Company formation in Guernsey

The CSP’s role in company formation in Guernsey

The Guernsey Registry takes incorporation applications only from a CSP with a full fiduciary licence from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The firm you appoint therefore does more than paperwork: it is the only party that can put your company on the register.

Beyond the filing, the CSP usually supplies the ongoing roles a company owned from abroad needs. The resident agent must be a Guernsey-resident director or a CSP, and that role carries the duty to hold the beneficial ownership details. Ask whether the firm will also provide the registered office, a company secretary and, if you need one, a director.

All 19 firms listed on Accountanty in Guernsey offer company formation:

Firm type	Firms
Corporate services providers	14
Accounting firms	4
Law firms	1

Confirm the licence

Ask the firm to confirm in writing that it holds a full fiduciary licence from the GFSC, and the legal name of the licensed company. The Registry keeps its own directory of CSPs; checking that the firm appears there is a quick first test.

Accountanty’s listing rules are on how we select firms. Treat a listing as a shortlist, and still check the licence yourself.

What to send your CSP

The firm’s onboarding decides how quickly you reach the Registry. Guernsey also requires directors, the resident agent and beneficial owners to be registered as persons with the Registry before they are appointed, so the CSP needs their details early.

Have ready:

• Certified identity and address documents for each director, shareholder and beneficial owner.
• A chart of the ownership chain, including any trust, foundation or holding company.
• A description of the activity, so the firm can judge licensing and economic substance questions.
• Evidence of source of funds, which a regulated firm will want to see.
• The proposed share structure, since the application states the initial share capital.

What a quote for company formation in Guernsey should cover

None of the 19 firms listed in Guernsey publishes prices, so plan to request written quotes. Split each one into:

Set-up

• Onboarding and client checks
• Memorandum of incorporation and articles, or confirmation that the standard articles will be used
• The Registry fee at cost: £100 for the standard service, more for the 2-hour or 15-minute options
• Name reservation if you want one

Every year

• Resident agent and registered office
• The annual validation fee, which the Registry sets at £525 for a CSP-administered company
• Bookkeeping, accounts and the corporate tax return
• Any director or secretary the firm provides

When things change

• New shareholders or directors, which must be notified within 14 days
• Resolutions, including any audit or AGM waiver

Ask what the first full year will cost in total, and what notice period applies if you move the company to another CSP later.

Services beyond the formation

All 19 firms provide accounting and corporate secretarial services. Thirteen handle tax compliance, seven run payroll, six offer a virtual office, five help with bank accounts, four carry out audits and three assist with residency.

Questions to put to each CSP

• Do you hold a full fiduciary licence, and under which company name?
• Will you act as resident agent and provide the registered office, and at what yearly fee?
• Who files the annual validation and the tax return, and when?
• Can you supply a director, and does that change the price?
• How do you verify clients who do not visit the island?
• What happens to the company’s records if I change provider?

Choosing between Guernsey CSPs

Sector. The 19 firms most often name family offices (9), real estate (8), funds (7) and private equity (7) among their sectors. Pick a firm that already handles companies like yours.

Size. Seven are medium-sized firms, seven belong to large networks and five are small. A network firm helps if the Guernsey company sits in a group spread across several countries.

Language. English is listed by 11 firms. German (2), French (2), Dutch (1) and Chinese (1) are also offered.

Clients from abroad. Seven firms name international clients as a focus; the list is on accountants for foreign clients in Guernsey. Every listed firm is in St Peter Port.

To reach several CSPs with one message, use the free quote request on Accountanty. We review it and send it on to firms that suit your company.

Final check on company formation in Guernsey

A licence you have verified, a written yearly cost and a clear owner for every filing are what separate one CSP from another. The Registry step is fast, so company formation in Guernsey is shaped far more by the firm you appoint than by the paperwork itself.