First of all, it should be determined if the country, where Your offshore bank account will be located, has tax information exchange agreements, mutual legal assistance treaties or any similar official agreements with Your own country? If yes – not good. The legal and practical aspects of bank secrecy should also be clearly established: what penalties does the law prescribes for the person who would illegally divulge bank information? Are they strictly enforced, or remain only on paper? The quality of work ethics in the bank must be considered. There are countries with good legal and regulatory environment, but with poor work culture in the services sector. In such locations, You can expect delays, mistakes and attitude problems. Finally, what are the services available in the particular bank, and what are the costs? In this regard, huge variations are possible. Is the bank in Your time zone? Does the staff speak Your language? All in all, there is no single answer as to the best location of an offshore bank account. More often than not, it is a compromise between convenience and confidentiality, cost and reliability.
