Setting Up A Company In Ireland: 2026 Guide

By Bébhinn Egan, 28^th September 2026

You set up a company in Ireland through the Companies Registration Office (CRO). The easiest route is to use a formation agent like Company Bureau who take care of the whole process on your behalf and most companies are incorporated within three to five working days. You need at least one director, a separate company secretary, an Irish registered office address, and either a director resident in the European Economic Area or a Section 137 bond.

That is the short version. The longer version matters, because the decisions taken in the first week (company type, share structure, who sits on the board, where the company is tax resident) are the ones that can be expensive to unpick later.

This guide sets out what you need, what it costs, how long it takes, and what lands in your compliance calendar the moment your certificate of incorporation is issued. It reflects the position in 2026, including the audit exemption reform that commenced in July 2025 and the PPSN and IPN requirements that now apply to every director named on a CRO filing.

Company Bureau has incorporated more than 40,000 companies since 1997 and files with the CRO every working day. What follows is the process as we actually run it, not a summary of the legislation.

What You Need to Set Up a Company in Ireland

Eight pieces of information incorporate an Irish company: a company name, a company type, a constitution, a registered office address, at least one director, a company secretary, your authorised and issued share capital, and your shareholders.

Get them straight before you file and the incorporation is administrative. Get one wrong and the CRO returns the submission, which is where most of the delay in Irish company formation actually comes from.

The requirement most people miss

Since June 2023 every named director  must supply a PPS number. A director without one applies for an Identified Person Number , which is verified by a commissioner for oaths in Ireland or a notary abroad. The CRO matches PPS numbers against Department of Social Protection records, and a mismatch means the form comes back. Our guide to the PPS number requirement sets out the process.

How Long Does It Take to Set Up a Company in Ireland?

Most Irish companies are incorporated within three to five working days. Add time if a director needs an Identified Person Number, or if your first choice of name is refused.

The CRO is fast by international standards. Nearly all of the variability sits before the filing, in getting director identification and the constitution right, and after it, in bank account opening.

If you need a company in place immediately, a ready-made Irish company can be transferred to you the same day. That is covered further down.

How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Company in Ireland?

Through Company Bureau, formation packages start at €249. Budget separately for ongoing filing, accounts and company secretarial costs.

Paper incorporation is no longer accepted, so every Irish company is now formed electronically through CORE. The published fee list is short, but the real cost of a company depends on which optional services you genuinely need.

The full breakdown by company type is on our company formation price list.

Step-by-Step: How to Register a Company in Ireland

Step 1: Choose and check your company name

Your name must be distinctive on the register. Similarity is judged on the whole name, so adding “Ireland”, “Group” or “Services” to an existing registration rarely rescues it. Certain words (bank, insurance, university, and anything implying state backing) need separate consent.

Check the name, the domain and the trade mark position together rather than in sequence. Discovering after incorporation that the matching .ie domain is taken is a common and entirely avoidable annoyance. Submit your preferred names for a free company name check and we will confirm whether the CRO is likely to accept them.

Step 2: Decide your company type

For most trading businesses this is an LTD. Choose a DAC if a lender, regulator or group parent requires a stated objects clause, a CLG if there is no share capital and no distributable profit, and a PLC only if you intend to offer shares to the public. The comparison table below covers the differences in detail.

Step 3: Appoint directors and a company secretary

An LTD can have a single director. Every other company type needs at least two. Directors must be at least 18, and no individual may hold more than 25 directorships at once.

At least one director must be resident in an EEA member state. If none is, you need a Section 137 non-EEA resident director bond. The test is residency, not citizenship: an Irish passport holder living in Dubai does not satisfy it, and neither does a UK resident, because the United Kingdom left the EEA on 31 December 2020.

Every Irish company must appoint a company secretary. Where an LTD has one director, the secretary has to be a separate person or a body corporate, because the same individual cannot sign a CRO form in both capacities. The secretary is responsible for the statutory registers, the annual return and the filings that keep the company in good standing, which is why many boards appoint a professional provider rather than a spouse or colleague.

Step 4: Sort PPS numbers and IPNs

Each director supplies a PPS number, or an Identified Person Number obtained through Form VIF. Start this early. A PPS application can take up to eight weeks, whereas an IPN is usually turned around far faster, which is why it is the standard route for non-resident directors.

