Family Office in the Bahamas: Rules, Costs and Tax in 2026

How is a family office licensed in the Bahamas?

No licence or registration specific to family offices was found. Under the Securities Industry Act, 2024 (sections 1 to 88, 92 to 127 and 129 to 213 in force from 29 July 2024), engaging in regulated activities 'in the course of business' is capital markets business, and the Securities Commission registers firms (section 71(1)) that deal in, manage, advise on or arrange deals in securities; activities excluded by Part 3 of the Act's First Schedule are outside it, but that Schedule could not be read in any official copy and the Commission's published orders contain no family office exemption, so no official text was found that says whether an office managing only its own family's money must register. The Financial and Corporate Service Providers Act, 2020 covers persons who, by way of business, form or manage international business companies, act as their directors or officers, provide registered agent or registered office services or act as the registered representative of a PTC. A PTC (a company acting only as trustee of trusts created by or at the direction of a Designated Person or related family members) or a QEE is exempt from section 6(1) of the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2020 under regulation 3 of the Banks and Trust Companies (Private Trust Companies and Qualified Executive Entities) Regulations, 2025, if it does not solicit trust business and has no subsidiary, branch, agency or representative office outside The Bahamas. It must appoint a Registered Representative, which certifies to the Central Bank within three months of incorporation, and by 31 January each year, that it qualifies, and it must have a Special Director (for a QEE, a Special Officer or Special Council Member) at all times, unless a Central Bank licensee provides its secretary, director or Bahamas Agent (for a QEE, an officer or council member) (Central Bank guidelines). [1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]

What is the minimum wealth for a family office in the Bahamas?

No minimum family wealth in the Banks and Trust Companies (Private Trust Companies and Qualified Executive Entities) Regulations, 2025 or the Central Bank's guidelines (revised 21 November 2025): a PTC needs paid-up share capital of at least $5,000 (or a guarantee of $5,000), a QEE executive entity assets of at least $5,000 excluding trust assets, and its Registered Representative paid-up share capital of at least $50,000; these are capital rules for the vehicles, not a wealth test for the family. No wealth minimum was found in the parts of the Securities Industry Act, 2024 that could be read. Separate investment amounts apply to permanent residence (see residency). [1, 2, 9]

Compare: Family Office Minimum Net Worth by Country

Who counts as family?

No legal definition of a family office family applies, because there is no family office regime. A PTC or QEE may act only as trustee of trusts created by or at the direction of the Designated Person (one or more individuals, living or deceased, each related to another so described) or of individuals related to them 'by consanguinity or other family relationships', and settlors of assets administered by a PTC must be related to a Designated Person (Central Bank guidelines, paragraph 3; 2025 Regulations, Sixth Schedule). The Securities Industry Act, 2024 defines a 'family member' as a person's spouse, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild, but uses it for associates and conflicts of interest, not as a family office test. [1, 2, 9]

Can one office serve several families?

No dedicated multi-family office licence was found. An office that deals in, manages, advises on or arranges securities transactions for other families in the course of business comes under the Securities Industry Act, 2024 and registers with the Securities Commission, whose registrants include chief executive officers, compliance officers and discretionary management representatives ($575 to apply and $800 to register and each year for a chief executive or compliance officer, Securities Industry (Fees) Rules, 2024). Forming or managing companies, acting as director or officer, providing registered agent or office services or acting as a PTC's Registered Representative, as a business, comes under the Financial and Corporate Service Providers Act, 2020, also administered by the Commission. A PTC keeps its exemption only while it serves the trusts of its Designated Person and related family and does not solicit trust business. [1, 2, 9, 11, 18]

Which law and courts apply?

The Supreme Court has unlimited jurisdiction in general, civil and criminal matters, the Court of Appeal is the highest court resident in The Bahamas, and final appeals go to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which sits in England (Government of The Bahamas). Lennox Paton describes The Bahamas as a common law country, and Graham Thompson (Chambers, 2025) reports 'ultimate appeal to the Privy Council in the UK'. The Securities Commission of The Bahamas supervises securities, investment funds and corporate service providers, and the Central Bank of The Bahamas supervises PTCs and their Registered Representatives; no official statement on the language of the courts or on a commercial court was found. [2, 11, 19, 20, 21, 22]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

What substance is required?

