In short
- A private company has 1 to 50 shareholders, 1 or more directors, 1 secretary and no minimum share capital.
- The registered office is an address in Cyprus that is not a mailbox. The name ends in Limited or Ltd.
- Cyprus has no company type called an LLC. The Ltd is the private limited liability company by shares.
- After the certificate, the tax number is due in 60 days and the beneficial owners in 90.
In this guide
Cyprus company formation requirements: what the Registrar requires of the company and its people
A private company limited by shares meets the eight requirements below. We prepare and file the whole set as company formation in Cyprus.
| Requirement | What the Registrar requires | Form or document |
|---|---|---|
| Shareholders | 1 to 50, individuals or companies, each taking 1 share or more | Memorandum |
| Directors | 1 or more, aged 18 or over, an individual or a company | Form HE3 |
| Secretary | 1, aged 18 or over | Form HE3 |
| Registered office | An address in Cyprus, written in Greek on the form, which is not a mailbox | Form HE2 |
| Share capital | Stated in the memorandum, in shares of a fixed amount. No minimum | Memorandum |
| Name | Approved by the Registrar and ending in Limited or Ltd | Name application |
| Objects | Lawful. General commercial objects are allowed | Memorandum |
| Constitution | Memorandum and articles in Greek, drawn up by a lawyer who practises in Cyprus | Form HE1 |
The steps in order and their timing are in the guide on how to register a company in Cyprus.
What is an LLC in Cyprus: the Ltd and the other company types
Cyprus has no company type called an LLC. Founders from abroad register a private limited liability company by shares, named with Limited or Ltd. Its members answer for the unpaid amount of their shares. It cannot offer its shares to the public. The Registrar lists four other types, and the table sets the public company by shares beside the private one.
The letters LLC appear in the Registrar's rules on names. They may end a name only with the consent of the Law Office of the Republic. DLC needs the consent of the Cyprus Medical Council, and DELC that of the Cyprus Dental Council. Without that consent the name ends in Limited or Ltd.
| Requirement | Private company | Public company |
|---|---|---|
| Members | 1 to 50 | 7 or more |
| Directors | 1 or more | 2 or more |
| Minimum share capital | None | €25,629, when shares are offered for subscription |
| Extra forms | None | HE5, €20, and HE9, the certificate of commencement of business, €2,020 |
Shareholders, directors and secretary: who may hold each role and where they live
An individual or a company can be a shareholder, a director or the secretary. The Registrar's pages on members, directors and the secretary state an age of 18 for directors and the secretary, and no rule on residence or nationality.
A company appointed as director or secretary writes its registration number on form HE3, and a foreign company writes none. A sole director cannot also be the secretary, unless the company has one member. A company with one member and one director can run on one person.
Many founders from abroad want a director and a secretary on the island. Providing directors, a secretary or a registered office address, and holding shares for another person, are administrative services under Law 196(I)/2012. A company whose object is administrative services needs the consent of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission or of the Law Office of the Republic. We provide a nominee director, shareholder and secretary in Cyprus, and you stay named as the beneficial owner.
Where the directors sit matters for tax, and the Registrar does not ask. A company incorporated in Cyprus is tax resident there unless a tax treaty gives its residence to the other state, and a company managed and controlled from Cyprus is resident too. The tests are in the guide to Cyprus tax residency, and an owner abroad finds the position in the guide to a Cyprus company for non-residents.
Company name and objects: what the Registrar approves and which activities need a consent
The Registrar approves the name before it registers the company. The application costs €10 a name and €30 with the accelerated procedure. An approved name stays reserved for 6 months, and the company files for incorporation within that time.
The Registrar refuses a name that is too like a registered name or trade mark, a name that misleads, and a name that only describes the activity, its quality or its place. Its search reaches beyond Cyprus. It also refuses National, International, Republic, Europe and Euro except in special cases.
The objects say what the company does. A company with no licensed activity registers as a commercial company of general objects. A licensed activity is named, and the consent of its authority goes in with the name application or with the incorporation.
| Authority | Activities and words that need its consent |
|---|---|
| Central Bank of Cyprus | Credit, payment, electronic money and exchange services, and the word bank |
| Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission | Investment services, investment funds and their managers |
| Superintendent of Insurance | Insurance and reinsurance |
| Cyprus Medical Council, Cyprus Dental Council, Law Office of the Republic | Medical, dental and legal services |
| Ministry of Education and Culture | Higher education, and the words university, school, academy and college |
| Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Cyprus Radiotelevision Authority | A casino, radio and television |
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Documents for the lawyer: the identity, address and wealth evidence of each owner and director
Before anything is filed, the lawyer who incorporates the company identifies each owner and each director under the anti-money laundering rules. The directive of the Cyprus Bar Association to its members suggests the evidence in the table.
| Evidence | A person | A company that is a shareholder |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Certified copy of a valid passport, or of a national ID card with a valid driving licence | Certified copy of the certificate of incorporation, and of the certificates of directors, secretary and shareholders |
| Address | A utility bill, a bank statement that shows the address, a tax deduction certificate or a residence permit, issued in the last 6 months | Certificate of registered office, and the actual business address |
| Wealth and funds | A CV, a research memo from public sources, or papers such as a sale contract, a payslip or inheritance papers | The group structure, the latest audited financial statements and, for a company older than 6 months, a certificate of good standing |
The directive names four ways to certify a copy. They are a notary public, an apostille, an independent professional in an EEA or FATF country, and a Cyprus embassy or consulate. The certifier writes the date. The list is only suggested, so a lawyer or a bank can ask for more, as the page on a bank account in Cyprus sets out.
