Ireland Company Formation Online and Remote Setup in 2026

Company formation in Ireland online gives you an EU company that pays 12.5% on trading profits, uses the euro and works in English. You need one director, no minimum capital and a €50 state filing. Form A1 is electronic only, so nobody has to travel to Dublin.

The hard part is the detail. At least one director must live in the EEA, or the company needs a €25,000 bond. A sole director cannot also be the secretary. A director with no PPS number signs Form VIF, and since 30 April 2026 that signature must be witnessed in person. Cheap packages often skip the RBO filing, and late returns carry fees.

We make the remote route simple. Binderr forms the company itself and runs every step remotely: the KYC pack, the constitution, Form A1 on CORE, your Form VIF ready to sign near you, the RBO filing, tax registration and a business account with our banking partners. One team, no email chains. You send the documents, and we deliver the company.

Why Set Up a Company in Ireland Online

You can set up a company in Ireland online from start to finish, apart from one witnessed signature for some directors. The CRO takes Form A1 electronically only, Revenue registers the company through ROS, and the RBO filing is online. With a complete file, we form the company in about a week.

Form A1 Is Filed Electronically Only

Form A1 is the incorporation form. The CRO accepts it electronically only, through CORE, for a €50 fee, and paper is not offered. The CRO's 2025 annual report shows that over 95% of all documents were filed electronically. Online company formation in Ireland is the standard route.

No Visit to Dublin

Nothing in the process needs you in Ireland. One person can own all the shares and be the only director, with a separate secretary. We supply the registered office, which must be a physical Irish address, not a PO box.

A Certificate in About Five Working Days

On the Fé Phráinn online scheme, the CRO aims to issue the certificate within 5 working days. The ordinary online route targets 10 working days. These are CRO targets, not guarantees, so we plan on about a week with a complete file.

Tax Registration Without Paper

Once the company has its CRO number, we register it with Revenue through ROS eRegistration. One registration covers corporation tax, VAT and employer PAYE as needed.

Read more: the Irish company registration process and timeline and the benefits of setting up a company in Ireland.

What You Can and Cannot Do Online

Almost every step of an Irish formation runs online: the name check, Form A1, the RBO filing, tax registration and the bank account. The one exception is Form VIF. Since 30 April 2026, a director without a PPS number signs it with the witness physically in the same room.

So an Irish company formed online needs one physical appointment at most, and only for a director with neither a PPS number nor an RBO transaction number. Plan that appointment first.

CORE and the CRO

CORE is the CRO's online filing system for Form A1, annual returns and company changes. A change of director (Form B10) or registered office (Form B2) is free online. We file on CORE for you.

The Name Check and Reservation

We check your name against the register before filing. A reservation costs €25 for 28 days, and the incorporation fee drops by €25 if the company is formed in that time. See our Irish company name check guide.

The Constitution

An LTD has a one-document constitution with no objects clause, so it can carry on any lawful business. On the Fé Phráinn scheme it is a standard text the CRO approved in advance, which cannot be amended without CRO approval.

The RBO Portal

The Register of Beneficial Ownership is separate from the CRO, and filing is online. A new company files within 5 months, listing everyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights. We file it at formation, inside our price.

Revenue Online Service

ROS is Revenue's online system for tax registration, CT1 returns, VAT returns and payroll. Revenue needs the CRO number first, so the tax step always follows the certificate.

Form VIF and the In-Person Signature

Since 11 June 2023, every director named on Forms A1, B1, B10 and B69 must give a PPS number. A director without one files Form VIF and receives an Identified Person Number (IPN). Since 30 April 2026, the CRO no longer accepts VIF forms witnessed online. It is the one step that cannot be done over a video call, and you can do it in your own country.

Certified Copies of Passports

Our KYC pack starts with clear scans of each passport and proof of address, checked on a video call. Where a scan cannot be checked that way, we ask for a certified copy.

Bank Onboarding With Video ID

Our regulated banking partners verify you remotely with video ID, using the same KYC pack. No branch visit is needed, and the account opens in days.

Read more: how to set up a company remotely with no travel.

Setting Up a Company in Ireland Online as a Non-Resident

Setting up a company in Ireland online as a non-resident follows the same steps, plus three points. The company needs an EEA-resident director or a €25,000 bond. A director without a PPS number signs Form VIF in person at home. And where the company is run matters for tax.

An EEA Director or the Section 137 Bond

Under Section 137 of the Companies Act 2014, the director rules for Irish companies require at least one director resident in an EEA member state. Without one, the company holds a €25,000 bond for at least two years, standing behind Companies Act fines and tax penalties. It is not a deposit and is not refunded. Published broker prices run about €1,500 to €1,970 including VAT, and we arrange it. A Section 140 certificate on Form B67 can replace it, but a new company usually cannot yet show the real and continuous link with Ireland it needs.

