Web3 projects, DAOs and AI agent builders that want to register a company in the Marshall Islands can register a DAO LLC under the Decentralized Autonomous Organization Act, 2022, as amended. Conventional corporations and LLCs are registered through a different registry. MIDAO is the sole registered agent for the Marshall Islands DAO LLC, so registration runs through MIDAO. You create an account, enter your entity details, sign the service agreement and pay, then complete your operating agreement, identity verification and formation documents. MIDAO submits them to the Marshall Islands Registrar. Setup costs $9,500 standard, or as low as $3,000 when treasury and funding total under $250k, plus an annual fee of $2,000 to $5,000. For-profit DAO LLCs also pay a 3% gross revenue tax. Applications are normally processed within 21 to 28 days.
Key takeaways
- The entity is the Marshall Islands DAO LLC, for-profit or non-profit. Your charter records the DAO LLC's formation date.
- MIDAO is the registered agent for DAO LLCs. You do not need to travel to the Marshall Islands or appoint local directors or nominees.
- Conventional Marshall Islands corporations, LLCs and trusts are registered through a separate registry, not through MIDAO.
- Everyone who must complete KYC is verified. Residents of certain sanctioned countries and regions cannot register, and the KYC docs name them.
Which Marshall Islands company does MIDAO register?
MIDAO registers the Marshall Islands DAO LLC, not conventional companies. The DAO LLC is created under the Decentralized Autonomous Organization Act 2022, as amended in 2023, and the DAO Regulations 2024. It can be for-profit or non-profit. Under the Regulations, a DAO LLC is formed on the later of two dates: the date the Registrar certifies that the prescribed fee is paid and the formation documents comply, and the date stated in the Certificate of Formation. The Act also requires every DAO LLC to keep a registered agent in the Marshall Islands at all times, and the Certificate of Formation gives the agent's address as the DAO LLC's registered address.
Tax depends on the type. A for-profit DAO LLC pays the Marshall Islands' 3% gross revenue tax, and a non-profit DAO LLC is tax-exempt. Members of a for-profit DAO LLC are taxed according to how their own jurisdiction classifies it, so check the rules where you live. The docs explain non-profit versus for-profit in more detail.
Who registers a company in the Marshall Islands?
It depends on the type of company. Conventional Marshall Islands corporations and LLCs are registered through a separate registry. DAO LLCs are registered through MIDAO, the sole registered agent for the Marshall Islands DAO LLC. MIDAO and the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed an exclusive public-private partnership in 2022. MIDAO provides the local address, reviews and submits your documents to the Registrar, and handles the annual filing.
What MIDAO registers, and what it does not
MIDAO registers DAO LLCs. It does not register conventional Marshall Islands corporations, LLCs or trusts. The separate registry handles traditional offshore entities such as corporations, trusts and LLCs that are not Web3-related. If that is the kind of company you need, it is a different registration from the one described on this page. The public registry docs explain how the two registries differ. To see which companies are already domiciled in the Marshall Islands, read our roster of public companies domiciled in the Marshall Islands.
A DAO LLC can have token-based membership. The Act recognizes a blockchain token that represents membership in a DAO LLC, and MIDAO describes the DAO LLC as having native support for on-chain governance and token issuance.
How to register a Marshall Islands DAO LLC, step by step
These steps follow the guided registration flow and the registration process docs.
- Create your account and verify your email.
- Name your entity, confirm its details and choose for-profit or non-profit.
- Review and sign the service agreement, then pay by card or crypto. Onboarding begins.
- After payment, MIDAO invites you to an onboarding portal that holds every task and document. Complete your operating agreement there, starting from MIDAO's template.
- The people named in your beneficial ownership report complete KYC, or KYB for a company.
- While verification is underway, sign the remaining formation documents: the Foreign Investment Business License application, the Certificate of Formation and the consent of the DAO LLC's Representative Agent.
- MIDAO reviews everything and submits it to the Registrar. The Marshall Islands government reviews the filing and runs background checks on the people who completed KYC. After approval, you receive your DAO LLC charter, which records the formation date.
Each step is explained in the registration process docs.
How much does it cost to register a company in the Marshall Islands?
Setup is $9,500 standard. It is as low as $3,000 when treasury and funding total under $250k, and resellers get special pricing. The setup fee includes MIDAO's services and the government fees for formation.
