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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.

 HK flagHong Kong

Asia

BS flagBahamas

Central America & Caribbean

BG flagBulgaria

Europe

OverviewHong 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.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.Bulgaria is an EU member state with competitive corporate tax, structured residency routes, and a well-developed digital infrastructure. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Bulgarian partners for filings.
Best for
  • Founders
  • Banking
  • Holding structures
  • English admin
  • HNW
  • Funds
  • Family offices
  • English admin
  • Founders
  • EU access
  • Cost of living
CurrencyHKDBSDBGN / EUR transition
LanguageCantonese / EnglishEnglishBulgarian
Time zoneUTC+8UTC-5UTC+2
EU memberNoNoYes
SchengenNoNoYes
Residency

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

Bahamian residency routes:

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

Bulgarian residency routes:

  • Employment-based residence
  • Business / self-employment routes
  • Retirement / pensioner residency
  • Family reunification
  • EU citizen-derivative routes

Permanent residence typically after 5 years.

Company setup

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.

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

OOD (LLC) and EOOD (single-shareholder LLC) are common structures. Formation is well-documented. Corporate tax is at a flat rate; VAT registration depends on activity.

Banking

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.

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

Personal and corporate banking for residents is broadly accessible. Source-of-funds documentation matters for non-standard cases. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions.

Family

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

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

Family reunification is supported. Schools (public, private, English, German, French) are concentrated in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna.

Risks

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

Risks Bordercase watches for in the Bahamas:

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

Risks Bordercase watches for in Bulgaria:

  • Tax residency triggers
  • VAT classification on cross-border services
  • Processing variations between regions
  • Euro adoption is in progress - operational planning needed
Documents

Typical Hong Kong documents:

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

Typical Bahamian documents:

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

Typical Bulgarian residency documents:

  • Passport
  • Criminal record certificate
  • Proof of address
  • Basis for residence (employment, business, etc.)
  • Health insurance
  • Family certificates

Apostilled and translated to Bulgarian.

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