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Jersey has been recommended as one of the top three global financial centres by leading advisers and wealth managers in a research conducted by Citywealth. In Citywealth's annual Leaders List 2008 which is a guide to key advisers and wealth managers of ultra high net worth clients, Jersey has been identified as one of the top echelon. The research involves extensive interviews with leading professionals involved in advising some of the world's wealthiest clients. Jersey's success will be recognised at CityWealth's flagship annual 'Magic Circle Awards' which will take place in London on 8 May 2008. For more information on Jersey click here.

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) says that laptops and electronic devices such as Blackberries, iPhones and others can be seized and the information downloaded without explanation, provocation, and/or even likely cause at the US border. Personal photographs, personal banking, business documents and unopened as well as stored e-mails can also be seized. This affects non-US citizens as well as US citizens. Although incidences of such confiscation remain relatively small compared to the number of business travellers, it has a rather significant implication. ACTE has issued guidelines to business travellers and recommends that travellers carry the barest minimum of data on a laptop they can afford to lose. Meanwhile Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it does not and will not confiscate laptops or other electronic devices at checkpoints as this is a customs issue. The seizures have also prompted protest from travellers who fear risk of travel with sensitive information. To read the press release from ACTE click here.

A two-day conference on Wealth Management & Family Office, Best Practice in Managing the Wealth of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals & Families will be held in on 28 - 29 February 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel, Zurich. This conference will provide a platform to garner information on the best solutions to ensure success in preserving and protecting your wealth. The conference presents industry experts including speakers from Henley & Partners who will provide an overview of current best practice, opportunities and challenges. It is an event which will benefit those in investment, tax and estate planning of high net worth individuals. A pre-conference workshop on International Residence & Citizenship Planning for UHNWI led by Henley & Partners will also be held on 27 February 2008. For more details click here.

The International Trusts Congress, organised by IIR Conferences, will be held on 4 - 5 December 2007 at the Crowne Plaza, London. This unique event, which is now in its 6th successive year, will present top quality speakers including two speakers from Henley & Partners. It will cover current topics with up-to-date information on international trusts and related tax and estate planning issues while providing the latest insight on current trends. It offers a lot more this year with new topics and multi-speaker discussion panels with two additional/optional workshops on 3 and 6 December. For more details on the conference programme or to register please click here.

While most people are residents and passport holders of only one country, there are an increasing number of individuals and families which look at a second or an alternative residence and citizenship as a tool for their private wealth planning - for more personal security and international flexibility or for lifestyle choices. The Global Residence & Citizenship Conference, co-organized by HSBC and Henley & Partners and the first of its kind, is taking place in Dubai on 19 and 20 November 2007, will address important and current issues of interest to international citizens who are spreading their assets and activities globally and who are looking to relocate for personal or business reasons. Click here for more information

VIP Services VIPS, Switzerland's premier address for non-financial family office services, will be integrated as a business unit of Henley & Partners Zurich from August 2007. Robert Ferfecki, Founding Partner and CEO of VIPS, will head this unit at Henley & Partners, where he will also take the function of a Key Client Manager.

Thanks to the networking and know-how capability of VIPS, Henley & Partners can extend its services and offer its clients - especially in Switzerland - a full service including private project management, residence/relocation management and special VIP services. For more information contact Henley & Partners' Zurich office.

The Government of St Kitts & Nevis has now launched the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF)'s website. SIDF aims to generate additional resources to improve the welfare of displaced sugar workers. The Foundation will conduct research into the development of industries to replace the sugar industry and fund the development of the alternative industries. The foundation has been designated a special approved project for the purposes of Citizenship-by-Investment. Henley & Partners has been mandated by the Government of St Kitts & Nevis to advise and assist in the Citizenship-by-Investment program in general and the new SIDF option in particular. Contributions to the foundation at prescribed levels can qualify foreign nationals to apply for the Citizenship-by-Investment in St Kitts & Nevis. All applicants are required to undergo the recently further tightened due diligence procedures. For more details on the SIDF and the Citizenship-by-Investment program visit the new SIDF website or contact Henley & Partners.

