The Irish Limited
An Irish Ltd is the closest thing to a UK Limited that is still inside the European Union. Same shape, same speed, and it is recognised as a company in every member state.
If your customers or your office sit in the EU, this is usually the company you want. If they sit in Britain, read the UK Limited instead.
Two things about Ireland catch people out, and neither has anything to do with tax. One is a residence rule for directors. The other is that a company cannot be a director at all. Both are further down this page, before the prices.
- Full EU freedom of establishment
- No minimum share capital
- Formation with registered office from EUR 690 net
- Corporation tax of 12.5 per cent on trading profits
All amounts are net prices in euro. The full list is on prices.
Why Ireland and not Britain
For twenty years a British company could be run from anywhere in Europe and had to be recognised as a company there. That rested on freedom of establishment under EU law, and it ended for British companies when the United Kingdom left the Union.
Ireland is a member state, so the principle still applies. An Irish Ltd whose entire business runs from Vienna, Frankfurt or Amsterdam remains an Irish company in the eyes of the courts there. That is the whole argument, and for most enquiries from the continent it is the deciding one.
Ireland is also the closest match to what people mean when they say Limited: English-speaking, common law, a register that works in days rather than weeks, and no notary in the process.
Whether the recognition question affects your particular case is a matter for a lawyer in the country where you trade. We form the company; we do not give legal advice on the law of another state.
The residence rule for directors
This is the point that surprises people, and it is better known before the formation than after.
At least one director must be resident in the European Economic Area. If no director is, the company must lodge a security instead — a bond under section 137 of the Companies Act 2014, currently EUR 25,000 in cover, taken out for two years.
In practice there are three ways through it, and which of them fits depends on your situation rather than on our preference:
- A director who lives in the EEA — often the founder, if they are based in the EU
- The section 137 bond, renewed every two years
- A certificate that the company has a real and continuous link with an economic activity in Ireland
We tell you which of the three applies to your case before you order, not afterwards.
A company cannot be a director
In England a corporate director is allowed as long as one natural person sits on the board alongside. In Ireland it is not allowed at all.
Section 130 of the Companies Act 2014 says so plainly: a company shall not have as director a body corporate or an unincorporated body of persons. An appointment made anyway is void — not voidable, void.
Shareholders are a different matter. A company may hold shares in an Irish Ltd without any natural person beside it. The restriction is on the board, not on ownership.
If your structure has a holding company appointing itself as director, it will not work in Ireland. It will work in England, and that is one of the few points where the British company is the easier one.
What it costs
Fixed prices, net, in euro. What the Companies Registration Office charges is passed on at cost and is shown separately in the order form.
| Package | What is included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| S | Formation only. No registered office, no compliance service. | 260.00 |
| M | Formation with registered office in Ireland and the first year of filings. | 690.00 |
| L | As M, with the wider compliance package. | 1,340.00 |
From the second financial year the running service costs 470.00 a year. Package S has nothing to renew — it contains neither registered office nor compliance, so nothing recurs.
If you already have an Irish company elsewhere and want us to take over the filings, that is a service takeover at 520.00. What it covers is on service takeover.
Share capital is normally set at EUR 1,000. Irish law prescribes no minimum for a private company limited by shares, and the amount does not have to be paid up before trading.
What has to be filed each year
Two things, on two different clocks. Missing either one is the most common reason a company falls out of good standing.
| What | To whom | When |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Return, form B1 | Companies Registration Office | once every twelve months, with financial statements attached |
| Corporation tax return | Revenue Commissioners | after the end of the accounting period |
Corporation tax on trading profits is charged at 12.5 per cent. Other income is taxed at a higher rate, and which of your income counts as trading is a question for an accountant, not for a formation agent.
In packages M and L we handle the annual return and the filing of accounts. The tax return stays with your accountant; we do not act as tax advisers.
How to start
Check the name first. Everything else follows from it, and a rejected name costs more time than any other step.
When the name is clear, the order form takes the rest: directors, shareholders, the registered office and the package. You can also look at shelf companies if you need a company that already exists.
Questions before you order? Write to us — by e-mail or through the contact form. The first conversation is free and commits you to nothing.