Cyprus company formation in 8 to 12 working days
We register your private limited company in Cyprus in 8 to 12 working days, from €1,699 before VAT with the state fees inside.
Package
€1,699
before VAT
- Name approval and all state fees
- Registered office and secretary for a year
- Tax number (TIC)
Most popular
€2,749
before VAT
- Memorandum and articles in English
- Four key certificates with apostille
- Help with opening a Wise account
€4,999
before VAT
- Expedited registration and certificates
- 10 hours of consultations a year
- One-hour consultation after registration
Registration takes 8 to 12 working days from the day we have your documents.
Compare the packages
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
…they handled my Cyprus company setup while I was still in London. Smooth remote process and great communication.
We set up a company in Cyprus. Nobody pushed extra services, everything was to the point. They explain things clearly, give a real timeline and help with the tax details.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
Why Cyprus: 15% tax and an IP Box inside the EU
15% Corporate tax
A flat rate on net profit, in force from 1 January 2026.
about 3% IP Box, for software and patent businesses
The effective rate on qualifying profit from IP that the company developed itself.
0% Withholding tax in most cases, for holding companies
Most dividends and interest paid to non-resident shareholders leave Cyprus without withholding tax. Dividends the company receives usually fall under the participation exemption.
19% VAT, for online sellers and traders
The standard rate. With VAT and VIES registration the company can invoice customers in all 27 member states.
65+ Double tax treaties
Countries with a treaty that keeps the same profit from being taxed twice.
0% SDC Non-dom status, for founders who relocate
For founders who become tax resident in Cyprus: no Special Defence Contribution on dividends and interest for up to 17 years.
Cyprus company formation in short: the figures of the Registrar and the Tax Department
Cyprus company formation, also called company registration, files a private limited company (Ltd) with the Registrar of Companies in 8 to 12 working days with us, counted from the day your documents reach us. Seven steps run in this order: name approval, memorandum and articles, registered office and officers on forms HE2 and HE3, filing with the lawyer’s sworn form HE1, the certificate of incorporation, the tax number and the beneficial owners. The price is from €1,699 before VAT, with the state fees, the registered office and the company secretary for the first year inside. For each owner and director you send a certified passport copy, proof of address, a bank reference, a CV and a source of funds declaration, and you sign the memorandum by hand before a witness where you live. The company pays 15% tax on its profit from 1 January 2026.
| Question | Answer | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax rate | 15% on profit, from 1 January 2026 | Ministry of Finance |
| State fee for incorporation | €165, or €265 with the accelerated procedure; €10 to approve one name | Registrar of Companies |
| Time | 8 to 12 working days with us; the Registrar’s accelerated procedure adds €100 to its fee | Registrar of Companies |
| Directors and secretary | 1 director and 1 secretary in a private company | Registrar of Companies |
| Shareholders | 1 to 50 in a private company | Registrar of Companies |
| Minimum share capital | None in a private company | Registrar of Companies |
| Tax number | Apply within 60 days of incorporation, online through Tax For All | Tax Department |
Why people register companies in Cyprus, and who Cyprus company formation suits
Four kinds of founder form a Cyprus company, and each takes something different from it.
The gain on selling shares in a subsidiary is free of tax, unless that subsidiary owns real estate in Cyprus. Since 2026 a company's interest and rent are taxed once, at the corporate rate. Dividends in and out, substance and the yearly costs are in how a Cyprus holding company is taxed.
A company deducts 80% of the qualifying profit from patents and software it developed and pays tax on the other 20%. Until 2030 it deducts 120% of research and development costs.
Services sold to businesses in other member states need a VAT number from the first invoice. Sales to consumers there go into one quarterly return once they pass €10,000 a year.
You are tax resident with 60 days a year in Cyprus, a home there, a directorship in your company and at most 183 days in any other country. With non-dom status in Cyprus your dividends carry the 2.65% health contribution alone, capped at €4,770 a year.
Tax residence of a new Cyprus company from 1 January 2026, the presence it needs and what else changed
Cyprus company formation in 2026 starts under the tax reform in force from 1 January 2026. Four changes reach a new company at once, and the next section shows where the company is tax resident and what presence it keeps.
15%Corporate tax, 12.5% until 2025
A company formed in 2026 pays 15% corporate income tax on its profit. The rate applies to every Cyprus tax-resident company and permanent establishment. The Ministry of Finance links it to the OECD minimum tax initiatives.
5%Tax on dividends, down from 17%
An owner who is tax resident and domiciled in Cyprus pays 5% Special Defence Contribution (SDC) on dividends from profits earned since 1 January 2026. SDC is a tax of its own, apart from income tax. An owner who lives abroad, or holds non-dom status in Cyprus, stands outside it.
