bermuda structuring, not generic offshore formation scripts.
Fixed-fee formation
All government fees and first-year agent costs are included in the price — no hidden costs, no surprise invoices.
Honest jurisdiction guidance
We compare Bermuda against Cook Islands and Nevis honestly, so the strengths of a jurisdiction are not confused with adversarial creditor defence.
Full compliance from day one
Optional legal and tax advisory ensures full home-country compliance — every structure is built to be reported correctly, not hidden.
(WHO SHOULD FORM A BERMUDA COMPANY?)
A strong fit for insurance, reinsurance and institutional standing
Bermuda is the worldâs insurance and reinsurance capital, and its company law exists to serve that market, which makes it superb for captives and listed structures and largely beside the point for ordinary asset protection. For dedicated creditor protection, pair it with a Cook Islands or Nevis Trust.
Insurance, reinsurance and institutional standing
Bermuda is the world’s insurance and reinsurance capital, and its company law exists to serve that market, which makes it superb for captives and listed structures and largely beside the point for ordinary asset protection.
Captive insurance and reinsurance vehicles
Structures heading for a listing or requiring top-tier institutional standing
Investment and holding structures where regulatory quality matters most
Groups below the EUR 750 million threshold, which remain outside the 15% CIT
Premium pricing, and the 15% threshold
Bermuda has real strengths, but it is not built around dedicated creditor-protection statutes.
A 15% corporate income tax applies to entities in MNE groups above EUR 750m revenue
Bermuda Monetary Authority consent is required to incorporate
Costs sit at the premium end of the offshore market
No dedicated charging-order or creditor-bond statute like Cook Islands or Nevis
For creditor protection specifically, compare the Cook Islands Company and Nevis Company, or the Cook Islands Trust where the exposure is serious. For insurance, reinsurance and institutional standing, Bermuda is frequently the stronger fit.
(TOTAL PROTECTION PACKAGE)
The Bermuda Total Protection Package
A company on paper does nothing â the structure only works once funded and operational. We manage the bank introduction process, matching your entity profile to institutions actively onboarding Bermuda entities. Account opening typically takes four to ten weeks.
- Bermuda registered agent and incorporation coordinated from start to finish
- Government, registration and third-party costs itemised in the written quote
- Bermuda-compliant constitutional documents and share structure prepared where required
- Company registered and prepared for banking and asset transfer
(BERMUDA 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 discuss your objectives, whether a Bermuda company or a Cook Islands or Nevis structure best fits your needs, and your home-country tax position.
02
Confirm structure and complete KYC
We confirm the structure, check name availability, and provide a tailored KYC checklist â certified passport, proof of address, and source of funds.
03
Draft, sign, and register
We prepare your constitutional documents, file with the Registrar of Companies, and pay all government fees. Formation completes within 3 to 7 days.
04
Receive documents and open banking
You receive your complete corporate document pack, ready for bank account opening. We manage the bank introduction through to an active, funded offshore account.
(BERMUDA COMPANY INSIGHTS)
Bermuda Company Insights
Recent Articles
Explore our latest insights, practical guides and updates on international wealth structuring.
Tax, Compliance & Regulation12 min read
China’s 2026 Offshore Trust Tax Rules: What Singapore Based Wealth Holders Need to Know
Jurisdiction Guides12 min read
The Cook Islands Financial Services Industry, Part 1: Critical Analysis
Asset Protection25 min read
Asset Protection for US Persons
International Banking & Investment12 min read
Offshore Banking & International Structuring Guide
Offshore Companies12 min read
Gold, Silver & Precious Metals in Offshore Wealth Structuring
Offshore Trusts15 min read
Cook Islands & Offshore Trusts for Asset Protection: The Complete Guide
Asset Protection13 min read
Offshore Asset Protection Strategies: Costs, Jurisdictions & Structures
Asset Protection7 min read
Cook Islands Asset Protection Trust with Enhanced Protector and IP Governance
(ABOUT BERMUDA COMPANYS)
What is a Bermuda company?
A Bermuda Exempted Company is formed under the Companies Act 1981 with prior consent from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The BMA consent step is real regulatory scrutiny rather than a formality, which is part of why Bermuda entities carry the standing they do.
Why choose Bermuda? Because of what it is the world capital of. More captive insurers and reinsurance capacity sit in Bermuda than anywhere else, and the legal, actuarial and regulatory infrastructure has developed specifically around that market. For a captive, a reinsurance vehicle or a structure heading for a listing, Bermuda is frequently the obvious answer.
On tax, the position since 1 January 2025 is more nuanced than “zero”. A 15% corporate income tax applies to Bermuda entities within multinational groups above the EUR 750 million revenue threshold. The large majority of privately held Bermuda companies fall below it and are unaffected, but the threshold should be checked rather than assumed. Bermuda has no dedicated creditor-protection statute. It does not carry the charging-order and creditor-bond statutes that make Cook Islands and Nevis companies so effective against active claims, so pairing a Bermuda company with a Cook Islands Trust above it is how the two are usually combined.
(BERMUDA COMPANY QUESTIONS)
Common questions about Bermuda 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.
