International company formation

International company formation: choose a country

Eleven countries where our clients most often set up a company; each has a detailed page with taxes, timelines and documents.

In total we work in 50+ jurisdictions. If you are looking at Europe as a whole, see our catalogue on company formation in Europe, and a holding structure is best started with a free consultation on international structuring.

Your situation

Six situations clients most often bring to us, and the route we usually suggest.

What our international company formation service includes

International company formation covers the whole path from choosing a country to the first filed reports: you get a working company with tax numbers, prepared for the bank, and a calendar of obligations in two countries.

• Jurisdiction and legal form. We compare countries for your clients, payment flows and taxes, and calculate the burden in the company's country and in Ukraine under the CFC rules.
• Registration. We prepare the articles and founders' resolutions, arrange signing remotely, by power of attorney or before a notary, file with the register and answer its queries.
• Address and required representatives. Registered address, registered agent in the USA, resident agent in Panama, local contact person in Kenya, agent for official mail in Hungary.
• Beneficial ownership registers. We file details of the ultimate owners: PSC in the UK, CRBR in Poland, ISC in Canada and similar registers elsewhere.
• Tax numbers. Company tax number, EIN in the USA, VAT number where needed, corporate tax registration in the UAE.
• Bank readiness. We pick a bank or payment provider that fits the business profile, assemble the KYC package and support the compliance questions.
• Accounting and reporting. We keep the books and file reports in the company's country: accounting for a foreign company.
• Ukrainian CFC filings. We file the notice within 60 days and prepare the annual CFC report.
• Owner relocation. If you need a residence permit along with the company, we connect both routes: business relocation and residence permits.

When the business needs contracts, a licence or corporate changes after registration, we bring in legal support for international business. Licences are obtained through partners, and we remain responsible to you.

How long it takes to register a company abroad

Usually, in our experience, registering a company abroad takes 1 to 6 weeks, and the full launch with a bank account and tax numbers takes 3 weeks to 3 months. Timing depends on the case, its details, the authorities and force majeure.

Official register timelines cover only the review of a complete application. They exclude powers of attorney, apostille and translations, director verification, bank checks and answers to compliance queries. If you need the company by a certain date, for example to sign a contract, tell us at the start: we will choose the country and the order of steps around that date.

What international company formation costs depend on

We quote the cost of international company formation per case: it depends on the country, the structure and the scope of support after registration.

• jurisdiction and legal form, government fees and register charges;
• number of founders and structure levels, whether there is a holding or a corporate founder;
• whether you need a local address, agent, secretary or contact person;
• signing method: online, before a notary by power of attorney, or in person;
• the bank or payment provider and how deep its checks go;
• tax registrations: VAT, EIN, UAE corporate tax;
• accounting, audit and annual reporting, the CFC report in Ukraine;
• translations, apostille and certification of documents.

We give an estimate within one business day after a short description of the task. We work under a contract that fixes the scope of work and the timeline for each stage.

International company formation: how we work

The work runs in six stages: we need documents and decisions from you, and we do the rest.

1. Review of the task. Business, clients, payment flows and the owners' tax residence. We give an estimate within one business day.
2. Country and structure. We propose one or two jurisdictions and a legal form, and calculate taxes in the company's country and in Ukraine under the CFC rules.
3. Documents and KYC. We check the owners' documents before filing and arrange powers of attorney, apostille and translations.
4. Registration. We file with the register, obtain the certificate and tax numbers, and record the beneficial owners.
5. Bank account. We apply to a bank or payment institution and answer compliance questions together with you.
6. Accounting and CFC. We set up the bookkeeping, file the CFC notice and put deadlines for both countries in the calendar.

Documents needed to register a company abroad

To register a company abroad, each owner and director provides a passport, proof of address and information on the source of funds, and the future company needs a business description.

• international passport and Ukrainian taxpayer number (RNOKPP) for Ukrainian residents;
• proof of residential address: a bank statement or utility bill, usually no older than three months;
• KYC information: experience, other companies, politically exposed person status;
• business description: product or service, clients and countries, counterparties, expected turnover, website;
• proof of source of funds: income tax returns, bank statements, documents on the sale of a business or property;
• if the founder is a company: apostilled corporate documents and an ownership chart up to the individuals.

