The Islands have a total land area of approximately 2,830 sq. km. Five of the islands are uninhabited. The administrative and commercial centre is situated in its capital, Apia. The name Samoa means “Sacred Centre”.
The population of the Islands is approximately 198,000. Ninety three per cent of Samoans are indigenous Polynesians. The balance of the population is part Samoan and part Chinese or of European extraction. However the Stats New Zealand census of 2013 revealed 144,138 Samoans living in New Zealand, more than half of whom were born there.
Samoa was the first South Pacific Island to achieve independence on 1st January 1962. Its Constitution provides for a Parliamentary Government, which combines the traditional Samoan social structure and a democratic voting system. There is a fifty member Legislative Assembly consisting of Matai title holders (the chiefly heads of each extended family) who are elected by their peers. An extra Member was added after the 2016 election to meet the quota of 10% female MPs. The Parliamentary elections are held every five years.
Corporate Requirements:
- Chinese character names are permitted and can be included in a company’s Certificate of Incorporation.
- All companies need at least one director, one shareholder and a secretary. Corporate directors are permitted. Bearer shares are prohibited.
- All companies must have a registered office and a resident agent in Samoa, which must be a licensed trustee company. There are requirements for Samoan companies to prepare Registers of Directors, Secretaries and Members and for these to be kept at the registered office. The Register of Members or a copy of the register must be created within six months of the date of incorporation.
- All international companies must file with its registered office a copy of their Balance Sheet at the end of its financial year and have the same available to the Registrar of international and foreign companies upon request.
Suitable for:
Insurance, Shipping, Aviation, Holding Company, Property Ownership, Wealth Management
