Articles of incorporation are the foundation stone of a new company and later on are used as a legal document of the company just like the constitution of a country. Not only do they serve as a legal framework, they are also used for shaping the policies of the company, the way its management needs to be handled and how it is supposed to run the company.

These articles of incorporation are filed with the registrar of companies. Sample articles of incorporation are easy to find, but, but are not necessarily right for you primarily because each is made uniquely for a specific corporation. No matter what type of of articles you are looking for a lot depends on the type of business and country the company is located.

Article incorporation llc sample & Article of association sample: The Difference:
If you are in the US or other similar countries you might be searching for appropriate sample articles of incorporation. However if you are in the UK and various other countries sample articles of association would be more appropriate instead of samples articles of incorporation.

Sample articles of incorporation:
Below is a step by step explanation of sample articles of incorporation which will give you an idea about its overall structure. This sample articles of incorporation does not mean that every Articles of Incorporation include all the points, or that they are in the same order. However without discussing with your lawyer or attorney do not just rely on this sample articles of incorporation.

* The first and foremost information that Articles of Incorporation has is the corporations name. There are few restrictions on few names in some places but generally the only condition is that the name should be unique from other corporations under the same authority.

* The next article can be the purpose of corporation. The purpose can be charity or anything but generally there is an explicit mention that it is for any lawful purpose.

* Board of directors: In some countries the law requires at least one, in other areas you might have to give three or five names.

* The date of the existence of the corporation

* The primary address of the main office of the corporation

* Limitations if there are any. Some corporations like to bind their directors/employees and the corporation itself to refrain from few activities.

* Declaration of the corporation as a stock corporation or a non-stock corporation.

* In case if it is a stock corporation the maximum number of shares that the corporation can issue and also per share par level.

* Declaring employees and directors of the corporation exempted from the debts and liabilities of the corporation

* Policies about dividends or any committee to be formed in the corporation.

* Naming of a registered agent

* Date and signature of all the concerned people accepting that they have read, understood, accepted willingly all the Articles of Incorporation and will do their utmost to act on it.

The above article of incorporation sample covers all the main points and generally corporation details are not covered in the Articles of Incorporation but still it can vary a little.

The banking sector of the British Virgin Islands is strong and dynamic with the availability of modern international banking services. It offers access to clients 365 days a year and though it also offers internet banking with a USD account, other major currency deposits are also accepted.

However BVI banks do not issue corporate debit cards and companies involved in ecommerce are not accepted but it offers customers USD corporate chequing accounts. On the other hand BVI banking services offers debit cards on personal accounts.

The first Caribbean International bank (FCIB), First bank BVI and VP bank (BVI) are the prominent banks of British Virgin Islands with FCIB specializing in international banking, offshore banking services for IBCs, internet banking facilities and international credit cards.

Certain documents are required by the banks prior to opening an account in BVI. Below is a general guideline for existing BVI banking services.

The documents that banks generally ask for are permanent address verification report, a duly completed and signed bank application form, certificate of incorporation certified copy, memorandum and articles of association certified copy, two picture IDs in the form of passport/drivers license (certified copy), a reference letter from a bank and a board resolution appointing authorized signatories.

BVI banks consider the passport to be the most authentic document for identification purposes and hence the passport should be notarized. Once the bank related documents are submitted to the concerned bank the particular BVI bank account should be activated within two working days from the receipt of the documents by depositing the minimum initial deposit which is 2,500 US dollars. Though documentary requirements may vary from bank to bank generally, they will need to know and identify the actual owner/owners and everyone else who has been given account signatory rights.

Although personal appearance of the owner of the company is not necessary while opening an account in a BVI bank, still laws regulating the banking industry make it mandatory for banks to know their clients background thoroughly, and they also require an account introduction through an approved intermediary. Approved intermediaries are in the form of professional incorporation service providers based in the British Virgin Islands.

Banking secrecy is a fundamental cornerstone of BVI banking services and under no circumstances can a clients background information be leaked to a third party. This is the reason why BVI banks are very particular with documents prior to opening an account because while protecting a clients background they never want to be caught on the wrong foot.

