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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.

 MT flagMalta

Europe

BS flagBahamas

Central America & Caribbean

KY flagCayman Islands

Central America & Caribbean

OverviewMalta is an EU member state with established residency, company, and family relocation routes. English is widely spoken and regulatory processes are well documented. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Maltese partners for filings.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 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.
Best for
  • Founders
  • Holding structures
  • EU access
  • English admin
  • HNW
  • Funds
  • Family offices
  • English admin
  • Funds
  • Holding structures
  • HNW
  • English admin
CurrencyEURBSDKYD
LanguageEnglish / MalteseEnglishEnglish
Time zoneUTC+1UTC-5UTC-5
EU memberYesNoNo
SchengenYesNoNo
Residency

Maltese residency routes:

  • Nomad Residence Permit - eligible remote workers
  • Malta Permanent Residency Programme (MPRP) - investor route
  • Employment routes
  • Family reunification

The citizenship-by-naturalisation-for-exceptional-services programme is closed to new applicants.

Bahamian residency routes:

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

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
Company setup

Maltese companies are commonly used for trading, IP holding, and gaming / fintech structures. Substance, accounting, and tax-refund mechanisms are well established but require careful structuring.

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

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

Banking

Local banking has tightened; EMIs are common supplements. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions through partners with current relationships.

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

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

Family

Family reunification is supported on most routes. Schooling and healthcare are accessible to legal residents.

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

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

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in Malta:

  • Substance requirements (real operations, real director time)
  • Tax classification disputes
  • Banking timelines - EU-wide AML pressure
  • EU anti-abuse rules tighten ongoing

Risks Bordercase watches for in the Bahamas:

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

Risks Bordercase watches for in the Cayman Islands:

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

Standard EU residency document pack for Malta:

  • Passport
  • Criminal record certificate
  • Proof of income
  • Health insurance
  • Accommodation evidence
  • Marriage / birth certificates for family routes

Apostille or legalisation where required.

Typical Bahamian documents:

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

Typical Cayman documents:

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

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