Company Formation in Antigua and Barbuda

Last updated: April 2026.

Antigua and Barbuda enacted the International Business Corporations Act in 1982 and has kept a 50-year tax exemption for offshore entities in statute ever since. An Antigua IBC pays zero corporate tax, zero capital gains tax, and zero withholding tax on dividends, interest, and royalties paid abroad — for half a century from incorporation. On 17 February 2026 the EU Council removed Antigua and Barbuda from the Annex II grey list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, completing a delisting cycle that began with Annex I removal in October 2024. The country is now fully outside EU tax-haven listings. Formation through the Financial Services Regulatory Commission takes 5 to 7 business days under standard service, with a 24-hour express path for clean profiles. One director and one shareholder are enough — same person allowed, any nationality, no residency requirement. Nominee directors remain permitted. Beneficial ownership is disclosed annually to the FSRC, not to a public register.

We form Antigua IBCs end to end: name reservation, Registered Agent, Articles drafting, FSRC filing, beneficial-ownership attestation, banking. Fixed price, no hourly billing.

Quick facts	Value
Corporate income tax (IBC)	0% on foreign-source income — 50-year exemption under IBCA 1982
Corporate income tax (domestic company)	25%
Capital gains tax	0% (none in Antigua and Barbuda)
Withholding tax (IBC → non-residents)	0% on dividends, interest, royalties
ABST (sales tax / VAT-equivalent)	15% standard — registration threshold EC$300,000 (~USD 111,000)
Minimum share capital (IBC)	None — statutory minimum is zero; standard authorised capital USD 50,000
Minimum directors / shareholders	1 director, 1 shareholder (same person allowed, any nationality)
Residency requirement	None for directors or shareholders
Standard formation time	5–7 business days via FSRC; 24-hour express for clean profiles
Nominee directors	Permitted
EU blacklist status (April 2026)	Fully delisted — removed from Annex I Oct 2024, from Annex II Feb 2026
Government fees	Included in our packages
Language of filings	English
Currency	East Caribbean Dollar (XCD), pegged 2.7:1 to USD

Why Form a Company in Antigua and Barbuda

The story is a rehabilitation story. Antigua spent 18 months on the EU Annex I blacklist from October 2023 to October 2024, then a further 16 months on Annex II, and exited both in February 2026. That matters commercially. Counterparty filters that previously blocked Antigua entities on blanket blacklist rules no longer apply.

The 50-year tax exemption is durable. The International Business Corporations Act, Cap. 222 has survived every major OECD and EU reform cycle since 1982. Foreign-source income of an IBC is exempt from Antigua corporate tax, capital gains tax, and withholding tax for 50 years from incorporation.

Common-law framework with privacy intact. Antiguan corporate law descends from English common law and Privy Council decisions bind. Beneficial ownership is reported annually to the FSRC through the registered agent, but the register is not public — a meaningful distinction from the BVI, which moved to a legitimate-interest access framework on 1 April 2026.

Light compliance footprint. No audit requirement for an IBC. No annual financial statements filed with the Registry. One annual beneficial-ownership attestation, filed by 31 January. The cost-of-ownership curve is among the lowest in the Caribbean.

Trade-offs are real. An IBC cannot carry on business with Antiguan residents without losing exempt status. The annual BO attestation deadline is firm — late filings trigger an automatic USD 200 penalty plus USD 500 per month up to USD 1,500 and strike-off risk.

Company Types Available in Antigua and Barbuda

Antiguan corporate law gives you five vehicles in practice. The International Business Corporation covers the vast majority of non-resident incorporations.

International Business Corporation ("IBC")

The default offshore vehicle. Governed by the International Business Corporations Act, Cap. 222 (1982, as amended). Limited liability up to the value of issued shares. One director, one shareholder — same natural or legal person allowed. No statutory minimum capital. Standard template: USD 50,000 authorised share capital in shares of USD 1. Used for holding, cross-border trading, IP licensing, joint-venture SPVs, investment vehicles, and most non-resident offshore structures. An IBC cannot transact with Antiguan residents and cannot own Antiguan real estate without FSRC consent. In exchange, the 50-year tax exemption applies.

