Marshall Island
NRDC · Non-Resident Corporation
✓NRDC - 0% for a non-resident corporation✓A corporate statute modelled on Delaware, in US dollars✓The registry behind the world’s third-largest ship flag
Oceania is two regions, not one.
On a map it is one region. In practice it is a handful of small Pacific registries whose real speciality is holding ships, yachts and other assets, alongside two developed economies with ordinary tax rates, strong reputations and banks that open accounts. Almost every Oceania problem we are asked to repair started with someone choosing the first group when they actually needed the second.
10
Oceanian jurisdictions
6,000+
companies registered
70+
banking relationships
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
Where we register
All eight we register in - and the half each one belongs to
Samoa
IC · International Company
✓International Company at 0%, filed in 1-2 business days✓Run by a dedicated state authority since 1988✓Incorporation documents issued in Chinese as well as English
Vanuatu
IC · International Company
✓No income, corporate, capital-gains or withholding taxes at all✓International Company filed online in 1-3 business days✓VFSC licensing for forex and other regulated activities, but the jurisdiction sits on EU watchlists
Nauru
Corporation · Corporations Act
✓Corporation under the Corporations Act - 10% on local activity✓Foreign-source income generally outside the tax base✓One of the least-used registries in the world
Niue
Company · Companies Act
✓Company under the Companies Act - New Zealand-style law, New Zealand dollar✓30% corporate tax, but charged on local activity✓A micro-registry on an island of around 1,700 people
New Zealand
LP · Limited Partnership
✓Limited Partnership - transparent, so the partners are taxed instead✓0% for non-residents: with foreign income there is nothing to tax in New Zealand✓No public accounts for a foreign-only LP, with setup fully online
Australia
Pty Ltd via ASIC
✓25% for a small company, 30% standard, 10% GST✓One director must reside in Australia - that is the gate✓Banks that clear the global compliance bar, plus franked dividends abroad
Palau
Corporation via Registrar
✓12% business profit tax and 10% PGST, in US dollars under the Compact✓Foreign Investment Board approval before a foreigner can trade✓2-6 weeks including FIB - the one case here that cannot simply be rushed
Where this goes wrong
The Pacific half is not a cheaper version of the Australasian half
They are not two points on the same scale. One end is a set of small international-company registries built mainly for owning assets, vessels above all. The other is two developed common-law economies that tax profit at ordinary rates. Choosing between them on tax alone can leave you with a company that works on paper and stops at the first bank.
✓A 0% Pacific company bought for the rate alone will often fail at account opening✓Vanuatu sits on EU watchlists, so the flag has to be explained every time✓Australia requires a director who genuinely lives there✓Palau will not let a foreign business begin without Foreign Investment Board approval
None of that is a reason to avoid the region. It is a reason to know which half you belong in before paying for anything.
Ask which half fits →When the region is the right answer
What Oceania is genuinely good at
In each of the cases below, the region is chosen for something other than the tax rate, and each can stand up to questions from a bank or regulator.
✓Owning a ship or yacht - the Marshall Islands registry is a maritime institution✓Holding assets rather than trading them, at 0%, through Samoa or the Marshall Island✓Partners in several countries pooling foreign income in a New Zealand LP✓A real business selling into Asia from Australia, with local staff and local banking
Each case has one jurisdiction that fits it better than the others, and the reason is almost never the headline tax rate.
Get a free legal opinion →What registration covers
What we do, and what you get at the end
Incorporation is the easy part. The work is choosing correctly, satisfying the registrar and getting a bank account opened afterwards.
