# Solomon Islands

 Country code: SB · Currency: SBD · Language: English

**Pros**
- Significant opportunities for private investment in untapped natural resources and niche tourism markets.
- Relatively low regulatory burden for small-scale entrepreneurial ventures outside of major urban centers.
- Potential for tax exemptions and incentives within designated special economic zones for foreign investors.

**Cons**
- Pervasive corruption and lack of transparency within public administration and land ownership systems.
- Inadequate infrastructure, specifically regarding unreliable power grids and limited digital connectivity across islands.
- High risk of political instability and occasional civil unrest impacting long-term business security.

Long story short: Here, the taxman will never chase you: the tax office lacks the staff, and admin just wants a stamp and a smile.

The catch: banking runs on two skittish banks, wire transfers crawl, and the moment your project touches land or timber, budget for discreet envelopes and customary chiefs to keep sweet.

Other things worth knowing: frequent power cuts in Honiara, sluggish internet, superb fish and fruit, wealthy neighborhoods staying calm despite the 2021 riots, and islands gorgeous enough to make you forget the diesel generators.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Solomon Islands** doesn't tax personal income, and nobody comes sniffing around when you settle in. No withholding, no tax return, no centre-of-vital-interests trap waiting to snap shut.

Earn what you want: the taxman here simply doesn't know your name.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | NONE | no personal income tax framework |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | does not exist here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | does not exist here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Solomon Islands** keeps its hands off what you hold. *No capital gains tax*, no annual wealth grab, no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds in peace and leaves the way it came in; nobody's standing at the door with their palm out.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | NONE | no capital gains regime |
| Dividend tax | NONE | no dividend tax |
| Interest income | NONE | no interest income tax |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | UNREGULATED | Fallback rate: 40% · Cryptocurrency is currently unregulated in the Solomon Islands. The Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) has issued multiple warnings stating that cryptocurrencies are not legal tender and are not regulated by the bank. While there is no specific Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for individuals on most assets, the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) applies general income tax rules to 'profit-making schemes.' Consequently, gains from the disposal or exchange of crypto-assets are likely treated as ordinary income and taxed at progressive rates reaching a maximum of 40%. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: YES.
**Solomon Islands** runs *no corporate income tax* and *no criminal liability* for misuse of corporate assets: fiscally and legally featherweight.

The catch: registries are *public*, so your name as shareholder is one search away for any curious stranger. They won't tax you, they won't prosecute you. They'll just put you in the shop window.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | NONE | no corporate income tax framework |
| VAT standard rate | NONE | no general VAT · no consumption tax framework |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | NO CRIMINAL | no criminal liability · In the Solomon Islands, which follows common law principles and a Companies Act based on the New Zealand model, the misuse of corporate assets by a sole shareholder-director of a solvent company is treated as a civil breach of fiduciary duty or an unauthorized distribution rather than a criminal offense. Under Section 71 of the Companies Act 2009, 'unanimous shareholder approval' can authorize the use of company property for personal benefit, effectively providing the company's consent and negating the 'fraudulent' intent required for criminal theft or conversion. Criminal liability under Section 197 of the Companies Act (Fraudulent use of property) or Section 278 of the Penal Code (Conversion) typically only triggers if there is an intent to defraud third parties, such as creditors in an insolvency scenario. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC | Company Haus |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC | Company Haus |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Private Company (Private Limited Liability Company). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Foreign Investment Registration Certificate (FIRC) Application Fee | USD 301 |  |
| Company Haus Registration Fee (Local Company) | USD 157 |  |
| Honiara City Council Business License (Average for General Trading) | USD 376 |  |
| Professional Incorporation & Legal Advisory Fees | USD 1,064 |  |
| Total | USD 1,897 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NO.
**Solomon Islands** has no treaty network at all, which buries the holding question, full stop.

Every dividend in or out eats the statutory withholding at full rate, and no domestic regime can patch a hole that sits on the source side. Don't park a holding here.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | NONE | no dividend participation exemption regime |
| CFC rules | NONE | no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | NONE | no withholding on outbound dividends |
| WHT · interest | NONE | no withholding on outbound interest |
| WHT · royalties | NONE | no withholding on outbound royalties |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 0 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: SOME.
**Solomon Islands** taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: *no exit tax* on the way out.

Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | FORBIDDEN | naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 10 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | — | not available |
| Birth | — | not available |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: NO.
Foreign tax offices see next to nothing of what you do in **Solomon Islands**: it has signed *few exchange frameworks*.

But the *corporate registries are public*: your shareholdings and directorships are one search away for anyone curious. Invisible from abroad, on display at home.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 0/9 active**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | None | — |
| MLI | None | — |
| BEPS | None | — |
| MAAC | None | — |
| GLOBAL FORUM | None | — |
| EOIR | None | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: SOMEWHAT.
**Solomon Islands** is *flagged* by a few national tax administrations (drawn from FR/ES/PT/BR) and sits outside the FATF club.

The friction is selective: anti-abuse rules fire on specific corridors, and counterparties ask more questions than usual. Neither the FATF nor the EU has it on their lists, which keeps the damage contained: a nuisance, not a scarlet letter.

**Blacklist exposure — Listed by 3 authorities**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Listed | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Listed | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Listed | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short:
Not enough data to tell how free you'd actually feel in **Solomon Islands**.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | — |  |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Bokolo Cash

Central Bank of Solomon Islands

   PROOF OF CONCEPT   —   [announce →](https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/98982/solomon-islands-cbdc-poc-goes-live?utm_source=pocket_reader "Announcement")    Solomon Islands CBDC

The purpose of this study is to chart a path for the Pacific Island countries into the age of digital finance. It will systematically investigate financial infrastructures in four countries: Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. In addition to assessing current procedures for wholesale settlements (i.e., between financial institutions) and cash-based and cashless retail settlements (e.g., between end users), SORAMITSU will evaluate the potential risks and benefits of introducing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and other novel digital assets.

Central Bank of Solomon Islands

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://soramitsu.co.jp/digital-currency-oceania/ "Announcement")

 programs 2

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: POORLY CONNECTED.
The two rails that matter are both dead in **Solomon Islands**. *Stripe* won't onboard you, so card payments mean a foreign structure or a local processor with its own rules. *Amazon* doesn't deliver either.

Some secondary services run (**3/11**), but for an online business this is swimming against the current.

**Accept payments — 1/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Not available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Not available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 1/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Solomon Islands. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Kiribati KI  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/ki) [   Tonga TO  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/to) [   Maldives MV  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/mv)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

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  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

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