Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Latin America |
| ISO 3166-1 | KY / CYM |
| Registry | Cayman Islands General Registry |
| Last updated | 2026-06-10 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Cayman Islands and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | Company Registration Number (no separate TIN) | Cayman Islands General Registry |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Company Registration Number | Cayman Islands General Registry |
Sector regulators
CIMA (Cayman Islands Monetary Authority) · DCI (Department of Commerce and Investment) · FRA (Financial Reporting Authority / FIU) · DITC (Department for International Tax Co-operation) · SEZA (Special Economic Zone Authority)
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exempted Company | — | Incorporated under Part VII of the Companies Act (as revised); must conduct operations mainly outside the Cayman Islands or hold a licence to carry on local business; no requirement to hold AGMs locally or maintain a public register of members; may issue shares of any class, with or without par value, in any currency; files an annual return with the General Registry each January. The dominant offshore corporate vehicle and the default structure Conduit will encounter. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Exempted Company Limited by Guarantee | — | An exempted company in which members guarantee a nominal sum on winding up rather than holding shares; used for charities, foundations, joint ventures, and non-profit structures operating primarily offshore. Governed by the Companies Act (as revised) Part VII. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Special Economic Zone Company | SEZC | A sub-type of exempted company licensed under Part VIIIA of the Companies Act (as revised) and the Special Economic Zones Act; must include ‘SEZC’ in its name; operates physically within a Cayman Special Economic Zone (e.g., Cayman Enterprise City); subject to licensing and due-diligence screening by the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA). Permitted to trade within the SEZ but not with companies in the Cayman Islands outside the SEZ. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Resident Company | Ltd. | Incorporated under Part I–VI of the Companies Act (as revised); carries on business within the Cayman Islands; must maintain a register of members open to public inspection; requires a Trade and Business Licence from the Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI); subject to Caymanian ownership requirements (60% local shareholding) under the Local Companies (Control) Law. The standard domestic trading vehicle for locally-operating businesses. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Non-Resident Company | — | An alternative to the exempted company under the Companies Act (as revised); must maintain a register of members but is not required to conduct business offshore; less commonly used than the exempted company for international structures. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Limited Liability Company | LLC | Formed under the Limited Liability Companies Act (as revised); separate legal entity; members’ liability limited to their agreed contributions; manager-managed or member-managed; no share capital concept — membership interests are used instead; designed for offshore activities; popular for fund and joint-venture structures requiring US-style LLC treatment. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Foundation Company | — | Incorporated under the Foundation Companies Act 2017 (Law 29 of 2017) within the broader Companies Act framework; a hybrid vehicle blending corporate and civil-law foundation features; need not have members and cannot distribute profits; governed by a board of directors with fiduciary duties; must appoint a licensed company secretary at all times; optional ‘supervisor’ role when memberless; used for private wealth management, estate planning, philanthropy, and DAOs. Closest US equivalent: Statutory business trust or nonprofit corporation. |
| Exempted Limited Partnership | ELP | Formed under the Exempted Limited Partnerships Act (as revised) by filing a Section 9(1) Statement with the Registrar; requires at least one general partner (unlimited liability) and at least one limited partner (liability capped at contribution); constituted primarily by a limited partnership agreement (LPA); designed for offshore activities; the preferred vehicle for Cayman-domiciled private equity, venture capital, real estate, and hedge fund structures. Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership (LP). |
| Exempted Limited Liability Partnership | ELLP | Formed under the Limited Liability Partnership Act (as revised); all partners have limited liability; distinct from the ELP structure; used for professional services firms and joint ventures requiring partnership taxation with full liability protection for all partners. Closest US equivalent: Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). |
