private client & trusts, bvi

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is one of the leading offshore trust jurisdictions. Appleby’s experienced Private Client & Trusts lawyers in BVI provide trust and estate planning advice to trust companies, international private banks and private individuals. Products include discretionary, fixed, charitable, resulting and constructive, and non-charitable purpose trusts.

The legislative framework enacted by the BVI government offers an efficient and simple approach to regulation to those seeking to establish a trust or wealth planning structure. Trusts do not have to be registered and there is a low minimum fee for set-up. Additionally, only purpose trusts have the requirement for BVI trustees.

In particular, the BVI Virgin Islands Special Trusts Act (VISTA) trusts have resulted in a significant rise in the application of trusts in the commercial context, used as part of sophisticated international planning exercises.

Key for estate planning, the VISTA trust is designed to allow business owners to keep their companies in their families’ possession. This relieves trustees of the obligation to intervene in the management of trust-owned companies or to sell their shares in order to diversify the trust’s assets (it applies only where the companies are themselves domiciled in the BVI). Our lawyers can advise on how you can tailor the trust to suit your requirements.

Appleby also provides the full range of Private Client & Trust management and administration services through Appleby Corporate Services (BVI) Limited, regulated by the BVI Financial Services Commission.