Vanuatu
A Vanuatu International Company is a Pacific zero-tax offshore company filed under the International Companies Act of 1993, the territory's mature asset-protection statute. Formation runs about 7 business days through the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission registry, and the structure is a clean limited-liability wrapper for holding assets, intellectual property, or a Bitcoin treasury in its own name with no public register of beneficial owners. At $1,899 all-in it is a fast Pacific corridor with no public UBO register that settles naturally in crypto. The honest catch is reputational, and it is heavier here than for most offshore jurisdictions. Vanuatu sits on the EU Annex I tax blacklist as of February 2026, so EU banking counterparties apply enhanced due diligence by default and some refuse outright. On top of the listing, Vanuatu carries a financial-dealer and forex-license reputation from decades of being used to wrap regulated-trading and brokerage structures, which draws extra scrutiny from compliance desks. We disclose both up front and let you self-select. The 7-day registry speed gets you a live entity fast; it does not solve the banking gate, which is the hard part for any Annex I jurisdiction.
- Tier
- GRAY
- Formation
- 7 business days
- Apostille
- Supported
- UBO register
- Private
- EU list
- EU Annex I
- FATF list
- Off the FATF lists
Figures verified February 2026 · Sources: EU Annex I/II and FATF list status, detailed in Plain talk below.
Can a non-resident form a Vanuatu company?
Yes. A non-resident can form a Vanuatu entity. Vanuatu is a GRAY jurisdiction. Banking is more selective and a compliance desk reads it as mid-tier, so confirm your rail accepts it before you file. Formation is $1,899 all-in / ₿0.02385678 / 2,385,678 sats, paid in Bitcoin or USDT, and takes 7 business days.
- Tier
- GRAY
- From price
- $1,899 all-in
- Formation time
- 7 business days
- EU / FATF status
- EU Annex I, off the FATF lists
- Public UBO register
- No
- Apostille
- Supported
What makes Vanuatu different
- Pacific zero-tax regime: a Vanuatu International Company pays no local corporate income tax, capital-gains tax, or withholding on foreign-source income.
- International Companies Act of 1993: a mature limited-liability and asset-protection wrapper for holding assets, IP, or a Bitcoin treasury in the company's own name.
- Fast formation: about 7 business days through the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission registry, quicker than most offshore corridors.
- No public UBO register: beneficial ownership is held by the licensed registered agent, not published.
What you are actually buying with Vanuatu
GRAY means banking is more selective and the entity reads as mid-tier to a compliance desk. It is not blacklisted, but expect a closer look and a narrower set of rails that will onboard it.
Major US business-banking rails do not bank Vanuatu companies. EU banking is the hard part: Annex I status plus the jurisdiction's financial-dealer reputation means EU counterparties apply enhanced due diligence or decline. The 7-day formation does not change this, so plan banking before you form and budget 30 to 90 days for a successful onboarding with apostilled documents. See the Banking page for named rails.
EU Annex I status is real and it bites. Vanuatu is on the EU's list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes as of February 2026, so many EU banks and corporates apply enhanced due diligence by default or refuse the company outright. If your counterparties or your banking are EU-heavy, this is the wrong tool. Seychelles or Belize sit on the lighter Annex II rather than Annex I and are the better pick for lower list exposure.
The financial-dealer and forex-license overhang draws extra scrutiny. Vanuatu has been used for decades to wrap regulated-trading, brokerage, and forex-license structures, and that history means compliance desks treat a Vanuatu entity with more skepticism than a comparable Pacific jurisdiction. You should expect to explain the structure and your source of funds more often, even for a plain holding company.
What we collect, and what Vanuatu filing requires
- Email, country of residence, intended use statement
- OFAC + EU + UN sanctions screen (every order)
- Tier 1 KYC (ID + proof of address + source-of-funds attestation): required on this SKU
- Beneficial owner and director identification per Vanuatu AML law
- Certified passport copy, proof of address, and source-of-funds documentation for each beneficial owner and director
- Company name, registered-agent details, and statutory particulars for the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission filing
The honest note: The licensed Vanuatu registered agent is a regulated business statutorily required to identify the directors and ultimate beneficial owners regardless of our platform-level tier. Vanuatu does not operate a public UBO register, so beneficial-owner data is held by the registered agent and made available to the authorities on request, not published. Anonymous formation is not available.
