Malta company formation agents take a company from idea to certificate: the structure, the due diligence, the documents, the online filing, and the registered office and secretary every Malta company must have. With a complete file, the Malta Business Registry can register a company in as little as 24 hours.
The hard part is that this work is regulated and quotes vary widely. Anyone who forms companies, provides a registered office or acts as director or secretary by way of business needs MFSA authorisation, and lawyers and accountants lost their old exemption in 2021. Packages differ on what they include, and the yearly fees are often left out.
We make it simple. Our Malta company formation services cover the whole setup: structure advice, the KYC file, the documents, the capital deposit, the ownership forms and the filing, with licensed partners in Malta for the office and secretary. One team, one clear price from €1,299, and the company is ready in about a week.
Malta Company Incorporation
GCS Malta
Effective tax (with 6/7ths refund)
~5% for non-resident shareholders
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,299
Only looking for the formation steps? Read our Malta company formation guide.
Why Use Malta Company Formation Agents
Most founders use Malta company formation agents because the online filing system needs a Maltese or EU electronic ID, the due diligence file has to be right before the Registry sees it, and every company needs a registered office and a company secretary from day one. Good company formation services in Malta turn those into one process instead of four.
Online Filing Needs an EU Electronic ID
Since 1 March 2025, every new company must be filed through BAROS, the Registry's online system. You log in with a Maltese e-ID or an EU eIDAS credential and must then be approved as an authorised user. Most founders from outside the EU have neither, so they use a licensed agent who files for them.
Due Diligence Comes Before the Filing
Under Malta's anti-money laundering rules, a company service provider must identify every customer, director and beneficial owner, understand the purpose of the company and assess its risk before it files anything. The MFSA rulebook also asks providers to check the proposed name and that the activity is legal. A file that is right at this stage goes through the Registry without questions.
Malta Company Formation Services From €1,299
Malta company formation services work best when one team runs the whole file. This is what we do for you.
- We form it for you: Structure, documents and the online filing in one process.
- Licensed partners in Malta: Registered office and secretary from authorised providers.
- No EU e-ID needed: We file through the Registry's online system for you.
- KYC pack prepared: We tell you what we need and build the file.
- Capital deposit sorted: The deposit slip the Registry asks for, arranged with you.
- Faster than going direct: One complete file, so no rounds of questions.
- Clear pricing, no surprises: From €1,299, yearly fees shown up front.
A Registered Office and Secretary From Day One
Every Malta company must have a registered office in Malta and a company secretary. If the secretary is a company rather than a person, it must be an authorised company service provider. Most foreign-owned companies use their formation agent's partners for both, so the address and the officer are in place on the day the company is registered.
Fewer Mistakes, Faster Registration
Most delays come from small gaps: a reference letter that is too old, a copy that is not certified, a capital deposit slip without the company's name, or a sole director who is also named as secretary in a company that is not exempt. Experienced Malta company formation agents catch these before filing, which is why a complete file can be registered in about a day.
What Our Malta Company Formation Services Include
Our Malta company formation services cover everything from the first call to a company that can trade. We form the company ourselves, our licensed partners in Malta provide the registered office and secretary, and our banking partners open the account. You deal with one team and one point of contact throughout.
Structure and Tax Planning
We confirm the company type, the share capital, the share classes and who will be director and secretary. Where the company will pay dividends to foreign shareholders, or act as a Malta holding company, we plan the refund route from the start, so the 35% tax and the six-sevenths refund work as expected.
KYC and Due Diligence File
We collect certified identity documents, proof of address and, for non-EU shareholders, the bank or professional reference letter. Where a company owns shares, we map the full chain of owners up to the individuals at the top.
Memorandum, Articles and Ownership Forms
We draft the memorandum and articles for your business, not a generic template, and prepare the director consent forms and the beneficial ownership declaration. Since July 2026, many companies owned only by individuals can use their register of members as their ownership register, and we check whether yours qualifies.
Capital Deposit and Online Filing
At least 20% of the share capital, €232.94 at the minimum, must be paid into an account for the company in formation, and the deposit slip goes to the Registry with the documents. We arrange that step with you, sign the documents with qualified e-signatures and file through BAROS.
Registered Office and Company Secretary
Our partners in Malta provide the registered office from €900 + VAT a year and the company secretary from €900 + VAT a year. The secretary keeps the registers, files the annual return and handles changes to directors and shareholders. See our pages on registered office services in Malta and company secretarial services in Malta.
Tax Number, VAT and Bank Account
The tax number is issued automatically on registration. We set up VAT under the right article for your business and prepare the bank file while the company is being formed, so the account can open soon after the certificate arrives.