The Swiss parliament has approved plans for a new regulator which will bring together three regulatory bodies to boost Switzerland's image as a global financial centre. It will be known as the Federal Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) and will group together the regulatory work of the Federal Banking Commission, the Federal Office of Private Insurance and the Money Laundering Control Authority. It will investigate suspected money laundering activities and corruption and will be given the power to confiscate and issue bans. It is due to operate from 2009. For further information please contact Henley & Partners Switzerland.

New European Union law obliging travellers to declare their cash will come into effect on 15 June 2007. The law requires travellers entering the EU from a non-EU country or travelling from an EU to a non-EU country to declare their cash in the EU upon arrival or departure if it exceeds €10,000. In the case of the UK, the rules will be enforced by HMRC. The amount includes cash, bankers' draft and cheques. The new law aims to combat money laundering, according to UK's HMRC. Declaration forms will be available at ports, airports and will be downloadable from the HMRC website. Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a penalty of up to £5,000. HMRC officers may seize cash that they suspect is either the proceeds of, or is intended for use in, unlawful conduct under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. According to HMRC sources the declaration system is one of the means of providing information to assist it in targeting movements of criminal cash more effectively. Visit the website of HMRC for a copy of the form

The European Commission recently launched a free website to provide tax information to citizens, businesses and the press. The Taxes in Europe online database provides information on the main taxes in force in the Member States which includes for each individual tax, information on its legal basis, assessment base, main exemptions, applicable rate, economic and statistical classification and the revenue generated by it. The system contains information on some 500 taxes, as provided to the European Commission by the national authorities. The website will be updated yearly and is designed to allow greater transparency and easy comparison between the various tax systems in the EU. Future plans include coverage on Ireland, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal which have not been included on the site yet and additional information on the various taxes. More information.

The first handbook of its kind, Anti-Money Laundering: International Law and Practice published by John Wiley & Sons is now available. This 834 pages hardcover book covers key topics on anti-money laundering and practice and makes it easy for the reader to compare the legislation and rules in different countries. This book is a useful reference and guide to those seeking information on anti-money laundering which is fast becoming an important but increasingly complex subject involving a globally interconnected system of law and regulation. It will be valuable to those involved in international financial services with its in-depth coverage of anti-money laundering in some 41 countries and contributions from top-tier international specialists. This book is a concerted effort by a team of experts with Wouter H Muller of Henley & Partners as the lead editor. More details.

UK's Immigration Minister Liam Byrne recently announced the timetable for introducing points based system for migration in the UK. The new scheme is expected to be phased in from early 2008 and will be more effective in managing migration and attracting foreign talents to UK. "Migration has to support Britain's national interests. A new Australian style points based system will be simpler, clearer and easier to enforce. Crucially it will give us the best way of letting in only those people who have something to offer Britain," Mr Byrne said. The new secure system further strengthens ongoing measures to tighten UK's immigration controls which include implementing new technology to record details of passengers entering or leaving the UK even before they begin their journey and strengthening UK's visa system.

An amnesty offering limited opportunity to those with unpaid UK tax and duties connected with offshore accounts to settle their tax was announced by the HMRC's Offshore Disclosure Facility. It aims to encourage full disclosure relating to non-UK accounts, held directly or indirectly within a fixed timescale and on special terms. Notification of intention to disclose must be made by 22 June 2007 and full disclosure with payments must be made by 26 November 2007. Final decision on the acceptance of the disclosure will be made by 30 April 2008. Although the HMRC's primary focus is UK resident and domiciled taxpayers, non-domiciled UK residents are advised to consider making a disclosure if they have brought undeclared income from overseas. To date four banks have been ordered to provide details to HMRC of UK resident customers with offshore bank accounts. HMRC has warned that it plans to use such information to target those who have not notified their intention to disclose. More details.

