DOING BUSINESS IN DOMINICA IN 2023
Since 2003, Healy Consultants Group has assisted our Clients with business registration in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Our services include i) Dominica company incorporation ii) government license registration iii) business bank account opening iv) employee recruitment v) visa strategies and vi) office rental solutions.
| Compare different Dominica entities | Legally tax exempt LLC | Tax resident LLC | Free zone LLC | International foundation | Trust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also known as | IBC | SRL | FTZ Company | Private foundation | International / Offshore trust |
| Best use of company? | Trading with global customers | Onshore company | Manufacturing and export trading | Tax planning and charitable activities | Asset protection |
| How soon can you invoice Clients\sign sales contracts? | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | Cannot trade |
| How soon can you hire staff? | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | Cannot hire |
| How soon can you sign a lease agreement? | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | Cannot lease |
| How long to supply corporate bank account numbers? | 2 months | 2 months | 3 months | 2 months | 2 months |
| How long to supply entity registration \ tax numbers? | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Corporate tax rate on annual net profits? | 0 | 25% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Limited liability entity? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Government grants available? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Government approval required for foreign owners? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Resident director/partner/manager/ legal representative required? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Minimum paid up share capital? | US$100 | US$1 | US$100,000 | US$1 | US$10,000 |
| Can bid for Government contracts? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Corporate bank account location? | National Bank of Dominica | RBC | Scotiabank | First Caribbean Bank | Standard Commerce Bank |
| Can secure trade finance? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| VAT payable on sales to local customers? | Cannot trade locally | 15% | 15% | Cannot trade locally | Cannot trade |
| Average total business set up engagement costs? | US$9,450 | US$9,450 | US$11,600 | Contact us | Contact us |
| Average total engagement period? | 2 months | 2 months | 3 months | 2 months | 2 months |
Dominica company registration summary
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Advantages of Dominica company registration
- A minimum of one shareholder and one director are required for Dominica company formation. The shareholder and director need not be residents in Dominica, and can even be the same person. Corporate shareholders and directors are permitted;
- The minimum capital requirement to complete Dominica company registration is US$1, which must be fully paid-up. No par value shares are not permitted under Dominican company law;
- There is no public register of shareholders, directors or beneficial owners with Dominica company formation, thus preserving Client confidentiality. In accordance with Section 112 of Dominica’s IBC Act, it is an offence for anyone to reveal any information regarding a Dominica corporation, except when related to criminal activity being investigated in Dominica itself. Breach of this law comes with a US$15,000 fine and two years in prison;
- No company secretary is required for a Dominican IBC, but a registered agent is compulsory;
- Following Dominica company setup, no annual audited financial statements are required. Therefore, it is convenient and cost effective to maintain a Dominica company in the long-term;
- Dominica is a member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, along with Anguilla and several other nations in the region. Learn more about the OECS and the role of this regional organization on our blog;
- Dominica company formation is a legitimate corporate structure which, when properly structured, can house international tax-exempt profits. A Dominica company is also legally exempt from withholding tax, capital gains tax and value added tax (VAT);
- Dominica is not perceived as corrupt, ranking as the 39th least corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency Corruption Perceptions Index 2014;
- Healy Consultants can open a corporate bank account to support Dominica company formation in the jurisdiction of your choice. Healy Consultants works with internationally recognised banks such as HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Citibank to provide corporate bank account services;
- Dominica has been ranked as the 13th freest economy in the Americas region (out of 32 American nations) in the 2018 Index of Economic Freedom. This is largely due to its efficient, strong and resilient government that has ensured that the economy i) has a good fiscal health and ii) diversifies itself by promoting ecotourism and encouraging investments in agricultural exports.
Disadvantages of Dominica company registration
- Dominica company formation may be perceived as a tax neutral entity structure, increasing the risk that international banks’ compliance departments reject bank account opening applications from Dominican IBCs;
- A Dominica IBC cannot undertake banking, trust, and insurance or re-insurance business without prior government approval. In addition, it cannot own local property;
- Dominica company formation is a relatively time consuming and tedious process. According to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2016 Survey, Dominica poorly ranked as the world’s 91st easiest place to do business in the world, its greatest difficulty in ‘registering property’;
- In 2017, the nation was severely damaged by the Hurricane Maria and is still gradually recovering from it:
- Most of the crops were devasted and the fishing industry had completely collapsed;
- Dominica still faces problems due to lack of electricity and running water;
- The communication system still does not cover the entire island.