Step 5: Set your registered office and correspondence address

The registered office is where legal documents are served and where your statutory registers are kept. It is a matter of public record, so home addresses appear on the register and stay searchable. Founders working from home, and anyone incorporating from abroad, generally use a professional registered office service so that CRO and Revenue correspondence is handled properly and privacy is preserved.

Step 6: Set your share capital and shareholders

There is no minimum share capital for an Irish LTD. The convention is 100,000 authorised shares of €1 each with 100 issued, which gives room to bring in investors later without a fresh authorisation. A PLC is the exception, requiring a minimum issued share capital of €25,000, at least a quarter of it paid up.

Think about the split now rather than later. A 50/50 shareholding between two founders with no shareholders’ agreement is the single most common structural problem we see brought to us for repair.

Step 7: File the submission and constitution

Once approved you receive your certificate of incorporation, which confirms the company’s legal existence and carries its company registration number. Most founders file through a company formation agent like Company Bureau, which takes the drafting, the identification checks and the CRO correspondence off the founder’s desk.

Your Certificate of Incorporation and Company Registration Number

Your company registration number (CRN) is the unique number the CRO assigns on incorporation. It is a numeric identifier of up to six or seven digits, it never changes, and it is not the same thing as your tax reference number or your VAT number.

Three numbers get confused constantly, so it is worth separating them:

• Company registration number: issued by the CRO on incorporation. Used for all company law filings.
• Tax reference number: issued by Revenue when you register for corporation tax.
• VAT number: issued separately, only once you register for VAT, and formatted IE1234567FA.Irish law requires the company name, registration number, registered office and the names of the directors to appear on business letters, order forms, websites and emails. This is one of the most commonly breached provisions of the Companies Act 2014 and one of the easiest to fix.

Which Type of Company Should You Set Up in Ireland?

The private company limited by shares (LTD) suits the overwhelming majority of trading businesses. The other four types exist for specific reasons: a required objects clause, no share capital, a public listing, or a preference for unlimited liability in exchange for privacy.

Two points that are frequently reported incorrectly. First, the DAC is the closest modern equivalent to the pre-2014 private limited company, which is why so many older companies converted into DACs rather than LTDs. Our note on the difference between an LTD and a DAC goes into the detail. Second, the old rule that unlimited companies never file public accounts no longer holds in general terms: since the Companies (Accounting) Act 2017, designated ULCs, broadly those with limited liability somewhere in the ownership chain, are required to file financial statements. Full descriptions of each structure sit on our Irish company types page, alongside dedicated guides to the PLC and the CLG.

LTD, LLC, GmbH: what the Irish equivalent actually is

Overseas founders often arrive looking for a structure Irish law does not have. The translations that matter:

• UK private limited company: the Irish LTD is a near-direct equivalent, with the important difference that a UK-resident director no longer satisfies the EEA residency rule.
• German GmbH, Dutch BV, French SARL: the LTD is the closest equivalent in each case, though Ireland imposes no minimum capital requirement.
• US LLC: there is no LLC in Irish law. The LTD is the nearest structure, but it is taxed as a company in its own right rather than as a pass-through, so check the US treatment before you incorporate.
• Articles of incorporation: the Irish equivalent is the constitution, filed with the Form A1. Our guide explains what your company constitution should contain.

Sole Trader or Limited Company?

We advise clients to register as a sole trader if you are testing an idea with modest profits and no meaningful liability exposure. Most founders opt to file as an LTD instead.

The tax difference is the one that decides it for most people. A sole trader pays income tax on every euro of profit whether or not it is drawn from the business. A company pays 12.5% on retained trading profits, so earnings you reinvest are taxed considerably more lightly. Our detailed comparison of the differences between a sole trader and a limited company works through the numbers, and if a trading name is all you need for now you can start with business name registration or read how to register as a sole trader in Ireland.

Pros and Cons of Setting Up a Limited Company in Ireland

Setting Up an Irish Company as a Non-Resident

You do not need to live in Ireland, hold an Irish passport or visit the country to own or direct an Irish company. You do need an Irish registered office, and either an EEA-resident director or a Section 137 bond.

