The right to establish and maintain a Register of Ships is a fundamental right of all nation states. In establishing such a Register the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) declares that "… every state shall fix the conditions for the grant of its nationality to ships, for the registration of ships and for the right to fly its flag.

Real estate in the right place not only offers the potential for investment profits, but also offers you a safe alternative if things go bad at home. Since real estate you own offshore will never show up in a domestic asset search, it also provides practical privacy and asset protection advantages.

For the past twenty years, the island of Nevis has been a popular jurisdiction for investors looking to fulfill their offshore needs in the areas of international business and limited liability company formation as well as the establishment of trusts and other structures.

St. Kitts is a 68 square mile tropical island located in the Eastern Caribbean. It is part of the twin island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. It is located in the center of the chain of Caribbean islands, which places it almost in the middle of the body of water separating North and South America.

The Foundations Act, 2003, (No. 8 of 2003) was passed in September of 2003. This piece of legislation provides for the establishment of Foundations in St. Kitts

As of 1 July 2004, a new regulator is expected to be appointed at the Regulation and Supervision Department. These and other changes are being undertaken in an effort to continue to maintain the outstanding reputation of the island as Nevis moves into new products and services in the international financial services sector.

A number of small countries are beginning to emerge as superstars—with brightly shining, very favorable asset protection legislation. Some of the strongest financial structures for asset protection use "The Foundation" as an asset protection tool.