Company formationEuropeIrish company formation for EU trading businesses
An Irish private company limited by shares (LTD) is an EU company taxed at 12.5% on trading profits. Non-trading income such as most investment or rental income is taxed at 25%. The 15% Pillar Two minimum tax applies only to groups with consolidated revenue of EUR 750 million or more, not to typical owner-managed companies.
Updated
Every Irish company needs at least one director resident in an EEA state. Since Brexit a UK-resident director does not count. If no director is EEA-resident, the company needs a Section 137 non-resident director bond of EUR 25,000, which must be in place before incorporation is filed. A Section 140 certificate exempts companies with a real and continuous economic link to Ireland, but in practice it is applied for after incorporation, once that activity exists.
Dividends to shareholders abroad can often be paid without Irish withholding tax, depending on where the shareholder lives. We check this for each client before incorporation.
Redomiciled coordinates formation with a licensed Irish partner, including an EEA-resident director where the owners live outside the EEA.
Who it suits
Founders selling into the EU
You need an EU contracting entity that banks, EMIs and customers accept without questions.
UK founders after Brexit
You want an EU company in the same language and a similar legal system.
Trading and services businesses
Your profits come from an active trade, so the 12.5% rate applies.
Groups building EU substance
You will hire, contract or manage from Ireland over time.
Requirements
- Required
Registered office in Ireland
The statutory address filed with the Companies Registration Office (CRO).
- Required
One EEA-resident director or a Section 137 bond
An alternate director does not satisfy the rule.
- Required
Company secretary
Every Irish company appoints one; it can be a corporate service provider.
- Required
Beneficial ownership filing
Owners are recorded in the Register of Beneficial Ownership.
- Required
Annual return and tax filings
Filed each year with the CRO and Revenue.
- Depends on your case
Section 140 certificate
Replaces the bond once the company shows a real and continuous economic link with Ireland.
Documents
- Constitution of the companyFiled with the CRO at incorporation.
- Identity and address proofsFor directors, secretary, shareholders and beneficial owners.
- Section 137 bond certificateWhere no director is EEA-resident.
- Business description and expected flowsBanks and EMIs use it to assess the activity.
- DWT exemption declarationsFor shareholders who qualify, filed before the first dividend.
Timeline
- 1Structure reviewShareholders, directors and the dividend position checked before anything is filed.
- 2Director solutionAppoint an EEA-resident director or arrange the Section 137 bond.
- 3IncorporationConstitution and Form A1 filed with the CRO.
- 4Tax registrationCorporation tax, and VAT or payroll where needed, with Revenue.
- 5Bank and EMI onboardingApplications to matched institutions, each with its own due diligence.
- 6Ongoing complianceAnnual return, accounts, tax return and beneficial ownership updates.
Banking fit
- Irish companies are generally well received by EU banks and EMIs, subject to each institution's due diligence.
- An EEA-resident director and a clear business narrative make onboarding easier than a bond-only structure.
Questions
What is the corporate tax rate in Ireland?
12.5% on trading profits and 25% on non-trading income such as most investment or rental income. Large groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more are also subject to a 15% minimum tax.
Can a non-EU resident own and run an Irish company?
Yes. The company needs one EEA-resident director or a EUR 25,000 Section 137 bond. UK-resident directors no longer meet the EEA requirement.
Do dividends from an Irish company carry withholding tax?
The default rate is 25%, but qualifying shareholders resident in the EU, EEA or a treaty country can claim an exemption before payment. We check the position for each shareholder before incorporation.
What is a Section 140 certificate?
An exemption from the EEA-director rule for companies with a real and continuous economic link to Ireland. It is usually considered after incorporation, once that activity is in place.
More in Ireland
- Everything about IrelandView
- ResidencyIrish residence and the non-dom remittance basisIreland has no residence-by-investment route since the Immigrant Investor Programme closed on 15 February 2023. EU, EEA, Swiss and UK citizens can live in Ireland freely. Non-EEA nationals usually come through the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme, an employment permit or Stamp 0 for people of independent means.View
Company formation elsewhere
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Bulgaria - Estonian OÜ company formation with e-ResidencyAn Estonian osaühing (OÜ) is a private limited company that e-residents can register online through the Company Registration Portal. As of October 2026 the minimum share capital is one cent, and profits are taxed at 22% only when they are distributed.View
Estonia - Serbia company formation: entrepreneur or LLCForeign founders in Serbia usually register either as an entrepreneur, a natural person trading in their own name, or as a limited liability company (d.o.o.). As of October 2026, entrepreneurs pay 10% income tax, companies pay 15% profit tax, and either form can support a single permit for self-employment.View
Serbia
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Sources
- Irish Statute Book: Companies Act 2014, section 137, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Companies Registration Office: duties of directors and secretaries, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Open Forest: Irish company director residency requirements, retrieved 2026-10-27
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Ireland, corporate withholding taxes, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Saffery: Ireland non-domiciled tax, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Revenue: Tax and Duty Manual Part 34, residence, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Revenue: domicile and the domicile levy, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Irish Immigration Service: Start-up Entrepreneur Programme guidelines, retrieved 2026-10-27
- Irish Immigration Service: retiring to Ireland (Stamp 0), retrieved 2026-10-27
- gov.ie: closure of the Immigrant Investor Programme, retrieved 2026-10-27
- BDO: key changes to SARP from 1 January 2026, retrieved 2026-10-27
Reviewed by the Redomiciled team on .
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