Form VIF Signed in Your Own Country

Most non-resident directors have no PPS number, so they sign Form VIF with a witness in the same room. We prepare the form and explain how to arrange the witness near you, so you never travel to Ireland.

Tax Residence When You Run It From Abroad

A company incorporated in Ireland is Irish tax resident by default. If decisions are made in your home country, that country can claim the company is resident there, and its CFC rules can tax the profits. A treaty can settle this, and Ireland has signed double taxation agreements with 78 countries, 75 in effect. We raise it on the first call, and tax advisers for foreign companies in Ireland can take it further.

Read more: Ireland company formation for non-residents and how to set up a company as a non-resident.

Online Businesses That Use Irish Companies

Ireland suits businesses that already work online. SaaS firms, ecommerce sellers, digital service companies, marketplaces and remote-first teams use Irish companies for EU access, the euro and 12.5% on trading profits. Each has one rule to know before you form a company in Ireland online.

SaaS and Software Companies

Software companies get the 12.5% trading rate and an English-speaking EU base. The R&D tax credit is 35%, and the Knowledge Development Box taxes qualifying IP profits at an effective 10%. See tech and startup company formation in Ireland.

Ecommerce, Marketplaces and the VAT One Stop Shop

Sellers of goods register for VAT once sales pass €85,000 over a rolling 12 months, and the standard rate is 23%. As an EU member, Ireland gives you the EU VAT One Stop Shop for cross-border sales. Platforms that collect payments from many countries need a multi-currency account, which our partners open remotely in days. See business accounts for online businesses.

Digital Services and Consultancies

Service businesses register for VAT at €42,500, and a business not established in Ireland must register regardless of turnover. Start-up companies relief excludes service companies, and close service companies pay a 15% surcharge on half of undistributed trading income. Paying out within 18 months of the period end removes it.

Remote-First Teams Hiring in the EU

Payroll runs through ROS, with employer PAYE registration and real-time reporting before the first pay date, director pay included. The national minimum wage rises from €14.15 to €14.94 an hour from 1 January 2027.

How to Register a Company in Ireland Online With Us

To register a company in Ireland online with us, you join a video call, upload your documents and approve the drafts. We do the rest, from the name check and Form A1 on CORE to the RBO filing, tax registration and the bank file. With a complete file, it takes about a week.

Before You Start

Have the company name with one or two backups, a short description of the business and the ownership split. Decide whether a director lives in the EEA or you need the bond. If a director has no PPS number or RBO transaction number, book the VIF appointment early.

We Agree the Structure and Collect Documents

On a video call we confirm the company type, usually an LTD, the share split, the directors and the secretary. An Irish LTD can have 1 to 149 members and needs no minimum capital, and 100 shares of €1 is common. You then upload passports and proofs of address through a secure link.

We Check the Name and File Form A1 on CORE

We search the register and reserve the name where it helps. Then we draft the constitution, prepare Form A1 with the director and secretary details, and file it electronically. The €50 CRO fee is inside our price.

We Prepare Your Form VIF

For each director without a PPS number, we prepare Form VIF and explain how the signing must happen with a witness in your own country.

We Send the Certificate and Register for Tax

The CRO issues the certificate and the company number. We send you the certificate as a file, file the beneficial ownership details online and register the company through ROS.

We Prepare the Bank File

We reuse the KYC pack and introduce you to our regulated banking partners, so Irish company formation with a bank account runs as one process. They open the account remotely, in days.

Documents Needed for Online Company Formation in Ireland

Online company formation in Ireland needs identity and address documents for everyone involved, plus the company details. Most can be clear scans. A certified copy is needed only where a document cannot be checked on a video call, and Form VIF must be signed in person.

• Passport: A clear colour scan for each director, the secretary, each shareholder and each beneficial owner.
• Proof of address: A recent utility bill or bank statement for the same people.
• Director identity number: A PPS number or RBO transaction number, or a signed Form VIF.
• Company details: The name and backups, the activity, the share split and the year end.
• Corporate shareholders: The certificate of incorporation, the registers of directors and shareholders, and an ownership chart.
• EEA director or bond: The EEA director's details, or the bond, which we arrange.
• Source of funds: A short note on where the starting money comes from.

Use names exactly as they appear on each passport, because Form A1, the RBO return and the bank file must all match.

