Your Cayman Islands 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 or foundation in the Cayman Islands 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 Cayman Islands 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
Trusts Act (2021 Revision), including the STAR regime[1]
Perpetuity period
Trusts made after Aug 2024 may disapply the perpetuity rule; STAR trusts unaffected[2]
Protector
STAR trust: a beneficiary cannot enforce it; the enforcer can (s.100)[1]
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 the Cayman Islands: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter 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
Standard foundation
USD 24,500
Foundation set-up in the Cayman Islands: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter 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.
Before the trust is live, the one-off work is split into lines, and each line has its own payer.
The Cayman law firm that drafts the deed, including any STAR clauses and the enforcer’s powers.
The trustee’s acceptance work and its own checks on you.
Identity and source-of-funds checks.
The registered office and government charges for any Cayman 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.
Compare those terms line by line, noting which items repeat each year and who pays when a step runs long.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
After signing, the trustee keeps working. In a Cayman trust the recurring items are these:
Accounts and records of the assets it holds.
Resolutions that record each distribution.
A yearly review with you, with extra meetings when something changes.
Contact with the enforcer of a STAR trust, and with the protector where the deed creates one.
A STAR deed puts weight on the enforcer, so the trustee may need to check from time to time that the role is filled. Ask whether that check is part of the normal year.
Yearly charges tend to follow the number of assets, parties and companies more than their value. Extra meetings, a change of beneficiary or a court matter are often billed on top.
Third-party costs
Some charges go to others and sit outside our fee and the trustee’s:
Your own lawyer and tax adviser in your home country.
The provider of the registered office for each Cayman company below the trust.
A person who agrees to act as enforcer, who may set terms of their own.
A bank or custodian that holds the assets.
Certified translations, notary charges and courier costs for signing at a distance.
Ask the enforcer for their terms in writing before the deed is final, since the deed names the role.
What changes the total
Four early choices move the total most:
Form of trust. A STAR deed needs more drafting than an ordinary one because it names an enforcer and should say who replaces it.
Time limit. A deed made after August 2024 can say that the perpetuity rule is disapplied, and that clause needs careful wording (see the law page).
Kinds of assets. Shares in a Cayman company need transfer papers and a registered office, and cash needs bank steps.
Speed. The Cayman Islands keep the same clock all year and sit thirteen hours behind Hong Kong, so rushed signings need late calls.
Tell us which assets you expect to transfer and whether you want a STAR trust. Those answers shape the quote most.
When you compare quotes, ask each provider to price the same roles, including the enforcer if you choose a STAR trust. Keep every written estimate with its date.
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 the written terms of the trustee and the law firm come first.
Our enquiry asks which assets you expect to transfer, whether you want a STAR trust, who might act as enforcer and how many beneficiaries there are.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in the Cayman Islands?
You pay for the Cayman law firm that drafts the deed, the trustee's acceptance and set-up work, identity checks, any company below the trust with its registered office, 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 Cayman Islands?
Yes. The trustee charges for its yearly work, such as accounts, records, meetings and resolutions. Any company held by the trust adds its 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 Cayman Islands?
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
