GuernseyCompany formation, tax and banking

Why people choose Guernsey

• Sets up more European captive insurers than anywhere else
• Protected cell companies keep each cell's assets and debts legally separate
• QNUPS and QROPS pensions for executives with UK pension history
• 0% standard company tax, with no capital gains, inheritance or withholding taxes
• An approachable regulator, the GFSC, open to new ideas

Where Guernsey fits

• Captive insurance
• Investment funds
• QNUPS pensions

Where Guernsey fits in a structure

Typical role · Captive insurer, fund or pension home

Guernsey usually holds a specialist part of a structure: a captive insurer (your company's own in-house insurer), an international pension, or a closed-ended fund. A protected cell company is one company split into 'cells', each with its own legally separate assets and debts. It relies on real activity in Guernsey and on the GFSC, a regulator known for being practical and approachable.

What it depends onCompanies doing certain activities must be run from Guernsey and spend enough there, and a QNUPS only suits some people with UK pension savings who've moved abroad, with regulated pension advice alongside the structuring.

A simplified picture to explain the idea, not a recommendation. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Opening a bank account

Butterfield, Investec, Barclays and Lloyds International serve Guernsey structures, alongside private banks reached through licensed trust companies. Banks are keenest when a regulated Guernsey administrator sits between them and the client.

How tax works here

0% standard company tax, 10% on banking, insurance broking, trust and fund administration income, and 20% for utilities and Guernsey property. No capital gains, inheritance or withholding taxes. Personal income tax is capped for wealthy residents.

Real presence, and who can see the owners

Substance rules mirror Jersey's: companies doing certain activities must be run from Guernsey and spend enough there. The real owners are registered with the Registry and available to authorities, not the public. Cell companies let you keep assets and liabilities legally separate inside one company.

When to choose it

Choose Guernsey for a captive insurance setup, an international pension for an executive who moves around, a protected cell company, or a closed-ended fund where an approachable regulator matters more than a famous name.

You get a written comparison, not a sales pitch.

Every Guernsey recommendation comes as a written comparison with the alternatives — whether the setup will stand up to scrutiny, how easy banking will be, which tax treaties apply, who can see the owners, what it costs to run each year and the risk to your reputation — so you can see the trade-offs before you commit.