How to start a business in Ireland as a foreigner (2026)

Legal framework

Companies Act 2014, administered by the Companies Registration Office (CRO) via the CORE online portal; Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (ISD) for non-EEA founder visas.

Starting a business in Ireland as a foreigner

The usual vehicle for a foreigner starting out in Ireland is a private limited company (LTD), registered with the Companies Registration Office (CRO).

Company type

a private limited company (LTD)

Registered with

the Companies Registration Office (CRO)

Minimum capital

no minimum share capital

Timeline

around 5 working days online via CORE

Government cost

€50 CRO online fee

Foreign ownership

100% foreign ownership allowed, but at least one EEA-resident director is required, or a €1,500–€2,000 Section 137 bond

Rules and fees change; confirm with the official registry before incorporating.

Key points: starting a business in Ireland

1. 01Foreign ownership

   No restriction on foreign shareholders — a non-resident may own 100% of an Irish LTD, and only one shareholder is required. Share capital can be as low as €1.

   cro.ie localenterprise.ie

2. 02Director residency / Section 137 bond

   Under s.137 Companies Act 2014, at least one director must be ordinarily resident in an EEA state (EU-27 + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway; UK excluded post-Brexit). If no director is EEA-resident, the company must put a €25,000 non-resident director's bond in place (typical premium ~€1,500–€2,000).

   cro.ie localenterprise.ie

3. 03Official setup steps

   (1) Check name availability on CORE; (2) prepare the one-document LTD constitution; (3) appoint ≥1 director, a separate company secretary, and a registered office in Ireland; (4) file Form A1 via CORE with the €50 fee; (5) receive the Certificate of Incorporation from the CRO.

   cro.ie startcompany.ie

4. 04Timeline and cost

   CRO targets ~10 working days for Ordinary Online A1 and ~5 working days under the faster Fé Phráinn A1 scheme. Statutory CRO filing fee is €50 online (€100 paper); no minimum capital requirement.

   cro.ie en.wikipedia.org

5. 05Director identifier (IPN / Form VIF)

   Directors without an Irish PPS number must obtain an Identified Person Number (IPN) via Form VIF; since 30 April 2026 the CRO requires VIF declarations to be witnessed in person (no remote notarisation), adding a logistical step for foreign founders.

   cro.ie corpsec.io

6. 06Non-EEA founder immigration (STEP)

   Non-EEA entrepreneurs wanting to reside in Ireland can apply under the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP), administered by Immigration Service Delivery: minimum €50,000 funding (€30,000 for a second co-founder) in an innovative/HPSU-type venture, initial 2-year permission renewable, Stamp 4 after 5 years.

   irishimmigration.ie relocate.me

Starting a business in Ireland: FAQ

Timeline of decisions

1. 10 Jul 2026Law
   AMLD6 deadline to restore 'legitimate interest' access to beneficial ownership data

   Ireland must transpose EU AMLD6 provisions requiring the RBO to grant beneficial-ownership access to persons with a legitimate interest and to interconnect with EU systems, partially reopening data that was restricted after the 2022 CJEU ruling. It re-shapes the transparency obligations attached to forming and owning an Irish company.

   eucrim (EU)

2. 16 Jul 2025Law · official
   Audit-exemption regime relaxed for small companies (Section 22, 2024 Act)

   Section 22 of the 2024 Act commenced, so a small/micro company no longer automatically loses its audit exemption on a first late annual return, only on a second late filing within five years. This materially lowers the compliance burden and cost for newly formed small businesses.

   CRO

3. 16 Jul 2025Law · official
   Audit-exemption 'two-strike' regime eases burden on small companies

   Section 22 of the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Act 2024 commenced, so a small or micro company no longer automatically loses its audit exemption on the first late annual-return filing in a five-year period. This materially reduces compliance cost and risk for newly formed small businesses.

   Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (gov.ie)

4. 3 Dec 2024Law · official
   Most of the Companies Act 2024 commences

   64 of the 90 provisions of the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Act 2024 took effect, including statutory footing for fully virtual general meetings and new grounds for involuntary strike-off (e.g. failure to file beneficial-ownership data). It modernises governance and administration of Irish companies.

   Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (gov.ie)

5. 12 Nov 2024Law · official
   Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Act 2024 signed into law

   The President signed the Act, the most significant amendment to the Companies Act 2014, overhauling governance, insolvency, enforcement and supervision rules. It sets the current legal framework within which Irish companies are formed and operate.

   Irish Statute Book

6. 11 Jun 2023Guidance
   Director PPSN / identity-verification mandatory for CRO filings

   Directors must supply a PPS number (or apply for an Identified Person Number via Form VIF) when filing incorporation (A1) and other CRO forms, cross-checked against the Dept. of Social Protection database. This added an identity-verification step to the company-formation process to combat fraud.

   Arthur Cox

7. 22 Nov 2022Decision
   CJEU invalidates public access to beneficial-ownership registers

   In WM and Sovim SA v Luxembourg Business Registers (C-37/20 & C-601/20) the Court of Justice of the EU ruled general public access to UBO data breaches privacy rights, prompting Ireland's CRO to suspend public RBO access and limit it to competent authorities and designated persons.

   Law Society of Ireland

8. 7 Jul 2022Law · official
   Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) established

   The CEA replaced the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement as a statutorily independent agency with enhanced powers and resources to investigate and enforce Irish company law. It strengthened oversight of directors and companies across their lifecycle.

   Corporate Enforcement Authority

9. 29 Jul 2019Guidance · official
   Central Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO) opens for filing

   The RBO began accepting online filings, requiring all Irish companies to disclose their natural-person beneficial owners (with a 22 November 2019 deadline to file without breach). Beneficial-ownership filing became a mandatory step in establishing and maintaining a company.

   Register of Beneficial Ownership (rbo.gov.ie)

10. 22 Mar 2019Law · official
    Beneficial-ownership obligation enacted in Irish law

    The European Union (Anti-Money Laundering: Beneficial Ownership of Corporate Entities) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 110/2019) transposed the EU 4th/5th AML Directives, obliging all Irish corporate entities to identify and register their beneficial owners. This added a new transparency layer to company formation.

    Irish Statute Book

11. 1 Jun 2015Law · official
    Companies Act 2014 commences, simplified company formation

    The Act took effect, consolidating company law and introducing a streamlined private company limited by shares (LTD) that can have a single director, a one-document constitution, and unlimited objects. This made forming and running a small Irish company markedly simpler.

    Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

12. 23 Dec 2014Law · official
    Companies Act 2014 enacted

    Ireland enacted the Companies Act 2014, the largest substantive Act in the history of the State, replacing the Companies Acts 1963-2013. It is the foundational statute governing how every Irish company is incorporated, registered with the CRO and administered.

    Irish Statute Book

13. 23 Dec 1963Law · official
    Companies Act 1963 enacted, original codification of Irish company law

    The Companies Act 1963 codified the rules for incorporating and operating limited companies in independent Ireland, establishing the memorandum-and-articles model and registration regime that governed company formation for over five decades until the 2014 Act.

    Irish Statute Book

Sources

1. 1.cro.ie/Registration/Company/Required-Steps/
2. 2.localenterprise.ie/Sligo/Files/Business%20Publications/Company-Incorporation.pdf
3. 3.localenterprise.ie/kildare/start-or-grow-your-business/useful%20guides%20for%20start-ups
4. 4.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companies_Registration_Office_(Ireland)
5. 5.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-work-in-ireland/what-are-my-options-for-working-in-ireland/
6. 6.corpsec.io/jurisdiction/ireland/guides/how-to-register-a-company
7. 7.startcompany.ie/blog/cro-form-a1-guide
8. 8.relocate.me/visas/ireland/startup-entrepreneur-programme