Your Turks and Caicos 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 Turks and Caicos 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 Turks and Caicos 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
Revocable and irrevocable trusts allowed; private trust companies with limits[2]
Governing law
Trusts Ordinance 2016 (Chapter 16.12), text as at 31 March 2018[1]
Perpetuity period
Trusts can be perpetual rather than time-limited[2]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 12,000
Trust set-up in the Turks and Caicos 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.
For a Turks and Caicos trust, the opening bill follows the structure you pick. The islands allow revocable and irrevocable trusts, and a choice between them changes the drafting.
The set-up fee shown on this page covers the standard scope. Ongoing administration, work tied to events and outside charges are quoted once we review your case.
Any figure in an estimate is taken from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm, and the government sets its own charges.
Expect the set-up estimate to carry these lines:
Client acceptance, identity checks and source-of-funds review.
Design of the structure with your lawyer.
Drafting of the deed and your letter of wishes by a law firm in the islands.
Trustee acceptance of office.
Any holding company placed beneath the trust.
Insist on seeing each line alone. A bundled total hides the items that depend on your own facts.
Where each of these costs arises is shown in the steps in order.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Once the trust is signed and funded, the trustee has a yearly workload: meetings, resolutions, accounts and records.
A trust can run for generations, so the yearly charges often outweigh the set-up in the long run. Request them as a separate line and compare year on year.
A fee that looks small in the first year can matter more over decades, so ask how each charge is reviewed and who agrees to any increase.
The written terms say how the trustee’s charges are set.
Common yearly items include:
The trustee’s fee for acting and for each decision it records.
Preparation of accounts for the trust and any company it owns.
Reporting that the trustee or a bank must make, which is a point your tax adviser confirms.
Reviews with you when your family or assets change.
Our coordination fee is shown on its own line, separate from the trustee’s fee, so the two charges stay distinct.
Third-party costs
Several charges go to parties outside our fee and the trustee’s, and they vary with your choices.
Your own lawyer and tax adviser. Their work at home is separate from the work in the islands.
Government charges. The authorities set them, not us, and the written terms list those that apply.
Bank charges. Opening and running accounts for the trust or a company beneath it.
Certified copies and valuations. Needed for private shares, property or papers that come from abroad.
Translations. Needed when papers are not in English.
Compared with the legal and trustee work these are modest, although an unplanned one can delay the start. Ask your lawyer to list them early.
What changes the total
Estimates for the islands can differ a great deal. These factors matter most:
Whether the trust is perpetual or fixed-term. A long life means more years of yearly charges.
Whether a private trust company is used, since it adds a company to run beside the trust.
The kinds of assets, since shares in private companies take more work than cash.
The legal drafting, which grows with every special clause or role.
Whether the deed creates a protector or an enforcer.
How often the trustee must meet and report.
Cash and listed securities held in one trust sit at the low end. A web of several companies, a protector and assets in many countries sits at the high end.
If a private trust company is on your mind, say so. Along with the assets you would transfer, that answer moves the estimate more than any other.
How to get an estimate
A quote is not an offer. It becomes firm once the trustee and the law firm have read your papers and set their terms in writing. It lists each cost line and the assumptions beneath it, and it changes with your facts.
Write a few lines giving your country of residence, the assets you expect to transfer and who should benefit.
In return you get the questions that matter, a list of papers to gather and a written start date.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in the Turks and Caicos?
The opening bill covers client acceptance and design, the drafting of the deed and letter of wishes, trustee acceptance and any holding company. Yearly administration, government charges and bank fees follow. Each item appears in the written terms before you commit.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in the Turks and Caicos?
Yes. Each year the trustee handles meetings, resolutions, accounts, records and reporting, and over a long-lived trust that can add up to more than the set-up. Any government renewal charges and bank fees are extra, and each is shown on a separate line.
How do I get a quote for a trust in the Turks and Caicos?
Tell us where you live, what the trust will hold and who will benefit. We send a written quote with each line shown separately. Any figure comes from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm, so you can compare it line by line before you decide.
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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