| Updated | November 2026 |
| Direct taxes | no income, corporation, capital gains, inheritance or property tax |
| Residency Certificate (independent means) | 25 years, CI$1 million invested on Grand Cayman, CI$500,000 on the Sister Islands; issue fee CI$50,000 |
| Permanent residence | CI$2 million in real estate, issue fee CI$200,000, quota |
| Stamp duty on property | 7.5 per cent |
| Reform | Caymanian Protection Act, in force since 1 May 2026 |
| EU list | not listed |
No direct taxes: how the government pays its way
The Cayman Islands have no income, corporation, capital gains, inheritance or property tax. The government is funded mainly through import duties, stamp duty and fees. For you that means everything shipped in costs more than elsewhere, and buying property carries stamp duty of 7.5 per cent of the price.
Employees on the islands pay into the compulsory pension, 10 per cent of salary in total up to a ceiling of CI$87,000 of earnings a year. Trusts are not taxed. Companies that mainly do business outside the islands can register as an exempted company, the classic Cayman vehicle.
The reform of 1 May 2026
Since 1 May 2026 the islands' immigration law has been called the Caymanian Protection Act, and the fee schedule is new. The residence routes for wealthy people survived, but the issue fees went up: for the Residency Certificate from CI$20,000 to CI$50,000. Each dependant adds CI$3,000 a year. All CI amounts are Cayman Islands dollars.
Residence routes for wealthy individuals and investors
Under the Act, the Regulations and the fee schedule as they stand from 1 May 2026.
| Route | Requirement | Term and rights | Issue fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means, Grand Cayman | income of CI$120,000 a year or CI$400,000 on deposit with a local institution, plus CI$1 million invested, at least CI$500,000 of it in developed real estate | 25 years, renewable, no right to work; at least 30 days a year on the islands | CI$50,000 |
| The same on Cayman Brac or Little Cayman | CI$500,000 invested, at least CI$250,000 of it in developed real estate | as above | CI$50,000 |
| Certificate of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means | CI$2 million in developed real estate | permanent, no right to work; numbers capped by a Cabinet quota | CI$200,000 |
| Certificate of Direct Investment | at least CI$1 million in a licensed business that creates jobs | at least 90 days a year on the islands | CI$50,000 |
Caymanian Protection Act (2022 Revision) and Regulations; Caymanian Protection (Fees) Regulations 2026
What that means in practice
The Residency Certificate is the route for most newcomers: 25 years of residence, kept alive by as little as 30 days a year on the islands. It does not, however, let you work. If you want to run a business on the island, look at the Certificate of Direct Investment or a business route.
The Sister Islands are deliberately cheaper, at half the investment. Life there is quieter, and Grand Cayman is a domestic flight away. For families with school-age children, Grand Cayman is usually the more practical base.
A rough picture of the first year on Grand Cayman: CI$1 million invested, half of it in property, 7.5 per cent stamp duty on the house, a CI$50,000 issue fee and CI$3,000 a year per dependant. On top come professional fees for the application.
The EU list and your home country
The Cayman Islands are not on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, neither in Annex I nor in Annex II of the version of 9 October 2026.
For anyone moving from Europe, a place with no income tax is the textbook case for the rules home countries use to hold on to departing taxpayers. Yours may keep taxing you for a period after you leave if business and assets stay behind, may tax your company shares on emigration, and may treat a Cayman company owned by its residents, taxed at 0 per cent, as if its profits were theirs. If what you want is a company without moving, that is a structuring question rather than an island move, and it starts with your home country's rules. How the EU list works is on our page on the EU list of tax havens.
Who Cayman suits
Wealthy people who want to live in the Caribbean with good infrastructure, English law and flights to the US, and who do not see a six-figure fee as an obstacle. Less so entrepreneurs who want to work on the island without being able to invest. If you only need an account, see banking in the Cayman Islands; for the most direct comparison, read our page on Bermuda.
From twenty years of work with the British territories: Cayman is professional, fast and expensive. The 2026 fee reform only underlined that.
Sources: Cayman Islands Government: Caymanian Protection Act and Regulations take effect; Cayman Islands Government: Immigration reform; Caymanian Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2026; Caymanian Protection (Fees) Regulations, 2026; Cayman Islands Government: Finance and economy; Stamp Duty (Rates of Duty) Regulations 2025; Council of the EU: conclusions of 9 October 2026 on the EU list