No substance rule specific to family offices was found. The Commercial Entities (Substance Requirements) Act, 2023, which repeals and replaces the 2018 Act, applies to entities under the Companies Act, International Business Companies Act and partnership laws that carry on relevant activities, including holding business and fund management: they must carry on core income generating activities, be directed and managed, and have adequate employees, expenditure and premises in The Bahamas. A pure equity holding entity, which only holds equity participations and earns only dividends and capital gains, meets a reduced test (comply with Bahamian law, adequate human resources and premises, with no need to be directed and managed in The Bahamas, and a passive holder may rely on its registered agent); investment funds need not meet the test but must report. Reports are due within 9 months of the year end, and penalties reach $300,000 and striking off (Ministry of Finance guidelines, 8 September 2023). [23]

Which holding vehicles are available?

Companies under the Companies Act and International Business Companies Act, which can act as PTCs; executive entities under the Executive Entities Act, 2011, which can register as QEEs (Central Bank); foundations under the Foundations Act, 2004, legal entities whose purposes include managing their assets and need not be charitable (Lennox Paton); trusts under the Trustee Act, 1998, including directed trusts and authorised purpose trusts, with no perpetuity period for trusts created on or after 30 December 2011 under the Rule Against Perpetuities (Abolition) Act, 2011 (Lennox Paton); the Investment Condominium (ICON) under the Investment Condominium Act, 2014, which Lennox Paton (2014) describes as a contractual arrangement with no legal personality that must be licensed as an investment fund and is exempt from Bahamian estate, inheritance, succession or gift tax; investment funds under the Investment Funds Act, 2019; and partnerships under the Partnership Act, Partnership Limited Liability Act and Exempted Limited Partnership Act. [1, 2, 11, 21, 23, 24, 25]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

What is the corporate tax rate?

There is no corporate income tax: the Government of The Bahamas lists freedom from corporate, capital gains and withholding taxes, and PwC (reviewed 21 July 2026) says 'There are currently no corporate income taxes in The Bahamas.' The Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax Act, 2024 (assented 28 November 2024, deemed in force from 1 January 2024) makes the Bahamian entities of a multinational group within the scope of the OECD GloBE Model Rules liable for top-up tax, but not for a group's fiscal years beginning before 1 January 2025 unless another country's IIR or UTPR applies; the Department of Inland Revenue says it covers groups with consolidated revenue of at least EUR 750 million (or equivalent) in at least two of the four fiscal years immediately preceding, and not purely domestic groups, and the Ministry of Finance's consultation paper (August 2024) and PwC give the 15% minimum effective rate. A family holding company that is not part of such a group is outside the tax. [3, 6, 7, 26, 27]

Are there tax incentives for family offices?

No tax regime specific to family offices was found, and none is needed for income: there is no corporate income tax on a family company, PTC or holding company outside the multinational top-up tax. Investment funds, and entities through which a fund invests, do not have to meet the economic substance test but must still report (Ministry of Finance substance guidelines). [3, 23, 26]

Is there personal income tax?

Residents pay no personal income tax: PwC (reviewed 21 July 2026) says 'There is currently no personal income tax (PIT) in The Bahamas' and reports no capital gains tax and no net wealth tax, and the Government of The Bahamas lists freedom from personal income, capital gains, inheritance, dividend, interest and payroll taxes. VAT is 10% (Value Added Tax Act, section 6(1)(b)); PwC reports a 5% rate for certain essentials such as medical and hygiene products and no VAT on unprepared food in food stores from 1 April 2026. Graham Thompson (Chambers Real Estate 2026) reports VAT of 10% on every property purchase by a foreign person, company or other entity, while Bahamians and permanent residents pay on a sliding scale from 2.5% (below BSD 100,000) up to 10% (over BSD 1 million); The Tribune reported the flat 10% for foreign buyers from 1 July 2023. Owner-occupied homes pay annual real property tax of 0% on the first $300,000, 0.625% on the next $200,000 and 1% above $500,000 (Department of Inland Revenue); and National Insurance is 4.65% for employees, 6.65% for employers and 10.3% for the self-employed, on pay up to BSD 830 a week (PwC). [3, 4, 5, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32]

Compare: Countries With No Personal Income Tax

Is there inheritance or estate tax?

