What is the best country for a family office?

There is no single best country. Singapore and the UAE lead for internationally mobile families because both run dedicated family office regimes with tax exemptions and real substance rules. Hong Kong suits families focused on Asia with at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars to manage. Switzerland suits families who value stability and banking depth, and the United States suits families whose wealth and heirs are American.

What are the minimum assets for a family office in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Hong Kong?

In the DIFC in Dubai, the family must hold at least 50 million dollars in aggregate net assets. In ADGM in Abu Dhabi, the threshold is 10 million dollars of family net assets under rules in force since 24 April 2026. In Singapore, the 13U scheme requires 50 million Singapore dollars, and practitioner guides cite 20 million for single family office funds under 13O. In Hong Kong, the tax concession requires at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars of qualifying assets.

Is a Dubai family office tax free?

Not automatically. UAE corporate tax is 0 percent on the first 375,000 dirhams of taxable income and 9 percent above. A family office in the DIFC or ADGM can reach 0 percent on qualifying income only if it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions, including real substance. Family foundations can, under conditions, be treated as tax transparent.

Do you have to live in the country where your family office is based?

Not necessarily, but the regime will demand real local presence. Singapore requires resident investment professionals and minimum local spending, Hong Kong requires two full time employees and local expenditure, and UAE free zone tax treatment depends on substance. A purely virtual office sits in tension with all of these rules.

Library guide · Jurisdiction Strategy

Best Countries for a Family Office (2026)

The leading jurisdictions to base a family office, their entry thresholds and tax treatment, and what each one is actually best at.

Last updated 28 September 2026 · 5 min read

The leading jurisdictions for a family office in 2026 are Singapore, the UAE (DIFC and ADGM), Hong Kong, Switzerland and the United States. Singapore exempts qualifying fund income under its 13O and 13U schemes; the UAE offers common law free zones where the DIFC requires family net assets of 50 million dollars and ADGM 10 million; Hong Kong taxes eligible family vehicles at 0 percent above 240 million Hong Kong dollars. The best choice depends on where the family lives, where its assets sit and how much local substance it will build.

Key takeaways

Singapore: 13O and 13U exempt qualifying fund income. 13U requires 50 million Singapore dollars and three investment professionals; 13O requires two, and practitioner guides cite 20 million Singapore dollars for single family office funds.
UAE: the DIFC requires family net assets of at least 50 million dollars, ADGM at least 10 million since April 2026. Corporate tax is 0 percent up to 375,000 dirhams and 9 percent above, with 0 percent possible for qualifying free zone income.
Hong Kong: 0 percent profits tax for eligible family investment holding vehicles managing at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars, with two full time staff and 2 million Hong Kong dollars of local spending.
Switzerland and the US offer no family office incentive as such: Switzerland offers stability and negotiated lump sum taxation, the US a regulatory exclusion for single family offices.

Where to base a family office is one of the most consequential decisions a family makes. The honest answer is that no jurisdiction is best in general: each one is best at something specific, and each one now asks for real presence in exchange for its incentives. The table below sets out the numbers that decide most cases; for how many offices each region already hosts, see the Family Office Statistics 2026.

Thresholds and rates checked against regulator and practitioner sources on 28 September 2026. Rules change; confirm with local counsel before acting.

Jurisdiction	Main regime	Entry threshold	Tax on qualifying income	Substance required
Singapore	13O and 13U fund incentives	13U: 50 million Singapore dollars. 13O: 20 million cited for single family office funds	Exempt on specified income from designated investments	Two (13O) or three (13U) investment professionals; tiered local spending from 200,000 Singapore dollars
UAE, DIFC (Dubai)	Family Arrangements Regulations 2023	Family net assets of at least 50 million dollars	0 percent if Qualifying Free Zone Person, otherwise 9 percent above 375,000 dirhams	Real premises and activity in the free zone
UAE, ADGM (Abu Dhabi)	Single family office as a controlled activity	Family net assets of at least 10 million dollars (since 24 April 2026)	0 percent if Qualifying Free Zone Person, otherwise 9 percent above 375,000 dirhams	Real premises and activity in the free zone
Hong Kong	Family investment holding vehicle concession	At least 240 million Hong Kong dollars of qualifying assets	0 percent profits tax on qualifying transactions	Two full time employees and 2 million Hong Kong dollars of local spending
Switzerland	No specific regime; lump sum taxation for qualifying residents	None for the office; the forfait is negotiated with the canton	Ordinary Swiss taxation of the entity	Actual management in Switzerland
United States	Family office exclusion from adviser registration (SEC, 2011)	None	Ordinary federal and state taxation	Serve one family only to keep the exclusion

Where the tax benefit attaches

Sources: MAS, Hong Kong IRD, UAE Ministry of Finance. Simplified; each regime has further conditions.

