Saint Lucia — FSRA licence.
The Saint Lucia Financial Services Regulatory Authority issues offshore forex licences with competitive capital requirements and fast turnaround.
A considered route,
not a shortcut.
This jurisdiction rewards operators who treat the application as the start of a supervisory relationship.
When this is the right choice
When to consider an alternative
Permissions under
one Act.
Choosing the right tier and scope is the most consequential decision in the application.
Investment Dealer Licence
The primary Forex and derivatives licence under the Securities Act 2001. Covers dealing as principal or agent in securities and derivatives including FX, CFDs, metals, and indices. Minimum capital USD 250,000.
Securities Dealer Licence
Narrower scope covering listed equities and fixed income without full derivatives overlay. Used by operators for whom FX is a secondary offering alongside traditional securities dealing.
International Business Company (IBC)
The underlying corporate vehicle. IBCs receiving no St Lucia-sourced income are zero-tax. Economic substance obligations apply to entities engaged in specified relevant activities including financing and IP.
Phases to licence grant.
Pre-application
Weeks 1—4Structure decision confirmed, directors and UBOs verified, AML/KYC programme drafted, business plan and financial projections prepared to FSRA standard.
Application filing
Months 2—3Full dossier submitted to the FSRA — entity documents, director and UBO disclosures, business plan, AML manual, and minimum capital deposit evidence.
Regulatory review
Months 3—6FSRA review. Standard Q&A rounds covering UBO background, product scope, client-take-on procedures, and technology stack. Typically one or two rounds.
Grant & operations
Month 7 onwardsLicence granted. PSP and banking relationships activated. Annual reporting, AML audit, and capital adequacy monitoring commences under the Securities Act.
Cost and regulatory
burden.
Year-one spend is dominated by substance — resident director, office, compliance officer, external audit — not the licence fee itself.
| Cost item | Amount |
|---|---|
| FSRA application fee | USD 3,000 |
| Annual licence fee | USD 10,000—15,000 |
| Minimum capital (maintained on deposit) | USD 250,000 |
| Registered agent & office (annual) | USD 5,000—8,000 |
| AML officer & compliance programme | USD 8,000—15,000 / yr |
| Annual audit (mandatory) | USD 5,000—10,000 |
| Year-1 total | ~USD 35—55K (ex. USD 250K capital) |
Year-one economics exclude the USD 250,000 minimum capital deposit which must remain maintained. St Lucia IBCs are zero-tax on non-St Lucia-sourced income. The FSRA enforces annual audit and AML reporting — non-compliance results in licence suspension.
What founders
ask before filing.
The questions we get on every diagnostic call. If yours isn't here, raise it in the consultation.
Tell us where
you want to
operate.
Forty-five minutes with a partner. Jurisdiction memo within seven days. No retainer required to start.
No retainer required.