€0Stamp duty on the papers you sign
The Stamp Duty Law was repealed. A contract, an agreement or another document signed on or after 1 January 2026 carries €0 of stamp duty.
60 daysTo apply for the tax number
A new company applies to the Tax Department for its tax number within 60 days of incorporation. The Tax Department takes the application online only, through its Tax For All portal. We file it in every package.
Three further rules of the reform changed on the same day, and the first return of a new company applies all three.
Tax losses carried forward
- From 1 January 2026
- 7 years
- Until 2025
- 5 years
SDC on rental income
- From 1 January 2026
- Abolished
- Until 2025
- In force
Deemed dividend distribution
- From 1 January 2026
- Abolished for profits of 2026 onwards
- Until 2025
- In force
Where a new Cyprus company is run from: the Tax Department’s tests and what stays in Cyprus
Registration in Cyprus makes the company a Cyprus tax resident, and the place it is managed and controlled decides whether that holds.
2 testsWhere a new company is tax resident
A company registered in Cyprus is a Cyprus tax resident from 1 January 2026, and the place it is managed and controlled from is the second test.
- The Income Tax Law treats a company incorporated in Cyprus under the Companies Law as resident, unless a double tax treaty provides otherwise.
- A company managed from a country that has a treaty with Cyprus can pass its residence there: the Tax Department’s example is a Cyprus company managed in Germany, which the Cyprus-Germany treaty places in Germany. A company managed from a country with no treaty stays resident in Cyprus.
13 questionsWhat the Tax Department asks a company
The Income Tax Law does not define management and control, so the Tax Department reads the facts of each company, and no single fact decides.
- It looks at where the board meets and where the key decisions are taken. It looks at where the directors are tax resident and present, and where the day-to-day management is carried on. It looks at where the books and records are kept and where significant contracts are signed.
- For a residence certificate a director answers 13 yes or no questions on form T.D.98 and declares that the company is managed and controlled in Cyprus. It asks where most board meetings are held and where the minutes are kept. It asks where most board members are tax resident and where the seal and the books are kept. A false statement is a criminal offence. The certificate costs €80 in fee stamps and exists for countries that have a treaty with Cyprus.
14 daysOffice and officers that the law ties to Cyprus
The Companies Law fixes a registered office in Cyprus and a minimum of officers, and every package gives you the office and the secretary.
- The registered office is a real address in Cyprus, not a mailbox, from the day the certificate of incorporation is issued. Notices arrive there, and the registers of members, directors and charges are kept there. Form HE2 reports the office and any change within 14 days.
- A private company needs 1 director and 1 secretary, each aged 18 or over. The directors are legally responsible for the management of the company and for its books. The Companies Law sets no residence condition for a director, and we provide a director who lives in Cyprus where you want one.
6 yearsBooks, and what no list asks for
The directors answer for the books of account, and the Tax Department’s questionnaire asks where they are kept.
- The books explain every transaction, with the contracts and invoices behind it. The directors keep them at the registered office or at another place they choose. Books kept abroad need accounts at intervals of at most six months, sent to Cyprus and kept there. The tax law sets at least six years for books and records, counted from the later of the filing deadline of the return and the date it was filed.
- The Tax Department’s list of factors and its 13 questions name no office, no staff and no bank account in Cyprus. They set no number of board meetings a year and no number of days in Cyprus.
What a Cyprus company costs, line by line
Three packages from €1,699 to €4,999 before VAT. Each includes the state registration fees, a registered office and a company secretary for the first year.
Starter
Registration, state fees, office and secretary for a year
- Name approval
- All state registration fees
- Standard memorandum and articles, in Greek
- Compliance check for one person in the structure
- Registered office for one year
- Company secretary for one year
- One-hour consultation before registration
- Tax number (TIC)
Standard
Most popularStarter plus articles in English and apostilled certificates
- Everything in Starter
- Memorandum and articles in English
- Four key certificates with apostille
- Apostilled copy of the articles in two languages
- Help with opening a Wise account
- One-hour consultation after registration
Premium
Standard plus expedited filing and 10 hours of consultations a year
- Everything in Standard
- Expedited registration and certificates
- 10 hours of consultations a year
After the company is open
from €290 a monthBooks, VAT returns and tax filings.
- Registered office and company secretary Included for the first year, then renewed every year.
- Payroll Payslips, social insurance and the monthly returns for your staff.
When you need it
- VAT registration
- €350
- Registrar certificate, each
- €200
- Bank account application
- from €1,500
- Nominee director
- in your quote
The Registrar’s fees in the Cyprus company formation price
| Registrar's fee | Standard | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|
| Approval of one name | €10 | €30 |
| Incorporation | €165 | €265 |
| Articles filed in English too | €160 | €160 |
How a Cyprus company is registered: what happens and when
Counted in working days from the day your documents reach us.
