Your Marshall 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 in the Marshall 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 Marshall 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
Trust Act of 1994, Title 50, Chapter 1 of the Revised Code (2004 edition)[1]
Perpetuity period
Section 108 (2004 text): up to 100 years, charitable trusts excepted[1]
Asset protection rule
Section 145: a creditor must prove principal intent to defraud[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 14,000
Trust set-up in the Marshall Islands: 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 a trust is live is split into lines, and each line has its own payer.
The law firm in the islands that drafts and reviews the deed.
The trustee’s acceptance work, including its own checks on you.
Identity and source-of-funds checks.
Registration charges for entering the trust on the register, which the authorities set and not us.
Our coordination fee, if we are asked to coordinate.
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 an estimate comes from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm. If two advisers price overlapping work, ask who covers it.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
A trust keeps costing something after the deed is signed. The trustee does the yearly work:
Accounts and records of the assets it holds.
Resolutions that record each distribution.
Meetings and a yearly review with you.
Whatever the Registrar requires for a registered trust.
Registration is part of the set-up, and whether anything renews each year is a point your lawyer confirms for your case. Ask for any renewal in the written terms.
Ask the trustee what a normal year includes and what is billed on top. A change of trustee, if one is ever needed, also has a cost, so raise it before the deed is final.
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.
A bank or custodian that holds the assets.
Certified translations and notary charges.
Courier costs for papers that cross a long distance.
The Marshall Islands sit four hours ahead of Hong Kong and a calendar day ahead of the Americas, so signing at a distance may mean extra courier or scanning steps.
Compare terms on the same basis, since one adviser may charge by the hour and another by the task.
What changes the total
A few early choices move the total most:
Number of parties. More beneficiaries, protectors and companies mean more checks and more papers.
Kinds of assets. Shares in private companies take more work than cash or listed holdings.
Time limit. A deed that deals with the 100-year point in the 2004 text needs a lawyer’s attention (see the law page).
Registration route. A trustee certificate and a copy of the instrument are different papers.
Tell us which assets you expect to transfer and whether a holding company is involved. Those two answers shape the estimate most.
A clear brief to the lawyer, with the roles settled, avoids rounds of redrafting. Changes after signing cost more than a decision made at the start.
How to get a quote
We turn your plan into a quote. It is not an offer, and the written terms of the trustee and the law firm come first.
The enquiry asks for the kinds of assets you expect to transfer, whether a holding company is involved 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 Marshall Islands?
You pay for the lawyer who drafts the deed, the trustee's acceptance and set-up work, identity checks, and any government registration charge. A holding company or bank account adds its own lines. Each charge is listed in the written terms before you commit.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in the Marshall Islands?
Yes. The trustee charges for its yearly work, such as accounts, records, meetings and resolutions. Registration renewals, bank charges and your own advisers add to that. The written terms of the trustee set out which yearly items apply to your trust.
How do I get an estimate for a trust in the Marshall Islands?
Tell us the assets, the beneficiaries and any holding company. We send a written estimate, and the trustee's and law firm's written terms come before any commitment. The estimate lists each part separately, so you can compare it with what your lawyer and the trustee quote.
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.
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