The Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ), is an independent island country near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the nation is part of the greater Micronesia island group. The country's 58,413 inhabitants (as of the 2018 World Bank Census) is dispersed throughout five islands and 29 coral atolls, with 1,156 distinct islands and islets. Majuro is the capital and biggest city. It boasts the highest proportion of water on its territory of any sovereign state, at 97.87 percent. Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west share marine borders. Majuro is home to around 52.3 percent of Marshall Islanders (27,797 according to the 2011 Census). In 2016, 73.3 percent of the population was classified as "urban." According to the UN, the population density is 760 persons per square mile (295/km2), with a predicted 2020 population of 59,190.
Micronesian migrants arrived in the Marshall Islands by canoe about the 2nd millennium BC, with interisland navigation enabled by ancient stick maps. They ultimately made their home there. The archipelago's islands were first discovered by Europeans in the 1520s, beginning with Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain, and continuing with Juan Sebastián Elcano and Miguel de Saavedra. In August 1526, Spanish traveler Alonso de Salazar reported seeing an atoll. Following that were expeditions by Spanish and English ships. The islands are named after John Marshall, who visited in 1788. The locals referred to the islands as "jolet jen Anij" in the past (Gifts from God). The islands were claimed by Spain in 1592, and European nations acknowledged its sovereignty over the islands in 1874. They had legally been a part of the Spanish East Indies since 1528. Later, in 1885, Spain ceded portions of the islands to the German Empire, and they became part of German New Guinea that year, managed by the commercial enterprises that did business on the islands, mainly the Jaluit Company. During World War I, the Japanese Empire conquered the Marshall Islands, which the League of Nations merged with other former German possessions to establish the South Seas Mandate in 1920. In 1944, the United States acquired control of the islands in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign during World War II. Nuclear testing in Bikini Atoll started in 1946 and ended in 1958.
In 1965, the United States established the Congress of Micronesia as part of a campaign to enhance Pacific island self-government. The Marshall Islands gained independence from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in May 1979, and its constitution and president (Amata Kabua) were legally recognized by the United States. In a Compact of Free Association with the United States, full sovereignty or self-government was established. The Marshall Islands has been a member of the Pacific Community (SPC) since 1983 and a member of the United Nations since 1991. The Marshall Islands is a parliamentary republic with an executive president in free association with the United States, with the United States providing defense, subsidies, and access to U.S.-based organizations such as the Federal Communications Commission and the United States Postal Service. With limited natural resources, the islands' prosperity is built on a service economy, as well as fishing and agriculture; US funding accounts for a significant portion of the islands' GDP, although most financial help under the Compact of Free Association ends in 2023. The United States dollar is the country's currency. It also revealed plans for a new cryptocurrency that will be used as legal money in 2018.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, founded in 1982, has a Marshallese majority, with a minor number of immigrants from the United States, China, the Philippines, and other Pacific islands. Marshallese, an Oceanic language, and English are the two official languages. Almost the entire population of the Marshall Islands is religious: three-quarters of the nation is affiliated with either the United Church of Christ – Congregational in the Marshall Islands (UCCCMI) or the Assemblies of God.
According to Marshall Islands legislation, redundancy can constitute grounds for termination and dismissal.
The Marshall Islands' law makes no provision for a notice period.
Each new permanent employee is required to serve a six-month probationary period, which may be extended up to a maximum of six months during the first twelve months of the initial appointment.
Employers in the Marshall Islands are not required to provide severance payments to employees whose contracts are terminated.
The minimum wage is one of the country's most important compensation laws, and it varies by industry. The public sector, government work, and nonprofit organizations, for example, have a minimum wage of $3.00 per hour, but the maritime industry is governed by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
The Marshall Islands' health-care system is still in its early phases, as the Ministry of Health collaborates with Community Health Councils to offer universal care to people. Private health insurance is accessible, but companies are not required to offer it under their employment contracts. Your business may or may not opt to provide private insurance as a perk to its workers.
A probationary term, pay on yearly vacations, public holidays, sick leaves, maternity leave, paternity leave, and overtime pay are all mandated by law. Social security payments are sometimes included in statutory benefits.
The Marshall Islands does not impose a corporate income tax.
Taxable persons in the Marshall Islands are imposed a personal income tax rate that ranges from 0 and 12 percent. The actual percentage depends on the income bracket the taxable person belongs to.
