Fondaco

Company formation in Cyprus

We register your company in Cyprus, get its tax number and VAT number, and set up its registered office, bookkeeping and payroll. Every year after that, we keep the books, file the returns and have the accounts audited.

  • Company registered in about 10 business days
  • Tax number and VAT number included
  • An EU company, with corporate tax at 15%

Price on request

A 60-minute call for 549 € plus tax. It is just a call, with no commitment. If you go ahead, the 549 € is credited in full.

What's included

  • A name check with the registrar of companies
  • Standard articles of association and the other company documents
  • The incorporation, prepared and filed
  • The registry fees
  • Certified registry documents, with an English translation
  • The original documents, handed over in person or sent by courier
  • Local representation in Cyprus
  • A registered office in Cyprus
  • Registration for the tax number and the VAT number
  • The opening balance sheet
  • Bookkeeping and VAT accounts, set up
  • Employment contracts
  • Payroll set up, with social insurance numbers
  • Help opening a business account and a personal account in Cyprus
  • Help finding office premises, with the lease checked by lawyers
  • Help setting up phone and internet at the office

Every year

  • Tax advice
  • Bookkeeping
  • Payroll and social insurance reporting
  • VAT returns, every quarter
  • Annual accounts, audited by an independent auditor
  • Filing the accounts and the tax return
  • Dealing with the tax office: checking the assessment, and appeals if needed

Also available

  • Bank accounts in more than 20 other countries
  • Trustee and nominee services

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Send your documents

    A passport copy, proof of address, your CV and a bank reference letter, with the name you want for the company.

  2. Step 2

    We register the company

    We check the name with the registrar, prepare the articles and the company documents, and file the incorporation. Registration takes about 10 business days.

  3. Step 3

    You get the documents

    Certified registry documents with an English translation. The originals are handed to you in person or sent by courier.

  4. Step 4

    We register it for tax

    We apply for the tax number and the VAT number and draw up the opening balance sheet. The bookkeeping starts once both numbers are issued.

  5. Step 5

    Bank accounts and an office

    We help you open a business account and a personal account in Cyprus, and find office premises, with the lease checked by lawyers. The bank may want to meet you.

Requirements

  • A passport copy
  • Proof of address
  • Your CV
  • A bank reference letter

Timeline

Company registered
About 10 business days
Tax number and VAT number
Applied for once the company is registered
Bookkeeping
Starts once both numbers are issued

Good to know

  • Where the company is taxed. The Cyprus rate only helps if the company is managed and controlled in Cyprus: directors there, decisions taken there, premises it actually uses. Run from your home country, it can be treated as resident there too and taxed at that country's rate.
  • Your home country's CFC rules. While you live outside Cyprus, your country's controlled foreign company (CFC) rules may tax you on the company's profit even when it pays no dividend. Whether they apply depends on the country, the company's income and the tax it pays.
  • Travel and the bank. Forming the company does not need you in Cyprus. The bank may want to meet you before it opens an account, and whether it opens one is its decision.

Price on request

It starts with the consultation. A 60-minute call for 549 € plus tax. It is just a call, with no commitment. If you go ahead, the 549 € is credited in full.

  • Since 2022
  • 94 jurisdictions
  • 100+ partners
  • Dubai · Florida · Cyprus

FAQ

Can a foreigner open a company in Cyprus?

Yes. A private company in Cyprus can be wholly owned by foreigners, and there is no nationality or residence rule for its shareholders or directors. It can have just 1 shareholder.

Do I need to travel to Cyprus to set up a company?

No. You send the documents and the company is formed without you there. The bank may want to meet you before it opens the account.

How long does it take to register a company in Cyprus?

About 10 business days. Once the company is registered, we apply for its tax number and VAT number, and the bookkeeping starts when both are issued.

What is the corporate tax rate in Cyprus?

15% of taxable profit, since 1 January 2026; it was 12.5% before. Profit from patents and copyrighted software can go through the IP box, which deducts 80% of the qualifying profit and leaves an effective rate of 3% on it.

