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Bordercase

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Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

Pick up to 4 countries and see residency, company, banking, family, and risk notes line up. No prices, no marketing packages - just the working notes.

 KY flagCayman Islands

Central America & Caribbean

BS flagBahamas

Central America & Caribbean

HK flagHong Kong

Asia

OverviewThe Cayman Islands is an established offshore financial centre and a long-standing jurisdiction for fund, family-office, and holding structures. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Caymanian 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.Hong Kong remains an active jurisdiction for company formation, banking introductions, and selected residency routes. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Hong Kong company-services and immigration partners.
Best for
  • Funds
  • Holding structures
  • HNW
  • English admin
  • HNW
  • Funds
  • Family offices
  • English admin
  • Founders
  • Banking
  • Holding structures
  • English admin
CurrencyKYDBSDHKD
LanguageEnglishEnglishCantonese / English
Time zoneUTC-5UTC-5UTC+8
EU memberNoNoNo
SchengenNoNoNo
Residency

Cayman Islands residency routes:

  • Certificate of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means - qualifying investment
  • Residency Certificate (Substantial Business Presence) - operating a qualifying business
  • Work permits for employer-sponsored roles
  • Family routes

Bahamian residency routes:

  • Economic Permanent Residence - qualifying property investment
  • Annual residence permits for HNW
  • Work permits - employer-sponsored
  • Family routes

Hong Kong residency routes:

  • General Employment Policy (GEP)
  • Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
  • Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
  • Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) - recently revived
  • Dependant routes
Company setup

Exempted Companies, LLCs, and partnerships are widely used in fund and holding structures. Economic substance rules apply to relevant activities.

IBCs (International Business Companies) are widely used; substance and reporting are now real. Funds and family-office structures are common.

Hong Kong Limited companies are widely used for trading and holding structures. Annual filings, audited accounts, and a company secretary are required. Substance expectations and BEPS-driven changes affect ongoing planning.

Banking

Banking is mature but selective. Source-of-funds documentation is central. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Banking is selective and source-of-funds focused. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Local banking has tightened materially; some non-resident structures face long onboarding or rejection. EMIs and Singapore / Dubai banking are common alternatives. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Family

Family inclusion is supported on most residency routes. International schools are concentrated on Grand Cayman.

Family inclusion is supported on most routes. International schools are concentrated on New Providence.

Family relocation is supported on most residency routes. Schools (local, private, ESF, international) are competitive; international school waitlists are real.

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in the Cayman Islands:

  • Economic substance reporting and audit
  • Reputational handling around offshore structures
  • KYC tightening across the industry

Risks Bordercase watches for in the Bahamas:

  • Economic substance reporting
  • Property due diligence
  • Reputational handling around offshore structures

Risks Bordercase watches for in Hong Kong:

  • Company-only setups without substance face banking and audit friction
  • Banking has tightened materially
  • Political / policy shifts must be factored into long-horizon planning
  • Annual audit and filing discipline is real
Documents

Typical Cayman documents:

  • Passport
  • Source-of-funds evidence
  • Health and police clearances
  • Apostilled foreign documents
  • Family certificates for dependents

Typical Bahamian documents:

  • Passport
  • Source-of-funds evidence
  • Health and police clearances
  • Apostilled foreign documents

Typical Hong Kong documents:

  • Passport
  • CV
  • Education certificates
  • Employment history
  • Company documents (where applicable)
  • Family certificates with notarisation

Country pages stay the authoritative source. This view is a side-by-side; nothing here promises a particular outcome.