The highest value-added tax rate imposed in the Marshall Islands is 4 percent while the lowest rate is 2 percent.
Marshall Island visa policies are the laws and restrictions that international visitors must adhere to while visiting Marshall Island. A visa is an official, sanctioned document that allows the holder to lawfully enter, reside in, and depart a foreign country. It is normally stamped or affixed into the bearer's passport.
Marshall Island's visa policy has been in place for a long time, and it is known as universal visa administration. To visit the nation, any non-citizen who is not a citizen must get a visa. This law, however, does not apply to persons from the United States, since people from the United States do not need a visa to visit the nation.
According to the Marshall Island Visa policy, the necessity for a visa to travel to the Marshall Islands varies from person to person based on the nation of origin. It also relies on other aspects such as the traveler's planning, length of stay, and reason for visiting the nation.
For anyone wishing to visit the Marshall Islands, the Marshall Islands Visa Policy provides numerous kinds of visas and travel authorizations. Access to a diverse range of individuals and nations interested in visiting Marshall Island for leisure or business.
Travelers from all countries must apply for a consular visa at the US Embassy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. According to Marshall Island visa regulations, tourists from practically all countries must apply for a visa before visiting the country for a short visit.
This law, however, does not apply to passengers from all European Union nations, Micronesia, Palau, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States who want to visit Marshall for any reason.
Foreigners who want to visit Marshall Island for vacation have many possibilities, which vary depending on the nationality of the tourist.
There are two kinds of visas for Marshall Island: tourist visas and business visas. Both may be acquired via an online application: the eVisitor Visa or ESTA, which stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. A visa is not required for citizens of 32 countries to visit the Marshall Islands.
Citizens of 64 countries are eligible for a VOA (Visa on arrival). Countries that do not need a visa to enter the nation may enter Marshall Island many times. A tourist visa allows a person to remain in the nation for a maximum of 90 days, whereas a business visa allows a traveler to stay in the country for at least 6 months, or 180 days.
To apply for an online visa for the Marshall Islands, international citizens must have a completed application form with two recent passport-sized pictures, a passport valid for at least 6 months from an eligible country, a valid and current email account, and the means of payment.
Furthermore, they need supporting documentation such as a statement from the applicant indicating the cause for their journey, a police record that must be dated within the previous three months, and passengers must demonstrate that they are clear of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS for the last three months.
Foreign nationals who are unable to achieve this requirement may be denied entry into the country since the Marshall Islands embassy does not allow it. Tourists from countries that are not exempt from visa requirements must get a tourist visa.
According to Marshall Island Visa rules, all nations must get a tourist visa.
In the United States, employment contracts might be verbal, written, or implicit. Contracts, on the other hand, should be in writing with the conditions clearly stated out to protect both the employer and the employee. In practice, the majority of contracts are in writing.
The following are examples of common employment contract terms:
Employer and employee names
The kind and scope of the service to be provided
Salary and payment intervals
Salary and payment intervals
Start and end dates (if for a fixed-term)
Benefits and leave entitlements
There is no set length for assignments. This is usually indicated in the employment contract for fixed-term employments.
United States Dollar
Subsidiary formation in the Marshall Islands commences with the Registrar of Corporations. You'll do a company name search here to guarantee your organization has a distinct name. You can't start a business with a name that already exists.
Once you've determined that your company name is distinct, you may engage with the Attorney General's Office to get your business charter and related paperwork notarized. Then, together with your registration application, you may send your notarized papers to the Registrar of Corporations.
After receiving your formal registration, you must apply for an employer registration number with the Social Security Administration. With this number, you will be able to make employee payments to the Social Security Fund.
Before you may do business in the nation, you must first get a business license from the appropriate municipality. During this procedure, you must submit your notarized charter together with a licensing application and the appropriate costs. The amount you must pay is determined on your municipality and the sort of company you run.
To run a subsidiary, you must have at least one shareholder, one director, and one secretary. Residents are not required for any of these appointments
You'll also need to draft a business charter. This document is essential for incorporation, but it is also useful for developing a company structure. Your charter should contain information about how you appoint directors and secretaries, as well as other business activities.
Your company will most likely be registered as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). The nation has a variety of LLC agreements that govern how these businesses should be conducted and maintained, therefore it's essential to follow these rules. You may wish to engage with a legal practitioner to develop your business chart before notarizing it at the Attorney General's Office.
