Company formation in Jersey

The provider’s job in company formation in Jersey

The JFSC’s company guidance lets two kinds of applicant file an incorporation: a Jersey-resident owner of a wholly Jersey-owned company, or a regulated service provider holding a licence for formation services. Everyone else goes through the second kind.

A typical engagement covers the checks on you, drafting the memorandum and articles, filing on myRegistry with the COBO consent request, and then the ongoing roles: company secretary, registered office and nominated person. That last role matters. The nominated person is the company’s contact with the Registry and must have a Jersey link, and a Jersey registered trust company business providing secretarial or registered office services qualifies.

Of the 45 firms listed on Accountanty for company formation in Jersey:

Firm type	Firms
Corporate services providers	28
Accounting firms	14
Law firms	3

Corporate services providers are built around administration, directorships and registered office work. Accounting firms suit owners who want the books and tax returns in the same place. Law firms come in when the structure needs bespoke drafting.

Check the licence before anything else

Ask the firm which JFSC licence or registration it holds and under which legal name, and confirm it covers formation and trust company business. Then check that answer with the JFSC directly rather than relying on the firm’s own description.

Accountanty explains how listings work on how we select firms. A listing helps you find firms; it does not replace your own check of the licence.

What the firm will need from you

Due diligence comes first and sets the pace. The Registry asks for details of every beneficial owner, controller, director, secretary and member, and a structure chart whenever the beneficial owner is not the same as the subscriber. Your provider will also check the activity against the JFSC’s Sound Business Policy.

Prepare:

• Certified identity and address evidence for each owner, controller and officer.
• An ownership chart showing every company or trust between you and the Jersey company.
• A plain description of the business, its customers and its countries, detailed enough to judge whether the activity counts as sensitive.
• Source of funds and source of wealth explanations, with supporting documents.
• Names of the proposed directors and whether you want the firm to provide any of them.

Sending this as one pack is the simplest way to shorten the time to incorporation.

What a company formation quote should include

Only 4 of the 45 formation firms listed in Jersey publish prices, so you will compare quotes. Ask for three separate blocks.

One-off work

• Client onboarding and due diligence
• Drafting the memorandum and articles, or confirming the standard table
• The Registry fee, shown at cost for the service level you choose: the 2026 schedule starts at £205 for five business days
• Bank account introduction, if offered

Yearly fees

• Company secretary, registered office and nominated person
• The annual confirmation statement, which carries a £339 Registry fee in 2026 for a company administered by a trust company business
• Accounts and the company tax return
• Any director you ask the firm to provide

Billed by the hour

• Board meetings, resolutions and share transfers
• Changes to owners or controllers, which must reach the Registry within 21 days

A firm that is vague on the yearly block is the one to question harder.

Services you will use after incorporation

Formation is the start of a working relationship. Among the 45 formation firms, all 45 also offer accounting, 40 handle tax compliance, 36 provide corporate secretarial services, 25 cover GST, 23 offer a virtual office, 17 run payroll, 10 help with bank accounts and 8 assist with residency. Only 3 carry out audits, so a public company or a group that needs audited accounts should ask who the auditor will be.

Questions to ask a Jersey formation provider

• Which JFSC licence do you hold, and does it cover formation services?
• Will you act as secretary, registered office and nominated person, and what does each cost per year?
• Who prepares the accounts and the tax return, and who audits if needed?
• How do you handle a change of shareholder, given the 21-day reporting window?
• What notice do you need if I move the company to another provider?
• Can you provide a director, and on what terms?

Matching the firm to your plans

Sector. The formation firms most often name real estate (23), funds (22), family offices (19) and private equity (16) among the sectors they serve. A firm that knows your sector is more likely to raise substance and licensing questions early.

Size. The list includes 16 small firms, 14 medium-sized firms and 15 that belong to large networks. A small firm usually means a senior contact; a network suits groups with entities in several countries.

Language. 43 of the 45 firms list English. Portuguese (3) and Chinese (2) are also offered.

Clients from abroad. 16 formation firms name international clients as a focus. See accountants for foreign clients in Jersey, or browse firms in St Helier.

To compare a few firms without writing to each one, send a free quote request through Accountanty. We check it and pass it to firms that match your company and language.

Verdict on company formation in Jersey

Hire on licence, a written first-year cost and a named contact. The Registry filing is quick once a firm accepts you, so company formation in Jersey succeeds or stalls on due diligence and on how well your provider runs the yearly filings afterwards.