Company Formation in Curacao

Roadmap

How long does it take to register a Company in Curaсao?

• 15-20 working days

What are the steps to register a company in Curaсao?

The registration process of a company in Company Formation in Curaçao is very simple. The experts of LegalBison will assist you throughout every step of it:

1. Initial consultation and agreement
2. Payment of the full invoice
3. [IF REMOTELY]: Notarization of POA by client
4. Preparation of registration documents
5. Document signed at the notary
6. Official register validity: immediately

Taxes

How high are the corporate income tax in Curaçao?

Since 2020, Curaçao applies a territorial tax system. Only income sourced in Curaçao is liable to taxation.

• The exemption applies to income of a foreign company that qualifies as a permanent establishment (PE) in Curacao or a PE of Curacao’s companies in another jurisdiction.
• → This also implies that the company registered in Curaçao has economic substance
• Therefore, a Curaçao BV is interesting in terms of tax planning only if used as a branch of an existing company
• The standard tax rate is 22%, with a reduced 3% rate for specific cases such as investment funds or data centers

What Double-tax treaties has Curaсao?

Curaçao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and therefore is included in its double taxation agreements and tax information exchange agreements. Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda (limited treaty), Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe Status: end of 2020 Curaçao participates in OECD's Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI).

Decide first

1. Do you want to buy a ready-made company or start a new one?
2. Do you want to use your Curaçao company has a branch of another existing company?
3. Which part of your activity will take place in Curaçao?
4. Can you travel to Curaçao for board meetings?

Documents to provide for company registration in Curacao

• Passport copies (a scan) of all individuals above, also beneficiary owner if applicable
• A Power of Attorney (in case of a remote company registration)
• Certified company documents (in case at least one of the shareholders is going to be a foreign company)

Information needed to get company registration in Curacao

• 3 options of your desired name for the company and a company contact email address
• Names, addresses and emails of all shareholders and board members
• Short description of your companies’ activity

Remote incorporation

• The whole incorporation process can be conducted remotely. No travel necessary. Notarization of documents is necessary
• A Power of Attorney (POA) from (all) partners is needed
• The POA is sent to you by us based on the services you want
• You have to certify the POA by a notary and in some cases legalize it by apostille (some countries need full legalization)
• Once you have the POA on your hands, we double-check, and you send us the original form (physical document!) via courier to our address
• Curaçao being part of the Kingdom of Netherlands, it is part of the Hague Convention of the Apostille

Accounting and auditing

• Accounting must be maintained in Curaçao
• A tax return must be filed yearly, as well as the financial statements must be submitted less than 8 months after the end of the year

Residential requirements

What are the residential requirements in Curaсao?

Any company registered in Curaçao is obliged to have a local director or representative, as well as a registered address.

• The economic substance principle also means that «the main part of the company's activity takes place in Curacao»
• The economic substance requirement is mandatory to apply for a beneficial tax regimen (3% or complete exemption)
• Board decisions have to be taken in Curaçao

LegalBison offers help with all of the above requirements. We assist and are local on ground. Speak now for free with one of our consultants to get your business started.