Before You Engage
Frequently asked questions.
The questions founders ask us most often — on discovery, jurisdiction choice, fixed fees, banking, timelines and residency.
01
Discovery & Engagement
How an engagement starts, and why it starts with a paid session.
- Why does every engagement begin with a paid discovery session?
- Jurisdiction selection determines everything that follows — banking, tax exposure, compliance load and how easily you can restructure later. The USD 500 strategic discovery session is a structured working session on your business model, expansion plans, banking requirements and long-term objectives. We do not incorporate first and think later.
- Is the discovery fee credited if I go ahead?
- Yes. The discovery fee is credited in full toward any solution package if you retain us within 14 calendar days of your session.
02
Jurisdictions & Structuring
Choosing where to incorporate, and what the process looks like.
- How do you choose which jurisdictions to work in?
- Each of our nine formation jurisdictions earned its place on four factors: freedom to operate the business you actually run, a genuinely low or 0% tax position, a fast and predictable path to incorporation, and realistic access to corporate banking. We work in nine jurisdictions properly rather than sixty superficially.
- Can I form a company in more than one jurisdiction?
- Yes, and it is common as businesses mature. Adding a second or third jurisdiction within 12 months of the first takes 10% off each additional package fee.
- Do I need to travel to incorporate?
- In most jurisdictions, no — the United States, Estonia, Seychelles, BVI, Panama, Cayman and Hong Kong are routinely handled remotely. UAE residency visas and certain banking onboarding steps require a short in-country visit, which we schedule around you.
- How long does formation take?
- As an indicative guide: Seychelles, BVI and Panama typically one to two weeks; the United States, Singapore, Estonia and Hong Kong typically one to three weeks at the registry; the UAE typically six to eight weeks including licensing and visa issuance. Timelines depend on registry workload, document legalisation and the quality of the information provided, and banking — not incorporation — is normally the longest step. We confirm an indicative timeline in writing at engagement.
03
Fees & Inclusions
What is fixed, what is included and what is charged separately.
- Are your fees really fixed?
- Every professional fee is confirmed in writing before work begins and is fixed at the point of engagement. Government filing fees, notarisation, apostille, courier and third-party disbursements are separate and are always identified up front.
- What is included in a solution package fee?
- Each solution covers formation, the registrations that structure requires, banking introductions or setup, and first-year compliance — with the exact inclusions listed on the Solutions page for each of the five solutions.
- Which solution is right for my business?
- The five solutions are built around business types rather than countries: startup and venture, digital nomad, international trade and commerce, holding and investment, and global expansion. Discovery exists precisely to answer this question with your numbers in front of us.
- How does the accounting retainer work?
- It is tiered rather than priced item by item — Essentials from USD 450 per month for early-stage companies, Growth at USD 950 for trading companies with payroll and VAT/GST, and Scale at USD 1,500 for multi-entity groups needing consolidated, audit-ready reporting.
04
Banking, Tax & Compliance
The practical realities behind every structure we recommend.
- Can you guarantee a corporate bank account?
- No one credible can. What we can do is choose jurisdictions where banking is realistically achievable, prepare the file to the standard the bank expects, and make introductions to institutions that onboard structures like yours.
- Will a 0% jurisdiction make me tax-free?
- No. Corporate tax in the jurisdiction of incorporation is only one part of the picture — your own tax residency, where value is created and substance requirements all matter. We recommend jurisdictions on commercial merit, never on advertised tax rates alone.
- Do you help with substance requirements?
- Yes. Registered office and agent, directors and officers, accounting and the compliance calendar are designed as part of the structure, and Managed Specialist Services keep them running afterwards.
05
Managed Specialist Services
The service lines that keep a structure running after formation.
- What are Managed Specialist Services?
- Five service lines that make a structure work in practice: banking and payment infrastructure, accounting and compliance, brand and digital presence, business advisory and operations, and global mobility. They are available standalone or bundled, and nothing is charged automatically.
06
Global Mobility
Residency programmes, and where the founder personally fits in.
- What is covered by the mobility programme fee?
- Our professional fee covers strategy, programme selection, documentation and application management. Government contributions, real estate or business investment and due-diligence fees are separate and payable directly to the relevant authority.
- Can I get residency through my own company?
- In the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore, yes — investor, entrepreneur, employment visa and Employment Pass routes all run through a company you control. Canada is different: its federal and provincial programs lead to permanent residency directly.
- Do you offer citizenship by investment?
- No. We work on residency by investment and employment programmes in six routes across four jurisdictions, delivered under our own brand with accredited local partners where licensing requires it.
07
Working With Us
Who you deal with, what happens next, and what we decline.
- Who will I actually deal with?
- One dedicated engagement manager, from discovery through implementation and into stewardship. Licensed local professionals are coordinated by us wherever a jurisdiction requires them.
- What happens after the company is formed?
- Stewardship: annual filings, officer changes, accounting coordination and — when the business outgrows the structure — a considered second jurisdiction or a restructuring plan.
- What work will you not take on?
- We do not facilitate tax evasion or opaque ownership structures, and we decline work that could not withstand examination by banks, regulators, investors or counterparties.
Still deciding
A strategic discovery session answers these questions with your numbers in front of us.