COMPANY FORMATION & CORPORATE SERVICES
Company Formation & Corporate Services
Register a Cyprus limited company from anywhere in the world. Highworth handles name approval, the Registrar filing, tax and VAT registration, and introductions to banks and electronic money institutions, with a licensed corporate administrator responsible for your file from first call to incorporation certificate.
1,200+
companies incorporated
18
years in Cyprus
40+
client countries
4.9
average client rating
IN SHORT
Forming a company in Cyprus takes roughly 7 to 12 working days and can be completed entirely remotely. A private limited company needs one director, one shareholder, a company secretary and a registered office in Cyprus, with a minimum share capital of €1.
Highworth prepares the name approval, the Memorandum and Articles, the Registrar submission and the post-incorporation tax and VAT registrations, then introduces you to banks and electronic money institutions for your account.
SPEAK TO A
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATOR
Andreas Doulappas
Head of Corporate Services
A free 20-minute call covering structure, timeline and cost. No obligation, and you speak to the person who would run your file.
KEY FACTS
Timeline
7 to 12 working days
Min. capital
€1
Directors
1
Corporate Tax
15%
Remote setup
Yes
Why companies choose Cyprus
Forming a company in Cyprus takes roughly 7 to 12 working days and can be completed entirely remotely. A private limited company needs one director, one shareholder, a company secretary and a registered office in Cyprus, with a minimum share capital of €1. Highworth prepares the name approval, the Memorandum and Articles, the Registrar submission and the post-incorporation tax and VAT registrations, then introduces you to banks and electronic money institutions for your account.
Headline tax position for a Cyprus tax resident company, as at the last review date
Item
Position
Applies to
Corporate income tax
15%
Source: Cyprus Tax Department
Company profits, worldwide, for a Cyprus tax resident company
Withholding tax on dividends
Nil
Source: Income Tax Law
Dividends paid to non-resident shareholders
Capital gains on share disposals
Exempt
Source: Capital Gains Tax Law
Shares, except where the company holds Cyprus
immovable property
IP Box effective rate
3%
Source: Cyprus Tax Department
Qualifying intellectual property income
Double tax treaties
60+
Source: Ministry of Finance treaty list
Cross-border payments and treaty relief claims
Whether the company itself qualifies as Cyprus tax resident depends on where it is managed and controlled, and the treatment of dividends in your own hands depends on where you are tax resident. Both sit outside the table above, and both are covered in the consultation before anything is filed.
Business structures compared
Most international clients incorporate a private limited company, though four other structures are available and occasionally fit better.
Structure
Minimum capital
Liability
Typically used for
Private Limited Company (Ltd)
€1
Limited to capital
Trading, holding and IP companies; the default for international investors
Public Limited Company (PLC)
€25,629
Limited to capital
Larger groups, complex shareholdings, listing plans
General partnership
None
Unlimited, all partners
Professional practices
Limited partnership
None
Mixed, capped for limited partners
Investment and professional arrangements
Branch of a foreign company
Not applicable
Parent retains full liability
Overseas businesses extending into Cyprus without a new entity
The registration process
Four stages, none of which require you to travel to Cyprus. Identification documents are certified remotely and signatures are collected electronically where the Registrar permits it.
1
Company name approval
We submit your proposed name to the Registrar of Companies. It must be unique, must not mislead, and must avoid restricted words unless you hold the relevant authorisation. We check availability before filing and hold two alternatives in reserve.
2 to 5 working days
2
Constitutional documents
The Memorandum and Articles of Association are drafted around your objectives, governance rules and shareholding. Directors, shareholders and the company secretary are formally appointed at this stage, and we complete client due diligence in parallel so nothing stalls later.
1 to 2 working days
3
Submission to the Registrar
The full application goes to the Department of Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, with director and shareholder details and the registered office address. We monitor the file and respond to any Registrar queries directly.
4 to 6 working days
4
Certificates and post-incorporation steps
You receive the Certificate of Incorporation together with the certificates of directors, secretary, shareholders and registered office. We then register the company for tax and, where it applies, for VAT, and open the statutory registers.
