In short
- Company tax: Cyprus 15%, Malta 35% less a 6/7 refund (5%), Ireland 12.5% on trading income.
- Registry fee: €165 in Cyprus, €100 in Malta for authorised capital up to €1,500, €50 in Ireland.
- Ireland requires a director resident in the EEA or a €25,000 bond. Cyprus sets no residence rule.
- A dividend to an individual abroad: no contribution in Cyprus, 25% withheld in Ireland unless exempt.
In this guide
Cyprus, Malta and Ireland at a glance: tax, registration, fee, director
All three countries are EU members, and each treats a company incorporated there as tax resident. They differ in the rate, in what the owner pays when the company distributes, and in who must live in the country. We form companies in Cyprus: company formation in Cyprus takes 8 to 12 working days with us.
| Point | Cyprus | Malta | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 15% from 1 January 2026 | 35% | 12.5% on trading income, 25% on non-trading income |
| Company tax after the refund | 15% | 5%: 35% less the 6/7 refund the registered shareholder claims | 12.5% on trading income |
| Dividend to a shareholder abroad | Individual: no Special Defence Contribution (form T.F.38). Company in an EU-listed jurisdiction: 17%, in a low-tax jurisdiction: 5% | 6/7 of the company tax refunded to the registered shareholder | 25% Dividend Withholding Tax; exempt on declaration V2A or V2B for qualifying residents of EU, EEA and treaty countries |
| Registration | Online through the Registrar's e-filing; form HE1 sworn by a Cyprus lawyer; documents in Greek | Online through BAROS, mandatory since 1 March 2025 | Online through CORE |
| Registry fee | €165; €265 with the accelerated procedure | €100 for authorised capital up to €1,500 | €50 |
| Time the registry states | None published; 8 to 12 working days with us | 24 hours for a file with correct documents | None confirmed |
| Company tax residence | Incorporated in Cyprus, or managed and controlled there | Incorporated in Malta, or managed and controlled there | Incorporated in Ireland, or centrally managed and controlled there |
| Directors | At least 1 and a secretary; no residence rule | At least 1 and a secretary; the sole director cannot be the secretary | At least 1 resident in the EEA, or a €25,000 bond |
How each country taxes a company's profit
Cyprus: 15% on one profit
Law 244(I)/2025 replaced the 12.5% rate with 15% from 1 January 2026. A resident company pays it on income from sources in Cyprus and abroad. Dividends the company receives are exempt from income tax, and so is profit from the sale of shares and bonds; a company loses the exemption on a dividend to the extent the payer deducts it abroad.
Malta: 35% on the company, 5% after the refund
Article 56(6) of the Income Tax Act charges every company 35 cents on each euro of chargeable income. When the company pays a dividend, Article 48(4A) of the Income Tax Management Act lets the registered shareholder claim back six-sevenths of that tax. The working: 35% × 1/7 = 5%. Where the profit is passive interest or royalties, the refund is five-sevenths and the working is 35% × 2/7 = 10%.
Ireland: 12.5% on trading, 25% on the rest
Revenue taxes trading income at 12.5% and non-trading income, such as rental and investment income, at 25%. A group with revenue above €750 million in two of the previous four years pays a top-up to 15%.
€100,000 of trading profit in each country
| Line | Cyprus | Malta | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company tax on €100,000 | €15,000 | €35,000 | €12,500 |
| Refund to the registered shareholder | none | €30,000, which is 6/7 of €35,000 | none |
| Company tax after the refund | €15,000 | €5,000 | €12,500 |
| Profit left to distribute before any refund | €85,000 | €65,000 | €87,500 |
In Malta the shareholder receives the €65,000 dividend and claims the €30,000. The refund follows the dividend, so the full €35,000 is paid first.
What a shareholder abroad pays on the dividend
Cyprus charges an individual who is non-resident or non-domiciled no Special Defence Contribution on a dividend; the shareholder asks for the exemption on form T.F.38. On the €85,000 dividend in the table above the contribution is €0. A company shareholder pays it at 17% when registered or resident in a jurisdiction on the EU blacklist and at 5% when registered or resident in a low-tax jurisdiction. A shareholder who lives and is domiciled in Cyprus pays 5% on dividends from profits earned after 1 January 2026.
Ireland withholds Dividend Withholding Tax at 25%. On the €87,500 dividend in the table that is €21,875, which leaves €65,625. A qualifying non-resident avoids it by a declaration: form V2B for a company and form V2A for an individual. Revenue lists as qualifying a person resident in an EU or EEA state or in a treaty country, and a company resident there that an Irish resident does not control. The exemption is not automatic, and each declaration lasts until 31 December of the fifth year after it is issued.
In Malta the refund described above is the mechanism a shareholder uses. The shareholder registers, receives the dividend and claims the refund.
Every dividend above also meets the tax of the owner's home country, which these rules do not change. A founder in a country that taxes foreign dividends compares the totals there. The Cyprus side of that comparison is in the guide to Cyprus non-dom tax rules.
