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Company formation for non-residents

Incorporate an Irish company without living in Ireland

You do not need to live in the EU or EEA, and your passport does not decide it either. We explain the EEA-resident director rule, the Section 137 bond alternative, and handle the whole registration remotely, in English or Portuguese.

English and Portuguese support
Fast response on WhatsApp
No judgment, we help you get organized
Free initial guidance
Founded by a Brazilian accountant
Registered Tax Agent with Revenue (TAIN)
Your data protected, hosted in the EU

None of my directors live in the EEA

If nobody on your team is resident in an EEA state, we explain your two options and set up the one that fits your situation.

I need the Section 137 bond explained in plain English

If you have read about the bond and are still not sure how it works or what it costs, we walk you through it before you commit to anything.

I started the CRO paperwork and got stuck

If you began the Form A1 process on your own and hit a wall, like the PPS number field or the registered office requirement, we pick it up from there.

EEA-resident director

  • A real director who lives in an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway
  • No extra fee to the state, just a genuine appointment with real duties
  • Works best when you already have a trusted co-founder or partner in the EEA

Section 137 bond

  • A financial bond worth €25,000, held for a minimum of two years
  • You pay an insurer's premium, not the full €25,000 upfront
  • Works when none of your directors live in the EEA and you want to incorporate now

How we handle it, end to end, remotely

1

Initial call over WhatsApp or video

You tell us where you and your directors live and what the company will do. We tell you upfront whether you need an EEA-resident director or the bond.

2

Route and paperwork

We help arrange the Section 137 bond with an insurer, or confirm your EEA-resident director appointment, and sort out the PPS number or IPN for every director.

3

CRO filing

We file Form A1 through CORE, using our own registered office address if you do not have an Irish one yet.

4

Ongoing compliance from anywhere

After incorporation we handle the first annual return, tax registrations, and yearly filings remotely, so you never miss a deadline from abroad.

€25,000 (minimum 2-year term)

Section 137 bond value for companies with no EEA-resident director

CRO: Company officers (directors and secretaries) →

€50

CRO Form A1 incorporation fee (online filing)

CRO: Company fees →

10 working days

Certificate of Incorporation turnaround (ordinary online filing)

CRO: Registration methods →

What you need if you are not moving to Ireland

Every non-resident founder needs to sort out the same handful of things before the Form A1 goes in:

  • A registered office in Ireland. It has to be a real physical address, not a PO box. If you do not have one yet, we can provide ours.
  • Either an EEA-resident director or the Section 137 bond. There is no way around this one, it is a company law requirement, not a preference.
  • A PPS number for every director, or a Form VIF filed to get an Identified Person Number (IPN) instead. This takes time, so start it early.
  • If the company has only one director, a separate person registered as company secretary. The director cannot also act as secretary.

Common mistakes:

  • Waiting until the Form A1 is ready to sort out the IPN, which then delays the whole filing.
  • Assuming a passport from an EEA country is enough on its own. What matters is where the director actually lives, not their nationality.
  • Thinking the Section 137 bond makes the company Irish tax resident. It does not. Tax residence depends on where management and control actually happen, a separate question we walk through with you.

Start with a free initial consultation

Tell us where you and your directors live, and what the company will do. We will tell you whether you need an EEA-resident director or the Section 137 bond, and what it actually costs, before anything is billed.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Owning shares has no residence requirement at all. You can hold 100 percent of an Irish company while living anywhere in the world. The residence rule applies only to directors, not to shareholders.
The company needs to hold a Section 137 bond worth €25,000, valid for at least two years, instead of an EEA-resident director. You pay an insurer's premium, not the full amount. Once the company is trading in Ireland, it can apply for a Section 140 certificate instead.
No. The UK left the EEA resident area on 31 December 2020. A director living anywhere in the UK, including Northern Ireland, no longer satisfies the EEA-resident director requirement, even with the shared history between the two countries.
Every director needs a PPS number on CRO filings. If you do not have one, which is common outside Ireland, you file Form VIF instead and receive an Identified Person Number (IPN) that we match to your filings.
No. Every Irish company must keep a registered office inside the State, and it has to be a real physical address, not a PO box or a foreign address. If you do not have one, we provide ours as part of setup.
Everything runs by video call, WhatsApp, and email. We confirm your route, EEA director or bond, prepare the CRO filing, and keep handling tax registrations and annual returns after incorporation, wherever you are based.

By Rafael Arantes, Registered Tax Agent (TAIN), founder of ARAN Accounting. Updated 8/24/2026.

Ready to incorporate without guessing which route applies to you?

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Open a Company in Ireland as a Non-Resident | ARAN