Marshall Islands

Last update: 2026-05-07
MH USD$ English
Pros
Absence of corporate, dividend, or capital gains taxes for non-resident international business companies
World-leading legal framework for Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and blockchain-based corporate structures
High levels of personal safety and minimal government interference in daily private life
Cons
Significant geographic isolation leading to high transport costs and limited global market access
Fragile infrastructure with inconsistent electricity and slow internet speeds outside major urban centers
Heavy reliance on foreign aid and increasing international pressure regarding tax transparency standards
Personal income
NONE
Corporate
NONE
Capital gains
NONE
VAT (standard)
NONE
i 4.7 DIVIDEND PIPELINE
i 4.5 HOLDING
i 2.9 VERY LOW TAX
i 2 CRYPTO HAVEN
i 2 PRIVACY GRADE
i 0.9 EASY CITIZENSHIP
VERYLOW TAX 2.9/10 HOLDING 4.5/10 DIVIDENDPIPELINE 4.7/10 CRYPTOHAVEN 2/10 PRIVACYGRADE 2/10 EASYCITIZENSHIP 0.9/10
01/08

Will Marshall Islands tax what you earn?

income tax tax residency territorial system

NO. Marshall Islands doesn't tax personal income, and doesn't reach for you when you settle. No withholding, no return, no centre-of-vital-interests test waiting to trip. Salary is a non-event here, both in the rate and in the paperwork.

Personal income taxi
NONE
no personal income tax framework
Income simulatori
N/A
no income tax framework — nothing to simulate
Tax residence testi
N/A
no formal tax residency test · matters mainly for citizenship / immigration tracks
02/08

Will Marshall Islands tax what you own?

capital gains wealth tax inheritance dividends interest

NO. Marshall Islands doesn't tax what you hold. No capital gains, no annual wealth assessment, no inheritance regime. The value sitting in your portfolio compounds untouched, and leaves it the same way it arrived.

Capital gainsi
NONE
no capital gains regime
Dividend taxi
NONE
no dividend tax
Interest incomei
NONE
no interest income tax
Wealth taxi
NONE
no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment
Crypto · tax regimei
Regime
ZERO TAX
Rate
0%
The Marshall Islands does not impose capital gains tax on individuals. While the Sovereign (SOV) is recognized as legal tender under the Sovereign Currency Act 2018, other cryptocurrencies are generally treated as intangible property. Individual residents are not taxed on investment income or capital gains. However, professional trading conducted as a resident business is subject to a Gross Revenue Tax (GRT) of 3% on all receipts exceeding $10,000 per year.
Crypto-to-cryptoi
NEUTRAL
a swap is not a taxable realisation event
FATF travel rulei
NOT SIGNED
no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers
Inheritance systemi
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.
03/08

Is it easy to run a company in Marshall Islands?

corporate tax criminal liability public registry VAT IP box

YES. Marshall Islands delivers the maximum operational chill: no corporate income tax on standard profits, no criminal liability for misuse of corporate assets, and non-public corporate registries. The state doesn't take a cut, doesn't put your intra-company flows on a prosecutor's desk, and doesn't drop your name into a public search box. VAT sits at n/a.

Corporate taxi
NONE
no corporate income tax framework
IP Box · Patent Boxi
NONE
no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules
Misuse of corporate assetsi
NO CRIMINAL LIABILITY
N/A - Civil Matter / Breach of Fiduciary Duty
The Marshall Islands (RMI) follows a common law system with corporate legislation (Business Corporations Act, 52 MIRC) modeled after Delaware law. In a solvent company, a sole shareholder's use of corporate assets for personal purposes is treated as a civil breach of fiduciary duty or a tax issue (constructive dividend) rather than a criminal offense. Criminal charges such as embezzlement under the RMI Penal Code (31 MIRC) require the 'property of another'; since the sole owner is the only constituent of the solvent entity, the 'intent to defraud' the company is legally absent.
Shareholders privacyi
PRIVATE
Marshall Islands Maritime & Corporate Administrator
Directors privacyi
PRIVATE
Marshall Islands Maritime & Corporate Administrator
Incorporation costi
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Limited Liability Company
Government Registration & Documentation Fees (including Apostilles for banking) USD 1,050
Professional Incorporation Service & First Year Registered Agent Fee USD 850
Minimum Capital Requirement USD 0
Total USD 1,900
VAT standard ratei
NONE
no general VAT · no consumption tax framework
04/08

Is Marshall Islands good for your holding company?

treaty network participation exemption withholding

NO. Marshall Islands doesn't carry a treaty network, which makes it unsuitable as a holding jurisdiction. Any dividend flowing in or out faces full statutory withholding, and no domestic participation exemption can compensate for missing relief on the source side.

Territorial systemi
Individuals
TERRITORIAL
Corporates
TERRITORIAL
Individuals: territorial — foreign-source income generally untaxed. Corporates: territorial principle — foreign-source profits generally exempt.
Participation exemptioni
100%
no minimum threshold · no holding period
CFC rulesi
NONE
no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope
WHT · dividendsi
no withholding on outbound dividends
WHT · interest
no withholding on outbound interest
WHT · royalties
no withholding on outbound royalties
Tax-haven WHT
no punitive rate on record
Treaties signedi
0
active
Treaties pending
in negotiation
Tax treaty networki
origin · MH 0% > 0% no treaty
Inspect a country
Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with MH.
Country Status Dividends Interest Royalties
// no treaties match
05/08

What does it cost to come and go from Marshall Islands?

exit tax territorial system dual citizenship

LITTLE. Coming and going from Marshall Islands is cheap. The country runs a territorial system (foreign income stays foreign), and there's no exit tax on departure. You leave with what you came in with, plus whatever you earned abroad while you were here.

Exit taxi
NONE
no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism
Dual citizenship
FORBIDDEN
naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship
Citizenship paths
Residence
Marriage
Birth
Descent
Investment
06/08

Will Marshall Islands protect your privacy?

info exchange corporate registries

PARTLY. Marshall Islands participates in some exchange frameworks (typically CRS, MLI, MAAC), so a portion of your financial information reaches treaty partners. Corporate registries stay non-public, so ownership remains opaque. Middle-ground privacy: selective, not total.

Multilateral reporting frameworks 3/10 active · 1 pending
CRS
2018
CARF
FATCA
MLI
BEPS
MAAC
2016
GLOBAL FORUM
EOIR
CRYPTO-CARF
CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE
07/08

Is Marshall Islands itself a liability?

blacklists FATF standing

SOMEWHAT. Marshall Islands is flagged by one or two national tax authorities and sits outside FATF membership. Selective friction: anti-abuse rules trigger on transactions in specific corridors, and counterparties tend to ask more questions.

Blacklist exposure Listed by 2 authorities
FATF
grey / black list
EU
non-cooperative list
FRANCE
ETNC list
SPAIN
tax-haven list
PORTUGAL
favourable regimes
BRAZIL
low-tax list
08/08

Will you feel free in Marshall Islands?

press freedom crypto CBDC EU

Not enough data to assess civil liberties and financial freedom in Marshall Islands.

Press freedom · RSF indexi
Central bank digital currencyi
NONE
no announced CBDC program · no pilot · no retail or wholesale prototype on record
SEE ALSO

Other jurisdictions worth comparing

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

PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.
NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.
NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.