The Wealth Management & Family Office Congress 2007 will be held on 21 and 22 June 2007 at the Rembrandt Hotel, London. The conference will see the largest line-up of Family Office & Wealth Management experts tackling topics covering the family office and the role it plays and the best practice in managing the wealth of ultra high net worth individuals and families. Through a team of a specialist it will also feature specific case study and problem solving question and answer sessions to seek simple solutions. It also includes two pre-conference Workshops on Succession Planning for Very High Net Worth Families and UK Resident Non Domicile Tax Planning to be held on 20 June. Wendell Lawrence of our St Kitts & Nevis Office will speak about the reformed Citizenship-by-Investment program in St. Kitts & Nevis and the benefits of a second citizenship. Please read the congress brochure for more information.

With the increasing number of people buying property abroad it is good news to receive certainty on the rules for British citizens owning properties abroad. The new rules remove the benefit-in-kind tax that has bothered UK residents who have bought and live in overseas properties for many years. Those who buy a property abroad now will not face an income tax charge if they purchase the home using a company as the owner. Company directors who buy overseas homes using their own money should now be exempted from the charge. The new rules will be retrospective which means those who have paid a benefit-in-kind tax charge will be able to claim their money back. Please contact us for more information.

St. Kitts & Nevis, together with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and The Bahamas have been added to the EU list of countries whose citizens will be allowed visa-free entry in the EU. Citizens of other Caribbean countries not on the list would still need visas. This new arrangement will take effect after each country has negotiated a Visa Agreement with the European Union. Such a Visa Agreement is to ensure that there is full reciprocity in that the respective countries would have to agree to lift all visa restrictions against all EU citizens. Henley & Partners, who works closely with the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis on these issues, is confident that the Government will conclude a Visa Agreement with the European Union in the very near future. To view the respective council regulation click here. For more information on St. Kitts & Nevis follow this link.

Henley & Partners will launch its own newsletter soon and has now appointed an experienced news editor to manage this. Uma D. Sathia, who is based in Singapore but works directly with the head office in Jersey, will be responsible for the new regular publication. This will serve to inform clients and contacts of the firm with the latest updates on its areas of expertise, including of course its renowned global residence and citizenship practice. Ms. Sathia will also deal with editorial aspects of the Henley & Partners website and will take care of certain PR and media work for the firm.

Henley & Partners has increased its basic fees for Austrian residence and citizenship services. In case of citizenship services, we have also introduced a new requirement that all applicants for Citizenship-by-Investment in Austria must at the same time also apply under the residence category for the financially independent. Furthermore, the Austrian office of Henley & Partners informs that the timeframes have increased slightly so that for Citizenship-by-Investment cases clients now need to expect between 12 and 18 months processing time, whereas for residence cases approximately 6 months processing time must be expected. For more information please contact Henley & Partners.

An article in the latest issue of The Economist looks at the citizenship programs in Austria, St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica. "Awarded to foreigners who provide scientific, artistic, cultural or economic benefits (ie, investment), an Austrian passport-which requires neither prior residence in Austria, nor any knowledge of German-allows visa-free entry to 125 countries and territories; St Kitts and Dominica allow entry to more than 50, including Britain (but not America).

Compare that to 25 mostly poor countries for Indian passports. Customers may also be people from countries such as America, whose citizenship may expose them either to terrorism, or to the tax authorities." To read the full story, click here.

During the period 1st February to 15th May 2007 special visa requirements will apply to all visitors for any purpose to a number of CARICOM member states, including St. Kitts & Nevis and the Commonwealth of Dominica, where Henley & Partners has offices. This new start date is two weeks later than the January 15th target set earlier by the Bureau of the Heads of Government of CARICOM. The reason for these special visa requirements is the Cricket World Cup which will be held in the region during that period. Henley & Partners will be pleased to assist visitors to either of these countries with securing visas during this period. For more information click here or contact the nearest Henley & Partners office.