Some countries have their own requirements: a codice fiscale for founders in Italy, a KRA PIN for directors in Kenya, identity verification with Companies House in the UK. We arrange translations, apostille and certification ourselves, and give the exact list for the country and bank after reviewing the task.

Why banks refuse

Most often a bank refuses when the business model is unclear, there is no link to the country of registration, or the source of funds is not proven. Sanctions and PEP checks, inconsistencies between documents and an unclear tax residence of the owner add risk. We prepare the business profile, contracts and source-of-funds package before applying and match the owners' details across all documents. The decision to open an account is made by the bank.

Comparing jurisdictions for international company formation

The table helps narrow the choice to two or three countries; we make the final decision after calculating taxes in the company's country and in Ukraine. Rates as of September 2026.

Country and form	Corporate income tax, 2026	Remote registration	Bank and substance	Reporting
United Kingdom, LTD	19 percent on profit up to GBP 50,000, 25 percent above GBP 250,000, marginal relief in between	Yes; directors and PSCs complete Companies House identity verification	A UK address is required; traditional banks often expect a link between the business and the UK	Confirmation statement, annual accounts, CT600 return
USA, LLC or C-Corp	A single-member LLC is transparent for federal tax by default; C-Corp pays 21 percent plus state tax	Yes, including the EIN via Form SS-4	Traditional banks often ask for a visit; fintech providers work remotely	Foreign-owned single-member LLC: Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120, USD 25,000 penalty for not filing; state report or tax
UAE, free zone	0 up to AED 375,000, 9 percent above; 0 on qualifying free zone income if conditions are met	Registration is remote in many zones; visa and Emirates ID require a visit	The 0 rate requires substance in the free zone and audited IFRS accounts; the bank usually expects a visa and a meeting	Corporate tax return within 9 months after year end, licence renewal
Poland, sp. z o.o.	19 percent; 9 percent for small taxpayers with revenue up to EUR 2 million or in the first year of activity, except capital gains	Yes, by power of attorney before a notary or through S24	For VAT the tax office may ask for a lease agreement and evidence of activity	JPK_V7 monthly, CIT-8, annual financial statements to the KRS
Hungary, Kft	9 percent plus local business tax up to 2 percent; KIVA regime for small companies	Yes, a lawyer files with the court electronically; share capital HUF 3 million	The law allows bank identification by video call; the decision rests with the bank	Annual report and tax return by 31 May
Romania, SRL	1 percent of revenue for revenue up to EUR 100,000 and at least one employee, otherwise 16 percent	Yes, with an electronic signature or through a representative	A Romanian account is mandatory; a new company opens it within 60 business days	Annual financial statements by 31 May, VAT 21 percent
Bulgaria, EOOD	10 percent, dividends 5 percent	Yes, signing before a notary in your own country with an apostille	The bank often asks for the signatory to visit in person	Tax return by 30 June, financial statements to the register by 30 September
Italy, SRL	IRES 24 percent plus IRAP, standard rate 3.9 percent	Yes, by power of attorney or by video call with a notary	Founders need a codice fiscale and the company a PEC address; the bank checks owners in detail	Financial statements to the register in XBRL, Redditi SC and IRAP returns, e-invoicing
Canada, corporation	Under non-resident control: 15 percent federal, 26.5 percent combined in Ontario	Yes, online applications	A federal corporation needs at least 25 percent resident Canadian directors, Ontario has no such rule; banks often ask the director to visit	T2 return within 6 months after year end, annual return, ISC register
Panama, S.A.	25 percent on Panama-source income only; from 2027, 15 percent on foreign passive income of groups without substance	Yes, through a resident agent	On the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, so banks check more strictly; a Panamanian bank more often expects a visit	Accounting records to the agent by 30 April
Kenya, private company	30 percent	Yes; directors need a KRA PIN and there must be a contact person in Kenya	The bank may ask to meet the director	Monthly returns in iTax, including nil returns, annual filings with the BRS and KRA

Estonia, Cyprus, Singapore and other countries among our 50+ jurisdictions are reviewed on request; European options are collected on the page about company formation in Europe.

