You have the business idea, maybe even paying customers, and you have decided a company is the right next move. Then you open the CRO website and the jargon starts. Constitutions, Form A1, DACs, share capital. It is a lot to absorb when all you really want to do is start trading.
Here is the good news: registering a company in Ireland is cheaper and faster than most people expect. The filing fee is small and the whole process happens online. The part people get wrong is not the paperwork. It is the decisions they rush before the paperwork, starting with the company type.
This step-by-step guide walks through company incorporation in order: choosing a structure, naming it, appointing the right people, filing with the Companies Registration Office and handling the registrations that follow.
Which company type should you choose in Ireland?
Irish company law, principally the Companies Act 2014, sets out the structures available. The company structure you pick affects governance, reporting, fundraising and how much admin you carry every year, so it deserves more than five minutes of thought.
|
Company type |
Best suited to |
Key features |
|
Private company limited by shares (LTD) |
Most trading businesses and startups |
Limited liability, one director allowed, no objects clause, flexible constitution |
|
Designated activity company (DAC) |
Regulated activities, joint ventures, some financial businesses |
Must state its objects, minimum two directors, can be limited by shares or by guarantee |
|
Company limited by guarantee (CLG) |
Charities, clubs, management companies, non-profits |
No share capital, members guarantee a small amount, suits organisations that do not distribute profit |
|
Unlimited company (UC) |
Niche cases, often privacy or group structures |
No liability shield for members, rarely the right call for a new trading business |
Most new companies in Ireland are private limited companies, and for a reason. A private company limited by shares gives you limited liability, lets a single person own and direct the business, and skips the objects clause that restricts what a DAC can do. If you plan to raise investment later, the LTD share structure handles that too.
The CLG matters if you are forming a non-profit. With no share capital to issue, members instead guarantee a token sum if the company is wound up. The designated activity company sits between the two and only earns its keep where a regulator or lender insists on a stated purpose.
Is a limited company better than staying a sole trader?
Not always, and it is worth being honest about that before you spend money on company formation. The cheapest way to set up a business in Ireland is to remain a sole trader: register with Revenue, invoice away, done. No annual return, no public filings.
Limited companies earn their keep when the numbers and the risk grow. Limited liability separates your house from your business debts, and the 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate beats income tax rates once you are leaving profit in the business. Some customers, particularly larger firms, simply prefer dealing with companies.
The trade-off is admin. Limited companies file annual returns with financial statements, maintain statutory registers and put directors under legal duties a sole trader never thinks about. If you do incorporate, plan how you will take money out from day one; our guide to paying yourself from a limited company covers salary versus dividends.
How do you choose a company name?
Your company name must be distinctive. The CRO will refuse names that are identical or too similar to one already on the register, names that are offensive, and names that suggest state sponsorship. Certain words, like "bank" or "insurance", need prior approval from the relevant regulator.
A few practical steps save weeks of delay:
- Prepare two or three name options before you file, in case your first choice is refused.
- Run each option through the company search on CORE, the CRO's online portal, before committing.
- Check the domain name and social handles at the same time. A name you cannot use online is a headache later.
One distinction trips people up constantly: your registered company name and your trading name can be different things. If the company trades under any other name, you must register your business name separately with the CRO. Our explainer on trading names in Ireland covers when that applies.
Who do you need: directors, a company secretary and shareholders?
Every Irish company must have at least one director, and at least one director must be resident in the European Economic Area. No EEA-resident director? You can still incorporate, but the company must put a Section 137 insurance bond in place instead, details of which are on cro.ie.
You must have a company secretary as well, the person responsible for filings, minutes and the statutory registers. Here is the catch for one-person businesses: if your company has only one director, the secretary must be a different person or a corporate body. Plenty of founders hand this role to a professional provider; our company secretarial service exists for exactly that reason.
Then there are shareholders. For an LTD, you decide the share capital when you incorporate, often something simple like 100 ordinary shares of one euro each. Going into business with someone else? Agree the ownership split and what happens if one of you wants out before you file anything.
