Promote:
Invest in the United States Virgin Islands
A short guide for companies expanding into the United States Virgin Islands: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. United States Virgin Islands at a glance
PopulationEstimate
103,792
Population was 103,792 in 2025, by the World Bank.
Source: World Bank WDI, population, Virgin Islands (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Inflation
7.1%
Consumer prices rose 7.1 percent in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Research, which compares 12-month averages of its index.
Source: VIBER, consumer price index review, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024
The currency is the United States dollar.
Source: USVIEDA, South Shore Trade Zone benefits page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
The investment promotion agency is the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority.
Source: USVIEDA, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
No one-stop shop was found: a business license needs documents from the Lieutenant Governor, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the police, zoning, fire and health reviews.
Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
No list of sectors reserved for nationals was found on the Authority's pages or in its law copy.
Source: USVIEDA, tax incentives page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
The Authority's testimony names four designated Enterprise Zones and the South Shore Trade Zone, a designated economic area on Saint Croix. Designated is not the same as serviced or operating.
Source: USVIEDA, fiscal year 2026 budget testimony, July 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in the United States Virgin Islands
- Register the business entity and trade name online in the Catalyst registry.Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Division of Corporations and TrademarksOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Lieutenant Governor, Corporations and Trademarks registry (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get a tax clearance letter and register for territorial taxes.Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal RevenueOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get zoning approval; the license office requests the review for the applicant.Department of Planning and Natural ResourcesOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Apply for the business license, with the fire and health reviews it requires.Department of Licensing and Consumer AffairsOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more set-up step
- Apply for Economic Development Commission or South Shore Trade Zone tax benefits.Virgin Islands Economic Development AuthorityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: USVIEDA, tax incentives page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with USVIEDA and BIR. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Investment and business setup
- Get advice
Economic development authority
USVIEDA
Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority
Runs tax benefit programs, development loans, the South Shore Trade Zone and the State Trade Expansion Program for exporters.
Visit USVIEDA (opens in a new tab)Source: USVIEDA, fiscal year 2026 budget testimony, July 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Business registry and tax office
Lieutenant Governor's Office
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Keeps business entity, trade name, Uniform Commercial Code and trademark registries through its Division of Corporations and Trademarks, and collects real property tax through its Tax Collector.
Show 2 more organizations
- Meet requirements
Business licensing department
DLCA
Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs
Issues business licenses and professional licenses and enforces the consumer protection law.
Visit DLCA (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Labor department
VIDOL
Virgin Islands Department of Labor
Gives employers labor compliance information, workforce programs and workers' compensation and unemployment insurance services.
Visit VIDOL (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands Department of Labor, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Territorial tax authority
BIR
Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue
Administers and enforces the territory's tax laws, including income, gross receipts and excise taxes.
Visit BIR (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands OMB, revenue estimating conference, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 21, 2025
- Meet requirements
Port and airport authority
VIPA
Virgin Islands Port Authority
Operates the territory's seaports and airports used for cargo and passenger traffic.
Visit VIPA (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands Port Authority, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
St. Thomas-St. John Chamber
St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce
Offers networking, workshops, events and advocacy for businesses on Saint Thomas and Saint John.
Visit St. Thomas-St. John Chamber (opens in a new tab)Source: VI SBDC, manufacturing and onshoring hub page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 9, 2025
5. Worth knowing
Electricity
The Bureau reports residential power at about 41 cents per kilowatt-hour in August 2023, against a 16.21-cent United States average, and average electricity costs up 6.9 percent in 2024.
What to do: Price power costs into the project budget and ask the utility for current rates.
Sources: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab); VIBER, consumer price index review, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Incentive conditions
Economic Development Commission benefits require at least ten full-time resident hires and at least US$100,000 invested, exclusive of inventory.
What to do: Check the current conditions with the Authority before you build a project around them.
Source: USVIEDA, tax incentives page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Recovery construction
The Governor reported on September 30, 2026 that about US$13.7 billion in federal recovery funds is obligated, with construction rising through 2028 and pressure on housing and labor.
What to do: Check labor and housing availability before you set a start date.
Source: Government of the Virgin Islands, federal coordination address, September 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare the United States Virgin Islands with other countriesSet the United States Virgin Islands beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your United States Virgin Islands project.
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Promote:United States Virgin Islands is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.