There is no inheritance, estate or gift tax: the Government of The Bahamas lists freedom from inheritance tax, PwC (reviewed 21 July 2026) says 'There are no inheritance, estate, or gift taxes in The Bahamas', and Higgs & Johnson (Chambers, March 2026) report no estate, inheritance or gift taxes and say transfers to a surviving spouse through probate are not subject to estate or inheritance tax. No duty or fee charged on an estate or on transfers on death was found in the sources opened. PwC says stamp duty applies to many instruments at rates that depend on the instrument, and Higgs & Johnson say lifetime transfers that change beneficial ownership of Bahamian real property attract transfer taxes and that 2024 changes removed certain exemptions for trusts used to transfer it. [3, 29, 33]

Compare: Inheritance Tax by Country

How do wills and succession work?

Higgs & Johnson (Chambers Succession and Estate Planning 2026, updated 25 March 2026) say testamentary freedom is recognised and forced heirship does not form part of Bahamian law; a surviving spouse may apply to the court for maintenance from the estate only if the deceased was domiciled in The Bahamas; on intestacy the Inheritance Act gives 50% to the spouse and 50% in equal shares to the children; section 7 of the Wills Act lets testators domiciled elsewhere make Bahamian-law wills for Bahamian assets; and a one-time trust duty of BSD 50 applies when a trust is created. Section 8 of the Trusts (Choice of Governing Law) Act, 1989, as amended from 1 February 2017, protects Bahamian-law trusts against foreign judgments and claims based on a personal relationship to the settlor or any beneficiary or on heirship rights, including forced heirship claims (Higgs & Johnson, 2017; IFC Review, 2021), and Lennox Paton says an heirship right conferred by foreign law in relation to a living person is not recognised as affecting the ownership of Bahamian immovable property. McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes (Chambers, 2026) report that the Trustee (Amendment) Act, 2025 lets trustees, personal representatives and power holders ask the court for directions on the assets of a testator or intestate, in proceedings that may be heard in private, and that the Usufruct Interest Act, 2026 introduces the civil law usufruct. Will formalities and probate procedure were not described in the sources opened. [21, 33, 34, 35, 36]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

Can the family get residence?

Economic permanent residence needs a minimum investment of $1.0 million in real estate or Central Bank of The Bahamas zero coupon bonds, held for at least 10 years (Department of Immigration, page modified 12 June 2025); the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 sets this rule with effect from 1 January 2025 (its enactment as an Act was not confirmed), and Graham Thompson and Fragomen report that the change applies from 1 January 2025 and that the previous minimum was BSD 750,000. The Government of The Bahamas says buyers of a residence of BS$1.5 million or more get speedy (accelerated) consideration. The certificate lasts for life unless revoked and gives the right to reside and/or work but not to vote; the Department charges a $200 non-refundable processing fee and a grant fee of $20,000 for economic permanent residence without the right to work or $25,000 with the right to work in one's own business, plus $300 for each endorsement under section 16 (fee scale, modified 23 July 2026), and the application asks for spouse and children's documents 'if applicable'. Owners of a habitable Bahamian home who also own a primary residence in their home country can get a Home Owner Resident Permit ($200 processing fee), which the government FAQ describes as a card renewable annually for the owner, spouse and minor children; an annual residence permit costs $3,000 a year plus $300 per dependant, and the Permit to Reside covers dependants such as spouses and children under 18. [3, 8, 22, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42]

Compare: Residency by Investment by Country

How long does set-up take?

Not found in official sources. The Central Bank's guidelines (revised 21 November 2025) give no approval time: an application to act as a Registered Representative is reviewed only once all supporting documents are in, and the Registered Representative should certify a PTC to the Central Bank within three months of its incorporation. [2]

What are the official fees?

Indicative, in '$' as the official texts show: a QEE pays $5,250 on commencement of business and $3,750 on 1 January each year (Second Schedule to the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2020, as amended by the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025); PTC fees are set in the same Second Schedule, which could not be read, and the Central Bank's guidelines add company or IBC registration fees; a Registered Representative that is not a Central Bank licensee pays $2,500 a year (Central Bank guidelines). Under the Securities Industry (Fees) Rules, 2024 (made 23 December 2024), an application for exemption or waiver costs $500. There is no family office licence fee, and company and IBC registration fees were not checked. [1, 2, 18, 43]

Does a private trust company need a licence in the Bahamas?