These include:
✓Choice of jurisdiction and legal form against your real activity✓Name check, incorporation and the full corporate document set✓Registered office and registered agent for the first year✓Beneficial ownership filings where the jurisdiction requires them✓Apostille and legalisation of documents for use abroad
Additionally, where needed:
✓Bank or EMI account opening, with 70+ relationships behind the application✓Nominee or resident director where the law requires one✓Substance - office, staff and local presence✓Accounting, annual returns and tax registration✓Licences, permits and sector approvals
Several of these jurisdictions now require annual filings and substance reports that did not exist five years ago. We keep them filed.
| What | Typical time | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Name approval | Same day to 3 days | Reserved company name |
| Incorporation | 1 day to 8 weeks | Certificate, charter, register of members |
| Corporate documents | With incorporation | Resolutions, share certificates, POA |
| Apostille set | 3-10 business days | Legalised documents for the bank |
| Tax and social registration | 1-3 weeks | Tax number, VAT where applicable |
| Bank account | 2-8 weeks | IBAN and access to the account |
The bank is the slow step everywhere, and it is the one that decides whether the structure was worth building. We start it in parallel, not afterwards.
Comparison of jurisdictions
All eight, with the real rate and the real timeline
The rate shown is the headline rate in the country of registration. Several of these jurisdictions apply it only to activity carried on locally, while one charges nothing itself because the partners are taxed instead. Read the notes before reading the percentages.
01
Fast, and genuinely 0%
The Marshall Island NRDC and Samoan International Company file in 1-2 business days at 0%. Vanuatu goes further - no income, corporate, capital-gains or withholding taxes exist there, and incorporation is completed online in 1-3 days.
02
The rate follows the activity
Nauru charges 10% on local activity and generally leaves foreign-source income outside the tax base. Niue charges 30%, again on local activity. Both take 2-4 weeks, so neither is a fast alternative to the first group.
03
Ordinary rates, ordinary economies
Australia applies 25% for a small company and 30% standard, with 10% GST. Palau applies 12% business profit tax and 10% PGST. These are ordinary tax systems rather than classic zero-tax offshore regimes.
04
A gate before the rate
Australia requires one director resident in the country. Palau requires Foreign Investment Board approval and reserves several sectors for Palauans. Neither requirement is negotiable, and both need to be checked before tax.
| Jurisdiction | Legal form | Time to set up | Corporate tax | Remote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall IslandMore details → | NRDC · Non-Resident Corporation | 1-2 business days | 0% - non-resident | Yes - via registered agent |
| NauruMore details → | Corporation · Corporations Act | 2-4 weeks | 10% - local activity | Yes - via registered agent |
| NiueMore details → | Company · Companies Act | 2-4 weeks | 30% - local activity | Yes - via local agent |
| SamoaMore details → | IC · International Company | 1-2 business days | 0% - international company | Yes - via trustee company |
| VanuatuMore details → | IC · International Company | 1-3 business days | 0% - none exist | Yes - fully online |
| AustraliaMore details → | Pty Ltd via ASIC | Registry days · realistic 2-4 weeks | 25% small · 30% standard | Yes - with resident-director solution |
| New ZealandMore details → | LP · Limited Partnership | 1-2 weeks | 0% - transparent entity | Yes - fully online |
| PalauMore details → | Corporation via Registrar | 2-6 weeks incl. FIB | 12% | - |
| FijiMore details → | Pte Ltd | 14 days per complete application | 25% · VAT 12.5% | Yes - through an agent |
| Papua New GuineaMore details → | Ltd | 24 hours to 3 weeks · online | 30% | Yes - online filing |
Important: The New Zealand Limited Partnership is transparent, not exempt. It shows 0% because with non-resident partners and foreign income New Zealand has nothing to tax. The partners are taxed where they live, just as with a UK LLP. If they are resident in high-tax jurisdictions, the structure may save nothing.
No row in this table is a recommendation by itself. The right answer depends on the activity, the owners’ tax residence and whether the required bank will accept a company from that jurisdiction.
Before you register
What each registry - and each bank - will want
The document list barely changes across the eight. What changes is who files it for you, how long the response takes and how much explaining the jurisdiction requires afterwards.
01
Passport and proof of address Certified copies for every shareholder, director, partner and beneficial owner. They need to be recent.
