Guernsey company formation, Channel Islands

The Guernsey company, with no shareholder list at the registry

A standard rate of 0%, no sales tax today, and a registry that files within 24 hours and keeps neither your shareholders nor your accounts. Ours is £2,490 to start and £2,590 a year, run from anywhere.

Formed through a Guernsey licensed provider. No visit.

Start my Guernsey company Guernsey or Jersey?

Resident agent and office included
No company secretary needed
Nothing charged until you sign

0%The standard company rate in Guernsey

24 hoursStandard registration, once your provider files

NoneShareholders or accounts held at the Registry

1Director and 1 member. A secretary is optional

01Two islands

Guernsey or Jersey: which company fits you

They look alike from a distance, but they aren't the same. Tell us what matters most, and we'll say which one we'd pick. We form both.

GuernseyJersey

Standard registration£100, 24 hours£205, 5 working days

ShareholdersNot held at the RegistryOn the public register

Company secretaryOptionalRequired

Regulator's consent to issue sharesNot a separate stepPart of forming

Sales taxNone until 20295% GST above £300,000 of sales

AuditWaived by a members' voteNot required

Late yearly filing£450 to £1,800, automatic£77 rising to £774

Yearly government feeAbout £548£344

Heirson, every year after£2,590£2,870

02How fast

Guernsey company registration: 24 hours, 2 hours or 15 minutes

The Registry sells speed by the clock. Choose what your deal needs, and see your first-year price change.

The clock starts when your licensed provider files. Registry fees shown are in force until 30 November 2026, and rise 4.3% on 1 December. Your base price stays the same.

03Who can see what

Three doors to a Guernsey company, and who can open each

The Registry has no shareholder list, but that doesn't make a Guernsey company invisible. Here's exactly what each door opens.

Door 1The RegistryFree, or £15 for a statement

Free: name, number, office, date and status. For £15: current and past directors and the resident agent, with service addresses. Not your home address.

Door 2The registered officeAnyone, for a fee, in person

The register of members and of directors sit here. Anyone may pay to inspect them. The company can ask a court to stop a request made for an improper purpose.

Door 3The owner registerClosed to the public

Who really owns the company. Authorities can see it, and regulated firms such as banks can ask when checking a customer. Wider "legitimate interest" access has been proposed; no decision has been found.

Want a name other than yours at door 1 or door 2? A nominee director is £2,950 a year. The owner register still records you.

04Tax, now and in 2029

Guernsey company tax: 0% today, and the sales tax coming

The standard rate stays 0%. On 2 October 2026 the island also approved a sales tax, its first, though no law exists yet.

NoneToday

3%Early 2029

4%24 months on

5%24 months later

The company rates

0% Most companies: services, trading, holding
10% Banking, fiduciary, fund administration and similar
20% Guernsey property, utilities, large island retail

No capital gains tax, and no Guernsey tax on dividends paid to non-residents. A company that files every year still needs certified accounts for its tax return, whether or not it is audited. Relevant sectors such as holding or financing must also meet substance rules.

05Your dates

Guernsey annual validation: the deadline with automatic fines

Since September 2026 the penalties issue themselves, with nobody deciding to be lenient. Pick your start month and see your first dates.

If you form in

By end of FebruaryOn time
Up to 7 March£450
Up to 30 March£900
Later, or never£1,800

06Crypto

A Guernsey company for crypto: yourself or others

The regulator's own answer is plain: buying and selling for yourself is exempt. Doing it for others is licensed. See how other places draw the line.

No licenceFor itself

Holding crypto, investing and trading the company's own money.

Licence, not for an exchange£5,000 to apply

Then £7,500 a year. Transfers, custody or other services for clients.

Licence for an exchange£50,000 to apply

Then £65,000 a year. The same band covers stablecoin issuers.

Fees from 1 January 2026. A licensed company also pays the higher yearly validation fee. Foreign crypto licences don't count in Guernsey.

07The whole bill

Guernsey company formation cost, every line

The Registry's fees are small. The licensed provider is the real cost, and it sits inside our price.

Year one

Registration feeAt cost, 24 hour service£100

HeirsonLicensed provider's filing, resident agent, registered office, audit waiver, owner register filing, bank account set up with you£2,390

You pay£2,490

Every year after

Annual validation feeAt cost, about £548 from 1 December 2026£548

HeirsonResident agent, registered office, annual validation, 0% tax return, reminders£2,042

You pay£2,590

Certified accountsQuoted firstNeeded for the tax return, prepared by a qualified accountant

Statement of the Register£15The Registry's fee, for banks that ask

Add a nominee to your Guernsey company if you want one, never to hide an owner from banks or authorities. How nominees work.

Nominee director£2,950 a yearFrom a licensed fiduciary

Guernsey Registry fee schedule, November 2026. The 1 December 2026 table wasn't yet published, so £548 is 4.3% on today's £525, and you pay what the Registry charges. Comparable all-in yearly costs run from about £2,000 before accounts.

Questions

Guernsey company questions, answered

Comparing beyond the Channel Islands? The tax haven guide ranks 50 places, and the compare tool puts any two side by side.

How much does it cost to set up a company in Guernsey?

With Heirson, £2,490 in year one and £2,590 a year after. That's the Registry's fees at cost plus our share, with the licensed provider, resident agent and registered office inside.

Can a non-resident set up a Guernsey company?

Yes, with one director and one member living anywhere. But only a licensed provider can file the incorporation, and a non-resident needs that provider as resident agent every year.

What is a resident agent in Guernsey?

The local contact the law requires for every company: either a licensed corporate service provider or a director living in Guernsey. Having none can bring a £2,500 penalty and strike-off.

What is the company tax rate in Guernsey?

0% as standard. Banking, fiduciary and similar regulated work pays 10%. Guernsey property, utilities and large island retail pay 20%. There's no capital gains tax. More in our Guernsey tax guide.

Does Guernsey have VAT or GST?

Not today. On 2 October 2026 the island approved GST at 3% from early 2029, stepping to 4% and 5%. No law has been passed yet, and the plan could still change.

Are Guernsey company shareholders public?

The Registry doesn't hold them. But the register of members at the registered office can be inspected by anyone for a fee. The separate beneficial owner register is closed to the public.

Does a Guernsey company need an audit?

Only if members don't waive it. A 90% vote removes the audit, and we arrange that at formation. Large and regulated companies generally can't waive it. Certified accounts are still expected with the tax return.

When is the Guernsey annual validation due?

Between 1 January and the last day of February. A company formed in December skips that first round. Late fees for a provider-run company are £450, £900 and then £1,800, issued automatically. Every yearly fee, date and penalty: Guernsey annual fees and filings.

How is Guernsey different from Jersey?

Guernsey registers faster and keeps no shareholder list at its Registry, and needs no secretary. Jersey needs no audit waiver and has lower late fees and a lower yearly government fee. Our Guernsey price is the lower of the two.

Can I open a bank account for a Guernsey company?

Yes, on the island or elsewhere. We do the paperwork together and apply with you. The bank's decision is its own, and it almost always goes through. The island's banks, their published fees and the deposit scheme are in our Guernsey company bank account guide.

What does a search of my Guernsey company show?

Name, office and status for free; directors and the resident agent for £15. Never shareholders or accounts. The full picture: Guernsey company search.

Your turn

Registered within a day of filing, at 0%.

£2,490 for year one, £2,590 a year after, with your licensed provider inside. You pay after signing.

Start my Guernsey company Compare with Jersey