What documents do you need for company registration?
Company registration in Ireland runs through one application. To file it you need:
- A completed Form A1, which captures the company name, type, directors, secretary, share capital and subscribers.
- A constitution. For an LTD this is a short single document; a DAC or CLG constitution includes a memorandum with an objects clause, so it takes more drafting care.
- A registered office address in Ireland. This is where official correspondence lands, and it must be a physical address, not a PO box.
- A description of the principal activity and its NACE code.
Accuracy matters more than speed here. A mistyped director detail or a vague activity description generates a CRO query, and every query adds days.
How do you actually register a company in Ireland, and how long does it take?
You file the Form A1 and constitution through core.cro.ie, and the filing fee is 50 euro for the online route. The Companies Registration Office publishes the full requirements, and a clean online application is typically processed within around five working days. Name issues or incomplete forms stretch that considerably.
Should you do it yourself or pay someone? Filing directly is perfectly doable for a standard LTD. An agent or accountant earns their fee when the structure is unusual or there are non-resident directors. Once the certificate arrives, the company is incorporated and legally exists. That is when the second half of the work starts.
What must you do after the company is incorporated?
The certificate of incorporation is not the finish line. A new company picks up a string of obligations immediately, and the deadlines are not generous:
- Beneficial ownership. You must register the company's beneficial owners with the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership within five months of incorporation.
- Corporation Tax. The company must register for Corporation Tax with Revenue within four weeks of starting to trade. This is done on the TR2 form, and we have a separate walkthrough on filling out the TR2.
- VAT. Not every new business needs it from day one. Check the current VAT thresholds before you register for VAT, because registering early creates filing obligations you might not need yet.
- Payroll. Hiring anyone, including paying yourself a salary as a director, means you register as an employer for PAYE with Revenue.
- Annual returns. Every company files a B1 annual return with the CRO each year, with financial statements attached after the first return. Miss the deadline and you lose the audit exemption, which is an expensive mistake. Year-end accounts and the B1 go hand in hand.
- Company seal. Every company needs a company seal for executing certain documents. It takes minutes to order, yet it is the item founders most often forget.
Worth knowing too: the Local Enterprise Offices offer mentoring and small grants for early-stage businesses, and Enterprise Ireland supports companies with export ambitions. Citizens Information also keeps a solid plain-English guide to starting a business in Ireland that covers the wider non-company steps.
What do people ask most about setting up a company in Ireland?
How much does it cost to set up a company in Ireland?
The CRO fee is 50 euro for an online Form A1 filing. Formation agents and accountants typically charge somewhere between 200 and 400 euro on top for a standard LTD. Budget separately for the ongoing costs: accounting, the annual return and a registered office service if you need one.
How long does it take to set up a company in Ireland?
A complete, accurate online application is usually processed in around five working days. Name refusals, missing signatures or CRO queries are what push it into weeks, so the best way to speed things up is to have your constitution, officer details and registered office sorted before filing.
Can a non-resident set up a company in Ireland?
Yes. There is no residency requirement for shareholders, and a non-resident can be a director. The company needs either one EEA-resident director or a Section 137 bond, plus a registered office in the state. Cross-border setups have tax wrinkles, so take advice first.
Is there a minimum turnover for a limited company?
No. There is no minimum turnover, and no minimum paid-up share capital for an LTD either. You can incorporate with one euro of issued shares and zero revenue, though the B1 and Corporation Tax filings apply regardless of size.
Can one person set up a limited company in Ireland?
Yes. A single person can be the sole shareholder and sole director of an LTD. The only extra requirement is that someone else, a person or a corporate provider, acts as company secretary.
Ready to set up your company in Ireland?
Incorporation is a week of admin; running the company well is the long game. We help founders pick the right structure, handle the CRO filings, register for the right taxes and keep the books clean from month one. If you want the setup done properly without losing days to forms, book a consultation and get in touch today.
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Speak to a qualified accountant about your specific circumstances before acting on anything covered here.