Your BVI 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 the BVI 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 BVI 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
Trust structure
VISTA 2003: special rules for trusts of BVI company shares[2]
Governing law
Trustee Act (Cap. 303): the general law of trusts[1]
Reporting to authorities
Existing entities: BO rules from 1 Jan 2026; access requests from 1 Apr 2026[3]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 18,000
Trust set-up in the BVI: 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 cost before the trust is live is made of separate lines, and each line has its own payer.
The BVI law firm that drafts the deed and, for a company-share trust, the clause that switches VISTA on.
The trustee’s acceptance work and its own checks on you.
Identity and source-of-funds checks.
The registered agent and government charges for any BVI company below the trust.
Our coordination fee, which we state in the quote.
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.
Read those terms line by line. Check which items are one-off, which repeat each year, and who pays when a step runs longer than planned.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
The trustee keeps working after signing. For a trust that owns BVI company shares, the yearly work is mostly paper:
Accounts and records of the shares and other assets it holds.
Resolutions that record each distribution decision.
Meetings and a yearly review with you.
Support for the yearly filings of BVI companies the trust owns, where they apply.
BVI companies have beneficial ownership duties, set out on the law page. Your lawyer confirms which of them reach a company your trust holds.
The yearly charge tends to follow the number of companies and parties more than the value held. Ask what a normal year includes and what is billed on top, such as an extra meeting or a change of beneficiary.
Third-party costs
Some charges are paid to others and sit outside our fee and the trustee’s:
Your own lawyer and tax adviser in your home country.
The BVI registered agent for each company below the trust.
A bank or custodian that holds the assets.
Certified translations, notary charges and courier costs for signing at a distance.
The registered agent bills apart from the trustee, so a structure with a holding company has two sets of terms to compare.
Ask each provider for terms in writing and for a list of what is included. One adviser may charge by the hour and another by the task.
What changes the total
A few early choices move the total more than the rest:
Number of parties. More beneficiaries, protectors and companies mean more checks and more papers.
Kinds of assets. Shares in a BVI company bring a share transfer and register updates. Cash and listed holdings bring bank steps instead.
Special clauses. A VISTA deed, reserved powers or a protector each add drafting time.
Speed. The BVI sits twelve hours behind Hong Kong, so a rushed signing may need people to act late in one place.
Tell us which assets you expect to transfer and whether a holding company is involved. Those two answers shape the quote most.
When you compare places, ask each provider to price the same structure with the same assets, roles and number of parties. Keep each written estimate with its date in one folder.
Settle the roles before drafting starts. A change after signing costs more than a decision made at the start.
How to get a quote
Describe your plan in plain words and we turn it into a written quote. The quote is not an offer, and the written terms of the trustee and the law firm come before you commit.
Our enquiry asks for the kinds of assets you expect to transfer, whether a BVI company holds them and how many beneficiaries there are. Say too if you want a protector in the deed.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in the BVI?
You pay for the BVI law firm that drafts the deed, the trustee's acceptance and set-up work, identity checks, any holding company with its registered agent, 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 the BVI?
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 the BVI?
Tell us which assets you plan to transfer, how many beneficiaries there are and whether a holding company is involved. We answer with a written quote. It is not an offer: you see the trustee's and the law firm's written terms first, and only then decide whether to go ahead.
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