How to vet an international structuring firm
The field has no single license and a lot of confident marketing. These are the questions we would ask a firm like ours, and the answers that should end the conversation.
Last checked October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Start with what it promises
Be wary of any firm that promises a tax rate. A structure can make a lower rate possible; the law and your facts decide whether you get it. A line such as “pay 0% tax” is only honest with its conditions next to it: where you live, where your companies are managed and what your home country does when you leave.
The same goes for timelines. A company can be formed in days. A residence permit, a bank account or a tax number follows the timetable of a government or a bank, and a firm that guarantees one is promising something it does not control.
Eight questions to ask
- Who does the regulated work?
- Tax advice, legal opinions and audits are licensed in most countries. Ask which licensed professionals do that work, in which jurisdiction, and whether their names appear on it.
- Which company am I contracting with?
- You should know its legal name, where it is registered and its address before you pay. If the terms and privacy policy name someone other than the website does, ask why.
- Are the scope and price in writing?
- Before any work starts, you should have a written proposal: what is included, what is extra, and which government, registry, agent and bank fees you pay on top.
- What do you check about my home country?
- A structure abroad is only as good as its treatment at home. Ask how they handle controlled foreign company rules, exit taxes and where your companies are managed from.
- What happens after setup?
- Companies file every year, residencies need renewing and banks review accounts. Ask who keeps the calendar, what each renewal costs and who answers when a bank writes.
- How do you show your work?
- Approval screenshots show that something happened once, not that it was right for that client. Ask for a sample deliverable, such as a written plan, with the client’s details removed.
- Who do I pay?
- The company you contract with, against an invoice. Be careful when you are asked to pay a different name than the one on the contract.
- When do you say no?
- A good adviser turns work down. Ask what they would not do, and when they last advised a client against a move. If the answer is never, every plan is a sale.
Answers that should end the conversation
- A guaranteed tax rate
- No one controls how your home country taxes you.
- Secrecy as the selling point
- Banks and tax authorities in most financial centers exchange account information automatically. A structure that depends on no one finding out will not hold.
- No name, no address
- If you cannot find the company and the people responsible, you cannot hold anyone to the advice.
- Pressure to decide on the call
- Structures that last are decided on paper, after you have read the plan.
Our answers
Maestri LLC is the company you contract with. Every engagement starts with a written proposal that sets the scope, timeline and price, and lists the fees you pay on top. Where a jurisdiction requires licensed lawyers, tax advisers or auditors, that work is done by licensed professionals.
We do not promise a tax rate, a bank approval or a government timeline. We publish our starting prices, and we tell you when a structure is not worth its cost.
- What it costs
- Every starting price, in one place.
Where we come in. Related services.
01 · Wealth & Structuring
International tax planning
We map where you, your companies and your assets are taxed today, then design a structure that legally lowers the total.
From€3,999
Questions, answered.
01Is international structuring legal?
Yes, when it is declared, has a real purpose and follows the rules of every country involved. What is illegal is hiding income or assets from a tax authority. A good firm plans the first and refuses the second.
02Do I need a firm at all?
Not always. A single US LLC or a simple move can be done yourself, with care. A firm earns its fee when several countries, companies and banks have to fit together and someone has to answer for the whole.
The rule is the start. Your facts decide the rest.
Tell us where you live, where you earn and what you are setting up. We will go through how the rules apply to you on a call.