Service | Included in formation | Yearly, through our partners |
|---|---|---|
Structure advice and KYC file | Yes | Not needed |
Memorandum, articles and ownership forms | Yes | Updates priced when needed |
Registry fee and online filing | Yes | Annual return from €200 + VAT, plus €85 Registry fee |
Registered office | Arranged at formation | From €900 + VAT |
Company secretary | Arranged at formation | From €900 + VAT |
Accounting and financial statements | Not included | From €1,500 + VAT |
Tax return | Not included | From €500 + VAT |
Corporate or individual director | Optional | From €1,500 to €2,000 + VAT |
Malta Company Incorporation
GCS Malta
Effective tax (with 6/7ths refund)
~5% for non-resident shareholders
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,299
Company Formation Agents in Malta Must Be Licensed
Company formation agents in Malta must be authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority under the Company Service Providers Act. The law covers three services: forming companies, acting as or arranging a director, secretary or partner, and providing a registered office or business address. Anyone providing company formation services in Malta by way of business needs a licence.
Class | What it covers | Minimum initial capital |
|---|---|---|
Class A | Forming companies and providing a registered office or address | €10,000 |
Class B | Acting as, or arranging, directors, secretaries or partners | €15,000 plus indemnity insurance |
Class C | All company services | €25,000 plus indemnity insurance |
Limited CSP | An individual acting as director or secretary for up to 10 companies | €2,000 |
At the end of March 2026, the MFSA listed 235 authorised company service providers and 33 limited ones. Each must have at least two fit and proper directors, a compliance officer and a money laundering reporting officer in Malta approved by the MFSA, and pay a yearly supervisory fee of up to €3,000.
No More Exemption for Lawyers and Accountants
Until 2021, warranted lawyers, notaries and accountants could provide company services without a CSP licence, and individuals with a small number of directorships were exempt too. The 2020 reform removed those exemptions. Today a lawyer or accountant who forms companies by way of business needs MFSA authorisation like anyone else, with a lighter "under-threshold" class for those whose company services are a small part of their practice. Under-threshold providers cannot offer a registered office.
How to Check a Licence
The MFSA Financial Services Register lists every authorised and registered company service provider, with its class and status. It takes a minute to search a provider's name before you buy company formation services in Malta from anyone, and a licensed agent will give you its licence details without being asked.
What Happens if an Agent Is Not Licensed
A person who acts as director or secretary as a service provider without MFSA authorisation is disqualified from holding that office under the Companies Act, and the Registrar notifies the company. The MFSA can fine an unlicensed provider up to €150,000, and the criminal penalty goes up to €466,000 or four years in prison. This is why company formation agents in Malta are worth checking before you sign. For your company, an unlicensed officer means a gap in the file that banks and auditors will find.
Read more: how to choose a company formation agent and European company formation agents.
Licensed Malta Company Registration Agents
Malta company registration is straightforward with licensed partners and a clean file. This is how we keep it that way.
- Licensed partners: Office and secretary from MFSA-authorised providers.
- Due diligence done right: Every owner and director checked before filing.
- No unlicensed officers: No gaps for banks or auditors to find later.
- Ownership disclosed properly: Nominees and trusts shown the way the law requires.
- Fast formation: Registered in about a week from a complete file.
- One point of contact: No chasing a lawyer, an accountant and a bank.
How Our Malta Company Formation Works
Our Malta company formation services run in five steps and takes about a week from the first call. Most of that time goes on documents from your side, such as certified copies and the reference letter, not on the Registry, which can register a complete file in as little as 24 hours.
Step | What we do | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
1. Structure call | Confirm the company type, capital, owners and officers | Day 1 |
2. KYC file | Collect and check documents for every owner and director | 2 to 3 days |
3. Documents | Draft the memorandum, articles and ownership forms | 1 day |
4. Capital and filing | Arrange the deposit slip, sign and file online | 1 to 2 days |
5. Registration and setup | Certificate, tax number, VAT and bank file | As little as 24 hours at the Registry |
For Malta company registration agents, the step that most often slows a file is the reference letter for non-EU shareholders. It must come from a bank or a lawyer, auditor, accountant or notary who has known you for at least a year, and be dated within six months, so we ask for it on the first day.
Malta Company Incorporation
GCS Malta
Effective tax (with 6/7ths refund)
~5% for non-resident shareholders
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,299
What Malta Company Formation Agents Charge
Malta company formation agents usually charge a one-off formation fee and then yearly fees for the office, secretary and compliance work. Published packages for company formation services in Malta commonly run from about €1,500 to €4,000 for the formation alone, and the yearly fees are where quotes differ most.
With us, a standard private limited company starts from €1,299, which includes the Registry fee, the documents, the ownership forms and the filing. A holding and trading structure starts from €1,750 + VAT, and a branch of an overseas company from €2,000 + VAT. The yearly services through our partners start from €900 + VAT each for the registered office and secretary, €600 + VAT for the compliance file, €1,500 + VAT for accounting and €500 + VAT for the tax return.
