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Frequently asked questions

A Limited Company (LTD), otherwise known as a “Private Company Limited by Shares’, is the most common type of business structure in Ireland. Features of a limited company include a legal separation of ownership and management, limited liability, and share capital.
We offer a company formation service that ensures your Limited Company is set up within one week.

Limited liability offers protection for a shareholder’s private assets. It ensures that they are only responsible for the company debts up to the point of their investment in the shares of the business.

Any Irish Limited Company needs the following:

  • A minimum of one Director

  • A separate Company Secretary (if the company has two or more Directors, one can also act as Company Secretary)

  • A Registered Address and Business Address in Ireland

  • A Company Seal

If the company does not have a minimum of one Director resident in the EU or EEA you will also require a Non-EU Director Bond.
In order to form the company, we will need a verified copy of ID and proof of address for each of the Directors. You can see all of our fees for Company Formation services and purchase here.

There are many upsides to incorporating your business. There are more tax reliefs and personal tax benefits available for Limited Companies, not to mention the much lower rate of tax that Limited Companies have to pay on their profits.


Limited Companies also offer protection of company name and of shareholders’ private assets, while also giving more credibility to your business with potential clients.

A private limited company can have anything from 1-50 directors.

It is very common, especially in Startups, for the company director to also be a shareholder in the company.

As a sole trader, there is little legal distinction between you and your business. Therefore all business debts also become personal debts and any personal assets, like property, are not protected.


A limited company is its own separate legal entity, which ensures its shareholders are only financially liable for the amount they have invested in the company.

It is not a difficult process, but it certainly can be stressful! There are many legal documents, including the Form A1 and Constitution, that have to be handed into the Company Registration Office (CRO). Other processes, such as appointing a company secretary and ensuring the CRO approves of your company name, also have to be done in a professional and legal manner.


Luckily for you, we offer a Company Formation service which helps to alleviate the stress of setting up your company.

The Certificate of Incorporation is a digital document that is issued by the Companies Registration Office to confirm the formation of a limited company

The Companies Registration Office (CRO) is responsible for incorporating Irish companies. They are also responsible for the receipt and regulation of all documents post-incorporation (including the annual returns), enforcement of regulations relating to the filing obligations of companies and making sure that information on the companies is readily available to the public.

Yes. When you make your company submission the Companies Registration Office (CRO) will carry out a name check against its database of registered Irish company names. If your proposed name is too similar to any in this database, your company submission will be returned.

The Memorandum and Articles of Association, now known as the Constitution under Irish law, is a document that defines how the company is run, governed and owned.


With our Company Formation service, we look after your constitution, ensuring it is completed in a timely and professional manner.

There are two types of shares to consider releasing during company registration. One type is the ‘authorised shares’, which outlines how many shares you can potentially issue at present or in the future.


The second type, ‘issued shares’, are shares that have been paid and distributed to shareholders already. For example, if you were to issue two people 50 shares each, they would then own 50% of the company.

We would recommend issuing 100,000 authorised shares and issuing 100 shares at €1 in value.
Speak to our Client Services team for expert feedback on any questions you may have!

Your business address, also known as your trading address, is where your daily business is conducted. It is the location that the Irish Revenue Commission, other businesses and people in general use to send correspondence addressed to your business.

If you’re looking to set up a Limited Company or if you are a Sole Trader in Ireland then you are legally required to have a business address in the State.

Yes, it is perfectly legal to use your home address as your business address.


If you’re interested in keeping your home address private for your business correspondence, then avail of our Dublin 2 address with our Business Address mail forwarding service.

Our Business Address service is perfect for companies who are still securing premises in Ireland. Using this package will ensure your mail is opened and scanned the same day, while also allowing you to use our Dublin 2 address in your correspondence.


If your trading address is also your home address and you’re concerned about privacy, our Business Address Mail Forwarding Service ensures all your business correspondence will be addressed to our Dublin 2 address, keeping your home address private.


