Services · Company formation

Company registration in Saint Lucia

Updated 7 October 2026

A Saint Lucia company is formed by filing articles with the Registrar, and the 30% tax rate rises to 33.33% if there are tax arrears. We cover the rules, payments, steps and documents.

Companies in Saint Lucia are formed under the Companies Act (Chapter 13.01): one or more founders sign the articles of incorporation and send them to the Registrar of Companies. Registration and company filings are handled by the Registry of Companies and Intellectual Property.

Costs: mandatory payments

Amounts are converted to US dollars at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's fixed rate and rounded up. Our formation and maintenance services are in the fee table below.

Tax

The corporate income tax rate is 30%. If the company has tax arrears or has not complied with the tax laws, the rate is 33.33%, according to the Saint Lucia Inland Revenue Department. A non-resident company doing business on the island through a permanent establishment pays 33.3%.

Since 2019 Saint Lucia taxes companies on a territorial basis: 30% tax applies to income from sources on the island, while income from sources outside it falls outside the scope of tax. The exemption for foreign income is tied to economic substance rules: a company carrying on management, financing, holding or another activity listed in the law must show management, staff and spending in Saint Lucia proportionate to its income.

How registration works

1. Defining the task: why the company, where clients and accounts are, which tax position fits.
2. Name search and reservation.
3. Articles, directors and the registered office.
4. Filing with the Registrar and receiving the certificate of incorporation.
5. Tax registration, bank account and the annual return.

What documents you need

The Registrar accepts the articles, while the registered agent and the bank check the people behind the company. You usually need:

• a passport and proof of address no older than three months for each founder, director and beneficial owner;
• articles stating the name, activities, share details and directors;
• a notice of directors and of the registered office address on the island;
• beneficial owner details and an ownership chart if a shareholder is a company;
• a business description and source of funds documents: contracts, accounts, bank statements;
• a bank or professional reference if the agent or bank asks for one.

Documents not in English are translated and certified, and signatures on the constitutional documents are notarised.

Currency, consumption tax and the account

• The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, pegged to the US dollar at 2.70 since 1976. It is issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, which also supervises banks in eight countries and territories of the region.
• Value added tax in Saint Lucia is 12.5%, with a reduced rate for hotels and tourism services.
• A company that hires staff registers as an employer with the tax authority and the national insurance fund and withholds tax from salaries.
• Banks on the island open accounts mainly for companies doing business in Saint Lucia: tourism, services, trade. For a company working abroad we usually open the account in another country.

Amounts in Eastern Caribbean dollars convert to US dollars at the fixed rate, so there is almost no currency risk for dollar payments.

Transparency and the citizenship programme

Saint Lucia takes part in the automatic exchange of tax information, and companies' beneficial ownership details are held by the registrar and available to authorised bodies. Saint Lucia citizenship for a contribution from $240,000 to a state fund does not replace company registration and is closed to Russian and Belarusian citizens, so for such clients we plan the company and residence questions separately.

Which company form to choose

Saint Lucia offers two main routes. The first is an ordinary company under the Companies Act: it is registered with the Registrar, can operate on the island and abroad, employ staff and own property. It needs at least one director, a registered office on the island and articles.

The second is an international business company under a separate act. It is registered only through a licensed registered agent on the island, who keeps details of directors, shareholders and beneficial owners. Such companies no longer have the old tax privileges: those registered since 2019 are taxed on the general territorial basis. The form follows the purpose: an ordinary company for the local market and hiring staff, an international one more often for holding assets abroad.

Who a Saint Lucia company suits

A Saint Lucia company is opened for business on the island and in the Caribbean: tourism and rentals, services, trade, construction, and for holding property and shares. The country is a member of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, its laws and courts follow English law, and documents are filed in English.

It works poorly as a cheap shell with no activity. Foreign income is untaxed only when economic substance rules are met, local banks open accounts mainly for companies doing business on the island, and the country where the owner lives may tax such a company's profit under its own controlled foreign company rules.

Timeline step by step

The time at the Registrar depends on how complete the articles are: a file returned for correction loses another week or two.

What the company must do every year

• file an annual return with the Registrar no later than 1 April, made up to 31 December of the previous year;
• file a tax return with the Inland Revenue Department and pay corporate tax on local income;
• update details of directors, the registered office and beneficial owners with the Registrar on every change;
• if the company falls under the economic substance rules, confirm management, staff and spending on the island every year;
• withhold tax from staff salaries and pay contributions to the national insurance fund.

The Registrar strikes off a company that does not file annual returns or pay fees, and restoring it costs more than filing on time.

Common reasons for refusal

• the owners' source of funds is not documented;
• the name is taken or misleading;
• the articles lack mandatory details of directors or the registered office;
• the beneficial owner is not disclosed or is hidden behind a chain of companies;
• the company has no activity on the island and the bank sees no reason to open an account;
• an owner is on an international sanctions list.

The Registrar usually returns documents for correction, while a bank rarely reconsiders after a refusal. So we check the file before filing.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

The Companies Act does not restrict the citizenship of founders and directors: a foreigner from any country can register a company. Differences appear at the next steps. A foreigner buying land on the island, or a share in a company that owns land, needs an alien landholding licence, and working in their own company in Saint Lucia requires a work permit.

Banks in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union screen owners against international sanctions lists and treat citizens of high-risk countries more strictly; citizens of Russia and Belarus get accounts less often and after enhanced checks. Saint Lucia's citizenship by investment programme is closed to citizens of Russia and Belarus, so for such clients we plan the company and residence matters separately. US citizens should remember that banks on the island report their accounts to the US tax authority.

What we do

Murblz specialists reserve the name, prepare the articles and documents for the Registrar, register the company for tax, help with the bank account and track the annual return deadline.

Fees

See also

Business account · Personal account · Investment property · Country taxes · All country programs

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