Domestic Company ("Ltd")

A company formed under the Companies Act 1995 to trade locally. Subject to the 25% corporate tax, ABST at 15%, and the full domestic compliance stack. Used by operating businesses with Antiguan customers, staff, or real estate. Audit required above small-company thresholds.

International Limited Liability Company ("International LLC")

A member-managed vehicle with pass-through taxation, governed under Antigua's International LLC framework within the IBCA cluster. Favoured by US clients familiar with the LLC template and by multi-member joint ventures. Same tax exemption as the IBC while non-resident.

International Trust

Separate statute — the International Trust Act. Used for asset-protection structures, estate planning, and as a holder of IBC shares in layered arrangements. Not a company; included here for context.

Limited Partnership

General partner with unlimited liability plus limited partners with capped exposure. Used for private fund structures paired with an IBC as general partner. Pass-through at the partnership level.

Form	Min capital	Liability	Tax (non-resident)	Common use
IBC	None	Limited	0% (50-yr exemption)	Default — offshore trading, holding, JVs, SPVs
International LLC	None	Limited	0% (pass-through, 50-yr exemption)	US-profile clients, multi-member JVs
Domestic Ltd	None	Limited	25% on worldwide profits	Local Antiguan operations
International Trust	n/a	n/a	Exempt	Asset protection, estate planning
Limited Partnership	None (per partner)	Mixed	0% at partnership level	Private funds

For clients who need an Antigua vehicle this week rather than a fresh registration, our sister brand offers pre-incorporated Antigua IBCs — already on the FSRC register, dormant, and transferable inside a few business days.

Step-by-Step Formation Process

A standard IBC formation through the FSRC follows these steps.

Name check and reservation. We submit the proposed name to the FSRC Corporate and Management Trust Services division for clearance. Antigua IBC names end in "Limited", "Corporation", "Incorporated", "Société Anonyme", or their abbreviations. Restricted words — bank, trust, insurance, royal, chartered — require an FSRC licence or specific consent. Name approval takes 2 to 4 business days. Two alternatives is standard practice.

Registered Agent appointment. Every IBC must have a licensed Antiguan Registered Agent. We act through our licensed Antiguan partner firm. The Agent holds statutory records — Register of Directors, Register of Members, Register of Beneficial Owners — and is the FSRC's point of contact.

Articles of Incorporation and International Business Charter application. We draft the Articles, the Application for International Business Charter, the by-laws, share allocation schedule, and director and subscriber resolutions. Standard template covers holding, trading, and IP-licensing IBCs. Bespoke drafting available for joint-venture share classes, preference rights, and director veto provisions.

KYC on directors, shareholders, and beneficial owners. Each director, shareholder, and 10%+ beneficial owner provides passport, proof of address, professional or banker's reference, and source-of-funds declaration. The 10% threshold sits below the 25% BVI and Cayman standard.

FSRC filing and incorporation. The Articles and Application package go to the FSRC. Certificate of Incorporation typically issues 3 to 5 business days after name approval under standard service. A 24-hour express path exists for straightforward profiles with clean KYC, for an additional government premium that we include in expedited packages.

Certificate of Incorporation. Issued by the FSRC on approval. From this moment your IBC exists as a legal person with the 50-year tax exemption clock started.

Beneficial-ownership attestation. Under the Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 and FSRC guidelines, an annual attestation on beneficial ownership is filed with the Commission by 31 January. The registered agent prepares and lodges it. Late filing triggers an automatic USD 200 penalty plus USD 500 per month up to a USD 1,500 cap, with strike-off on continued default.

