Your Bermuda trust cost depends on the structure, not a fixed tariff: companies and accounts under the trust, the drafting and the trustee's yearly work. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust in Bermuda on this page; annual administration, event-based work and third-party charges are quoted after we review your case.
The set-up fee for a Bermuda trust is shown under the key facts. The other groups of cost depend on the structure and are quoted after we review your case.
Set-up
Structure design and onboarding checks
Trust deed drafting by the law firm
Trustee acceptance and account opening
Ongoing
Annual trustee fee
Accounting, minutes and records
Reporting to authorities
Third party
Bank and custodian charges
Tax and legal advice in other countries
Registry or stamp duty where it applies
Key facts
Governing law
Trustee Act 1975; Amendment Act 2025 in force 10 October 2025[1]
Perpetuity period
Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009: no perpetuity period for new trusts[3]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 20,500
Trust set-up in Bermuda: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by One Pacific Trust or a partner trustee, confirmed in your quote.
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
Set-up fees shown are One Pacific Trust fees in US dollars for the standard scope described, before government, registry, bank and other third-party charges, which are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Annual administration, event-based work and anything outside the standard scope are quoted after we review your case.
A published fee is not an offer and is not tax or legal advice; the terms that apply are those set out in writing when you engage us.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Illustration, not a real client.
The one-off work before the trust is live is split into lines, and each line has its own payer.
The Bermuda law firm that drafts the deed, including any reserved powers for the settlor.
The trustee’s acceptance work and its own checks on you.
Identity and source-of-funds checks.
The corporate services provider for any Bermuda company below the trust.
Our coordination fee, which we state in the quote.
If the family wants its own trustee company, add the formation of that company and, usually, a purpose trust deed to hold its shares. That is a second set of papers with a second payer.
The set-up fee shown on this page covers the standard scope. Every other line depends on your structure, and the quote lists each with its assumptions. Every figure in a quote comes from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
The trustee keeps working after signing, and the yearly items are these:
Accounts and records of the assets it holds.
Resolutions that record each distribution.
Meetings and a yearly review with you.
Support for the filings of Bermuda companies the trust owns, where they apply.
A family trustee company adds its own board meetings, minutes and accounts on top of the trust’s. For one small trust that extra layer may not pay for itself.
Ask the trustee what a normal year includes. A change of beneficiary, an extra meeting or a court matter is often billed on top.
If you are weighing Bermuda against Cayman on price, the side-by-side view shows both places with their sources.
Third-party costs
Some charges go to others and sit outside our fee and the trustee’s:
Your own lawyer and tax adviser where you live.
The corporate services provider that keeps the registers of each Bermuda company, a private trust company included.
A bank or custodian that holds the assets.
Certified translations, notary charges and couriers when papers are signed at a distance.
Directors who are not family members set their own terms. Ask for them in writing before you commit.
Providers price in different ways, one by the hour and another by the task, so compare them on one basis.
What changes the total
Four early choices move the total most:
Trustee model. A professional trustee for the whole trust costs a different amount than a private trust company with its own board and a purpose trust above it.
Settlor powers. Reserved powers need careful drafting, and the law page explains where they come from.
Kinds of assets. Shares in a company need transfer papers, and cash needs bank steps.
Speed. Bermuda follows Atlantic time with daylight saving, so the gap with Hong Kong is eleven or twelve hours.
Tell us the assets you expect to transfer and whether you want a family trustee company. Those answers shape the quote most.
When you compare places, ask each provider to price the same structure. Keep each written estimate with its date in one folder.
How to get a quote
Describe your plan in plain words and we turn it into a written quote. It is not an offer, and you see the written terms of the trustee and the law firm before you decide.
The enquiry asks what you expect to transfer, how many beneficiaries there are and whether a family trustee company is wanted.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Bermuda?
You pay for the Bermuda law firm that drafts the deed, the trustee's acceptance and set-up work, identity checks, any company below the trust with its corporate services provider, and government charges. Each charge is listed in the written terms before you commit, so you can compare them with other quotes.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Bermuda?
Yes. The trustee charges for its yearly work, such as accounts, records, meetings and resolutions. Companies below the trust add their own yearly charges, and so do banks and advisers. The trustee's written terms set out which items apply to your trust.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Bermuda?
Describe your assets, the number of beneficiaries and whether a holding company is involved. We turn those answers into a written quote. The quote is not an offer, and the written terms of the trustee and the law firm come first.
Pick a question for a short answer from our FAQ. Nothing you choose here is sent anywhere. This is a scripted guide from our FAQ, not live chat and not advice.
Setting up, the law and tax
What happens, step by step, when you set up an offshore trust?
First agree the purpose and who should benefit. Your lawyer drafts the deed under the chosen law while the trustee checks identity and the source of the assets. After signing, the assets move into the trustee’s name and are recorded. The guide shows each stage in more detail.
Usually the owner transfers the shares or membership interest to the trustee under the deed, after checking the company’s own documents and any consent a lender or partner must give. The trustee then holds the interest and the company carries on. Company, tax and local law checks come first, so involve your lawyer.
Yes, in the places whose law provides for them. A trust needs a lawful purpose, a valid deed under its governing law, and taxes and reporting dealt with where the people involved live. It cannot be used to hide assets, defeat existing creditors or evade tax. A trustee will refuse a trust whose purpose or funding it cannot confirm.
It depends on where the settlor, the beneficiaries, the trustee and the assets are, and on the law that governs the trust. Many countries tax trust income or distributions in the hands of the people they treat as owners or recipients, and exchange account data under international reporting rules. We do not give tax advice, so ask your own adviser before you sign.
How long does it take to appoint a Hong Kong trustee?
Time depends mostly on how quickly documents arrive and on checks by banks and registries outside our control, so we do not promise a date. Once you apply, the client portal shows each step and what is outstanding, and a 30-minute call sets out what to prepare first.
The cost depends on the structure, the places and assets involved, how many parties the trustee must check, and how much work the trust needs each year. We publish the set-up fee for each place; annual administration and event-based work are quoted after we review your case. Banking, legal and registry charges outside our control can add to it.
A trustee can borrow only if the deed and the governing law allow it. A lender will usually ask to see the deed, the trustee’s authority and the purpose of the loan. Some deeds limit borrowing or need a protector’s consent. Ask a lawyer before approaching a lender.
What is asset management, and is it what a trustee does?
Asset management means running investments for a client, usually under a licence. A trustee does something different: it holds the assets, checks instructions against the deed, approves distributions and keeps the record. A bank or licensed manager that the deed allows for can run the investments.
Hong Kong
Singapore
BVI
Jersey