We do this for you Company formation in Cyprus from €1,699
How a company is registered in Cyprus, Malta and Ireland
Cyprus: Greek documents and a lawyer's declaration
- Approve the name with the Registrar: €10 a name.
- Draft the memorandum and articles in Greek.
- Prepare form HE1, sworn by the entrusted lawyer, form HE2 for the registered office and form HE3 for the first directors and secretary.
- File online through the Registrar's e-filing system and pay €165 by card; the accelerated procedure adds €100.
- Apply to the Tax Department for the tax number within 60 days of incorporation.
A private company has no minimum share capital and 1 to 50 shareholders. The Registrar publishes no number of days. With us, incorporation takes 8 to 12 working days from the day your documents reach us, from €1,699 before VAT with the state fees, the registered office and the secretary for the first year inside.
Malta: BAROS and a fee by capital
Since 1 March 2025 every incorporation is filed online through the registry's portal BAROS. The Malta Business Registry states that a company can be incorporated within 24 hours when the documents, due diligence included, are correct. The fee follows the authorised share capital: €100 up to €1,500, and from €1,500 to €5,000 it is €210 plus €12 for each €500 or part of €500 above €1,500. A private company's authorised capital is at least €1,164.69, and the Companies Act asks for 20% paid up at signing.
Ireland: CORE and €50
The Companies Registration Office takes the application online through CORE. The Companies Act 2014 (Fees) Regulations 2025 set €50 for registering a company by electronic form and €25 to reserve a name.
| Registry cost | Cyprus | Malta | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | €165 | €100 up to €1,500 of authorised capital | €50 |
| Name | €10 a name | – | €25 to reserve |
| Faster filing | €100 more | 24 hours stated for a correct file | None confirmed |
Where each country expects a director, an office or management
Incorporation makes a company tax resident in all three. Cyprus applies residence to a company incorporated there from 1 January 2026, unless a double tax treaty gives the residence to another state. Malta treats a company incorporated there as resident, and also one whose control and management are exercised in Malta. Ireland treats a company incorporated there on or after 1 January 2015 as resident unless a treaty places it elsewhere, and a foreign company is resident if centrally managed and controlled in Ireland.
| Requirement | Cyprus | Malta | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directors | At least 1 in a private company; no residence rule | At least 1 in a private company | At least 1 resident in the EEA, or a €25,000 bond, or a certificate under section 140 of the Act |
| Secretary | 1; the sole director may act only in a company with one shareholder | Required; the sole director cannot be the secretary | – |
| Registered office | In Cyprus, not a mailbox | In Malta, stated in the memorandum | In the State at all times |
A non-resident of any nationality can hold all the shares of a Cyprus private company and be its only director, because the Companies Law sets no residence rule for either. The company keeps a registered office and a secretary in Cyprus, and a Cyprus lawyer swears form HE1.
The Tax Department weighs where a Cyprus company is managed when a treaty is involved. The requirements for a company that is run from abroad are in the guide to Cyprus tax residency.
Which country suits which founder: four cases
Each case reads the figures above:
- A holding company that owns shares and receives dividends: Cyprus. Dividends it receives and gains on the sale of shares are exempt from income tax, and a dividend to an individual abroad carries no Special Defence Contribution. In Malta, interest and royalties the company earns bear 35% less the 5/7 refund, which leaves 10%. In Ireland, rental and investment income is taxed at 25%. The Cyprus rules are in the guide to a Cyprus holding company.
- An online service company with customers abroad and an owner outside the EU: Cyprus. The company pays 15%, nobody needs to live in Cyprus to be its director, and the owner's dividend carries no Special Defence Contribution. Ireland taxes the same trading profit at 12.5% but asks for an EEA-resident director or a €25,000 bond, and the owner files form V2A to avoid the 25% withholding; Revenue's list of qualifying residents names EU, EEA and treaty countries.
- A trading company whose owner lives in the EU or EEA: Ireland or Malta. On €100,000 of trading profit the Irish company pays €12,500 and the owner files V2A, so the €87,500 dividend is paid in full. The Maltese company pays €35,000 and the shareholder claims €30,000, which makes the net company tax €5,000. Cyprus costs €15,000 on the same profit.
- An owner who lives in a third country and directs the company: Cyprus. Its Companies Law sets no residence rule for the director, and the company is resident by incorporation. The owner's home country decides what the dividend bears there.
Cyprus fits a holding or a service company whose owner wants a registered office, a lawyer and a bank in the EU without a director who lives there. Ireland fits a trading company with an EEA director and an owner in a treaty country. Malta fits the owner who claims the 6/7 refund on every dividend. Our Cyprus work comes with the accounts and the tax return: Cyprus tax services. For the same choice against the Gulf, read Cyprus vs the UAE.
To register the company, order company formation in Cyprus. We draft the Greek documents, find the lawyer for form HE1 and file them with the Registrar.