Banking and operational set-up. Corporate bank or EMI introduction, CRS classification under the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Act 2016 (as amended in 2025), and planning for any annual licence-fee payment to the FSRC. ABST registration is required only if the IBC has Antiguan taxable supplies above EC$300,000 — rare for a non-resident IBC.

End-to-end from KYC clearance to an operational Antigua IBC with a banking solution is typically 7 to 14 business days. The Certificate of Incorporation lands on day 5 to 7 under standard service or day 1 to 2 on the express path. Banking takes the longest, and choice of bank matters — see the Banking section below.

Required Documents

For each director, shareholder, and beneficial owner (10%+ holder) we need:

Government-issued photo ID — passport preferred, biometric national ID accepted
Proof of residential address dated within three months — utility bill, bank statement, or government letter
Professional or banker's reference signed within three months
Source-of-funds declaration with supporting evidence where amounts are material
Date of birth, nationality, occupation, and current residential address
For PEPs: enhanced due diligence questionnaire and additional evidence trail

For corporate shareholders:

Certificate of Incorporation (apostilled or with certified English translation)
Register of directors and register of members
Certificate of good standing dated within three months
Articles of Association or equivalent constitutional documents
Ultimate beneficial owner declaration identifying natural persons at 10% or more

You also confirm the share structure (most commonly USD 50,000 authorised shares of USD 1), the business activity, and the registered office address. We provide the licensed Antiguan Registered Agent and registered office in the package.

Apostille is required for foreign corporate documents and most source-of-funds evidence. Natural-person KYC documents do not require apostille — certified copies by a notary, lawyer, or bank manager are accepted.

Costs and Timeline

Antigua IBC costs depend on authorised share capital, nominee services, and ongoing work — bookkeeping, secretarial support, or CRS filing assistance. Bank account opening is the cost-of-time variable.

Our packages cover the full incorporation through the FSRC, all government filing costs, Registered Agent and registered office for year one, Articles drafting, the first beneficial-ownership attestation, and a calibrated banking introduction. Contact us for a fixed-price quote — no hourly bills, no surcharges added later, no extras after the work is done.

Typical timeline from KYC clearance:

Day	Milestone
0	Engagement, KYC submitted
1–2	KYC cleared, name reservation filed with FSRC
3–4	Name approved, Articles drafted, Registered Agent appointed
5–7	FSRC issues Certificate of Incorporation (standard service)
7–10	Beneficial-ownership attestation filed, CRS classification set
10–14	Bank account opened (highly variable per provider)

The 24-hour express path compresses days 1 to 7 into a single working day for clean profiles.

Tax Overview for Antigua and Barbuda Companies

The Antiguan tax regime is bifurcated. IBCs sit outside the domestic tax net under a 50-year statutory exemption. Domestic companies sit inside it at 25%.

Corporate income tax on an IBC: 0% on foreign-source income for 50 years from the date of incorporation under the International Business Corporations Act, Cap. 222. The exemption covers dividends, interest, royalties, capital gains, and trading profits where the counterparty is not an Antiguan resident. This is the standard cf24 use case.

Corporate income tax on a domestic company: 25% on worldwide profits under the Income Tax Act. Small and medium-sized businesses trading locally pay the full rate. The domestic regime is not relevant to non-resident IBC clients.

Capital gains tax: 0%. Antigua and Barbuda has never introduced a standalone CGT. Sales of shares, financial assets, and offshore real-estate gains are untaxed at the Antigua level for IBCs, and in fact for any holder.

Withholding tax on an IBC: 0%. Dividends, interest, royalties, and service fees paid by an IBC to non-residents fall within the exemption and are not taxed. Domestic Antiguan companies pay 25% WHT on the same payment types to non-residents — a large spread that underlines the IBC advantage.

ABST (Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax): 15% standard rate on Antiguan taxable supplies, with reduced rates of 12.5% on hotel accommodation and 10.5% on select sectors. The registration threshold is EC$300,000 per 12-month period. Non-resident IBCs with no Antiguan taxable supplies are outside the ABST system entirely.