Ireland Company Formation Online Cost in 2026

Ireland company formation online with Binderr costs from €1,899, paid once, for a standard LTD. A realistic first year for a simple company runs about €3,500 to €7,500, before any audit, bond or licence cost.

The price includes structure advice, the KYC pack, the constitution, Form A1, the €50 CRO filing fee, the registered office and company secretary at formation, and the first RBO filing. Tax registration is handled as part of the setup. Funds, regulated firms, trusts and high-risk activities are quoted separately and cost more.

The CRO fee sits inside our price, so it never appears as an extra line. The cheapest packages on the market start under €100 plus VAT, but these bare registration packages cover the CRO filing only. They usually leave out the secretary, the office, the RBO filing, tax registration and the bond. Full-service formation packages run about €800 to €2,000.

First-Year Cost by Company Profile

Most founders who form an Irish company online sit in the first row. The bond row is the biggest jump, because the two-year bond sits on top of everything else.

Read more: the full cost of starting a company in Ireland.

How Long Online Company Formation in Ireland Takes

Online company formation in Ireland takes about a week with us when the file is complete. The CRO aims to issue the certificate within 5 working days on the Fé Phráinn scheme and 10 on the ordinary online route. The VIF appointment is the step most likely to add time.

We draft the constitution and Form A1 while your documents are checked, so the steps overlap. The RBO filing and ROS registration follow the certificate straight away, and our banking partners then open the account in days.

Three things slow it down: a VIF witness booked late, names that differ across documents, and corporate shareholder papers that arrive in pieces. Preparation fixes each one, and we tell you on the first call which applies.

Running an Irish Company Online After Registration

You can run an Irish company online for its whole life. The annual return, tax returns, VAT, payroll and RBO updates are all filed electronically. The calendar is what matters, because late filings cost money and can cost the audit exemption.

Annual Return Form B1 Filed Online

Form B1 costs €20 and is electronic only. The first annual return is made up to 6 months after incorporation and filed within 56 days, with no financial statements. Later returns, filed within 56 days of the annual return date, include them. A late return costs €120 on the first day, then €3 a day, up to a maximum late fee of €1,200, and late fees are not tax deductible.

Audit Exemption and Late Filing

A small company can skip the statutory audit if it meets 2 of 3 tests in the current and previous year: turnover up to €15 million, a balance sheet up to €7.5 million and fewer than 50 employees. File late more than once in five years and the exemption is lost for two years, under section 22 of the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Act 2024.

Corporation Tax Returns Through ROS

The CT1 return and the balance of tax are due by the 23rd day of the ninth month after the period ends. Start-up companies relief gives full relief where the tax due is €40,000 or less, in the first 5 years of a qualifying trade, capped by employer PRSI at €5,000 per employee.

VAT, Payroll and RBO Updates

VAT returns and payroll run through ROS, ownership changes go to the RBO online, and Forms B10 and B2 are free on CORE. Keep every deadline in one calendar and your Irish company online admin stays routine. The Irish company formation requirements set out the ongoing rules.

Opening an Irish Business Account Online

You can open a business account for an Irish company online, and the fastest route is our regulated banking partners. Irish high street banks review new companies with owners abroad slowly, usually over weeks. Our partners open multi-currency accounts remotely, in days, using the KYC pack from your formation.

AIB's business fee schedule effective 1 July 2026 charges €4.50 per quarter for account maintenance and 1.75% on non-euro debit card purchases. Irish banks usually want an Irish-resident director and local activity, and they rarely explain a refusal. See business bank accounts in Ireland for new companies.

Faster Accounts Through Our Banking Partners

Our regulated banking partners are built for companies with owners abroad. They open multi-currency accounts remotely, in days, with video ID and no minimum balance, on published plans of about €30 to €100 a month. Payments cost about €5 to €25 to send and €5 or less to receive, and FX runs about 0.25% to 1.0% over the interbank rate. We prepare the file and make the introduction.

An Irish bank costs less each month, but only once it says yes. For a new company owned from abroad, the partner route gets you trading within days.

Ireland vs the UK, Malta and Cyprus

Ireland is the stronger pick for an EU trading company run in English at a low headline rate. The UK is cheaper but outside the EU. Malta has an EU base with a refund system, and Cyprus a 15% rate and an IP box.

Ireland costs more to form and has the highest VAT rate. In return you get a plain 12.5% rate on trading profits, with no refund to wait for, inside the EU and in English.

Ireland vs the UK

A UK private company needs no secretary and has no director residency rule, but the UK is outside the EU and its main rate is 25%. If EU access does not matter, registering a company in England is the lighter route.

