Jersey trust cost depends mainly on the structure rather than the place: the parties, the assets, the drafting and the trustee's yearly work. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust or foundation in Jersey 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 Jersey 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
Jersey law decides validity and effect of a Jersey trust (Article 9)[1]
Reporting to authorities
Jersey signed the CRS competent authority agreement on 29 October 2014[3]
Governing law
Jersey law decides validity and effect of a Jersey trust (Article 9)[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 10,000
Trust set-up in Jersey: 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 12,000
Foundation set-up in Jersey: 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.
Set-up costs pay for the work that happens before the trust holds any asset. They are mostly one-off, and the engagement letter says when each one falls due.
Structure design and onboarding checks. Agreeing with counsel whether a discretionary trust, a purpose trust or a private trust company fits your aims, and verifying the settlor and the people connected with the trust.
Drafting. A Jersey law firm drafts the deed, because Jersey law decides validity and effect of a Jersey trust (source: Jersey Law Website, Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984). The firm charges for its own time.
Trustee acceptance and account opening. The trustee reads the file against the deed, accepts office and opens the trust’s accounts.
Local roles. We work with a local partner where the work is done in Jersey. The partner charges for the role it takes, and your engagement letter sets it out.
Companies and foundations. The Foundations (Jersey) Law 2009 provides for the incorporation of foundations (source: Jersey Law Website, Foundations (Jersey) Law 2009).
A foundation or a company of that kind carries its own incorporation and agent costs.
The set-up guide shows when each of these happens.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Once the trust is running, the trustee’s work repeats each year. It covers holding title to the assets, keeping accounts and records, holding trustee meetings with minutes, refreshing identity checks and collecting the forms used for tax information exchange.
Jersey signed the CRS competent authority agreement on 29 October 2014 (source: Government of Jersey, Common Reporting Standard). A trustee therefore records each person’s tax residence and refreshes it.
A purpose trust needs an enforcer (source: Jersey Law Website, Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984). That is an extra role to appoint, brief and pay for.
Some tasks are charged when they happen rather than yearly. Examples are a distribution to a beneficiary, the addition or removal of a beneficiary, a change of protector and a change of trustee.
The engagement letter says which tasks fall under the yearly arrangement and which are charged separately. Read it with your own lawyer before you sign.
Third-party costs
Third parties set their own charges. Your quote says which we pass through at cost and which you pay directly.
Cost
Who charges it
When it arises
Drafting the deed and advising on later changes
Jersey law firm
At set-up, and at each amendment
The role it holds in your structure
Local partner
At set-up, then each year
Account opening and holding the assets
Bank or custodian
At set-up, then ongoing
Forming a private trust company or a foundation
Corporate services provider and counsel
At set-up, then each year
Accounts or audit of a company in the structure
Accountant or auditor
Each year, where required
Tax advice where you live
Your own adviser
Before signing, and if your position changes
Basis: the intake questions we ask Jersey clients and the sources cited on this page, checked 2026-11-06. The set-up fee shown on this page is for a standard trust or foundation; other lines are quoted after we review your case.
Government or registry charges may also apply. Your lawyer confirms whether any does in your case, and we tell you before one is paid on your behalf.
What changes the total
Four things move the total more than any others.
The type of structure. A single trust is simpler than a trust with a private trust company and a foundation beside it.
The kind of assets. A portfolio of listed securities is simpler to hold than shares in an operating company or property held through a company.
The number of people and countries. More beneficiaries and more countries mean more identity checks and more reporting.
How much of the work you do yourself. Complete documents at the start save time on every later step.
A structure that stays unchanged costs less to run than one that changes often, because each change needs advice, minutes and sometimes a new deed.
A quote rests on five answers: the structure you have in mind, the kind of assets, the number of beneficiaries, the countries involved, and whether a private trust company or a foundation interests you.
We reply with an estimate. It is not a binding offer, and we confirm it after we have seen the documents and the assets.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Jersey?
You pay for the structure design and checks, the Jersey law firm that drafts the deed, the trustee's acceptance and account opening, and the local partner's role. A private trust company or a foundation adds its own formation work. The quote itemises each line so you can see what it covers.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Jersey?
Yes. The trustee charges each year for holding office, accounts, records, meetings and identity refreshes. Reporting adds work where beneficiaries live abroad, and an enforcer for a purpose trust is a further role. Distributions and changes of beneficiary are charged as they happen. The engagement letter separates the two kinds of line.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Jersey?
Tell us which structure you have in mind, what assets it will hold, how many beneficiaries there are, which countries are involved and whether you want a private trust company or foundation. We send an estimate with its assumptions, confirmed once the documents are reviewed. It is not a binding offer.
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