A private trust company (PTC) is exempt from trust company licensing under the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2020: regulation 3(1) of the Banks and Trust Companies (Private Trust Companies and Qualified Executive Entities) Regulations, 2025 (S.I. No. 80 of 2025, made under section 82 of the Act) exempts it from section 6(1) of the Act, and the Central Bank's guidelines cite section 6(4) of the Act together with regulation 3(1). To qualify, the company must meet the Act's definition of a PTC, which the guidelines give as a company under the Companies Act or the International Business Companies Act whose memorandum and articles provide that it acts only as trustee of trusts created by or at the direction of a Designated Person or Persons, or of individuals related to them by consanguinity or other family relationship, and that it must appoint a Registered Representative; it must also have a single Designating Instrument in the prescribed form naming the Designated Person or Persons, must not solicit trust business and must not establish a subsidiary, branch, agency or representative office outside The Bahamas (regulation 3(1)). It is also exempt from sections 20, 21, 22, 32, 33 and 78 of the Act (regulation 3(2)) and, according to the guidelines, from prior Central Bank approval of share transfers under section 15(5) if its Registered Representative keeps a current share register. Changes in 2025: the 2025 Regulations (made 26 August 2025, gazetted 5 September 2025) revoke the Banks and Trust Companies (Private Trust Companies) Regulations, 2007 and extend the exemption to qualified executive entities (QEEs), executive entities that qualify on similar terms; the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025 (No. 21 of 2025, assented 3 June 2025) adds the QEE definitions and fees; and the Central Bank said on 31 December 2025 that its guidelines (revised 21 November 2025) had been published in final form. [1, 2, 16, 43]

Who supervises it, and what must it file?

The Central Bank of The Bahamas. A PTC holds no licence and does not apply itself: its Registered Representative certifies to the Central Bank, on Form A, that the company qualifies, within three months of its incorporation (or, for a company incorporated before the 2025 Regulations, of the Representative's appointment) and again by 31 January each year, and by the same date obtains an annual Compliance Certificate from the PTC's directors (regulations 4, 7(3) and 23). The guidelines ask a Registered Representative to notify the Central Bank within 30 days of changes in the particulars given in its own application, and the Inspector within five business days if it ceases to act for a PTC. According to the guidelines, the Central Bank may use its powers under sections 28 and 29 of the Act (directions, remedial action, information requests, examinations), and the 2025 amending Act adds QEEs wherever section 29(2) of the Act mentions private trust companies; a person who, with intent to deceive, contravenes the Regulations, or knowingly makes a false representation for their purposes, commits an offence with a fine of up to twenty-five thousand dollars on summary conviction (regulation 27). [1, 2, 43]

What local requirements apply?

A PTC must at all times have a Registered Representative in The Bahamas and keep a copy of its Designating Instrument at the Representative's offices (regulation 10(1)). A corporate service provider that wants to act as a Registered Representative must first apply to the Central Bank with a copy of its corporate service provider's licence (regulation 13), and a Representative needs paid-up share capital of at least $50,000 (regulation 17). The Representative keeps in The Bahamas copies of the PTC's constitutional documents, its Designating Instrument, the Special Director's CV, the trust instruments and the settlors' acknowledgements (regulation 24), verifies identities under the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, 2018, keeps those records in The Bahamas and reports suspicious transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit (regulation 25). The PTC needs paid-up share capital of at least $5,000, or a guarantee of $5,000 (regulation 8), and at all times at least one Special Director, a person of good reputation with at least five years' experience in a discipline relevant to the administration of trusts (regulations 2 and 10(2)). Regulation 10(2) waives this where an officer of a bank and trust company or trust company serves as the PTC's Registered Representative; the Central Bank's guidelines word the exception differently, as where a Central Bank licensee provides the services of a secretary, director or Bahamas Agent to the PTC. The Ministry of Finance's economic substance guidelines (2023) do not mention PTCs. [1, 2, 23]

What are the official fees?

No official PTC fee amount found. Regulation 26 says PTCs, QEEs and Registered Representatives pay the fees specified in the Second Schedule to the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2020, and the Central Bank's guidelines say a PTC pays a fee in its first year and in each later year under that Schedule (for a PTC, including company or IBC registration fees under the Companies Act or the International Business Companies Act), paid to the Central Bank on behalf of the Public Treasury and to the Registrar General's Department against invoices; the PTC items of the Second Schedule could not be read. For comparison, a QEE pays $5,250 on commencement of business and $3,750 on 1 January each year (Second Schedule, paragraph 2(za) and (zb), added by the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025), and a Registered Representative that is not a Central Bank licensee pays $2,500 a year (guidelines). The texts give amounts in '$' or 'dollars' without naming the currency. Company and IBC registration fees were not checked in official sources. [1, 2, 43]