Foreign company registered to carry on business in the BVI
A company incorporated outside the BVI must register under Part XI of the BVI Business Companies Act if it carries on business there, including through a place of business.
- Entiva fee to form
- $1,479
- Government fees to form
- $550
- Run plan
- $119 a month
- Steps to form
- 2
- Ongoing filings
- 3
- Ways to close
- 3
Who it suits, and what defines it.
Governed by the BVI Business Companies Act, Part XI.
Who it suits
- Foreign companies that carry on business in the BVI, including through a place of business.
- Holding investments or a bank account alone is not carrying on business.
Key facts
- Registration fee
- US$550
- Annual fee
- US$550, due 31 March
- Annual return
- US$50, due 31 March
- Registered agent
- Always needed, with Financial Services Commission approval
- Change notice
- Within 30 days
- BVI company?
- No; registration does not create one
- Economic substance
- Applies, unless the company is non-resident
- Statute
- BVI Business Companies Act, Part XI
What the law requires.
6 rules, each in plain words.
A BVI registered agent at all times
The registered agent needs a licence and Financial Services Commission (FSC) approval to provide registered agent services (s.189).
An application with evidence of incorporation and a certified constitution
It also needs lists of directors and members, the registered agent's endorsed appointment, the home office address and certified translations where needed (s.186(2)).
Notice of changes in particulars within 30 days
It covers changes to the company's name, directors, members, constitution, home office or registered agent (s.188).
Annual return made up to 31 December and filed by 31 March
A director of the foreign company or its registered agent certifies the return (s.192).
Notice within 7 days of ceasing to carry on business
The registered agent files it for a US$100 government fee, and the Registrar then removes the company from the register (s.193).
Economic substance rules apply unless it is a non-resident company
How Entiva forms it.
2 steps. Entiva prepares and files each one, and collects every signature the law needs.
The steps
2 steps- 1Register the foreign company
The registered agent files the application. Registration is due before the company carries on business, but it may trade while the application is pending. Government fee US$550.
- 2Apply for a trade licence
Needed only to trade in the BVI itself. Apply before starting business.
Documents
8- Evidence that the company is incorporated abroad
- Certified copy of the constitution
- List of directors
- List of members
- Notice appointing the registered agent, with its endorsement
- Board resolution authorising the registration
- Director's statement on the nature of the business
- Certificate of registration as a foreign company
Who takes part
5- The person instructing the registration, with photo ID and proof of address
- The foreign company's authorised representative, with photo ID and proof of address
- Every director of the foreign company, with photo ID and proof of address
- Each owner or controller of 10% or more, with source of funds and wealth
- Any corporate member of 10% or more, checked through to its owners
What has to be filed, and when.
Entiva tracks every deadline from the day it is formed, and files before each one.
Every year, and as things happen
3 filings- Pay the annual fee
Each 31 March from the year after registration: US$550
- File the annual return
By 31 March each year, made up to 31 December
- File the economic substance declaration
Within 6 months of each period end; late penalties suspended since 19 May 2026
The changes Entiva handles.
Each change is prepared, approved, signed and filed.
The most common changes
4 changes- Notify a change in particulars
- Record the registered agent's resignation
- Appoint a new registered agent
- Apply for a trade licence
How it closes.
3 routes. The right one depends on whether it can pay its debts, and who starts it.
Voluntary deregistration
When the company stops carrying on business in the BVI.
- 1
File the notice within 7 days of ceasing business
- 2
The Registrar removes the company from the register
Registrar removal
The Registrar can remove the company, for example for no registered agent, a missing return or an unpaid fee.
- 1
The Registrar removes the company from the register
- 2
Re-register within 5 years, with all fees paid
BVI insolvency
If the company is insolvent in the BVI.
- 1
Apply to the Court to appoint a liquidator
What Entiva does for you.
From the first filing to the last.
Foreign company registered to carry on business in the BVI
- Files the registration application, endorsed by the registered agent, on VIRRGIN, the Registry's online system.Formation
- Tracks the 31 March date and pays the annual fee.Ongoing
- Checks the register entries with the company, then files the annual return.Ongoing
- Collects the economic substance data and files it once a director approves.Ongoing
- Files the cessation notice within 7 days when the company stops trading in the BVI.Closing
Build it with the API.
Every step on this page is an action in the Entiva API, with its documents, signatures and filing.
What it costs, item by item.
Every Entiva fee and every government fee, from forming it to closing it.
Forming it
$1,479one-off
- Government fees
- $550
Closing it
From $3,709
- Entiva fee
- Fixed, quoted first
- Government fees
- At cost
Included in the Run plan
- Registered agent in the BVI
- File the annual return
- File the economic substance declaration
- Routine changes
- Every deadline tracked
Extra, at a fixed fee
- Apply for a trade licence
Each extra is quoted before it starts, and nothing is done until you approve it.
Forming it
Entiva's formation fee is $1,479, one-off. Government fees are passed through at cost.
Excludes steps marked only if needed.
Every year
The Run plan costs $119 a month ($1,428 a year).
Late: 10% if paid by 31 May; 50% if paid on or after 1 June.
A first determination carries US$5,000 to 20,000.
Changes
Routine changes are included in the Run plan.
Late penalty US$200 per month or part, up to US$2,400.
Closing it
Closing is a fixed-fee project, quoted before it starts.
Within 12 months of removal: US$550. After 12 months: US$1,000.
Entiva fees are in US dollars. Government fees are in the currency each authority charges, passed through at cost when the filing is made. Taxes are separate.
Start with your first company.
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