For-profit DAO LLCs also pay the Marshall Islands' 3% gross revenue tax, currently through MIDAO, which remits it to the RMI government. The tax does not apply to capital gains, dividends or invested capital. Non-profit DAO LLCs are tax-exempt.
The annual fee is tiered by treasury and funding size.
| Treasury and funding | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $2,000 |
| $30k to $150k | $3,000 |
| Above $150k | $5,000 |
The annual fee is due by January 31 each year, and the tier is set by treasury and funding as of January 1 of the filing year. It covers registered agent services with a local Marshall Islands address, all government filings including the annual filing, and certified documents such as certificates of good standing. Current figures are always on the pricing page.
How long does it take to register a company in the Marshall Islands?
Applications are normally processed within 21 to 28 days. If you need the entity sooner, the TurboDAO add-on creates it in under 24 hours. It is a paid add-on, priced on the pricing page.
Do you need to live in or travel to the Marshall Islands?
No. A Marshall Islands DAO LLC needs no local directors, council members or nominees, and no physical presence in the country. MIDAO acts as your registered agent and provides the local address, and every registration task and document is in MIDAO's online portal.
Who has to verify their identity?
Registration includes identity verification, called KYC for individuals and KYB for companies. As a general benchmark, anyone who holds 25% or more of the DAO LLC's governance rights completes it. Only if no one reaches that threshold do all of the managers verify instead, and only if there are no managers does one member verify. A company in any of those groups completes KYB, and its ultimate beneficial owners complete KYC. Each person needs a valid passport and a proof of address.
The Marshall Islands implements United Nations targeted financial sanctions, and MIDAO's screening also covers United States sanctions lists. For example, this prohibits registrations by residents (but not always unsanctioned citizens) of Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Russia and the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Passing verification is not automatic: MIDAO may ask for more information, pause onboarding or decline a registration. The KYC and beneficial ownership docs give the full rules.
Ready to register? Start your registration or talk to the MIDAO team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I register an LLC or a corporation in the Marshall Islands?
Through MIDAO you register a DAO LLC, which can be for-profit or non-profit. MIDAO does not register conventional corporations, LLCs or trusts. Those are handled by the registry for traditional companies.
What is the business registration cost in the Marshall Islands?
Setup is $9,500 standard, or as low as $3,000 when treasury and funding total under $250k. The annual fee is $2,000 to $5,000, tiered by treasury and funding size and due by January 31 each year. Setup includes MIDAO's services and the government fees for formation. For-profit DAO LLCs also pay the Marshall Islands' 3% gross revenue tax, currently through MIDAO, which remits it to the RMI government. The tax does not apply to capital gains, dividends or invested capital, and non-profit DAO LLCs are tax-exempt. The pricing page has the current figures.
How long until a new Marshall Islands company is formed?
Applications are normally processed within 21 to 28 days. Your charter records the DAO LLC's formation date.
Do I need a local director or an office in the Marshall Islands?
No. There are no local director, council member or nominee requirements, and no physical presence is needed. MIDAO acts as your registered agent and provides the local address. The people who must complete KYC are still verified, and residents of the sanctioned countries and regions named in the KYC docs cannot register.
Can founders who prefer to stay out of public view register a Marshall Islands company?
Every person who must complete KYC is verified before registration. As a general benchmark, that is anyone with 25% or more of the governance rights; only if no one reaches that threshold, all managers; and only if there are no managers, one member. Residents of the sanctioned countries and regions named in the KYC docs cannot register. Member identities, KYC and KYB materials and beneficial ownership report information are not public-facing and are never published, though MIDAO may share information as required or permitted by law, including in response to valid requests from courts, law enforcement and regulators. The Certificate of Formation and Charter are matters of public record. The KYC docs set out the full rules.
Can I look up a Marshall Islands DAO LLC in a public registry?
Yes. MIDAO's public registry lets anyone confirm that a DAO LLC exists and is registered, and any DAO LLC's registration number can be verified there. The DAO LLC registry is separate from the registry for traditional companies. See the public registry docs.
Do I need to be a DAO to register a DAO LLC?
No. DAO LLC is a legal designation, not an identity requirement. Protocol teams, NFT projects, meme coins, DePIN networks, AI agent builders and investment vehicles register as DAO LLCs, whether or not they call themselves a DAO.