Name approval
day 1We check that your company name is free and submit it to the Registrar of Companies.
Documents and forms
We draft the memorandum and articles and the incorporation forms. You sign digitally, and we file. The company needs at least one director. Owners and directors can be of any nationality and need not live in Cyprus. We provide the local company secretary.
Certificate of incorporation
8 to 12 working daysThe Registrar issues the certificate 8 to 12 working days after we have your documents, and the company exists. You receive the certificate, the memorandum and articles and, shortly after, the tax number (TIC).
Account applications
after registrationWe send your bank and payment account applications as soon as the company exists.
Cyprus company formation: what the law asks
The Companies Law, Cap. 113, sets four things for a private company.
1 to 50 shareholders
One person or company from any country may hold all the shares. The Companies Law names no minimum share capital. The sole director can also be the secretary in one case: a company with one shareholder.
3 forms for the Registrar
HE1, a lawyer's sworn declaration, HE2 for the registered office in Cyprus and HE3 for the first directors and secretary. They are filed with the memorandum and articles in Greek.
2 registers of owners
The public one shows the shareholders, the directors and the secretary, or the nominees where you appoint them. The register of beneficial owners, open to the authorities and to banks, lists each beneficial owner (UBO): a person with more than 25% of the company.
1 year of registered office in every package
A bank looks further, at what the company does and how it is present in Cyprus. We set both out in the bank application: bank account for a Cyprus company.
Private company, branch or public company: which Cyprus company formation to choose
The Registrar registers all three. We register private companies (Ltd), the most common type in Cyprus.
| What the Registrar sets | Private company (Ltd) | Branch of a foreign company | Public company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | A new Cyprus company; its shareholders’ liability is limited | The foreign company itself, through a Cyprus place of business | A new Cyprus company; its shareholders’ liability is limited |
| Owners | 1 to 50 shareholders | Those of the foreign company, under its home law | 7 members or more |
| Directors | 1 or more | The foreign company’s board, or an authorised person in Cyprus | 2 or more |
| Minimum capital | None | No new share capital, because no new company forms | €25,629 where the shares are offered for subscription |
| Offer of shares to the public | Not allowed | Not applicable | Allowed |
| Registrar’s fee | €165, or €265 accelerated | €380, or €480 accelerated | €185, or €285 accelerated, with form HE5 |
| Forms | HE1, HE2, HE3 | AE1, AE2, AE3 | HE1, HE2, HE3 and HE5 |
Most founders form a private company: it carries the lowest fee and the fewest officers. A branch is filed within one month of the day the place of business opens, with the foreign company’s apostilled constitution and an authorised person who accepts legal documents in Cyprus.
Documents for a Cyprus company
Tick what you already have.
Each owner and director
Send me this checklist
One page by email: what each owner sends, what we prepare, in which order.
A company as shareholder
Bank account for a Cyprus company
We prepare the bank application while the company is being registered and answer the bank’s questions with you until the account is open.
Partners
Local banks
Bank of Cyprus, Eurobank Limited and Alpha Bank Cyprus. An account opens in 4 to 12 weeks.
Payment accounts
Wise or Revolut open an account in 1 to 5 working days, for payments, invoicing and currency exchange. Founders use one from the first week, while the bank account is being opened.
What goes into the application
Who owns the company, what the business does, where it is managed and its office, staff or directors in Cyprus. We collect it and check it before the bank sees it.
After Cyprus company formation: what the company files in year 1 and every year
| Filing | When | Our service |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Registry, for the tax number | Within 60 days of incorporation | In every formation package |
| Beneficial owners in the Registrar's register | Within 90 days, then confirmed each year from 1 October to 31 December | Company secretary |
| Employer registration with the Social Insurance Services | Before the first hire | Payroll in Cyprus |
| VAT registration, then a return each quarter | From €15,600 of turnover in 12 months | VAT registration in Cyprus |
| Provisional corporate tax, then the yearly return | 31 July and 31 December; the return for 2026 by 31 January 2028 | Tax in Cyprus |
| Annual return (HE32) with the financial statements, €20 | 18 months after incorporation, then every year | Accounting in Cyprus |
A platform where you open
and run a Cyprus company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company Ltd
- Registration expected 8–12 days
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Proof of address Checked
- Memorandum and articles Sign
- Source of funds declaration Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
Who does the work
A lawyer drafts your documents, the compliance officer checks them before they are filed, and an accountant keeps your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about a company in Cyprus
Do I have to visit Cyprus to form a company?
No. You sign digitally, and we courier the originals the Registrar asks for.
Is Cyprus on any blacklist?
No. As of October 2026 Cyprus is not on the FATF lists or the EU list of high-risk jurisdictions. It has been an EU member since 2004.
Can I relocate to Cyprus as a business owner?