Forms and fees at incorporation: HE1, HE2, HE3, the memorandum and the articles
A private company with share capital pays the Registrar €10 for its name and €165 for its incorporation, €175 in all. The accelerated procedure adds €20 and €100, which makes €295.
| Item | What it is | Registrar's fee |
|---|---|---|
| Name approval | The application for the name | €10 a name, €30 accelerated |
| Memorandum and articles | Signed in Greek. Each subscriber writes the number of shares by hand, and a witness and the lawyer sign. The articles can adopt Table A of the Companies Law | In the €165 |
| Form HE1 | Statutory declaration, sworn before the court by the lawyer entrusted with the incorporation | €165 for HE1, HE2 and HE3 |
| Form HE2 | The registered office address in Cyprus, in Greek | In the €165 |
| Form HE3 | The first directors and the secretary | In the €165 |
| File of translations | Certified translations, for certified copies in another language | €160 |
| Certificates | Of shareholders, of directors and secretary and of the registered office, with copies of the memorandum, articles and certificate of incorporation | €120 with a copy of the memorandum and articles, €130 without |
A company without share capital pays €235 for the incorporation. Filed online, the application needs an account in the Registrar's e-filing system and a solemn declaration of the witness to the signatures. Under the Advocates Law only a lawyer who practises in Cyprus can draw up the memorandum and articles, and the lawyer states so on form HE1. Our packages and the costs of the second year are in the guide to Cyprus company formation cost.
Requirements from the first day: registers, filings and tax registrations
The certificate of incorporation starts the clocks of the duties below.
At the Registrar of Companies
| Duty | When | Form, fee and penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial owners in the register | 90 days from incorporation, 45 days from a change, and a confirmation from 1 October to 31 December each year | Filed online by an officer, no fee. Late, €100 and €50 a day, up to €5,000 |
| Change of directors, secretary, office or shareholders | 14 days | Forms HE4, HE2 and HE57, €20 each. Late, up to €50 on the first day and €1 a day, to €250 |
| Registers and books | From the start | Registers of members and of directors and secretaries at the registered office. Books of account for 6 years |
| General meeting | Each year. The first within 18 months of incorporation | Section 125 of the Companies Law |
| Annual return | Made up to the day after 18 months from incorporation, then every year, and filed within 28 days | Form HE32I online, €20. Late, up to €50 on the first day and €1 a day, to €150 |
| Financial statements | With each annual return. None for the year of incorporation, nor for the next if a general meeting was convened in the first | IFRS, with a balance sheet signed by at least two directors |
At the Tax Department and the Social Insurance Services
| Duty | When | How |
|---|---|---|
| Tax number | 60 days from incorporation | In Tax For All, signed in with CY Login since 1 July 2026, with four certificates of the Registrar and the officer's identity document |
| Tax return TD4 | 13 months after the tax year ends. For 2026, 31 January 2028 | In Tax For All. Corporate tax is 15% from 1 January 2026 |
| Audit | Each year | An auditor is appointed at each general meeting, and audited statements go with the return |
| VAT | Taxable supplies passing €15,600 in 12 months, or expected to pass it within 30 days | Form T.D. 1101. A late notice costs €85 a month |
| Employer registration | When the company becomes an employer | The application form of the Social Insurance Services |
The audit and every later filing are in the guide to Cyprus accounting requirements, and the owners' duty to the register in the guide to the UBO register.
The Registrar's page on the steps after incorporation still lists a yearly fee of €350. Its page on that fee says it was repealed from 2024.
Worked example: the dates of a company incorporated on Monday 2 November 2026
The clocks run from the day after the certificate. For a company incorporated on Monday 2 November 2026 the first dates fall as follows.
| Duty | Date |
|---|---|
| Application for the tax number | 1 January 2027 |
| Beneficial owners in the register | 31 January 2027 |
| Form HE4 for a director appointed on 15 March 2027 | 29 March 2027 |
| Tax return for 2026 | 31 January 2028 |
| First general meeting | 2 May 2028 |
| First annual return, made up to 3 May 2028 | 31 May 2028 |
There are no financial statements for 2026. The statements for 2027 go with the first annual return, unless the company convened a general meeting in 2026.
We file the forms of this guide, and you sign them. To start, send us your documents and we register your Cyprus company.