A realistic first year for a small company comes to about €6,800 to €10,500 plus VAT, including a business account. When you compare quotes, compare the whole first year, not the formation fee alone, and check that the quote uses the online Registry fee of €100, not the old paper fee of €245. Our guide to the cost of setting up a company in Malta breaks down every line.
Who Uses Company Formation Services in Malta
Company formation services in Malta serve a wide range of founders, and each needs a slightly different setup. The company is a private limited company in most cases. What changes is the structure, the officers and what comes after the certificate.
Trading and Service Companies
Most clients form a simple trading or service company with one or two owners. They need the company, the office, the secretary, VAT and a bank account, and they want it done in a week. Our guide to setting up a limited company in Malta covers this case in detail.
Holding Companies and SPVs
Groups use Malta for holding companies because dividends and gains from participating holdings can get a full tax refund or the participation exemption. Many also form a special purpose vehicle in Malta for one asset or one deal. These need more care on share classes and ownership charts, and a holding and trading structure starts from €1,750 + VAT.
Licensed Businesses
Gaming, payments, e-money and crypto firms form a normal company first and then apply for a licence. The formation file has to fit what the regulator will ask for later, so the agent needs to understand the licence too. See our guides to the Malta gaming licence and the Malta crypto licence.
Founders Starting From Scratch
Founders who are starting a business in Malta for the first time often need help choosing between a sole trader registration and a company. A company makes sense when you want limited liability, investors or customers abroad, and a sole trader registration when you are testing an idea on your own.
Read more: company formation vs incorporation and how to register a company online.
Due Diligence Your Formation Agent Must Run
Every Malta company service provider is a subject person under the anti-money laundering rules, so it must run due diligence before it forms a company and keep it up to date afterwards. This is why Malta company formation agents ask for more than a passport, and why the questions are the same wherever you go.
Who Gets Checked
The agent identifies and verifies the customer, every director and every beneficial owner. A holding of more than 25% of the shares, or 25% plus one share, points to a beneficial owner. For a company formation, the FIAU treats the future shareholders and beneficial owners as the customer.
Source of Funds and Source of Wealth
The FIAU expects providers to know how much share capital is being paid in and, depending on risk, to see evidence of where it comes from. For politically exposed persons and for links to high-risk countries, source of wealth and source of funds checks are mandatory.
Records Kept in Malta
Providers must keep the due diligence records for at least five years after the relationship ends, and the MFSA can require up to ten. The records, including the identities of clients and beneficial owners, must be kept in Malta.
Ongoing Monitoring
Due diligence does not stop at formation. Your agent reviews the file over time, and asks for updated documents when owners, directors or the business change. Plan for this, because the same information is what banks ask for at their own reviews.
Read more: Malta company formation requirements and Malta annual return and beneficial owner confirmation.
Malta Company Incorporation
GCS Malta
Effective tax (with 6/7ths refund)
~5% for non-resident shareholders
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,299
Company Formation Services in Malta for Non-Residents
Company formation services in Malta are built for founders who live elsewhere. The law sets no residency rule for shareholders, directors or the secretary, the filing is online and documents are signed electronically, so the whole process runs from your own country.
What Changes for a Non-Resident Founder
The difference is the paperwork, not the rules, as our guide on how to set up a company as a non-resident explains for every jurisdiction. Certified copies of your passport and proof of address are prepared in your own country, and non-EU shareholders add the reference letter. Documents issued outside Malta may need an apostille, and anything not in English or Maltese needs a certified translation. We tell you which documents need which stamp before you order them.
Tax Residence and Local Management
A company incorporated in Malta is tax resident in Malta. Banks and foreign tax authorities still look at where the company is managed, so a company run entirely from abroad should take its board decisions properly and keep its records in order. For some structures, a Maltese director or board meetings in Malta make sense, and we tell you when that is worth the cost, in line with the Malta company director residency requirements. Our guide on starting a business in Malta as a foreigner covers living and working in Malta.
Banking From Abroad
Maltese banks usually meet business clients by appointment, which is hard from abroad. Our partners open accounts online with a passport and selfie check, so the company formation services in Malta we provide include a bank file that is ready on the day of registration. Our guide to opening a business bank account in Malta as a non-resident has the details.
Nominee and Director Services in Malta
Nominee and director services are where licensing matters most for Malta company formation agents. In Malta, anyone who holds shares as a nominee for someone else needs authorisation as a trustee or fiduciary under the Trusts and Trustees Act, and anyone who acts as director or secretary by way of business needs a CSP licence.
