Due Diligence

An integral part of our formation services is ensuring that customers fulfill internationally recognized Know Your Client (KYC) protocols before doing business in New Zealand.

We understand that some clients may see the requirement to provide documents as an inconvenience, but they are no more stringent than in any other OECD country, and generally fall in line with the document requirements for opening a new New Zealand business entity.

In order for us to assist clients to establish a new New Zealand business we first require:

• Details of the goods and services that the new business intends to provide.
• Details of the countries in which the business intends to operate.
• A completed Letter of Authorization, which allows us to communicate on our behalf with New Zealand authorities.
• Certified copies of the passports for all directors, shareholders, and signatories named for the new entity.
• Certified copies of a recent utility bill for all directors, shareholders, and signatories named for the new entity. The utility bill must be issued to the named individual within the last three month and contain their full residential address. The document must also contain he name and details of the issuer.

In some limited cases we may also ask clients to provide the following information:

• A reference letter from their current bank. This must be in English and be no more than 3 months old.
• Whether the new entity will be using 3rd party funds.

All documents must first be scanned and sent to us electronically before the physical copies are couriered to our office. We will advise you on whether the documents fulfill Due Diligence and Know Your Client requirements, and will inform you of any amendments that must be made in order to comply with applicable legislations.

The documents provided to us must be in English, or accompanied by a certified translation into English. In some cases the document will not need to be translated in full, and a selective translation can be completed by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Any documents sent to us not as originals will need to be appropriately certified before they will be accepted by us or New Zealand authorities, and will need to contain:

• The name of the individual certifying the copy.
• The full contact details of the individual making the copy, including their telephone number and address.
• The seal of the individual providing the certification
• Details of the position of the individual providing the certification
• Description of the nature of the attestation (e.g. “True Copy”)