Stamp duty applies to transfers of Antiguan real estate and certain domestic securities. It does not apply to IBC share issuances or offshore share transfers.

Annual IBC attestation. Every IBC files an annual beneficial-ownership attestation with the FSRC through its registered agent by 31 January. The filing is not a tax return — there is no tax return for a non-resident IBC. Penalties for late filing run to USD 1,500 plus strike-off.

CRS. The Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Act 2016 (amended 2025, with IRD guidance notes issued March 2025) implements the Common Reporting Standard. Antiguan financial institutions report accounts of non-resident IBCs to the IRD for exchange with CRS partner jurisdictions. Most IBCs are passive non-financial entities and the bank reports on them.

EU listings (April 2026). Antigua and Barbuda is not on Annex I or Annex II. Annex I removal was confirmed 8 October 2024; Annex II removal on 17 February 2026 after a "largely compliant" EOIR rating from the OECD Global Forum.

Accounting records. Every IBC keeps records adequate to show and explain its transactions, held by the Registered Agent or at a notified location. Financial statements are not filed with the FSRC for non-resident IBCs. Audit is not required save for FSRC-regulated entities.

Tax residence certificates are not issued to IBCs claiming the exemption. Where treaty access matters, an Antigua IBC is rarely the right vehicle.

Banking for Antigua and Barbuda Companies

Antiguan banking splits into two tiers. Domestic Class A banks, regulated by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, serve the local economy and regional clients. Offshore banks, licensed under the International Banking Act and regulated by the FSRC, are dedicated to non-resident corporate accounts. Most non-resident IBCs bank offshore.

Global Bank of Commerce Ltd. is the longest-established Antigua offshore bank — licensed in 1983, specialising in IBC and international trust accounts. Remote onboarding for straightforward profiles, USD/EUR/GBP/CAD support, minimum opening deposits typically from USD 5,000.

Antigua Commercial Bank Ltd. ("ACB Caribbean") is the largest indigenous commercial bank, with assets over XCD 2 billion. Rebranded as ACB Caribbean in March 2021. Corporate accounts in EC$ and USD, full wire and ACH services.

Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) is a Class A bank established in 2010. Corporate and limited offshore services. Opening deposits from USD 400 for current accounts.

CIBC Caribbean (formerly CIBC FirstCaribbean) is the regional arm of the Canadian parent. Conservative KYC. Suitable for IBCs with recognisable counterparties and clear transaction profiles. Republic Bank (Antigua) Ltd. — part of the Trinidadian Republic Financial Holdings group — offers full commercial banking and stronger non-resident onboarding than some regional peers.

For most cf24 Antigua IBCs the operating account sits elsewhere. HSBC Hong Kong and UOB Singapore are the standard Asian homes for offshore holding vehicles. Swiss private banks — Julius Baer, VP Bank, Bordier — handle investment-holding structures at higher thresholds. Airwallex takes a selective view depending on director nationality. Wise Business does not typically onboard pure offshore Antigua IBCs.

We screen bank choice against director nationality and transaction flows before any introduction. Applying to the wrong bank wastes 6 to 12 weeks.

Nominee Director Services

Antigua remains one of the Caribbean offshore jurisdictions where nominee directors are fully permitted under statute. This matters commercially. The compliance backdrop has tightened in the last three years, and the mechanics deserve care.

What nominees still do. A nominee director signs board resolutions, opens bank accounts where the bank accepts the arrangement, executes contracts, and sits on the Register of Directors. A nominee shareholder holds legal title to shares and appears on the Register of Members. For clients who want the beneficial owner's name kept off transactional counterparties, credit files, and commercial registries outside Antigua, nominees still achieve that — the counterparty sees the nominee, not the ultimate owner.

What nominees cannot do since 2024. They cannot obscure beneficial ownership from Antiguan authorities. Under the Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 and FSRC IBCA Guidelines, every IBC's beneficial owners — natural persons ultimately owning or controlling 10% or more of shares or voting rights — must be identified and reported in the annual attestation filed with the FSRC. The register is not public; access sits with the FSRC, ONDCP, and the IRD.