A significant share of Irish incorporations involve at least one non-resident officer, and the process runs entirely remotely. Three points decide how straightforward it will be: director residency, identification, and where the company is tax resident.

Setting up an Irish company from the UK

The complication for British founders is residency. The United Kingdom left the EEA on 31 December 2020, so a UK-resident director no longer satisfies the EEA director requirement. A UK-owned Irish company with only UK-resident directors therefore needs a Section 137 bond, or an EEA-resident appointment to the board.

Beyond that, the mechanics are familiar. An Irish LTD works much like a UK Ltd, with a single-document constitution instead of memorandum and articles, an annual return to the CRO instead of a confirmation statement, and a company registration number that is numeric rather than alphanumeric. Many UK groups use an Irish company to retain EU market access, either as a subsidiary or as a branch. The branch versus subsidiary comparison is worth reading before you choose.

Northern Ireland and cross-border trading

An Irish company does not receive a Northern Ireland registration number automatically. The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are separate company law jurisdictions: the CRO registers companies in the State, and Companies House in Belfast registers companies in Northern Ireland.

If your ROI company needs a presence north of the border, you have two options. You can register a UK establishment (a branch) with Companies House, which issues a separate establishment number prefixed BR, or you can incorporate a distinct Northern Ireland company. A branch is lighter to run and keeps a single legal entity. A separate company gives cleaner liability separation and a local identity, which some public sector tenders effectively require. Selling into Northern Ireland from Dublin without any local establishment is perfectly legal and needs no NI number at all, though it does raise VAT questions worth resolving before you invoice. We also handle UK company formation where a full British entity is the better answer.

US, Asian and other non-EEA founders

An individual of any nationality can own and direct an Irish private company. In practice a US founder incorporating in Ireland needs three things arranged in advance: an Identified Person Number for each director without a PPS number, a Section 137 bond unless an EEA-resident director is appointed, and an Irish registered office. Formation itself still completes in three to five working days once those are in place. Our page on starting a company in Ireland for non-residents and our note on the requirements for non-resident directors cover the sequence.

Where will the company be tax resident?

This is the question that catches people out. An Irish-incorporated company is generally treated as Irish tax resident, but a company managed entirely from abroad can also be resident in that other country under its domestic law and under the relevant treaty. Tax residence follows central management and control, which means where board decisions are genuinely taken, not where the certificate of incorporation sits in a drawer.

If the 12.5% rate is part of your reasoning, build real substance: hold board meetings in Ireland, appoint decision-makers who are actually here, and keep records that show it. Take advice before you incorporate rather than after your first CT1 is filed.

Why Set Up a Company in Ireland?

Ireland combines a 12.5% trading rate with full EU single market membership, an English-speaking common law system, and one of the most generous R&D credit regimes in Europe at 35%. It is the only English-speaking common law jurisdiction inside the EU.

Corporation tax, and when it is not 12.5%

The headline rate is 12.5% on trading profits. Two qualifications matter. Passive and non-trading income, including rental income, most foreign dividends and interest, is charged at 25%. And multinational groups with consolidated revenue of €750 million or more have been subject to a 15% minimum effective rate since 1 January 2024 under the OECD Pillar Two rules. For an owner-managed Irish company, 12.5% on trading profits is the rate that applies. Our guide to Ireland’s corporation tax rates, exemptions and compliance works through the boundaries.

Full access to the EU single market

An Irish company is an EU company. It trades across a market of roughly 450 million consumers without customs formalities, sells services across borders under the freedom to provide services, and can use its Irish VAT registration for intra-community supplies. Since Brexit this has been the principal reason British and American groups establish an Irish entity: it is the straightforward route to keeping an EU footprint with English-language documentation and a common law legal system behind it.

R&D, intellectual property and manufacturing incentives

Ireland’s research and development tax credit rose to 35% in Budget 2026, up from 30%, with the first-year payable instalment threshold increasing to €87,500. The credit is repayable in cash, which matters for pre-profit companies, and it sits on top of the standard deduction for the same expenditure. The R&D tax credit guide explains what qualifies.

For companies commercialising intellectual property, the Knowledge Development Box applies an effective 10% rate to profits from qualifying assets. Manufacturers weighing an Irish plant typically model three things together: the 12.5% trading rate, the 35% R&D credit on process and product development, and IDA Ireland grant support, which is negotiated separately and is not a tax measure.

