A Changing Landscape for Business Relocation

This has resulted in a series of targeted reforms, including a renewed focus on regulatory clarity, proportionate supervision and removing unnecessary friction in establishment and ongoing operations. In parallel, Jersey is actively positioning itself as a leading hub for digital assets, tokenisation and technology-driven businesses.

A key component of this strategy is a more streamlined and commercially responsive approach to business establishment. Recent enhancements to the business licensing regime — including a more flexible framework for skilled and senior employees — are designed to facilitate faster, more predictable onboarding of relocating teams and founders.

The outcome is a jurisdiction that continues to offer stability and international credibility, while increasingly aligning with the needs of modern, mobile businesses.

Relocating to Jersey is not, however, a one-size-fits-all process. As set out below, the practical considerations will vary significantly depending on the nature of the business and the objectives of those relocating.

Housing qualifications

The right to reside in Jersey is controlled by statute and establishes different categories of residents.

The principal categories are:

Entitled:
Typically long-term residents or High Value Resident (HVR) individuals, able to buy and occupy property freely

Licensed:
Individuals granted permission to work in a specific role and to occupy qualified property

Entitled for Work:
Individuals who can work without restriction but have limited housing rights

Registered:
Individuals with restricted access to housing, generally limited to renting designated accommodation.

The category held determines whether an individual may purchase property and, if so, the type of property that may be acquired.

Most people who relocate to Jersey will either be Licensed or Entitled (under the HVR scheme). Generally, a Licensed person who has resided in Jersey for 10 years will become Entitled after that period.

Buying Property as a Licensed Person

Licensed individuals are generally permitted to occupy “qualified” property. The licence is employer-specific, role-specific and allows the individual to occupy most classes of property in Jersey.

Buying Property as a High Value Resident

The HVR programme enables approved applicants to obtain Entitled residential status under the housing law.

Applicants must demonstrate the ability to make a significant and sustainable economic contribution. Key financial criteria typically include:

• The ability to generate a minimum annual income tax contribution of £250,000
• Sustainable annual worldwide income in excess of £1.25 million
• Personal net worth exceeding £10 million (excluding the primary residence)

Applications are assessed on a discretionary basis, taking into account both economic and wider social contribution factors.

Successful applicants benefit from a preferential tax regime, under which:

• Worldwide income is taxed at 20% on the first £1.25 million
• Income above £1.25 million is taxed at 1%
• Income derived from Jersey land and property is taxed at 20%

The regime is structured to ensure a minimum annual income tax contribution of £250,000.

Jersey’s conveyancing system is unique but robust. Ownership (title) passes before the Royal Court and property may be owned by freehold, flying freehold or share transfer.

Our expert Property team advise on all aspects of Jersey relocations, including HVR applications, residential conveyancing and the acquisition and leasing of family offices and business premises.

Relocating a Business to Jersey

In practice, business relocation to Jersey often requires alignment between two parallel regimes:

• personal residential status; and
• business licensing

While the HVR regime provides a route to immediate Entitled status for individuals making a substantial economic contribution, it is not the primary mechanism through which most operating businesses relocate to the Island.

For business-led relocations, the more relevant framework is:

• business licence approval for the operating entity, and
• associated permissions to employ key individuals, including under the Skilled High Earner (SHE) route

Business Licensing as the Entry Point

Any business establishing a physical presence in Jersey must obtain a licence specifying:

• the nature and scope of its activities;
• its staffing model (including Licensed and Registered employees); and
• the justification for employing non-resident or specialist personnel

Business licensing is assessed at an economic level, including substance, job creation and strategic value to the Island.

Skilled High Earner Route

The Skilled High Earner (SHE) regime operates within this framework and is specifically designed to:

• facilitate the relocation of founders, senior executives and key revenue-generating individuals;
• support high-value, internationally mobile businesses; and
• provide a more flexible alternative to HVR for commercially active individuals

Unlike HVR, the SHE route:

• does not require the same level of personal wealth or passive income; and
• is typically aligned with employment or active participation in a Jersey business

It therefore sits at the intersection of personal relocation and business establishment, although the SHE is not exclusively linked to substantial business relocations and can also be utilised by individuals who are economically active, wishing to undertake their business activities remotely from a business operating overseas.