| Ordinary (Resident) Partnership | — | Two or more persons carrying on business together in the Cayman Islands; governed by the Partnership Act; general partners bear unlimited joint and several liability; registered with the General Registry; typically used for small domestic professional practices. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership (GP). |
| Overseas (Foreign) Company | — | A company incorporated outside the Cayman Islands that registers a branch under Part IX of the Companies Act (as revised) in order to hold real estate or carry on business locally; not a separate legal entity — the foreign parent remains fully liable; must appoint a local agent and maintain a register of the names of directors. Closest US equivalent: Foreign Corporation Branch/Representative Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation (optional: Company Search Report) |
| Constitutive Documents | Any one of: Memorandum and Articles of Association · LLC Agreement · Limited Partnership Agreement |
| Tax Registration | Certificate of Incorporation (optional: Economic Substance Notification) |
| Operating Permit | Trade and Business Licence (optional: Local Companies Control Law Licence) |
| Ownership Records | Register of Members |
| Governance Records | Register of Directors and Officers |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: Board Resolution · Power of Attorney |
| Address | Any one of: Registered Agent Confirmation Letter · Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Certificate of Good Standing |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation | Legal Registration |
| Certified Registry Extract / Company Search Report | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum and Articles of Association | Constitutive Documents |
| Limited Liability Company Agreement | Constitutive Documents |
| Limited Partnership Agreement | Constitutive Documents |
| Certificate of Incorporation (as tax identifier evidence) | Tax Registration |
| DITC Economic Substance Notification | Tax Registration |
| Trade and Business Licence | Operating Permit |
| Local Companies (Control) Law Licence | Operating Permit |
| Register of Members | Ownership Records |
| Register of Directors and Officers | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Power of Attorney | Signing Authority |
| Registered Office / Agent Confirmation Letter | Address |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Good Standing | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | CIMA Banking Licence (Category A or B), CIMA Mutual Fund Registration, CIMA Private Fund Registration, CIMA SIBA Licence, CIMA VASP Licence |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by the Cayman Islands General Registry (Registrar of Companies) under the Companies Act (as revised) upon incorporation; contains the company name, registration number, date of incorporation, and Registrar’s signature and seal. Certified copies and registry extracts (Company Search Report) are available from the General Registry and include the registered office, share capital, director details, and company status. Authentication via the verify.ky portal using the entity file number and authorisation code printed on the certificate.
- Constitutive Documents: Filed with the General Registry at incorporation under the Companies Act (as revised). The Memorandum of Association sets out the company name, registered office, objects, type (resident/non-resident/exempted), authorised share capital, and subscribers’ details. The Articles of Association govern internal management: meetings, director powers, share issuance, voting, dividends, and winding-up. For LLCs (Limited Liability Companies Act), the governing document is an LLC Agreement rather than M&A. For ELPs, the constitutive document is a Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA). Amendments must be reported to the Registrar.
- Tax Registration: The Cayman Islands imposes no corporate income tax, capital gains tax, withholding tax, or VAT on companies (confirmed by the OECD and Cayman’s Tax Information Authority). No TIN is issued for domestic tax purposes. Companies with relevant activities under the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act must file annual Economic Substance Notifications and Returns with the DITC (Department for International Tax Co-operation). FATCA/CRS-reporting financial institutions obtain a GIIN from the US IRS. The Company Registration Number (on the Certificate of Incorporation) is the closest equivalent fiscal identifier and is used on DITC filings.
- Operating Permit: Required under the Trade and Business Licensing Act (2026 Revision) for any person carrying on a trade or business in or from the Cayman Islands in the domestic market. Issued by the Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI). Companies not meeting the 60% Caymanian ownership threshold also require a Local Companies (Control) Law Licence (LCCL) in addition to the T&B Licence. Exempted companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands are typically exempt from T&B licensing requirements unless they conduct local business. Multi-year licences (up to five years) became available for Caymanian-owned businesses from April 2026.
