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	British Virgin Islands Central America & Caribbean	Bahamas Central America & Caribbean	United Kingdom Europe
Overview	The British Virgin Islands is a long-standing jurisdiction for BVI Business Companies used in international structures. Substance and reporting have tightened materially. Bordercase coordinates with licensed BVI partners.	The Bahamas is a Caribbean jurisdiction with structured residency routes including the Economic Permanent Residence and an active fund / family-office sector. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Bahamian partners.	The United Kingdom is a major global jurisdiction with structured (and competitive) residency, business, and skilled-worker routes. Bordercase coordinates with licensed UK partners for filings.
Best for	Holding structures International funds English admin	HNW Funds Family offices English admin	Founders Skilled workers Global hub Banking English admin
Currency	USD	BSD	GBP
Language	English	English	English
Time zone	UTC-4	UTC-5	UTC+0
EU member	No	No	No
Schengen	No	No	No
Residency	BVI presence options: Work permits - employer-sponsored Residency for HNW under specific programmes Limited tourist / business visit arrangements	Bahamian residency routes: Economic Permanent Residence - qualifying property investment Annual residence permits for HNW Work permits - employer-sponsored Family routes	UK residency routes: Skilled Worker visa - employer-sponsored Innovator Founder visa - for endorsed founders Global Talent visa - for endorsed experts Self-Sponsorship via own company (with substance) Family routes - spouse / partner / dependents Ancestry visa for eligible Commonwealth nationals
Company setup	BVI Business Companies (BVI BC) are the standard structure. Economic substance applies to relevant activities; UBO reporting is mandatory.	IBCs (International Business Companies) are widely used; substance and reporting are now real. Funds and family-office structures are common.	UK Limited companies are widely used internationally. HMRC corporation tax, VAT thresholds, and PSC (people with significant control) reporting apply. Substance expectations have tightened.
Banking	Banking access has tightened materially; EMIs are common supplements. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.	Banking is selective and source-of-funds focused. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.	Resident banking is mature but onboarding is slow for non-residents. Many international founders use UK EMIs (Revolut, Monzo Business, etc.) alongside high-street accounts. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.
Family	Family inclusion follows the main route. International schools are limited.	Family inclusion is supported on most routes. International schools are concentrated on New Providence.	Family reunification is supported. Schools (state, private, international) are widely available; competition for top schools is real.
Risks	Risks Bordercase watches for in the BVI: Economic substance reporting UBO disclosure and beneficial ownership reform Reputational handling around offshore structures	Risks Bordercase watches for in the Bahamas: Economic substance reporting Property due diligence Reputational handling around offshore structures	Risks Bordercase watches for in the UK: Tax residency triggers (Statutory Residence Test) Sole-rep / Innovator endorsement standards have tightened Brexit-era operational variation between UK and EU services Sponsorship Compliance for licensed sponsors
Documents	Typical BVI documents: Passport Source-of-funds evidence KYC for all UBOs Apostilled foreign documents	Typical Bahamian documents: Passport Source-of-funds evidence Health and police clearances Apostilled foreign documents	Typical UK documents: Passport Certificate of Sponsorship (for sponsored routes) TB test (for certain nationalities) Maintenance funds evidence Apostilled / certified documents for family routes

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