What are shelf companies?

When you decide to buy "off the shelf", you are getting a company that has been around at least a couple of months, or even years. An offshore Shelf Company is an offshore company (IBC) that has already been in existence for weeks, months or years. Most Shelf Companies are literally sitting on a shelf waiting to be purchased, thus the name Shelf Company. A Shelf Company affords the same privacy and asset protection advantages that a newly formed company provides.

Shelf Companies are always more expensive than newly formed IBC's. In some cases, a Shelf Company's price may be several times the price of a newly formed IBC. This is due to the fact that each year that an IBC is in existence a fee (called an "annual fee" or a "renewal fee") must be paid. The price of a Shelf Company increases each year by at least the price of the renewal fee.

A small percentage of individuals and corporations that go offshore want to demonstrate that their offshore company has been in existence for several months or years. A Shelf Company is the perfect solution for this scenario. Once a Shelf Company is purchased, bank and brokerage accounts may be set up in the name of the Shelf Company. This allows a client to do banking, investing and business in the name of the Shelf Company.

We always appoint nominee directors on incorporation. You can appoint new directors when you buy shelf company or keep nominee. List of currently available shelf companies.