Nevis Covering an area of 101 square miles, and with a population of some 44,000, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is located in the northern sector of the Leeward Islands chain, in the Eastern Caribbean, 19 degrees north of the equator and 1,300 miles southeast of Miami. A two-mile wide strait called the Narrows separates the Islands, which are renowned for their beautiful mountain scenery. The capital of the Federation is Basseterre, situated on the southwest coast of St. Kitts. Occupying only 36 square miles, with a population of some 10,000, Nevis is dominated by Nevis Peak, which rises to a height of 3,265 feet in the centre of the Island. The majority of the population resides in the capital Charlestown, which is situated on the western, or leeward side of the Island. Although Nevis has a typical West Indies maritime tropical climate, high temperatures are offset by north easterly trade winds and humidity is relatively low. Whilst by far the major source of income is currently tourism, primarily from the upper end of the market, the Offshore Financial Services sector, although a relatively new part of the economy, is expanding rapidly. This expansion in the Financial services sector is due mainly to the excellent trust and corporate legislation introduced by the Nevis Island Government and to that Government's commitment to respecting the individual rights of persons, trusts and corporations using its jurisdiction. On 11th January 1985 the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis passed "The Confidential Relationship Act 1985", an act designed to give sanction to the duty of non-divulgence of information imported under conditions of business or professional confidence and for purposes connected therewith. Nevis is not party to any information sharing treaties with any foreign nations. The Nevis International Business Company is the most popular entity for effecting offshore transactions. An International Business Company is extremely flexible and is designed to provide maximum confidentiality. International Business Companies are exempt from tax on the island of Nevis, as long as the company does not do business on the island. The only information of public record is the original articles of incorporation, which do not include shareholder or director names. Company Statute: International Business Company. The Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance (NBCO) is modeled in large part on the United States Delaware corporate statutes combined with English law. A company formed under this ordinance is the equivalent of what is commonly termed as an International Business Company (IBC). Taxation: Offshore companies registered in Nevis are exempt from all tax. Any offshore company organized under the Nevis Business Corporation Ordinance which does not carry on business in Nevis is completely exempt from corporate, income, withholding, stamp or asset taxes or other fees based on assets or income originating outside of Nevis. Shareholders/Members: The minimum number of shareholders is one. Directors/Managers: The minimum number of directors is one. They may be natural persons or bodies corporate. They may be of any nationality and need not to be resident in Nevis. Registered Office Required: A company shall at all times have a registered agent in St. Christopher and Nevis (Article 17.1). Only a barrister or solicitor admitted to practice in St. Christopher and Nevis or a company having a paid-in capital of at least $500,000.00 may act as registered agent. Corporate name: The name of a corporation shall contain the word "corporation", "incorporated", company", or "limited" or other words or an abbreviation of one of such or other words as will clearly indicate that it is a corporation as distinguished from a natural person or partnership; and shall not be the same as the name of a corporation of any type or kind, as such name appears on the index of names of existing corporations or companies or on the reserved name list maintained by the Registrar of Companies or a name so similar to any such name as to tend to confuse or deceive (Article 22.1). The corporate name may be in another language if written in English letters or characters (Article 4.2). Any person, natural or corporate, or any agent thereof may reserve a name (Article 24.1) Annual Report/Licence Fees: USD 200.

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