Common law, English language, skilled workforce

Contracts, case law and regulatory correspondence are in English, and the legal system is common law, so UK and US counsel can read an Irish contract without translation or a change of legal framework. The workforce is concentrated in exactly the sectors that tend to incorporate here: technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, financial services and aviation leasing.

Registering for Tax and Your First Revenue Deadlines

Register for corporation tax within 30 days of starting to trade. Register for VAT before you exceed €42,500 for services or €85,000 for goods in any 12-month period. Register for PAYE before you pay your first employee.

Corporation tax

Registration is made through Revenue Online Service using Form TR2 (or TR2(FT) for a foreign company). Your CT1 return is due by the 23rd day of the ninth month after your accounting period ends, filed with any balance of tax. Preliminary tax is payable earlier, and small companies (those with a prior-year liability of €200,000 or less) can base it on 100% of the previous year’s liability, which removes the guesswork.

VAT

The registration thresholds are €42,500 for services and €85,000 for goods, measured over any rolling 12-month period. The standard rate is 23%, with reduced rates of 13.5% and 9% and a zero rate for certain supplies. Register early if you sell to VAT-registered businesses, because reclaiming input VAT on set-up costs usually outweighs the administration. Note that a trader not established in the State has no threshold at all: the obligation begins with the first taxable supply. Our VAT registration guide covers the process, and be aware that Revenue looks for evidence of genuine Irish trading activity before granting a number to a company with no local presence.

PAYE, PRSI and pension auto-enrolment

Register for PAYE before your first payroll run, including where the only employee is a working director. Payroll is reported to Revenue in real time on or before each payment date. From 2026, employers must also enrol eligible employees in the auto-enrolment scheme, My Future Fund, where those employees are not already in a qualifying occupational pension. Factor the employer contribution into your payroll budget from the outset.

Start-up relief for new companies

Section 486C relief can reduce a new trading company’s corporation tax to nil for its first five years. Full relief applies where the annual corporation tax liability is €40,000 or less, with marginal relief up to €60,000. The relief is capped by the employer PRSI you actually pay, at €5,000 per employee and €40,000 in total, so it is designed to reward companies that create jobs. Financial services, land dealing, mineral extraction and certain agricultural activities are excluded.

Legitimate Ways to Reduce a Limited Company’s Tax Bill

The reliefs below are ordinary features of the Irish code, not aggressive planning. Each has conditions, so treat this as a checklist to raise with your accountant rather than a set of instructions.

• Employer pension contributions. Generally deductible for the company and not treated as a benefit in kind for the director, making this the most efficient route for extracting value from a profitable company.
• Section 486C start-up relief. Up to five years at nil corporation tax for qualifying new trades.
• R&D tax credit at 35%. Repayable in cash, and far broader than laboratory research. Process improvement and software development frequently qualify.
• Knowledge Development Box. An effective 10% rate on profits from qualifying intellectual property.
• Capital allowances. Plant and machinery written down at 12.5% a year over eight years, with accelerated allowances for energy-efficient equipment.
• The small benefit exemption. Non-cash awards to employees and directors up to the annual limit, free of tax, PRSI and USC.
• Directors’ expenses. Civil service mileage and subsistence rates, reimbursed properly and documented, are not taxable.Retaining profit inside a company to enjoy the 12.5% rate works only until you want the money personally. Extraction is taxed as income, so the decision is about timing and pension planning rather than avoidance. Companies that ignore this end up with a large cash balance and a surcharge problem on undistributed investment income.

Opening a Business Bank Account in Ireland

You do not need an Irish bank account to incorporate. You will need one to trade. Expect two to six weeks, and expect anti-money-laundering checks to be the slow part, particularly where directors live outside Ireland.

Banks generally ask for the certificate of incorporation, the constitution, photo identification and proof of address for every director and beneficial owner, evidence of the company’s trading activity, and an outline of expected turnover and payment flows. Some pillar banks still expect an in-person meeting.

