Company formation abroad

Open pricing: we have published a full fee catalogue for company formation and maintenance, from classic offshore centres to Hong Kong, the UAE and Europe. See fees for all jurisdictions or the full services catalogue.

How it works

A company abroad is often the basis for investment residency and citizenship programs - for example, Paraguay's SUACE residency requires opening and funding a local company.

What Murblz does

• Selects a jurisdiction for your goal - business, investment or citizenship.
• Prepares the document package and incorporation papers.
• Helps open a bank account for the new company.

How much it costs to register a company abroad in 2026

The price has four parts: state registration fees, the registrar's work including owner checks, a registered address and secretary for the first year, and certification and delivery of documents. Our base package usually includes the address, secretary, first-year fees and apostilled documents. A nominee director, if needed, and account opening are priced separately.

• From $2,800: classic island jurisdictions such as Seychelles and Liberia. Registration is quick, but few banks open accounts for such companies.
• From $4,000 to $6,000: Georgia, Hong Kong, Panama, Cyprus, Turkey - countries with clear taxes and their own banks.
• From $6,800: Singapore, Serbia, the UAE - higher requirements for presence and directors, but better treatment by banks.

Each following year the company pays the state renewal fee, the address and secretary, and, where mandatory, an accountant and an auditor. The total for your structure depends on the number of owners and directors; a manager will calculate it in the chat.

Popular jurisdictions and 2026 prices

Euro prices converted at $1.12 per euro on 6 October 2026 and rounded up. The full list is in the company registration catalogue.

How to choose a jurisdiction

• For residence or citizenship the company must be in the programme country, and its capital often counts towards the investment.
• For a bank account the country's reputation and real presence matter more: an office, staff, a local director. Banks are increasingly reluctant to open accounts for Hong Kong, Singapore and UAE companies without presence.
• For the EU market Cyprus or the Baltic states are convenient: a company inside the EU with a VAT number.
• For tax look not only at the country's rate but also at the controlled foreign company rules where you are tax resident: profit may be taxed in your hands. More in the controlled foreign companies section.

Step by step: how registration works and how long it takes

Registration is almost always faster than the account. So we choose the bank before filing: it determines which country and ownership structure will work.

Documents you need

• passports of owners and directors;
• proof of residential address: a recent utility bill or bank statement;
• a short business description: what the company does, who its clients and suppliers are, in which countries, and the expected turnover;
• source-of-funds documents for the owners;
• if an owner is a company: its articles, a register extract and details of its owners, apostilled and translated;
• the company name and activities.

Copies are certified by a notary, and some countries require an apostille and a certified translation. How to assemble the money paperwork so the bank does not return the file is covered in our article on source of funds.

Requirements and common reasons for refusal

Requirements depend on the country. Singapore requires at least one director who lives in the country, Hong Kong a secretary based in Hong Kong, Panama and Guernsey a local agent. In Germany a notary certifies the founding documents, and at least $15,000 of capital is paid in when a GmbH is registered. A registered address in the country of registration is needed everywhere.

A registrar or bank refuses when:

• the origin of the owner's money cannot be documented;
• an owner, director or counterparty is on a sanctions list;
• the business description does not match the actual payments;
• the structure hides the person who owns or controls the company;
• the activity needs a licence and there is none: payments, currency exchange, crypto-assets, managing other people's money;
• the company has no management and expenditure in the country where the law requires it.

Taxes and reporting for the owner

The corporate tax rate in the country of registration is only half of the calculation. The other half is the rules of the country where you are tax resident.

• A company actually managed from another country may be treated as tax resident there.
• Retained profit may be taxed in the owner's hands under controlled foreign company rules. Notifications and calculations are covered in our controlled foreign companies section.
• Banks report information on the accounts of the company and its owners to other countries' tax authorities under automatic exchange.
• Every year the company files accounts and, where mandatory, is audited. Prices are in our audit and reporting for foreign companies section.

So we choose the country together with the owner's tax calculation, not by the lowest rate.

What is often overlooked

• opening a company bank account is usually harder than registering the company;
• every year there are state fees and bookkeeping, and in some countries an audit;
• the ultimate owner is recorded in a register, and banks check it;
• on the islands, holding companies, financing and several other activities fall under economic substance rules: management and expenditure must be in the country of registration;
• the bank may close the account if payments stop matching the stated business description;
• the country of registration may be added to the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, and banks then check such a company's payments more strictly.

Restrictions for specific nationalities

Most countries do not sort founders by nationality, but there are restrictions:

• persons on sanctions lists and companies they control will be refused by both the registrar and the bank;
• in the EU, banks may not hold more than $120,000 per client who is a national or resident of Russia or Belarus, unless they hold citizenship or a residence permit of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Accounting, legal and consulting services may not be provided there to companies registered in Russia;
• Estonia does not review first-time e-Residency applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus;
• British territories and Crown Dependencies apply the UK sanctions regimes: banks run enhanced checks and refuse many applicants;
• elsewhere it is not the passport that decides but the place of residence, tax residence and origin of capital.

We check which countries and banks are open for your nationality before any payment.

Alternatives to a company

• Remote registration or sole trader status. If the business is small, compare countries in our review of where to open a company remotely, which also has a section on sole trader status for foreigners.
• A personal account abroad. If the goal is to hold and transfer your own money, you do not need a company: see personal accounts.
• An account for an existing company. If you already have a company, a new one is not required: we open business accounts for existing structures too.
• A foundation or trust. For holding family assets and passing them to heirs, trusts and private foundations fit better.

Why register a company abroad

FAQ