Off the shelf or ready made offshore companies are corporate entities that have been established by a provider, who holds the company until a purchaser is found. Post transaction, the ownership of the company transfers from the provider to the third party, who then commences trading activity under the company name. The benefits of purchasing an offshore shelf company includes:
To the time it would take to create a new corporation
To allow contract bidding (some jurisdictions require a fixed business age to allow this functionality)
To create the appearance of corporate longevity
Note : shelf offshore companies are usually more expensive than newly incorporated companies because of their age.