02
A described business activity Not simply “trading” or “consulting”. What you sell, to whom and from where. The registrar wants a clear description; the bank wants the full story with invoices and supporting evidence.
03
Source of funds Documented, not asserted. Several flags in the region carry enough history that the banking file needs to overcome it.
04
Beneficial ownership disclosure Collected everywhere, including where the registers are closed to the public, as in Vanuatu. Closed to the public does not mean closed to regulators.
05
The right kind of agent A registered agent in the Marshall Island and Nauru, a local agent in Niue and a licensed trustee company in Samoa. Vanuatu and New Zealand operate fully online.
06
A director who actually lives in Australia One resident director is a statutory requirement for a Pty Ltd, and every director needs a verified identity. This is a real legal requirement, not a formality.
07
Foreign Investment Board approval in Palau Required before a foreign business can operate and already built into the 2-6 week timeframe. Several sectors are reserved for Palauans.
08
A partner map for a New Zealand LP Who the general partner is, who the limited partners are and where each is tax resident. That last point determines whether the transparent treatment delivers any benefit.
09
Annual renewals and filings Agent and government fees apply everywhere, with accounts and returns where required. Restoring a company struck off a small Pacific register can be slow and expensive.
10
A bank that will accept that particular flag Australia and New Zealand need almost no explanation. The Marshall Island and Samoa are easier where a real asset sits behind the company. Vanuatu requires genuine preparation, while Nauru, Niue and Palau are rare enough that a compliance officer may need to research them.
Note: If a compliance officer cannot place the jurisdiction within a minute, expect to spend time explaining it. Resolve that question before incorporation, not afterwards.
On the ground
Sixteen offices, our own people
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Berlin
Germany
Rankestraße 26
Singapore
Singapore
3 Church Street, #29-68 Samsung Hub
Bangkok
Thailand
Unit P01, Penthouse, VASU1, 1 Sukhumvit 25 Alley
Foshan
China
A-Tower, Yuneng Digital Plaza, 46 Lishui Avenue South
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan
32 Razzakov Street
How it works
Five stages from first call to a working account
STEP 01
The opinion
We establish where you live, where you work, where the company will bank and what it will do. From that come the jurisdiction, legal form and written reasoning. Free.
STEP 02
Documents and name
Certified passports, proof of address, the activity description and a name the registrar will accept. Translations and legalisation where required.
STEP 03
Incorporation
Filed by us or our local partner. You receive the certificate, constitutional documents and registers.
STEP 04
Legalisation and the bank
Apostille where the bank requires it, followed by the account application. Banking starts in parallel with incorporation, not afterwards.
STEP 05
Keeping it alive
Registered agent, annual return, accounting and substance filings.
Why Prifinance
Why this is worth paying a lawyer for
Anyone can sell you an incorporation in any of the eight. The value lies in the choice made before it and the account opened afterwards.
01
6,000+ companies, so the awkward cases are familiar
A vessel purchase that has to close on a fixed date, a trustee company asking for another certified page or an activity wording rejected by the registrar - none of this is new to us.
02
The bank is chosen before the jurisdiction
With 70+ banking relationships, we know which institutions will review a Pacific company backed by a real asset and which will close the file immediately.
03
We say no when the region is wrong
If you need a 0% company for an operating business with European customers, Oceania is often not the answer. You hear that before paying, not after the third banking refusal.
04
The Australian resident director is a service, not a slogan
A real director who lives in Australia, with verified identity and the filings that come with the role. That is what makes a Pty Ltd workable for a foreign owner.
05
The company keeps running afterwards
Registered agent, trustee company, annual renewals and accounts are handled on the registry’s calendar by people already familiar with it.
Your team
The people who will run your file
Dmitri Mihhailov
General Partner
Leads Prifinance's corporate practice and oversees client engagements, with senior expertise in international company structuring and bank-account setup.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
Corporate services advisor
Corporate services and compliance: documents, legalisation, annual filings and the bank's questions.