Recent Policy Developments

In response to geopolitical disruption and increased global mobility of talent, the Government of Jersey has adopted a more flexible approach to the SHE regime, including:

• relaxation of certain eligibility criteria; and
• greater willingness to consider applications from individuals already present on the Island

This represents a shift away from a purely pre-approved relocation model, and enables:

• staged or opportunistic relocations, where individuals transition into licensed roles following arrival; and
• greater responsiveness to fast-moving business decisions

HVR vs SHE

The distinction can be summarised as follows:

For most business relocation scenarios, particularly in investment management, technology and private capital:

• the SHE route (within a licensed business) will be the primary mechanism;
• HVR remains relevant for principals, founders or family office structures, but is not the default

Relocation in Practice: Key Issues by Client Type

Relocating to Jersey is not a one-size-fits-all process. For example, the considerations for an investment manager differ from those of a private family office. Set out below are some of the key issues we see in practice.

Investment Managers

For fund managers, issues will depend on how much of the operation and the fund structure is being migrated. For example:

• Regulatory framework
  Scoping investment business, fund services and licensing strategy
• Fund platform design
  Selecting Jersey Private Funds, LP or cell structures aligned to investor base/fund strategy, as well as marketing/distribution approach for the fund (including whether the fund will also be Jersey based, or domiciled in a third-party jurisdiction, which we often see for hedge funds)
• Migration approach
  Re-domiciling legacy funds vs launching parallel Jersey structures
• Tax positioning
  Operating within the 0/10 regime and managing cross-border tax exposure
• Economic substance
  Ensuring genuine presence through people, premises and decision-making
• Governance model
  Establishing Jersey boards, independent directors and oversight frameworks
• Operations, technology and infrastructure
  Balancing on-island management with global distribution, advisory or research teams
• Personnel relocation
  Relocating key individuals alongside local recruitment and permit approvals
• Investor alignment
  Maintaining confidence through clear messaging and updated documentation

Family Offices

Bespoke structuring, control and generational planning

• Scope and purpose — defining the role of the family office across investment, governance and lifestyle functions
• Structural design — combining trusts, foundations and companies to hold and manage wealth
• Operational model
  Hosted solutions vs fully established in-house office with staff and premises. Often to include levels of licensing in the island
• Governance, control and family involvement
  Use of private trust companies (PTCs), family councils and tailored decision-making frameworks, including participation in boards, committees and executive roles within the structure
• Personnel and relocation
  HVR applications, staff relocation and employment structuring
• Premises and presence
  Establishing a physical office or outsourcing to a third party fiduciary/administration platform
• Privacy and security
  Advice around level of control over environment and levels of external exposure
• Philanthropy and legacy
  Dedicated structures for charitable activity and family values
• Flexibility over time
  Structures designed to evolve with family dynamics and global asset bases

Technology & Digital Assets

Structuring, regulation and scaling considerations

• Business model definition
  Distinguishing software, platform, fintech or regulated activity
• Regulatory assessment
  Determining virtual asset service provider (VASP), investment business or hybrid licensing requirements
• Digital assets structuring
  Token issuance, custody and trading platform considerations – including for tokenisation of real-world assets, fund interests and digital investment products
• Data governance
  Managing data use, privacy and cross-border transfers under Jersey’s regime
• Venture and growth capital
  Structuring founder equity, funding rounds and investor participation
• Substance and scaling
  Combining Jersey headquarters with development teams
• Founder and team relocation
  Relocating key personnel, permits and incentive alignment

How we can help

Appleby Jersey offers renowned relocation advice in each of these areas. If you have any queries or would like to get in touch, please contact a member of the team, listed below. Or email: [email protected]