M A R S H A L L I S L A N D S L A W

Post World War II, the Marshall Islands was administered by the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Although the Republic of the Marshall Islands (“RMI”) has a European-style parliamentary system of government under its 1979 Constitution, the court system and legislative system are modeled on the American system. The official language of the law is English.

The Courts currently use slightly modified versions of the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, and Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. The statutory law is founded on the Trust Territory Code, but it has been substantially modified by post-Constitution enactments of the legislature known as the Nitijela. Land law in the Marshall Islands is unique, complicated, and controversial. It is based on Marshall Islands customary law. Anyone approaching a land litigation or land transaction, even a lease, should seek competent legal advice at the outset.

The Marshall Islands has developed a world-class ship registry, which is one of the fastest growing registries in the world. To aid its ship registry, the Marshall Islands has enacted modern and sophisticated corporate and maritime laws.

Marshall Islands corporate registration is considered world-wide as an attractive option because it offers several advantages to international businesses, investors, and ship owners, such as tax exemptions for non-resident domestic corporations, simple, quick legal entity formation, minimal procedural requirements, and privacy.

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