Alex Danila
Company formation specialist
Your day-to-day contact - coordinates incorporation, documents and the bank introduction, from the first call through to launch.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
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Watch: the Pacific half and the Australasian half, and how we decide which one you belong in
Good to know
Four things about tax that change the answer
The percentage in the table is where the conversation starts. Four other factors can matter more than choosing one island over another.
Zero there is not zero where you live
A Marshall Island, Samoan or Vanuatu company may pay nothing locally. Where it is actually managed from is usually where tax begins to matter, and CFC rules may attribute undistributed profit to the owner personally.
Transparent is not tax-free
A New Zealand LP pays no New Zealand tax on foreign income with non-resident partners because the tax is borne by the partners instead. The tax has moved, not disappeared.
Local activity only means the rate may never reach you
Nauru charges 10% and Niue 30% on activity carried on there, while Nauru generally leaves foreign-source income outside the tax base. Both figures look different once the taxable base is understood.
Australia charges properly and gives something back
25% or 30%, plus 10% GST, with a franking system that can send dividends abroad without an additional withholding layer. That is a conventional compliance model with a mechanism attached.
Important: A Pacific company is not the wrong answer. It becomes the wrong answer when the reason for choosing it is the headline rate rather than the asset or business function it is meant to hold.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
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Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
FAQ
What people ask before choosing between the eight
Which of the eight is fastest?+
The Marshall Island and Samoa file in 1-2 business days, while Vanuatu takes 1-3 days online. New Zealand takes 1-2 weeks, Nauru and Niue 2-4 weeks, and Palau 2-6 weeks including FIB approval.
Can I do all of it without travelling?+
In seven of the eight jurisdictions, yes - through a registered agent in the Marshall Island and Nauru, a local agent in Niue, a trustee company in Samoa, fully online in Vanuatu and New Zealand, and in Australia with a resident-director solution. Palau is the exception because of the FIB stage.
Why the Marshall Islands rather than any other 0% jurisdiction?+
Because of ships. The registry is run by the same group behind the world’s third-largest ship flag, the corporate statute is modelled on Delaware and the currency is the US dollar. If you own no vessel or other asset, the 0% rate alone is not a reason.
Is a New Zealand Limited Partnership tax-free?+
No. It is transparent. With non-resident partners and foreign income New Zealand has nothing to tax, so the LP shows 0%, but each partner is taxed at home on their share.
Which of these are easy to explain to a bank?+
Australia and New Zealand need little explanation. The Marshall Island and Samoa are straightforward where a real asset sits behind the structure. Vanuatu is the harder case because of EU watchlists, while Nauru, Niue and Palau are rare enough that compliance teams may need extra review.
Can I run an Australian Pty Ltd entirely from abroad?+
Not by yourself. One director must reside in Australia and every director needs verified identity. It is a solvable legal requirement with a real person behind it, not a paper workaround.
What does Palau require before I can start?+
Foreign Investment Board approval, which is why company registration in Palau takes 2-6 weeks rather than days. Several sectors are reserved for Palauans, so eligibility needs to be checked at the beginning.
Are Nauru and Niue still offshore jurisdictions?+
No. Nauru is a corporation under its Corporations Act taxed at 10% on local activity, while foreign-source income is generally outside the tax base. Company registration in Niue means a company under New Zealand-style law, taxed at 30% on local activity. Their distinguishing feature today is rarity, not a classic offshore regime.
Does the distance actually matter?+
Yes, in a practical sense. The agent, registry and bank work while Europe is asleep, so each extra round of correspondence can add another working day.
What if none of the eight is right for me?+
Then the legal opinion should say so and identify the better alternative. With Oceania that happens often enough that it is better to establish it before incorporation fees are paid.
Free consultation
Tell us what the company is for
Tell us your activity, where you live, where your customers are and which bank you need to end up with. You receive a written recommendation covering the jurisdiction, legal form, total cost and reasoning - including the case for staying outside the region where that is the better answer - free of charge.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days