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EstateGlobal / BVI Trust

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands · Trust planning

Your business. Your family. A coordinated plan.

Explore a BVI trust with a clear view of company ownership, succession, trustee responsibilities, and cross-border reporting.

Understand the key decisions
Your purposebefore the paperworkYour checklistbefore the consultation
BVI TrustBusiness ownership & successionPart of EstateGlobalIndependent information

The starting point

Understand the decisions.
Then consider the documents.

Use this guide to prepare for a qualified adviser’s review of a British Virgin Islands trust.

The BVI Financial Services Commission publishes the jurisdiction’s financial-services legislation. Use those materials and a provider-status check as starting points for specialist advice.

Official reference: BVI FSC — Legislation ↗
01

Business succession

Map who owns the shares, who runs the business, and who should inherit economic interests or decision-making responsibilities.

02

Trustee involvement

Ask how the proposed trust affects oversight of the company and which duties remain with the trustee and directors.

03

Structure and reporting

Consider existing entities, banking requirements, ownership disclosure, and reporting in every connected country.

For your first conversation

Three questions
worth asking.

Bring your priorities into the room. Ask for clear answers, a written scope, and the full picture of ongoing responsibilities.

  1. How would share ownership change?
  2. Who will appoint or replace company directors?
  3. Is a specialist BVI trust arrangement relevant, or is a simpler option sufficient?

From intention to a considered decision

Three steps.
A more useful conversation.

Begin with a free planning brief. Decide what help you need once the questions are clear.

01

Clarify what matters

Choose your main priority and explore a jurisdiction, or keep your options open.

02

Prepare your brief

Organise your intentions, decision-makers, existing documents, and cross-border questions.

03

Scope the right advice

Ask the team about next steps. Any paid advice, formation, or administration needs an agreed scope and fee before work begins.

Planning responsibly. Do not transfer assets or sign formation documents based on this guide. Disclose existing obligations and obtain coordinated legal and tax advice in the relevant jurisdictions. Privacy does not mean secrecy from lawful reporting.

Useful answers

Before you
take the next step.

Should every business owner use a specialist trust?

No. Start with the actual succession problem. Specialist arrangements should be considered only after advice on their requirements, costs, and alternatives.

Will a trust change who runs the company?

That depends on the structure and its documents. Separate shareholder powers, directors’ responsibilities, trustee duties, and any reserved powers in your review.

Will this tell me which structure to set up?

It gives you a starting brief and questions to discuss—not a recommendation or a legal or tax conclusion. The right answer may be a trust, a foundation, changes to your existing estate plan, or no new structure at all.

What does it cost?

The website guides and personal checklist are free. Professional advice, formation, administration, and third-party fees are separate. Ask for an itemised written scope; this site does not offer checkout or publish a fixed formation price.

Do I have to provide financial information?

No. The checklist asks only for a planning priority and an optional jurisdiction. Keep names, account details, asset values, and sensitive documents out of this website and your initial enquiry.

Can I keep my progress?

Yes. Choose “Save on this device” after your preview. It uses this browser’s local storage, not a cloud account. You can also print or save the checklist as a PDF. Different domains have separate browser storage.

The EstateGlobal network

Explore the place.
Understand the structure.

12 focused guides. Each one helps you prepare the right questions, understand the responsibilities, and take a considered next step.

12 guides
Trust

British Virgin Islands

Business ownership & succession

bvitrust.app

A clearer plan starts with a question.

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