Electronic money institutions and digital business accounts have become the practical default for smaller and non-resident companies, opening in days rather than weeks and supporting multi-currency balances. The trade-off is that they are not always accepted for merchant services or lending applications. Our comparison of the business bank account options in Ireland sets out which suits which model. If your business bills in sterling or dollars, a multi-currency account will save more in foreign exchange margin than most people expect.

How to Keep an Irish Company Compliant

Four obligations keep a company in good standing: file the annual return within 56 days of the Annual Return Date, file the RBO beneficial ownership return within five months of incorporation, maintain the statutory registers at the registered office, and keep accounting records for six years.

Compliance is where most avoidable damage happens. Not because the rules are complicated, but because the deadlines are unfamiliar in the first year and nobody sends a reminder.

The annual return, and the deadline everyone misreads

Your first Annual Return Date falls exactly six months after incorporation, and you then have 56 days to file. The first return is a “no accounts” return: you confirm the company’s details and nothing more. Financial statements are required from the second annual return onwards, and they must cover a period ending no more than nine months before the ARD.

The ARD is when the filing window opens, not the deadline itself. Missing the 56-day window triggers an automatic €100 penalty, then €3 for every further day, capped at €1,200 per return. Our annual return filing service exists largely because that distinction costs Irish companies a lot of money every year.

Audit exemption: what changed in July 2025

Filing an annual return late used to cost a small company its audit exemption immediately, for two years. Since 16 July 2025 the position is a two-step one: a first late filing no longer removes the exemption, but a second late filing within a five-year period does. It is a meaningful softening, and it is not an invitation to file late. An audit costs several multiples of the penalty that triggered it.

Register of Beneficial Ownership

Every Irish company must file details of its beneficial owners, the individuals who ultimately own or control more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, with the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership within five months of incorporation. Where no such individual can be identified, the senior managing officials are entered instead. This is a separate register from the CRO, with its own deadline, and it is the filing new companies forget most often. Our RBO filing service handles it alongside incorporation.

Statutory registers and records

Companies must maintain their statutory registers, including registers of members, directors and secretaries, directors’ interests and beneficial owners, at the registered office and available for inspection. There are seven statutory registers every Irish company must keep, and a full list of the mandatory company filings is worth keeping to hand. Accounting records must be retained for six years and be sufficient to explain the company’s transactions and show its financial position at any time.

Directors’ duties

Directors carry eight fiduciary duties codified in the Companies Act 2014, including acting in good faith in the company’s interests, exercising due care and skill, and avoiding conflicts. Directors of larger companies must also make an annual compliance statement. These duties are personal, they survive resignation for matters arising during the appointment, and they are enforced. Ongoing corporate secretarial support is how most boards keep on top of them without it consuming management time.

Common Mistakes When Setting Up a Company in Ireland

• Treating the first annual return as optional. It falls six months after incorporation, long before you have anything to report, and it is the single most missed deadline in the first year.
• Forgetting the RBO. Separate register, separate deadline, five months, easily overlooked.
• Assuming a UK-resident director satisfies the EEA rule. It has not since 31 December 2020.
• Leaving PPS numbers to the last minute. A PPS application can take eight weeks. An IPN takes far less.
• Issuing 50/50 shares with no shareholders’ agreement. Cheap to fix on day one, expensive during a dispute.
• Using a home address as the registered office without thinking it through. It becomes permanently searchable public record.
• Incorporating in Ireland for the tax rate with no substance behind it. Tax residence follows central management and control, and Revenue does look.
• Mixing personal and company money. It complicates the accounts, creates a director’s loan account problem, and weakens the separation that limited liability depends on.

Ready-Made Companies: The Faster Route

A ready-made or shelf company is an Irish company already incorporated and never traded, which can be transferred to you the same day. It suits contracts, tenders or bank facilities that need a company registration number immediately.

The trade-off is a fixed name and an existing incorporation date, and you still need to complete the officer and shareholder changes, appoint the directors you actually want, and put an EEA-resident director or Section 137 bond in place. For most founders a new incorporation in three to five working days is the better answer. Where a deadline will not wait, our ready-made Irish companies are available off the shelf.