Ireland vs Malta

Malta is also in the EU and uses English. Its 35% headline rate falls to about 5% effective, but as a refund after a dividend, not a lower rate. Founders who want the refund system can register a business in Malta with us.

Ireland vs Cyprus

Cyprus moved to 15% from 1 January 2026, so Ireland's 12.5% now undercuts it on trading profits. Cyprus stays strong for IP, with an IP box at about 2.5% effective. We also handle Cyprus company formation with a bank account.

Who Online Company Formation in Ireland Is Wrong For

Online company formation in Ireland is wrong for founders who want no corporation tax, who cannot meet the director rule at a sensible cost, or who will make every decision in another country.

Non-trading income such as rent, investment income and interest pays 25%, not 12.5%. If you plan a holding structure, look at the participation exemption and the Irish holding company options first.

If no director lives in the EEA, the bond adds about €1,500 to €1,970 to year one, which is heavy for a side project. A sole trader does not need a company at all, because profits are taxed as personal income. See setting up as a sole trader in Ireland.

If the company will be run entirely from your home country, that country may claim it is resident there. Funds, payment firms and other regulated or high-risk businesses need licences and specialist banking, which we quote separately.

Common Mistakes When Setting Up a Company in Ireland Online

Most delays when setting up a company in Ireland online come from four mistakes. Each one costs time or money, and each one is avoided by doing the steps in the right order with a complete file.

Booking an Online Witness for the VIF

Some founders still book a video witness for Form VIF. Since 30 April 2026 the CRO no longer accepts VIF forms witnessed online, so the declarant and the witness must be in the same room. Without an accepted VIF, the director has no IPN for Form A1, and the whole filing waits. If your 28 day name reservation runs out in the meantime, you pay the €25 again. Book an in-person witness in your own country from the start, and we check the signed form before it goes to the CRO.

Uploading Uncertified or Mismatched Documents

A passport scan with the edges cut off, or a name spelled one way on the passport and another on the proof of address, stops the KYC check at the start. The same mismatch then shows up on Form A1, the RBO return and the bank file. Fixing it after filing means corrections and a new round of questions, which can turn a 5 working day CRO target into weeks of delay. Send full colour scans, use names exactly as on the passport, and let us say which documents need a certified copy.

Skipping the RBO Filing After Incorporation

Some founders treat the certificate from the CRO as the finish line. The Register of Beneficial Ownership is a separate filing, due within 5 months of incorporation, for everyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights. Banks and our partners check beneficial ownership when they open an account, so a missing filing can stall the account just when you need it. The cheapest packages often leave this filing out of the price. Our price includes the first RBO filing, and we file it at the start, not in month five.

Opening the Bank Application Before the Certificate

Applying for an account before the company exists wastes the application. The bank needs the CRO number and the certificate, and Revenue needs the CRO number before it registers the company for tax. An early application to an Irish bank can end in a refusal that is rarely explained, and a new review takes weeks. Wait for the certificate, then send one complete file to the bank. With our partners, that file opens an account in days, and the fee of about €30 to €100 a month only starts once it is open.

Bottom Line

Company formation in Ireland online works from anywhere. Form A1 is electronic only, the RBO filing and tax registration are online, and our partners open the account remotely. The one physical step is the VIF signature for a director without a PPS number, and you can do it at home.

With us, a standard LTD costs from €1,899 and takes about a week with a complete file. Plan for about €3,500 to €7,500 in the first year for a simple company. Sort the director route early, file the RBO return at the start and keep the B1 and CT1 dates in one calendar. Then you can run your Irish company online for as long as you own it.

Read more: the Ireland company formation guide and how to set up a company in Ireland.

Sources

• CRO, Company fees: Form A1 at €50 and Form B1 at €20, both electronic only.
• CRO, Company registration methods: the Fé Phráinn and ordinary A1 online schemes, their 5 and 10 working day targets, and name reservation.
• CRO, VIF form amendment and update, 30 April 2026: VIF forms witnessed online no longer accepted.
• CRO Annual Report 2025: 26,533 new companies in 2025, 340,693 on the register and over 95% of documents filed electronically.
• CRO, European Economic Area resident director, Information Leaflet 17: the Section 137 EEA director rule and the €25,000 bond.
• CRO, Audit exemption: small company thresholds and the loss of exemption for late filing.
• Register of Beneficial Ownership, FAQs: the more than 25% beneficial owner test.
• Revenue, Registering for tax: ROS eRegistration and Forms TR2 and TR2 (FT).
• Department of Finance, Budget 2027 Tax Policy Changes: the national minimum wage rise from 1 January 2027.
• AIB, Business Fees and Charges, effective 1 July 2026: account maintenance and non-euro card fees.