Singapore

Singapore is the leading Asian hub. Its 13O and 13U schemes exempt specified income from designated investments, and the exemption attaches to the fund vehicle the family office manages, usually a variable capital company, rather than to the office itself. Since 1 January 2025 the conditions are stricter: 13U requires 50 million Singapore dollars and three investment professionals, at least one of them from outside the family; 13O requires two, and practitioner guides cite 20 million Singapore dollars for single family office funds, while the general commercial threshold is lower. Local business spending is tiered from 200,000 Singapore dollars a year. Singapore suits families ready to build a real team there.

The UAE: DIFC and ADGM

The UAE has become the main destination for relocating wealth. The DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi are common law free zones with their own courts and family office frameworks. The entry bars differ sharply: the DIFC requires family net assets of at least 50 million dollars, while ADGM set its threshold at 10 million dollars under rules in force since 24 April 2026. Tax is not automatically zero: UAE corporate tax is 0 percent up to 375,000 dirhams and 9 percent above, and a free zone family office reaches 0 percent on qualifying income only if it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions. A single family office does not need a financial services licence; a multi family office does.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong taxes eligible family investment holding vehicles at 0 percent on qualifying transactions, under a concession in force since 19 May 2023. The conditions are precise: at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars of qualifying assets managed by a single family office in Hong Kong, at least 95 percent family ownership, two full time employees and 2 million Hong Kong dollars of local spending a year (Inland Revenue Department).

Switzerland

Switzerland has no family office incentive as such. It offers stability, discretion, deep private banking and, for qualifying residents who do not work in Switzerland, lump sum taxation negotiated with the canton. It suits families who value permanence and banking depth over the newest incentive.

The United States

For families whose wealth, businesses and heirs are American, the US is often the natural home. A single family office can rely on the family office exclusion from investment adviser registration, adopted by the SEC in 2011, provided it serves one family only. There is no tax incentive, and the US taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live.

How to choose

Match the jurisdiction to reality: where the family lives, where its assets and businesses sit, how much local substance it will build, and what tax treatment it needs. The families who get this wrong chase a headline rate; those who get it right choose for fit and stability. For the two most frequent finalists compared line by line, see Dubai vs Singapore for a Family Office. See also Best Countries for Tax Residency.

Sources

Monetary Authority of Singapore, 13O and 13U fund tax incentive schemes, conditions revised from 1 January 2025; practitioner summaries (VCC Singapore, Raffles Corporate Services, VIVOS, 2026) on thresholds for single family office funds.
DIFC Family Arrangements Regulations 2023 (net asset threshold of 50 million dollars); ADGM Commercial Licensing Regulations (Conditions of Licence and Branch Registration) Rules 2026 (family net assets of 10 million dollars, in force 24 April 2026); UAE Federal Decree Law No. 47 of 2022 on corporate tax and Ministerial Decision No. 261 of 2024 on family foundations.
Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department, tax concessions for family owned investment holding vehicles, IRD (in force since 19 May 2023).
US Securities and Exchange Commission, family office rule 202(a)(11)(G)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (2011). See also Where Should a Family Office Live?

Frequently asked questions

What is the best country for a family office?: There is no single best country. Singapore and the UAE lead for internationally mobile families because both run dedicated family office regimes with tax exemptions and real substance rules. Hong Kong suits families focused on Asia with at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars to manage. Switzerland suits families who value stability and banking depth, and the United States suits families whose wealth and heirs are American.
What are the minimum assets for a family office in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Hong Kong?: In the DIFC in Dubai, the family must hold at least 50 million dollars in aggregate net assets. In ADGM in Abu Dhabi, the threshold is 10 million dollars of family net assets under rules in force since 24 April 2026. In Singapore, the 13U scheme requires 50 million Singapore dollars, and practitioner guides cite 20 million for single family office funds under 13O. In Hong Kong, the tax concession requires at least 240 million Hong Kong dollars of qualifying assets.
Is a Dubai family office tax free?: Not automatically. UAE corporate tax is 0 percent on the first 375,000 dirhams of taxable income and 9 percent above. A family office in the DIFC or ADGM can reach 0 percent on qualifying income only if it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions, including real substance. Family foundations can, under conditions, be treated as tax transparent.
Do you have to live in the country where your family office is based?: Not necessarily, but the regime will demand real local presence. Singapore requires resident investment professionals and minimum local spending, Hong Kong requires two full time employees and local expenditure, and UAE free zone tax treatment depends on substance. A purely virtual office sits in tension with all of these rules.

This guide is educational and general in nature. It does not constitute investment, legal, tax or financial advice.