What to consider when registering a company in Ireland
(Updated 05/11/2021)
We are contacted by business people all over the world and one of the main questions is what to consider when registering a company in Ireland. Once your company is incorporated you will need to consider your future compliance. This article is a guide to bringing you through this. Many areas of this article will not apply to everyone as your compliance is different depending on your activity.
Company Formation
Forming a company is the first step to establishing yourself in Ireland. Once you process your information on our website we email you signature pages that you sign & return to us by email. The company will be incorporated usually within 3-5 working days. The process of incorporation is outlined in this article.
A Statutory Registered Office Address
On our company formation form you will indicate if you require your registered office at our address. Every company in Ireland is required to have a registered office within the state. This address is used for publics to contact the company and also for state bodies to contact the entity.
A Trading Address
A separate trading address is also required to be on the company formation documents. This is also known as a central point of administration where the work is carried out. As we operate two separate offices at 2 separate locations we can provide this second address to our clients.
Number of Officers
Each company in Ireland must have a minimum of 2 officers for a Limited Company, a Director and a Secretary. We can act as Nominee Secretary but not Director.
Shares
The most straight forward structure is to incorporate a company with 100 Issued shares valued at 1 each. These are then distributed to the members. You can incorporate with any value.
Tax Registration
Our Non-Resident and Premium Package include the registration for Corporation tax in Ireland and our Premium Pack only includes registration for VAT in Ireland. You will need to register for corporation tax if you have a transaction on your company bank account. VAT registration is more specialized and you will need to take advice from a tax advisor if you do not have Directors living within the state.
Company First Annual Return
A companies First annual return is made 6 months after incorporation. It is a statement of particulars of the company and is made to the Companies Registrations office. We include this in our Premium and Non-Resident Pack. It can also be purchased as an individual service. We will contact you to do this by email when it is due. Late fees apply and possible loss of Audit exemption if you are late with this return.
PPS numbers
Persona Public Service numbers are required for Directors in cases where they own more than 15% of the shares in a company. We can apply for these on request and the application is entirely remote. You are required to apply for these in person if you live in the state.
Register of beneficial Owners.
The Central Register of Beneficial Owners was put in place to improve corporate trust and transparency in Ireland and the EU. The main aim of the register is to deter money laundering and terrorist financing and to help sanction those who attempt to hide beneficial owners of legal entities for the purpose of illegal activity. Every company in Ireland is required to make a filing to the register to identify the Ultimate beneficial owners of the company.