How are dividends from a Cyprus company taxed?

It depends on where you live. If you are not tax resident in Cyprus, Cyprus takes nothing from the dividend, and your own country taxes it under its rules. If you live in Cyprus but are not domiciled there, which covers most people who move there, then for up to 17 years you pay only the 2.65% healthcare contribution, on no more than 180,000 € of income a year. Residents domiciled in Cyprus also pay a 5% special defence contribution on dividends from profits made since 2026.

Can I run a Cyprus company from my home country?

Legally, yes, but your home country may then tax it. Since 2026, every company incorporated in Cyprus is tax resident there unless a tax treaty says otherwise, and your home country applies its own test, usually where the company is managed and controlled. If that is where you live, it can tax the company's profit at its own rate. The Cyprus rate only helps a company that is really run from Cyprus.

Does a Cyprus company need a local director?

The law does not require one: a private company needs at least 1 director, of any nationality, living anywhere. But for the company to be managed and controlled in Cyprus, its decisions have to be taken there, which in practice means most of the board living in Cyprus and meeting there.

Does a Cyprus company need an office?

It needs a registered office in Cyprus, which is included. To be run from Cyprus, it also needs premises it actually uses. We help you find them, have the lease checked by lawyers, and help set up the phone and internet.

Is there a minimum share capital for a Cyprus company?

No. Cyprus law sets no minimum share capital for a private company limited by shares.

Does a Cyprus company need an audit?

Every year, a licensed auditor checks the annual accounts: a full audit, or a lighter review for a company small enough in turnover and assets. The audit is part of the yearly service.

When does a Cyprus company have to register for VAT?

Once its taxable sales pass 15,600 € in 12 months, or straight away if it sells goods or services to VAT-registered businesses in other EU countries. The standard rate is 19%, and returns are filed every quarter. The VAT registration is part of the setup.

Are the owners of a Cyprus company public?

The shareholders and directors are: anyone can get their names from the registrar of companies. The register of beneficial owners is not public; only authorities and regulated firms, such as banks, can see it.

Why Cyprus

Cyprus has been in the EU since 2004 and uses the euro. Its company law is modelled on English law, and English is widely used in business. Since 1 January 2026, companies pay 15% corporate tax, up from 12.5%.

The simplest case is moving to Cyprus yourself. The company is then run from where you live, which is what the Cyprus rate depends on. And as a resident who is not domiciled in Cyprus, you pay no special defence contribution on dividends for up to 17 years — only the 2.65% healthcare contribution (GeSY).

Tax in Cyprus in 2026

Corporate income tax
15%
Qualifying profit from patents and software
3%, under the IP box
Gains the company makes selling shares
Exempt from corporate tax
Dividends to owners who live abroad
No Cyprus tax
Dividends to non-dom residents
2.65% healthcare contribution
VAT, standard rate
19%

IP box. 80% of the qualifying profit from patents and copyrighted software is deducted, which leaves 3% tax on it. Trademarks do not qualify, and the share of the profit that qualifies depends on how much of the development the company did itself.

Dividends. Cyprus withholds nothing on dividends paid to individuals who are not tax resident there. Where you live decides how they are taxed.

Where the company is taxed

Since 2026, every company incorporated in Cyprus is tax resident there unless a tax treaty says otherwise. Your home country applies its own test, usually where the company is managed and controlled. If that is where you live, it can tax the profit at its own rate, and the Cyprus rate no longer helps.

In practice, management and control in Cyprus means:

  • directors who live in Cyprus and take the decisions there
  • board meetings held in Cyprus
  • premises the company actually uses
  • staff in Cyprus, where the business needs them

That is why the setup includes help with an office, employment contracts and payroll. And while you live outside Cyprus, your own country's controlled foreign company (CFC) rules may tax you on the company's profit even if it pays you nothing.

Start with the call

A 60-minute call for 549 € plus tax. It is just a call, with no commitment. If you go ahead, the 549 € is credited in full.

549 €

60-minute call, plus tax