- Sector-Specific License: Sector-specific licences and registrations issued by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) under the relevant legislation: Banks and Trust Companies Act (2025 Revision) for banking, trust, and fiduciary services; Insurance Act, 2010 for insurance, reinsurance, and captives; Mutual Funds Act (2025 Revision) for open-ended investment funds; Private Funds Act (2025 Revision) for closed-ended funds (PE, VC, real estate); Securities Investment Business Act (2020 Revision) (SIBA) for investment managers, advisers, dealers, and market makers; Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act (2024 Revision), as amended by the Virtual Asset (Service Providers) (Amendment) Act 2025, for custodians and trading platforms (Phase 2 licensing mandatory from April 2025 for custody and trading platform activities). AML/CFT supervision: CIMA for financial entities; DCI for DNFBPs. FRA (Financial Reporting Authority) is the national FIU.
- Governance Records: Every exempted company must maintain a Register of Directors and Officers and file it with the General Registry. The register contains names, addresses, and appointment dates of directors and officers. Unlike the register of members, the register of directors is a filed document accessible via a company search report from the General Registry. Amendments must be notified to the Registrar within 30 days.
- Signing Authority: No statutory prescribed form. Board resolutions are the standard method by which a company authorises a person to act on its behalf — adopted at a duly convened directors’ meeting or by written resolution. Execution of a power of attorney by a Cayman company must comply with the Powers of Attorney Act and Section 81 of the Companies Act: executed under the company’s seal or by a person expressly authorised under its articles, expressed as a deed. Notarisation and apostille are available via the General Registry for cross-border use.
- Address: Registered address for exempted companies is the licensed registered office of the company’s registered agent (a licensed corporate services provider). For operating address, standard evidence is a lease agreement, utility bill, or bank statement not older than 90 days. Registered agent confirmation letter is also widely accepted for offshore entities that have no separate physical premises.
- Good Standing: Issued by the General Registry under Section 200A of the Companies Act (as revised). Certifies that the company is duly organised, existing, and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands; confirms annual filings and fees are current. Each certificate bears a unique entity file number and authorisation code verifiable at verify.ky (the General Registry’s online validation portal). Available as a plain registry-certified version or in notarised and apostilled form. Typically processed within 3–5 business days; expedited processing available.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director / Officer | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Appointed officer with day-to-day executive authority; named in the Register of Directors and Officers filed with the General Registry. For exempted companies, at least one director is required; nominee directors are common via licensed corporate service providers. |
| General Partner | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Partner in an ELP or ordinary limited partnership with unlimited liability for partnership obligations; de facto controlling person of the partnership; named in the ELP’s registered statement filed with the Registrar of Exempted Limited Partnerships. |
| Authorised Signatory / Attorney | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Natural person authorised by board resolution or power of attorney to sign documents and transact on behalf of the entity under the Companies Act (as revised) and the Powers of Attorney Act. |
Notes
- The Cayman Islands does not levy corporate income tax, capital gains tax, or withholding tax. There is no TIN for domestic tax purposes. The company registration number on the Certificate of Incorporation is the primary identifier for all administrative and cross-border reporting purposes.
- Exempted companies are the dominant structure Conduit will encounter: they constitute the vast majority of international financial services, holding, and fund vehicles registered in Cayman. They are not required to maintain a public register of members and are not required to hold AGMs in Cayman.
- Economic substance: all entities registered in the Cayman Islands must file an annual Economic Substance Notification with the DITC by 31 January each year. Entities conducting ‘Relevant Activities’ (banking, insurance, fund management, finance and leasing, headquarters, shipping, distribution, IP, holding company) must also file a detailed Economic Substance Return within 12 months of financial year end.
- Registered office addresses for exempted companies are invariably those of a licensed registered agent (e.g., Walkers, Ogier, Maples, Conyers). This is legally required — exempted companies have no separate physical premises requirement. Accept a registered agent confirmation letter as proof of registered address.
- The General Registry’s online search (online.ciregistry.gov.ky) requires a registered user account; certified documents must be ordered through the portal or a licensed agent. Document authentication is available at verify.ky using the entity file number and authorisation code printed on each certificate.
- FATCA/CRS: financial institutions in the Cayman Islands must register with the DITC and either obtain a GIIN (FATCA) or satisfy CRS reporting obligations. The Cayman Islands is a participating jurisdiction under the OECD’s CRS framework.