Nominee Shareholders Do Not Hide Ownership
A nominee can hold the shares, but the beneficial ownership declaration must name the nominee and show the person behind it. The Registry will not register the company without it. Nominee services suit privacy from the public file of shareholders and certain structures, not anonymity from the authorities. Our page on fiduciary services in Malta explains how they work.
Directors Through Our Partners
A Maltese director is not required by law, but it can support local management and banking. Through our partners, a corporate director starts from €1,500 + VAT a year and an individual director from €2,000 + VAT a year. A private exempt company cannot have a corporate director, so the choice of director also affects the company type. See our page on company director services in Malta.
Business Banking for Malta Companies
Most formation agents stop at the certificate, but a company needs a bank account to trade. Maltese banks are slow and expensive for foreign-owned companies: HSBC Malta charges a company with a foreign parent €175 a month, some banks charge due diligence fees of up to €2,500, and reviews take weeks or months.
Our banking partners are licensed e-money institutions, regulated in the EU and the UK. They open multi-currency accounts online in days, from €30 to €100 a month, with no foreign-ownership surcharge. Our Malta company formation services include the bank file, prepared during formation. Read more about how to open a Malta business bank account.
MoneyGate
Business Banking
Monthly fee
€30
Onboarding fee
€500
Time to onboard
2-3 days
Features
Dedicated IBAN, SEPA, FX and more
3S Money
Cross-border payments
Time to onboard
4 Days
Account opening fee
Free
Monthly fee
Starting from € 100
Common Mistakes With Malta Company Formation Services
Most problems with Malta company formation services come from comparing the wrong numbers or skipping a licence check. These are the ones we see most often.
Comparing Formation Fees Without the Yearly Costs
A low formation fee can come with high yearly fees for the office, secretary and compliance work, which every company pays from day one. Ask for the full first-year cost in writing, including the annual return, the accounts, the tax return and any audit or review.
Using an Unlicensed Director or Secretary
An individual or firm that acts as your director or secretary by way of business without MFSA authorisation can be disqualified, and the Registrar will flag it. Check the MFSA register before you appoint anyone to an office in your company.
Paying for Nominees to Stay Anonymous
Nominee shareholders must be disclosed in the beneficial ownership declaration, and banks see through them at onboarding. Paying extra for a nominee to hide ownership buys nothing, and an unlicensed nominee is a breach of the law.
Sending an Incomplete Due Diligence File
Missing certified copies, an out-of-date reference letter or an ownership chart that stops at a holding company sends the file back. Agree the full document list before you start and order the slowest items first.
Accepting a Quote Built on Old Fees
Quotes that show a €245 Registry fee or a €2,250 maximum use paper fees that ended on 1 March 2025. The online fees are €100 to €1,900. It is a small amount, but it shows whether the rest of the quote is current.
Malta Company Formation Agents for Complex Structures
Groups, holding structures and licensed businesses need more than standard Malta company formation services. Talk to us before you commit.
- Holding and trading groups: Two companies set up to work together.
- Trusts and nominees: Ownership structured and disclosed the right way.
- Licensed sectors: Gaming, payments and crypto companies prepared for the licence.
- Refund structure planned: Who claims what, and when the cash comes back.
- Honest advice: We tell you when another jurisdiction fits you better.
Bottom Line
Malta company formation agents do more than file a form. They run due diligence, draft the documents, arrange the capital deposit, file online and provide the registered office and secretary the law requires, and company formation agents in Malta need MFSA authorisation for every one of those services.
Our Malta company formation services cover the whole setup from €1,299, with licensed partners for the office and secretary and banking partners for the account. When you compare company formation services in Malta, check the provider's licence and compare the whole first year rather than the formation fee, and your company can be ready in about a week.
What do Malta company formation agents do?
Do company formation agents in Malta need a licence?
How much do Malta company formation services cost?
Can I register a Malta company without an agent?
How do I check if a Malta corporate service provider is licensed?
What is the difference between Class A, B and C service providers?
Can a formation agent act as my company secretary?
Can a formation agent provide a nominee shareholder in Malta?
How long do Malta company registration agents take?
Do I need to visit Malta to use a formation agent?
What documents will a Malta formation agent ask for?
Can lawyers and accountants form companies without a CSP licence?
Does a formation agent open the bank account too?
Sources
- Company Service Providers Act, Cap. 529
- Company Service Providers (Fees) Regulations, S.L. 529.01
- Company Service Providers (Exemption) Regulations, S.L. 529.02
- MFSA, Company Service Providers Rulebook
- MFSA, Authorised Persons Report Q1 2026
- MFSA, Financial Services Register
- Prevention of Money Laundering and Funding of Terrorism Regulations, S.L. 373.01
- FIAU, Implementing Procedures for company service providers
- Companies Act, Cap. 386
- Trusts and Trustees Act, Cap. 331
- Malta Business Registry, online incorporations through BAROS
- Malta Business Registry, formation and registration