How to Choose a Company Formation Agent in Ireland

Formation is the easy part. What separates providers is what happens in the two years afterwards, when the annual return, the RBO filing and the officer changes fall due. Five things worth checking:

• TCSP authorisation. Trust or company service providers must be authorised by the Department of Justice. Ask for the reference number. Company Bureau’s is APP/627/2010.
• Professional body membership. Chartered Governance Institute membership indicates qualified company secretarial staff rather than a form-filling service.
• What the price actually includes. Confirm that the CRO fee, VAT, the constitution, the share certificates and the first minutes are all in the quoted figure.
• Whether compliance is covered after formation. A provider who files the A1 and then goes quiet leaves you to discover the six-month ARD on your own.
• Non-resident experience. Section 137 bonds, IPNs and tax residence questions need a provider who handles them routinely.Company Bureau has been forming Irish companies since 1997, has incorporated over 40,000 of them, holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating across more than 200 Trustpilot and Google reviews, and was named a winner at the SFA National Small Business Awards 2026. Our full range of Irish company formation services covers every structure, and it is worth reviewing what a formation package includes before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a non-resident set up a company in Ireland?

Yes. There is no residency or nationality requirement to own or direct an Irish company. You need an Irish registered office and either a director resident in the EEA or a Section 137 bond. The process is completed remotely and you never need to travel to Ireland.

What is the minimum share capital for an Irish limited company?

There is no minimum share capital for an LTD. Most companies are formed with 100,000 authorised shares of €1 and 100 issued. Only a PLC has a statutory minimum, at €25,000 issued with at least a quarter paid up.

Can one person set up a company in Ireland?

Yes. An LTD can have a single director and a single shareholder, and the same person can be both. It must still appoint a company secretary, and where there is only one director that secretary has to be a different person or a body corporate.

Is Ireland in the EU?

Yes. Ireland has been a member of the European Union since 1973 and uses the euro. It is also in the EEA. Since Brexit, Ireland is the only English-speaking common law jurisdiction remaining in the EU, which is why so many UK and US businesses incorporate here.

Do I need an Irish bank account to register a company?

No. A bank account is not required for incorporation. You will need one to trade, and it is usually the slowest step, so start the application as soon as your certificate of incorporation issues.

How much does it cost to run an Irish company each year?

The unavoidable CRO cost is the €20 annual return fee. Beyond that, budget for accounts preparation and company secretarial support, and add a registered office service if you are not using your own premises.

Can I set up a holding company in Ireland?

Yes, and it is a common structure. Ireland’s participation exemption for foreign dividends, its capital gains participation exemption on qualifying share disposals, and its extensive treaty network make it an established holding company location. Budget 2026 widened the dividend participation exemption and reduced the residency requirement from five years to three. See our guide to setting up a holding company in Ireland.

What happens if I file my annual return late?

A €100 penalty applies from the day after the deadline, then €3 for each additional day, capped at €1,200 per return. Since 16 July 2025, a first late filing no longer costs you audit exemption, but a second late filing within five years does.

Do I need to appoint an accountant?

There is no legal requirement to appoint one, but companies must file financial statements prepared to the standard set by the Companies Act 2014, and most directors engage an accountant to prepare them. We can introduce you to accountants who work with companies at your stage.

Is Ireland a tax haven?

No. Ireland applies a standard 12.5% corporation tax rate to trading profits and 25% to passive income, it has implemented the OECD Pillar Two 15% minimum rate for large groups, and it participates in the international exchange of tax information. What Ireland offers is a low headline rate applied transparently, not secrecy or a zero rate.

Can I change my company name after incorporation?

Yes, by special resolution of the members and a filing with the CRO. The company registration number stays the same, so contracts, bank mandates and Revenue registrations follow the company rather than the name.

Should I set up a branch or a subsidiary in Ireland?

A branch is an extension of the foreign company, so the parent carries the liability and files the parent’s accounts in Ireland. A subsidiary is a separate Irish company with its own limited liability and its own tax position. Most groups establishing a real Irish presence choose a subsidiary. Our branch versus subsidiary guide compares them properly.

Ready to set up your company in Ireland? Order a company online in minutes or contact our formations team for expert guidance through every step of the incorporation process.

Disclaimer: This article is for guidance purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice. No liability is accepted by Company Bureau for any action taken or not taken in reliance on the information set out in this article. Professional or legal advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from any action as a result of this article. Any and all information is subject to change.