How to Register a Company in Ireland: 2026 Guide

Here is the part that is easy to underestimate: the CRO filing itself is cheap and fast. Form A1 costs €50 filed online, the constitution of an LTD is one short document, and online incorporations come back in about 5 business days (as of August 2026). Ireland has optimised the state step into a conveyor belt.

The real work is everything around it. Since 2023, every director must clear an identity check (a PPSN or a Verified Identity Number), and since April 2026 the form behind that check can no longer be witnessed online, which quietly adds a notary or embassy visit to an otherwise remote process. Then come the secretary rule, the EEA director checkbox, Revenue, the beneficial ownership register and the bank. This guide walks the whole chain in order, with the exact fees and the rejection traps, written for founders registering from outside Ireland.

€50CRO fee for Form A1 filed online through CORE (as of August 2026)

~5business days for an online incorporation, up to 10 at peak

1step a non-resident cannot do remotely: witnessing Form VIF (since April 2026)

Before you file: five things to settle

The name, under the CRO's real rules

Your company name must be distinguishable from every name already on the register, and small cosmetic changes (punctuation, spacing, "Ireland" bolted on) do not make a name distinguishable. Certain words are restricted or need approval: "bank", "insurance", "university" and anything implying State affiliation draw scrutiny or outright refusal. Search the register on core.cro.ie before you draft anything, and have a backup name ready, because a name refusal means re-filing, not amending.

If you are not ready to file, a name can be reserved for a fee of €25; note that reservation protects the name at the CRO only, it is not a trademark.

The company type

You want an LTD in roughly 95% of cases: one director minimum, no objects clause, one-document constitution. The full comparison against DAC, PLC, CLG, UC and LP is in the company types guide; this walkthrough assumes an LTD.

The director, and the EEA checkbox waiting on the form

Three standing requirements decide whether a non-resident filing goes through:

• One director is enough (s128 Companies Act 2014), any nationality, any residence. But Form A1 asks whether any director is EEA-resident, and if none is, the company needs the €25,000 bond or an EEA-resident director. Whether to buy the bond, hire one, or restructure is a real decision with a real price.
• A separate secretary is needed the moment you have a single director: a single-director company cannot name its only director as secretary.

The registered office

A physical address in the State where documents can be served, on the public record. Non-residents use a registered office service, roughly €200 to €400 per year at 2026 market prices, often bundled with the secretary.

1Clear the nameDistinguishability and restricted-words rules, with a backup ready.

2Assemble the peopleDirectors, secretary and signed consents. A single-director company needs a separate secretary.

3Identity: PPSN or VIFNo PPSN means Form VIF, wet-ink signature before a physical witness since April 2026.

4ConstitutionFor an LTD, one short document in the statutory form.

5File A1 through CORE€50 online. Paper costs roughly double.

6RBO within 5 monthsBeneficial ownership filed separately, and easy to forget.

1. 1
   Clear the nameDistinguishability and restricted-words rules, with a backup ready.
2. 2
   Assemble the peopleDirectors, secretary and signed consents. A single-director company needs a separate secretary.
3. 3
   Identity: PPSN or VIFNo PPSN means Form VIF, wet-ink signature before a physical witness since April 2026.
4. 4
   ConstitutionFor an LTD, one short document in the statutory form.
5. 5
   File A1 through CORE€50 online. Paper costs roughly double.
6. 6
   RBO within 5 monthsBeneficial ownership filed separately, and easy to forget.

The PPSN / VIN step: the one that breaks remote timelines

This is the Irish equivalent of the American "EIN without an SSN" problem, and almost no guide covers it properly.

Since 23 April 2023, every director named on incorporation and annual filings must provide an Irish identity number.

• Without a PPSN, you file a Form VIF to obtain a verified identity number (VIN).
• The April 2026 change most guidance has not caught up with: the CRO now requires a wet-ink signature before a physical witness.
• Practical note: the VIN is issued once per person

Ireland Company Registration: Step by Step

Step 1: Confirm the name

The filing itself, step by step:

• Clear the name. Search the register, apply the distinguishability and restricted-words rules above, and pick a backup.
• Assemble the people. Full details and signed consents from every director and the secretary. PPSN holders have the number ready; everyone else files Form VIF, witnessed in person.
• Draft the constitution. For an LTD this is a single short document in the statutory form: name, type, liability and capital.
• File through CORE, the CRO's online portal. The fee is €50 online; a paper route exists at roughly double the cost.
• Receive the certificate. The CRO issues it with your company number. This document plus the constitution is what banks and payment providers will ask you for.