Same week
What is included, and what it costs
Name approval
Availability search, two reserve names, Registrar filing
Incorporation documents
Memorandum and Articles drafted to your structure
Registrar submission
Filing, monitoring and responses to queries
Registered office
First year of registered office address in Cyprus
Company secretary
Appointment and first-year secretarial service
Tax and VAT registration
TIC number, and VAT where the activity requires it
Statutory registers
Registers of members, directors and charges, opened and maintained
Bank and EMI introduction
Application pack prepared and submitted on your behalf
Typical all-in cost for a standard private limited company: [€X,XXX], including government fees. Complex shareholding, regulated activity or nominee arrangements are quoted separately, and the quotation is fixed before any work starts.
Bank and EMI account opening
An incorporated company without a working account is only half a business. We prepare and submit the account application alongside the incorporation, through Cyprus and international banks and, increasingly, through electronic money institutions, which tend to approve faster and suit companies whose directors and clients sit outside Cyprus. We tell you at the consultation which route fits your activity, your expected turnover and the countries you will be invoicing.
Once trading, we prepare your management accounts and handle the annual corporate filings. Statutory audit, which every Cyprus company requires, is carried out by licensed audit firms, and we coordinate with the auditor on your behalf rather than performing the audit ourselves.
The team handling your file
Every incorporation is assigned to a named corporate administrator who stays with the file. You deal with a person, not a ticket queue.
Rovertos Hanadjias
Managing Director
[One sentence on background, years in Cyprus corporate services, and the client types they handle.]
Andreas Doulappas
Head of Corporate Services
[One sentence on background, years in Cyprus corporate services, and the client types they handle.]
Kapoios Allos
Corporate Administrator
[One sentence on background, years in Cyprus corporate services, and the client types they handle.]
Client results
“[Real client quote, collected with written permission, ideally naming the outcome and the timeline.]”
[Client name]
[Role], [Company], [Country]
“[Real client quote, collected with written permission, ideally naming the outcome and the timeline.]”
[Client name]
[Role], [Company], [Country]
Case snapshot: [industry] group relocating to Cyprus
[Two or three sentences: the client’s starting position, what was structured, and what changed for them. Keep the client identifiable only with permission, otherwise describe the sector and size.]
9
working days to incorporation
3
entities structured
2
EMI accounts opened
Credentials and compliance
Highworth (Cyprus) Ltd, registration number HE [XXXXXX]
Licensed Administrative Service Provider, [regulator], licence [number]
Member of [professional body] since [year]
AML and KYC procedures aligned with Cyprus and EU requirements
Professional indemnity insurance in place, cover available on request
GDPR compliant document handling, data held in the EU
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to register a company in Cyprus?
Between 7 and 12 working days in most cases. Name approval takes 2 to 5 working days and the Registrar submission a further 4 to 6. Delays usually come from incomplete due diligence documents rather than from the Registrar, which is why we collect identification at the start.
Do I need to travel to Cyprus to incorporate?
No. There is no legal requirement to be present in Cyprus at any stage of incorporation. Identification documents are certified in your own country and signatures are collected electronically where the Registrar accepts them. Some banks still ask for a video call, which we arrange.
What is the minimum share capital for a Cyprus company?
€1 for a private limited company, though most incorporations use a nominal figure of around €1,000. A public limited company requires €25,629. The figure you choose has no effect on your tax position and can be increased later.
Can a non-resident own 100% of a Cyprus company?
Yes. There is no residency or nationality requirement for shareholders or directors. Where the company is managed and controlled does affect whether it is treated as Cyprus tax resident, which is a separate question from ownership and one we work through before incorporation.
Does Highworth carry out the statutory audit?
No. We prepare management accounts and handle corporate filings; the statutory audit that every Cyprus company requires is performed by licensed audit firms. We coordinate with the auditor, supply the records and manage the timetable so the deadline is met.
Related services
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secretary and annual filings
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