Where Vanuatu entities bank
Major US business-banking rails do not bank Vanuatu companies. EU banking is the hard part: Annex I status plus the jurisdiction's financial-dealer reputation means EU counterparties apply enhanced due diligence or decline. The 7-day formation does not change this, so plan banking before you form and budget 30 to 90 days for a successful onboarding with apostilled documents. See the Banking page for named rails.
Full banking rankingWhen this jurisdiction is right (and wrong)
If you want a fast, low-cost Pacific zero-tax company and EU counterparty friction is acceptable for your use case, Vanuatu is a credible pick. The registry returns a live entity in about 7 business days at $1,899 all-in, with no local tax on foreign-source income.
If you are holding Bitcoin or a crypto treasury and do not need EU banking acceptance, the speed, the zero-tax regime, and the absence of a public UBO register make Vanuatu competitive. You get a limited-liability wrapper that holds assets in its own name, settled in Bitcoin, under a statute that has been on the books since 1993.
If you operate across the Pacific or Asia and want a holding vehicle in a compatible time zone that pairs with a Caribbean or Asia-corridor rail, Vanuatu keeps your effective rate near zero on foreign income, subject to your country-of-residence rules.
EU Annex I status is real and it bites. Vanuatu is on the EU's list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes as of February 2026, so many EU banks and corporates apply enhanced due diligence by default or refuse the company outright. If your counterparties or your banking are EU-heavy, this is the wrong tool. Seychelles or Belize sit on the lighter Annex II rather than Annex I and are the better pick for lower list exposure.
The financial-dealer and forex-license overhang draws extra scrutiny. Vanuatu has been used for decades to wrap regulated-trading, brokerage, and forex-license structures, and that history means compliance desks treat a Vanuatu entity with more skepticism than a comparable Pacific jurisdiction. You should expect to explain the structure and your source of funds more often, even for a plain holding company.
The fast formation does not solve banking. The 7-day registry gets you a registered company quickly, but the account-opening gate is separate, documentary, and slow, and some banks have stopped onboarding Annex I jurisdictions entirely. Banking is limited for Vanuatu, so if banking acceptance is mission-critical and your counterparty pool is EU-heavy, pick Seychelles, Belize, or a non-Pacific jurisdiction instead. We surface only the rails that still onboard Vanuatu.
If you are a US person, a Vanuatu International Company does not avoid US tax. CFC and Subpart F rules apply to the entity, and FBAR, Form 8938, and Form 5471 reporting can apply to you. Forming one as a US person without competent cross-border tax counsel is malpractice; we do not file those returns for you.
Common Vanuatu questions
Is Vanuatu on the EU blacklist?
Yes. As of February 2026 Vanuatu is on EU Annex I, the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (the actual blacklist), not the lighter Annex II. It was added on 17 February 2026, and we disclose it on every Vanuatu surface. The practical effect is enhanced due diligence or outright refusal from EU banking counterparties, made heavier by the jurisdiction's financial-dealer reputation. If that blocks your use case, a Seychelles or Belize IBC sits on Annex II rather than Annex I and carries lighter list exposure.
What's the total cost?
$1,899 all-in for the first year. That covers the Vanuatu government registration, the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission filing, the licensed registered agent for the first year, and OffshoreGuy service. Renewal is $999/yr for the registered agent and government annual fee.
How fast is formation, really?
About 7 business days for the company-formation step through the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission registry, once we have your completed Tier 1 KYC and the beneficial-owner documentation. Apostille, which Vanuatu supports, adds 5 to 10 business days where your bank requires it. Bank-account opening is separate and typically adds 30 to 90 days, and it is the slow part, not the formation.
Why does Vanuatu have a forex and financial-dealer reputation?
For decades Vanuatu has been used to hold regulated-trading, brokerage, and forex-license structures, so compliance desks associate the jurisdiction with that activity. Even for a plain holding company, that history means EU and mainstream banks apply heavier due diligence and ask more questions about your source of funds. We name it so you can decide whether the overhang is acceptable; if it is not, Seychelles or Belize carry less of it.
Can I form a Vanuatu company in Bitcoin?
Yes via OffshoreGuy. Accepted forms of payment are BTC (on-chain and Lightning) and USDT, settled via BitSettle. The Vanuatu government and the registered agent are paid in fiat from our operating account; you settle the single all-in invoice in crypto.