However there are instances when a clients information may be divulged by a BVI bank and these may be under a proper criminal investigation carried out by local police authorities in-land or when ordered by a court in BVI.

BVI Information: British Virgin Islands is one of the most beautiful territories in the Caribbean. Its total area is just around 150 sq km compromising of 60 islands and even the population is in few thousands.

British Virgin Islands is under British authority and some key points are summarized below:

* Many mutual and hedge funds, insurance companies, trading companies, expatriate individuals, intellectual property rights owners, property investors and just high net worth individuals use BVI banking offshore to pay fewer taxes and save wealth.
* There is no restriction on the nationality of the bank account owner, however most banks prefer that the individual accounts be opened along with corporate accounts, of companies incorporated in the BVI.
* Privacy and confidentiality come as a given but we have to wait and see how the UK reacts to pressures from the EU for BVI bank disclosures.
* Account holders are just charged with few thousand dollars every year for the license fees of banks.
* 9/11 has changed the concept of privacy as it was accepted by us. Now governments, in the name of anti-terror laws have started usurping authority to look into anyones personal information for no strong reason.
* Its not just about privacy and taxes, banking BVI Offshore gives you all the luxuries that you can get in a world class bank.
* World class infrastructure, communication systems, modern day facilities like credit cards, internet, online banking and courier services are available in British Virgin Islands.
* You will also be saved from the tensions of legal issues as someone rarely thinks of filing a suit in a far away country and even if someone does plan to, there is legal protection provided to you in the British Virgin Islands, as in other offshore tax havens.

Compared to onshore accounts offshore merchant accounts are much better as these have lot more advantages. Being offered only by offshore banks these accounts do not have account limitations or restrictions like onshore accounts.

With features such as multi-currency accounts and more tax benefits offshore merchant accounts facilitate international trading. This type of offshore bank account is a new addition to the offshore banking system and it allows you to trade 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

As these accounts are tax-free it allows offshore companies to offer products to clients at a much lower rate than competitors. High risk companies engaged in activities such as gaming, pharmaceuticals, phone card sales, timeshare rentals, multilevel marketing, credit card repair and counseling are best suited to have offshore merchant accounts.

Offshore merchant accounts offers immense benefits such as more tax benefits, better privacy and security, multi-currency trading enabling international trade, setting in currencies of choice, zero restrictions on transactions which means unlimited transactions, short set up time requiring just one week, international forgery/fraud protection cover etc.

All this however comes with a high price tag and expenses such as initial set up costs, discount rates and transaction fees are much higher in comparison to domestic banks. Almost anyone can open such an account and it is simple and easy. All you require is to own an offshore trading company and must have a bank account in its name.

There are however exceptions, with some offshore banks insisting on security in the form of either upfront cash deposit or ongoing cash reserve. Apart from offshore banks, offshore merchant accounts are also offered by certain international financial service providers.

You can also apply online to open such an account after you have decided on a particular offshore bank. Before opening such an offshore account you need to check out the background of the bank and services being offered by it such as privacy, security and tax benefits.

With offshore banking becoming more and more popular the need of the hour is offshore ecommerce merchant accounts and offshore destinations are going all out of their way to provide their clients with this facility. In offshore business it is no longer feasible to transact through onshore accounts and with offshore accounts giving clients so many benefits that they did not even think that they would get with their onshore accounts.

Tax and investor-friendly countries like Mauritius, Seychelles and BVI possess the most secure financial sectors in the world. Applying for offshore e-commerce merchant accounts in such countries will account for a single corporate structure. You get privileges such as the option to choose your settlement jurisdiction either within the Caribbean or Europe thereby giving you a dual acquiring presence.

This facility enables you to implement a comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional and multi-currency acquiring services. Other benefits includes opportunity of presenting your customers secure payment alternatives, currency solutions, advantage of offshore and e-zone tax structures and channeled marketing which in turn reduces currency and location costs and also simplifies cross-border processing.