Using Kinore’s address for your business correspondence can also help give your company a more professional look to potential customers.

Your Registered Office is where all mail from the Companies Registration Office (CRO) addressed to your company is sent. This address will also be published on the CRO website.
With our Registered Office package, your business can use our Dublin-based location as your official registered office.

If you’re still in the early stages of your start-up you can use your home address as your registered office.


If you’re concerned about privacy then you should be aware that the CRO publishes all of the registered office addresses on their website.


Our Registered Office service ensures your private address remains private while ensuring all mail from the CRO is opened and scanned on the same day

The Companies Registration Office (CRO) allows companies to use an authorised agent, such as Kinore, to carry out their registered office obligations.


Have a look at our blog post on the Registered Office for more detailed information.

Yes, you can change your registered office by sending a signed B2 form (can be filled out online at Core Website) to the Companies Registration Office (CRO).


The CRO must be notified within 14 days of the change.

No. Your registered office must be a physical location. People have the right to visit your company’s registered office to inspect certain registrars and documents, as well as having the right to deliver documents directly.

Your Business Address is where the day-to-day running of your company takes place (trading address).


Your Registered Office is your official company address: where the CRO asks you to keep all of your statutory books and records and which is officially named as your company address on the CRO.


You can use the same address for both with our Virtual Office in Ireland package.

Yes. You can avail of our central Dublin 2 Address as both your registered office and business address with our Virtual Office in Ireland package.

A Company Secretary is a named representative on all of a company’s legal documentation. Your company secretary will be required to countersign on all documentation such as Annual Returns and Bank Accounts.

The Company Secretary is a legal adviser, facilitator, and communicator to the board and the company’s shareholders.

It is a legal requirement for companies in Ireland to have a company secretary.
You can outsource your company secretarial services to Kinore with our Company Secretarial package.

If there are two or more directors of a company then it is possible for one of these directors to also become the company secretary.
However, if there is only one director for your company, then you must appoint someone else as company secretary.
You can appoint us as your company secretary with our company secretarial service.

You can appoint anyone over the age of 18 as your company secretary. The company secretary must carry out important tasks and duties, with punishments and fines being handed out if these responsibilities aren’t met.
Our Company Secretarial package ensures these duties are carried out in an efficient and professional manner.

Some duties our company secretarial package covers include:

  • Filing of the Annual Return and Accounts with the Companies Registration Office

  • Handling changes in directors, registered office, shareholders, increase in share capital (up to 5 changes per year)

  • Maintaining and updating the seven statutory registers

  • Taking minutes of meetings, including the Annual General Meeting, and issuing notice of the same

 

An Annual Return, or B1 form, is an online document that sets out certain prescribed information about your company.

The 1st Annual Returns (B1 Form) must be submitted within 6 months of company formation.
The 2nd Annual Returns and Accounts are due 18 months after formation. After that, Annual Returns are due every 12 months on that date.

Yes. All companies, whether trading or not, are required to file an annual return once a year.

With your 1st Annual Return, you only have to submit your B1 form.


For subsequent years, you must submit the B1 form plus “abridged accounts” summarising your financial statements (profits/loss, assets, income, expenditure).

Statutory Registers are records that must be kept at your registered office address. The company secretary is responsible for maintaining these registers.

Under Irish law, every Irish Limited Company is required to have a Company Seal (also known as the Common Seal). The company secretary can hold onto the seal on behalf of the company.
Order your Company Seal today from Kinore for €49 + VAT.

The company seal is used on official company documents, such as the transfer of shares, to ensure that they are original.

Yes. If you are a resident of an EEA country you can register your limited company in Ireland.
If you are a non-EEA resident, you can still be a director of an Irish company, but you’ll need to buy a non-resident director bond for 2 years to meet statutory obligations.
You can also seek a statement from Revenue that shows your company has a real and continuous link with Ireland, which may exempt you from needing the bond.

No. If you’re a non-EEA resident you can serve as a director, but you’ll legally need to purchase a non-resident director bond unless you satisfy the “real & continuous link” test.