Fees: the state price vs what the market charges

The €99 end is filing plus template documents; the €3,750 end bundles the resident director solution, secretary, registered office and tax registrations. Neither is wrong, but you should know that the State's own price for the incorporation itself is €50, and everything above it is service. The full annual bill after incorporation is itemised in the cost guide.

After incorporation: the four clocks

Revenue, within 30 days of starting activity. Register for corporation tax through ROS eRegistration; your accountant typically does this in minutes.

The RBO, within 5 months. Every company must file its beneficial owners (individuals holding more than 25%) with the Register of Beneficial Ownership. Non-resident owners without a PPSN complete an additional identity verification form.

Since a 2022 EU Court of Justice ruling, the register is no longer open to the general public; access is limited to authorities, designated persons and those with legitimate interest. That is a description of how the register works, not a feature to structure around: your bank, your payment providers and the authorities see the filing in full, and missing the 5-month deadline is an offence.

VAT, only when you need it, and harder than you think. Irish VAT registration is two-tier: domestic-only, and intra-EU. The intra-EU tier, the one a cross-border founder usually wants, comes with a substance review, and Revenue regularly refuses applications from companies with no real Irish footprint (no staff, no office, no Irish trade). Nobody warns founders about this; plan your evidence before applying, or take advice. The 2026 registration thresholds are €42,500 for services and €85,000 for goods; below them, registration is optional.

The bank, on its own clock. The true bottleneck. Irish banks take weeks for non-resident-owned companies and some decline them; fintech alternatives are faster with their own passport filters. The provider-by-provider reality is in the business bank account guide. A founder applying from India or France faces a very different queue, which is exactly why we keep dated pages per origin country.

Why A1 filings get rejected

Nearly every bounced or stalled Irish incorporation traces to one of six causes, all checkable in minutes before filing:

1. A director's identity is unverified: no PPSN and no VIN, or a VIF still in processing.
2. A single-director company names that director as secretary, which s129(6) forbids.
3. No bond attached where no director is EEA-resident (the s137 checkbox answered wrong, or answered right with nothing attached).
4. The name is not distinguishable from an existing company, or uses a restricted word without approval.
5. Consent errors: a director or secretary listed without a properly signed consent to act.
6. Constitution mismatches: subscribers or capital that contradict what the A1 says.

Identity and directors

• A director's identity is unverified: no PPSN and no VIN, or a VIF still in processing
• A single-director company names that director as secretary, which s129(6) forbids
• Consent errors: a director or secretary listed without a properly signed consent to act

Name, bond and constitution

• No bond attached where no director is EEA-resident, or the s137 checkbox answered wrong
• The name is not distinguishable from an existing company, or uses a restricted word without approval
• Constitution mismatches: subscribers or capital that contradict the A1

The non-resident timeline: day 0 to day 30

• Day 0: name checked, secretary and registered office engaged, bond or resident director arrangement started if needed.
• Day 1 to 10: Form VIF signed before a notary or consular officer, VIN issued. The variable that decides your month.
• Day 10: Form A1 and constitution filed on CORE, €50 paid.
• Day 15 to 17: certificate of incorporation issued (about 5 business days online).
• Day 17 to 30: Revenue registration, RBO filing (deadline: 5 months, file early), bank application submitted.
• Week 4 and beyond: banking review runs weeks for non-residents; VAT registration only once you can evidence substance.

CRO approval of Form A1 (online)~5 business days

Form VIF witnessed + VIN issued3-10 days

Bank account, non-resident owner2-6 weeks

So the straight answer to "how long does it take": the company exists about a week after your documents are ready; a fully operational company with tax registration and a bank account takes three to eight weeks, and the VIF witnessing plus banking, not the CRO, decide which end you land on.