CRS outcome. Where the IBC is a passive non-financial entity, the account-opening bank reports beneficial owners to the IRD under the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Act 2016. A nominee director arrangement does not change the CRS outcome — the beneficial owner is reported to their tax-residence jurisdiction by the paying financial institution within 12 to 18 months of opening.

Our position. We provide nominee services where the structure is legitimate and KYC-compliant, supported by a signed nominee declaration and indemnity deed. We decline instructions aimed at obscuring beneficial ownership from regulators — the filing regime makes that neither possible nor lawful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an Antigua IBC pay tax?

An Antigua and Barbuda International Business Corporation pays zero corporate tax, zero capital gains tax, and zero withholding tax on dividends, interest, or royalties paid to non-residents for 50 years from incorporation under the International Business Corporations Act, Cap. 222. The exemption covers foreign-source income only — the IBC cannot transact with Antiguan residents without losing exempt status.

How long does it take to form an Antigua IBC?

The Financial Services Regulatory Commission processes new IBC incorporations in 5 to 7 business days under standard service, comprising 2 to 4 days for name approval and 3 to 5 days for Articles processing. A 24-hour express path is available for clean profiles. Including KYC, Articles drafting, and banking, the typical end-to-end timeline is 10 to 14 business days.

Is Antigua and Barbuda on the EU blacklist in 2026?

No. Antigua and Barbuda was removed from the EU Annex I blacklist of non-cooperative jurisdictions on 8 October 2024 and from the Annex II grey list on 17 February 2026 after a "largely compliant" OECD Global Forum peer review. As of April 2026 the country sits outside both EU tax-haven listings. Counterparty filters that used to block Antigua entities on blanket blacklist rules no longer do so.

Are nominee directors allowed in Antigua?

Yes. Antigua permits nominee directors and nominee shareholders under the International Business Corporations Act. Beneficial ownership must still be identified and reported annually to the FSRC through the registered agent under the Companies (Amendment) Act 2024, but the register is not public. Nominees remain a valid privacy tool for counterparty-facing records and external commercial registries.

Do I need to file accounts for an Antigua IBC?

Every Antigua IBC must keep accounting records adequate to show and explain the company's transactions, held by the registered agent or at a notified location. Financial statements are not filed with the FSRC for non-resident IBCs, and audit is not required save for regulated entities such as licensed banks, insurers, or fund managers. An annual beneficial-ownership attestation is due by 31 January.

Can a non-resident own and direct an Antigua IBC?

Yes. There is no residency or citizenship requirement for directors or shareholders of an Antigua IBC. A single non-resident individual can be the sole director and sole shareholder. Corporate directors and corporate shareholders are also permitted. The only mandatory Antigua-resident party is the licensed Registered Agent, which we provide as part of the formation package.

Can an Antigua IBC open a bank account?

Yes. Offshore banks licensed under the International Banking Act — Global Bank of Commerce is the long-standing specialist — open accounts for non-resident IBCs with opening deposits typically from USD 5,000. Onboarding runs 3 to 8 weeks. Most cf24 IBCs also bank offshore in Hong Kong, Singapore, or Switzerland. We screen the choice against director nationality and transaction profile before any introduction.

Get Started — Form Your Antigua and Barbuda Company

A fixed-price quote in 60 seconds. Certificate of Incorporation in 5 to 7 business days through the FSRC, or inside 24 hours on the express path for clean profiles. Licensed Antiguan Registered Agent and registered office included. Bank introduction calibrated to your director profile — not a generic referral.

Call +48 2222 5 2222 or email [email protected] to start. Most Antigua IBCs are operating with a bank account within 14 business days of KYC clearance.

Content prepared by Aleksandra Kowalska, Corporate Client Service. Approved by Tomasz Bielski, Managing Director.