Yes. Owners, key staff and their families apply for residence and work permits through the company, and a company registered with the Business Facilitation Unit gets a simpler procedure for its non-EU staff. Non-EU investors can apply for permanent residence by investment from €300,000.
How much does it cost to set up a company in Cyprus?
From €1,699 with us: the Registrar's fees of €175, the registered office and the company secretary for the first year are inside. A first year with accounting from €290 a month starts at €5,179. Prices are before VAT. Every fee by item is in our guide to Cyprus company formation cost in 2026.
Is income tax 0% in Cyprus?
No. A company pays 15% on its profit. A person pays 0% on the first €22,000 a year and up to 35% above €72,000, and dividends carry no income tax. How a salary is taxed month by month is in our guide to payroll in Cyprus. The rates of 2026 and the lists Cyprus is on are in our guide to whether Cyprus is offshore.
Does every Cyprus company need an audit?
Every company has its yearly accounts checked by an auditor licensed in Cyprus, a dormant one included. A company under €300,000 of turnover and €500,000 of assets two years in a row takes a review in place of the audit. The review applies to financial years that begin on or after 6 February 2026. We keep the books and prepare the file for the auditor.
Is a Cyprus company tax resident in Cyprus if I live abroad?
Yes. From 1 January 2026 incorporation in Cyprus makes a company tax resident there, unless a tax treaty assigns it to another country, and Cyprus taxes its income from every country.
Is a Cyprus company an offshore company?
No: what people still call a Cyprus offshore company is an ordinary company of an EU member state, owned from abroad and taxed in Cyprus. It pays 15% on its profit from 1 January 2026 and has its accounts audited or reviewed every year. What it pays on dividends and on gains from shares is in the guide to a holding company in Cyprus.
Can Legarithm provide a director in Cyprus?
Yes. Legarithm is licensed in Cyprus and provides a director who lives there and, where you want one, a nominee shareholder. You remain the beneficial owner in the Cyprus register.
Can I buy a ready-made company in Cyprus?
Yes. We sell companies that are on the register already, and the shares pass to you by transfer: shelf company in Cyprus.
How long does Cyprus company formation take?
Cyprus company formation takes 8 to 12 working days with us, counted from the day your documents reach us. The Premium package files the Registrar’s accelerated procedure, which adds €100 to the state fee.
How many directors and shareholders does a Cyprus company need, and is there a minimum capital?
A private company needs 1 director, 1 secretary and 1 to 50 shareholders, and the law sets no minimum capital. A public company needs 2 directors, 7 members and, where it offers shares for subscription, a capital of €25,629. We provide the secretary in every package.
Can a non-resident open a company in Cyprus?
Yes. The Registrar's pages on members and directors state no condition of nationality or residence. A person or a company of any country can hold every share of a private company and sit on its board. The company needs a registered office in Cyprus and a secretary, and we provide both in every package. The owner's side, from the documents to the bank account, is in the guide to a Cyprus company for non-residents.
What is an LLC in Cyprus?
Founders from abroad register the private limited liability company by shares, the Ltd. It is the most common of the Registrar's five types. Its members answer only for the unpaid amount of their shares. The guide to Cyprus company formation requirements sets the Ltd beside the other types.
How do I choose a company formation agent in Cyprus?
Ask which lawyer or law firm swears form HE1 for your company, because a lawyer in Cyprus draws up the memorandum and articles and swears the declaration before the court. Then ask for a quote that shows the Registrar's fees inside the price. The checks and the lines to get in writing are in the guide to choosing a company formation agent in Cyprus.
Can a foreign company open a branch in Cyprus instead of a new company?
Yes. The foreign company registers a place of business with the Registrar within one month of opening it, for €380, and stays one legal entity. It names an authorised person who accepts legal documents in Cyprus. A private company costs €165 and gives you a separate Cyprus entity, which is the one we register.
Does a Cyprus company need an office in Cyprus?
It needs a registered office at a real address in Cyprus, and the Tax Department’s list of factors and its questionnaire ask for no other office. The registered office is where notices arrive and where the registers of members, directors and charges are kept, and it must not be a mailbox. It is in every package for the first year, and we file form HE2 with the application. How this compares with the other EU registrations a founder weighs is in the comparison of three EU company registrations.
Does a Cyprus company need a director who lives in Cyprus?
No: the Companies Law sets no residence condition for a director, and the Registrar’s page asks only that a director is 18 or over. For a residence certificate the Tax Department asks whether most board meetings are held in Cyprus. It asks whether most board members are tax resident there, because those facts show where the company is managed and controlled. We provide a director who lives in Cyprus where you want one.
Get a quote for your Cyprus company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Guides to a company in Cyprus
Your first months with Legarithm, in 74 seconds
You open a Cyprus company from your phone: the documents, the registration, the bank account, the monthly books.
Updated 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