How Ukrainian CFC rules and CRS affect the choice

For a Ukrainian tax resident, any foreign company they control is a CFC (controlled foreign company): its profit is reported in Ukraine, and whether tax is due on it is decided by Article 39-2 of the Tax Code of Ukraine.

When CFC profit is exempt

Under clause 39-2.4.1, CFC profit is not taxed in Ukraine if two conditions are met at the same time:

• Ukraine has a double tax treaty or a tax information exchange agreement with the company's country;
• the company actually pays corporate income tax at an effective rate of at least 13 percent, that is, no more than 5 points below the Ukrainian base rate of 18 percent, or its passive income is no more than 50 percent of its total income.

Separately, under clause 39-2.4.2.1, profit is exempt if the total income of all CFCs of one owner does not exceed the equivalent of EUR 2 million at the end of the reporting period. The rates in Hungary, Bulgaria and the UAE and the Polish reduced 9 percent are below the 13 percent threshold, so for such companies the exemption is usually based on the share of passive income or on the EUR 2 million limit. Ukraine has no double tax treaty with Panama, so for a Panamanian company we first check the exemptions in clause 39-2.4.2.

What is filed in every case

• a notice of acquiring a stake or starting actual control, within 60 days;
• the CFC report, together with the annual tax return, with certified copies of the company's financial statements;
• during martial law, CFC penalties under clause 120.7 do not apply if all obligations are fulfilled within six months after it ends. Tax on the CFC profit still applies.

Ukraine signed the multilateral agreement on automatic exchange of financial account information under the CRS standard in 2022, with the first exchange planned for September 2024; the UAE, Panama and Kenya have also signed it. So we build the structure to be transparent from the start: information on foreign accounts may reach the State Tax Service of Ukraine. We prepare the CFC report together with the company's reporting: CFC: report and structure.

Corporate structure for a startup and a holding

One operating company is enough while the business has one main market, one or two owners and no outside investors; a holding is needed when there are several companies, intellectual property, partners or an investment round. For a product startup, the country, founder equity and IP are covered on our page where to incorporate a startup.

When one company is enough

A freelancer, agency or online store usually needs just one company in the country of its clients or payment provider. Accounting is simpler, the bank sees a clear structure, and one CFC report is filed in Ukraine.

Holding and operating companies

A holding keeps shares and intellectual property separate from operating risks, collects dividends in one place and lets partners come in at its level. Tax on dividends inside the structure depends on the double tax treaties between the countries. Under the CFC rules dividends count as passive income, so we check the exemption conditions for the holding before registration.

Delaware C-Corp or LLC

US venture funds usually invest in a Delaware C-Corp: it has share classes, well-developed corporate law and standard round documents. An LLC suits an owner-operated business, and funds rarely invest in one. Converting an LLC into a C-Corp is possible, but it takes a separate procedure and tax analysis, so we choose the form from the start to match the funding plan.

Options for the team

The option pool is usually created in the parent company where investors come in. For employees in Ukraine we calculate the taxes on receiving shares in advance.

We do not use nominee directors or shareholders in our structures: beneficial ownership registers and banks see the real owner, and the structure must hold up to that.

How to start

Describe your business, your clients and where the owners live, and we will reply within one business day with one or two suitable countries. You can start with a free 10-minute call.

Other services

Sources

Tax Code of Ukraine, Article 39-2 and paragraph 72 of subsection 10, section XX (version of 17.09.2026); GOV.UK: Corporation Tax rates and reliefs; GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House; IRS: Instructions for Form 5472; UAE Ministry of Finance: Corporate Tax; CRA: Corporation tax rates; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Poland, corporate income; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Romania, corporate income; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Italy, corporate income; OECD: CRS MCAA signatories and intended first exchange dates. Checked: 27.09.2026.