RMI DAO LLC Registration & Compliance#
Real compliance is a feature of the Marshall Islands DAO LLC, not a tax on it: KYC/KYB, sanctions screening, and beneficial-ownership reporting are why banks, exchanges, and counterparties take DAO LLC documents seriously. This page is the starting point for what MIDAO will ask of you — at registration and each year after — and what happens to the information you provide.
Compliance checks are not meant to make DAO formation difficult. They protect your DAO LLC, MIDAO, the Marshall Islands registry, counterparties such as banks and exchanges, and the wider ecosystem from misuse for fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, terrorist financing, or other unlawful activity.
MIDAO is not a law firm and does not provide legal, tax, securities, banking, or regulatory advice. Clients remain responsible for obtaining advice in the Marshall Islands and in any country where their founders, members, tokenholders, users, service providers, or operations are located. Please see our full Legal Disclaimer.
Registration Process#
The registration process — from signing your service agreement to receiving your charter — is guided step by step through MIDAO's onboarding portal and typically takes about 30 days. See the full walkthrough:
You can also watch our short onboarding portal video walkthrough (opens in new tab).
What Information Clients Provide#
Be ready to provide identity information and proof of address for the relevant individuals, entity documents for any legal-entity participants, beneficial ownership or control information, the DAO LLC's purpose and expected activities, source and use of funds, and — where relevant — information needed to understand your token, treasury, smart contract, or governance arrangements. Who exactly must complete KYC/KYB, and how the process works, is covered on the KYC/KYB and Beneficial Ownership Reporting page.
Sanctions and Screening#
MIDAO screens relevant persons and entities against applicable sanctions and risk lists, and may decline, pause, or request more information where sanctions or other compliance concerns arise. See KYC/KYB and Beneficial Ownership Reporting for the specifics, including restricted jurisdictions.
Staying Compliant After Formation#
After formation, a DAO LLC keeps its filed information current: file annual filings on time, update the Beneficial Owner Information Report (BOIR) when ownership or control changes, maintain a valid Representative Agent, keep the current Operating Agreement on file, and ensure the DAO LLC's activities remain lawful in the Marshall Islands and other relevant jurisdictions.
When MIDAO May Ask for More Information#
MIDAO may request additional information where a DAO LLC has complex ownership, anonymous or token-based governance, connections to high-risk jurisdictions, unusual treasury activity, use of mixers or privacy tools, links to regulated financial activity, adverse media, sanctions exposure, or unclear source or use of funds. This is a normal part of risk-based compliance — knowing it up front means it won't come as a surprise.
What's Public and What Isn't#
The public registry lets anyone verify that a DAO LLC exists and is registered. KYC/KYB and BOIR information is not public and is never published; MIDAO may share information as required or permitted by applicable law, including in response to valid requests from courts, law enforcement, regulators, supervisors, or other competent authorities. See Public Registry & Certified Documents.
Activities That May Need Separate Licensing or Legal Advice#
A DAO LLC should obtain qualified legal advice before operating an exchange, custody service, money transmission or payment service, lending service, an investment business handling assets of others or raising from outside investors, a token sale with economic rights, or a real-world-asset structure — these may be restricted or require licensing in the Marshall Islands or other jurisdictions. See Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), Tokens & Securities Laws, DAO LLCs as Investment Companies, and When to Consult a Lawyer.