VAT stands for Value Added Tax. It is a tax added to the value of goods or services at every stage of production or distribution. As a consumer, most of the goods or services you purchase have VAT included in the price. VAT is collected by Revenue via businesses that register for VAT.

Any business based in Ireland or providing goods or services to Irish customers can register for VAT. You must show evidence of trading in Ireland (e.g. invoices, expenses, employees, offices) when applying to Revenue.

The VAT thresholds in Ireland are: €37,500 for services and €75,000 for goods. You must register if you anticipate exceeding the threshold in the next 12 months (income minus VAT on purchases).

It can take up to 28 business days from when it reaches Revenue. If unsure, Kinore can apply on your behalf.

Yes, if you sell goods or services in other countries. For example, sales in Spain may require Spanish VAT registration once thresholds are met.

Yes, if your Irish income exceeds the VAT threshold, you’ll need to register and file in Ireland—even if your company is based elsewhere.

When both are VAT-registered, you include both VAT numbers on the invoice; no VAT is charged. Both companies include the invoice in their VAT returns.

If you’re not VAT-registered, you can’t charge VAT. If your EU trading partner is VAT-registered, they’ll pay VAT. If neither is VAT-registered, no VAT is charged or mentioned.

If a non-EU entity buys from you or you buy from them, generally no VAT is charged in the transaction.

If neither party is VAT-registered, there’s no VAT charged or mentioned.

MOSS (Mini One-Stop-Shop) is a scheme allowing simplified VAT filing for businesses supplying telecom, broadcasting or electronic services to non-taxable persons in multiple EU states. It lets you file all returns in one EU country instead of registering in each. It’s optional.

You need to register when you reach the VAT threshold in any EU Member State. Even if you haven’t in Ireland, if you anticipate reaching another country’s threshold, you either register MOSS in Ireland or register for VAT in that country.

VIES is the VAT Information Exchange System. It lets you check whether an EU VAT number is valid.

If you sell goods or services (zero-rated) to VAT-registered businesses in other EU states, you must include those in VIES returns.

Intrastat is the system collecting trade statistics across the EU for goods movement between states.

If your imports from EU states exceed €500,000 in 12 months, or your exports exceed €635,000 in 12 months.

There are three rates: 6.25%, 12.5%, and 25%.

  • 6.25% applies to profits under the Knowledge Development Box (e.g. qualifying patents, computer programmes)

  • 12.5% is for trading income for businesses centrally managed in Ireland

  • 25% is for non-trading income or income from entities not centrally managed in Ireland

All Irish companies must register for corporation tax within one month of beginning to trade.

Not necessarily. You must show that your business is centrally controlled and managed in Ireland. Using a Virtual Office service by itself does not automatically qualify you.

Yes. Every Director of an Irish Limited Company must file a Director’s Return (Form 11) by 31 October annually. The first return is due the year after incorporation.

Tax-free vouchers are a tax-efficient way to reward staff. Under Revenue’s Small Business Exemption Scheme, employers can give a non-cash bonus up to €500 without PAYE, PRSI, or USC, if guidelines are met.

RCT is a withholding tax on payments made by a Principal contractor to a Sub-Contractor under a relevant contract.

Most common in construction, forestry and meat processing, but can apply to any sector. Penalties for non-compliance can reach up to 35% of the relevant payment.

Preliminary tax is an advance payment towards next year’s tax (income tax, PRSI, USC) based on your estimated liability.

Before 31 October, you must calculate and pay one of the following:

  • 90% of the tax liability for the upcoming year

  • 100% of tax due for the current year

  • 105% of tax due for the prior year (if paying by direct debit)

Sole traders pay 20–40% income tax on profits, plus USC (up to 11%) and PRSI (4%).

  • Single person – €34,550

  • Married couple/civil partners with one income – €43,550

  • Married couple/civil partners with two incomes – up to €69,100

  • One parent family – €38,550