Foreign company
An overseas company that sets up a place of business, or carries on business, in or from the Islands. It must register under Part 9 of the Companies Act, the Cayman equivalent of a branch registration.
- Entiva fee to form
- $2,729
- Government fees to form
- CI$1,500
- Run plan
- $219 a month
- Steps to form
- 4
- Ongoing filings
- 4
- Ways to close
- 1
Who it suits, and what defines it.
Governed by the Companies Act (2025 Revision) Part 9.
Who it suits
- Overseas companies with a place of business in the Cayman Islands.
- Overseas companies acting as general partner of an exempted limited partnership (ELP).
Key facts
- Registration deadline
- Within one month of becoming a foreign company
- Registration fee
- CI$1,500
- Annual fee
- CI$1,650 in 2026; CI$1,750 from 1 January 2027
- Changes
- Reported within 30 days
- Ceasing business
- Notice to the Registrar when business ends
- Trading licence
- Needed if it trades locally
- Statute
- Companies Act (2025 Revision) Part 9
What the law requires.
8 rules, each in plain words.
Registration within one month of becoming a foreign company
It is due within one month of establishing a place of business or starting business in the Islands.
Documents from the home country
These are a certified certificate of incorporation, a good standing certificate or director's declaration dated within one month, and certified charter documents.
A list of directors and Cayman-resident persons to accept service
Their names and addresses go to the Registry with the application.
Changes reported within 30 days
This covers alterations to the documents already filed.
An annual fee every January
Notice when it stops doing business in the Islands
A Trade and Business Licence if it trades locally
Economic substance and beneficial ownership duties where they apply
How Entiva forms it.
4 steps. Entiva prepares and files each one, and collects every signature the law needs.
The steps
4 steps- 1Apply for a Trade and Business LicenceOnly if needed
Only if the company trades locally, and it is needed before trading.
- 2Apply for a control licence or Cabinet exemptionOnly if needed
Only if the company trades locally and is not at least 60% Caymanian owned and directed.
- 3Register the foreign company
It is due within one month of setting up a place of business, and registration does not license the business.
- 4File the economic substance notification
It is filed every year once the company is registered.
Documents
8- Certified certificate of incorporation from the home country
- Certificate of good standing dated within one month
- Director's declaration of good standing, if no certificate is issued
- Certified charter, bye-laws or memorandum and articles
- List of directors
- Acceptance by each Cayman-resident person who accepts service
- Ownership chart to the individuals behind the company
- Certificate of registration (s.186)
Who takes part
4- Every director is verified
- Each Cayman-resident person who accepts service is verified
- Anyone owning 10% or more of the company is verified
- Anyone who gives instructions or signs for the company is verified
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
4 filings- Pay the foreign company annual fee
Every January; CI$1,650 in 2026 and CI$1,750 from 1 January 2027
- File the economic substance notification
31 January 2027 for the 2026 notification
- File the economic substance return
Within 12 months after financial year end, if a relevant activity is carried on
- File a Tax Resident Outside the Islands (TRO) form
Within 12 months after financial year end, if claiming tax residence abroad
The changes Entiva handles.
Each change is prepared, approved, signed and filed.
The most common changes
4 changes- File a return of alterations
- Apply for a Trade and Business Licence
- Apply for a control licence or Cabinet exemption
- Give notice that business in the Islands has ended
How it closes.
One route, filed step by step.
Notice of ceasing business
The company no longer has a place of business or carries on business in the Islands.
- 1
Settle the annual fee and any penalties
- 2
Give notice to the Registrar
- 3
The Registrar records the cessation
What Entiva does for you.
From the first filing to the last.
Foreign company
- Registers the overseas company and files its documents with the Registry.Formation
- Applies for the Trade and Business Licence when the company trades locally.Formation
- Pays the annual fee every January.Ongoing
- Files a return of alterations within 30 days of any change.Changes
- Files the economic substance notification each year.Ongoing
- Gives the Registrar notice when business in the Islands stops.Changes
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
$2,729one-off
- Government fees
- CI$1,500
Steps marked only if needed are not counted.
Closing it
Quoted before it starts
- Entiva fee
- Fixed, quoted first
- Government fees
- At cost
Included in the Run plan
- File the economic substance notification
- File the economic substance return
- File a Tax Resident Outside the Islands (TRO) form
- Routine changes
- Every deadline tracked
Extra, at a fixed fee
- Apply for a Trade and Business LicenceOnly if needed
- Apply for a control licence or Cabinet exemptionOnly if needed
- Give notice that business in the Islands has ended
Each extra is quoted before it starts, and nothing is done until you approve it.
Forming it
Entiva's formation fee is $2,729, one-off. Government fees are passed through at cost.
Excludes steps marked only if needed.
Every year
The Run plan costs $219 a month ($2,628 a year).
CI$1,650 for 2026; CI$1,750 for 2027.
Changes
Routine changes are included in the Run plan.
Express adds CI$150.
Express adds CI$150.
Closing it
Closing is a fixed-fee project, quoted before it starts.
Express adds CI$150.
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.
We are onboarding a small group of founders and finance teams with entities in more than one country.