Company Formation
Jurisdictions for company formation compared by setup cost, tax rate, residency requirements, and banking accessibility.
UK Private Limited Company (Ltd)
United Kingdom
Setup
$50
Tax Rate
25% (19% for profits under GBP 50,000; marginal relief between GBP 50,000–250,000)
Banking
moderate
US Delaware LLC
United States
Setup
$200
Tax Rate
0% at state level (no Delaware state income tax on out-of-state activity); federal tax depends on election (pass-through by default or C-Corp election)
Banking
moderate
US Wyoming LLC
United States
Setup
$100
Tax Rate
0% at state level (no Wyoming state income tax); federal tax depends on entity election
Banking
moderate
Estonia OÜ (Private Limited Company)
Estonia
Setup
$265
Tax Rate
0% on retained earnings; 20% on distributed profits (unique deferred distribution tax model)
Banking
difficult
Dubai DMCC Free Zone Company
United Arab Emirates
Setup
$8,500
Tax Rate
9% UAE Corporate Tax (effective June 2023) on taxable profits over AED 375,000; 0% for Qualifying Free Zone Persons meeting substance requirements
Banking
moderate
Dubai IFZA Free Zone Company
United Arab Emirates
Setup
$5,500
Tax Rate
9% UAE Corporate Tax on profits over AED 375,000; 0% for Qualifying Free Zone Persons on qualifying income
Banking
moderate
Singapore Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd)
Singapore
Setup
$400
Tax Rate
17% headline rate; effective rate often 8–10% due to startup tax exemptions (75% exemption on first SGD 100,000 for first 3 years)
Banking
moderate
Hong Kong Private Limited Company
Hong Kong
Setup
$500
Tax Rate
16.5% standard; 8.25% on first HKD 2 million of assessable profits (two-tiered regime)
Banking
difficult
BVI Business Company (BC)
British Virgin Islands
Setup
$2,000
Tax Rate
0% (no corporate income tax, capital gains tax, or withholding tax)
Banking
difficult
Cayman Islands LLC
Cayman Islands
Setup
$3,500
Tax Rate
0% (no corporate tax, income tax, capital gains tax, or withholding tax; 20-year tax exemption certificate available)
Banking
difficult
Portugal Lda (Sociedade por Quotas)
Portugal
Setup
$1,200
Tax Rate
21% standard IRC; 17% on first EUR 25,000 for SMEs; municipal surcharge up to 1.5%; RFAI and other incentives available
Banking
moderate
Georgia Individual Entrepreneur (IE) with Virtual Zone
Georgia
Setup
$50
Tax Rate
1% on turnover up to GEL 500,000/year (Small Business Status); 0% on IT/software exports for Virtual Zone Person status; standard rate 15% corporate + 5% dividend withholding
Banking
easy
Ireland Limited Company (Ltd)
Ireland
Setup
$350
Tax Rate
12.5%
Banking
moderate
Netherlands BV
Netherlands
Setup
$1,500
Tax Rate
19-25.8%
Banking
moderate
Cyprus Limited Company
Cyprus
Setup
$2,000
Tax Rate
12.5%
Banking
moderate
Malta Limited Company
Malta
Setup
$2,500
Tax Rate
5% effective (via refund system)
Banking
moderate
Seychelles IBC (International Business Company)
Seychelles
Setup
$700
Tax Rate
0% (offshore income)
Banking
difficult
Switzerland Aktiengesellschaft (AG)
Switzerland
Setup
$8,000
Tax Rate
11.85% to 21.0% effective combined federal + cantonal + communal (cantonal variation extreme — Zug 11.85%, Geneva 14%, Zürich 19.7%)
Banking
high
Luxembourg Société à Responsabilité Limitée (SARL)
Luxembourg
Setup
$4,500
Tax Rate
24.94% combined CIT + municipal business tax + solidarity surtax (Luxembourg City). Lower in some communes.
Banking
high
New Zealand Limited Company
New Zealand
Setup
$80
Tax Rate
28% flat
Banking
moderate
Australia Proprietary Limited Company (Pty Ltd)
Australia
Setup
$380
Tax Rate
25% for base rate entities (turnover < AUD 50M); 30% for larger companies
Banking
moderate
Canada Federal Corporation
Canada
Setup
$200
Tax Rate
15% federal + 8-16% provincial = ~23-31% combined depending on province (Ontario 26.5%, Alberta 23%, Quebec 26.5%)
Banking
moderate
Bulgaria EOOD (Single-Member LLC)
Bulgaria
Setup
$700
Tax Rate
10% flat (one of EU's lowest)
Banking
moderate