Estonia
OÜ · Private Ltd
✓0% on retained profit - tax falls only on distribution✓An EU company you can run entirely online, via e-Residency✓Registered in as little as one day
The country is a decision, not a preference.
Almost nobody arrives needing a particular country. They arrive needing a company that a bank will open an account for, an invoice a customer will accept and a structure their own tax authority will not unpick. The country falls out of those three answers, and we write down the reasoning before you pay for anything.
215
jurisdictions covered
6,000+
companies registered
70+
banking relationships
Updated
Where people start
Twelve jurisdictions that answer most of what we are asked
United Kingdom LTD
Ltd · private limited
✓Companies House registers in 24 to 48 hours, on £1 of capital✓A name every bank and counterparty already recognises✓A public register, with identity checks now attached to it
Cyprus
Ltd · Private Limited Company
✓12.5% corporate tax inside the European Union✓An extensive treaty network and an EU VAT number✓Registered remotely in five to ten business days
UAE
Mainland LLC / free-zone co
✓9% on the mainland, 0% for a qualifying free-zone person✓Substance, residence visas and banking in one place✓Set up in one to two weeks
Singapore
Pte Ltd
✓17% with startup relief, and a regulator people trust✓The cleanest banking in Asia for a foreign-owned company✓Incorporated in one to three days
Hong Kong
Ltd · private company
✓8.25% on the first tranche of profits, 16.5% above it✓Territorial system - offshore profits can fall outside the charge✓A real banking jurisdiction, not a mailbox
Delaware
LLC / C-Corp
✓LLC or C-Corp, filed in one to three days✓The corporate law US investors expect to see✓The EIN and the bank account are the real work, not the filing
Poland
Sp. z o.o. · LLC
✓9% for small taxpayers, 19% above that✓IP Box at 5% on qualifying income, in a market of 38 million✓Registered through S24 or by power of attorney
Bulgaria
EOOD / OOD · LLC
✓10% corporate tax - the lowest headline rate in the EU✓Euro and Schengen since 2026, on €1 of capital✓Registered in three to seven business days
Switzerland
GmbH · AG
✓Effective tax of roughly 12-21%, depending on the canton✓The reputation that opens doors nothing else opens✓A Swiss-resident signatory is mandatory; we provide one
Panama
S.A. · Law 32 of 1927
✓Territorial taxation written into law since 1927✓S.A. under Law 32 - a century of case law behind it✓Registered in three to five business days
BVI
BC · Business Company
✓The most recognised offshore company in the world✓No corporate tax on income earned outside the territory✓Registered in one to three business days, remotely
How this goes wrong
The country gets chosen first, and everything else has to bend around it
Someone reads that a jurisdiction charges nothing, registers there, and then spends six months discovering what the rate was hiding. The order of the questions is the whole job.
✓The bank says no, and a company without an account is not a business✓The company is taxed where it is really managed, not where it is registered✓CFC rules attribute the profit to you personally, wherever the company sits✓A licence turns out to be required, and the registrar was never the obstacle
Every one of these is knowable before you file. That is what the opinion is for, and it is free.
Ask what would actually work →How it goes right
Four questions, and the country answers itself
We ask the same four things every time, in the same order. By the end of the call the shortlist is usually two jurisdictions, not twenty.
✓What you actually sell, to whom, and from where✓Where you are resident, and what your own country will do about it✓Where the money has to arrive, which bank, in which currency✓Whether the activity is regulated, and by whom
The written opinion comes back with a jurisdiction, a legal form, a total cost and the reasoning. Including the reasoning against the runner-up.
Get a free legal opinion →What registration covers
What we do, and what you get at the end
Incorporation is the easy part. The work is choosing correctly, satisfying the registrar and getting a bank account opened afterwards.
These include:
✓Choice of jurisdiction and legal form against your real activity✓Name check, incorporation and the full corporate document set✓Registered office and registered agent for the first year✓Beneficial ownership filings where the jurisdiction requires them✓Apostille and legalisation of documents for use abroad
Additionally, where it is needed:
✓Bank or EMI account opening, with 70+ relationships behind the application✓Nominee or resident director where the law requires one✓Substance. Office, staff and local presence✓Accounting, annual returns and tax registration✓Licences, permits and sector approvals
Several of these jurisdictions now require annual filings and substance reports that did not exist five years ago. We keep them filed.
| What | Typical time | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Name approval | Same day to 3 days | Reserved company name |
| Incorporation | 1 day to 8 weeks | Certificate, charter, register of members |
| Corporate documents | With incorporation | Resolutions, share certificates, POA |
| Apostille set | 3-10 business days | Legalised documents for the bank |
| Tax and social registration | 1-3 weeks | Tax number, VAT where applicable |
| Bank account | 2-8 weeks | IBAN and access to the account |
The bank is the slow step everywhere, and it is the one that decides whether the structure was worth building. We start it in parallel, not after.
Comparison of jurisdictions
Nine regions, 215 jurisdictions
Each region has its own page with every jurisdiction in it. The legal form, the incorporation time, the real corporate rate and whether you can do it without travelling.
01
Fastest anywhere
Guernsey incorporates in 24 hours with a fifteen-minute express route, Estonia in as little as a day, and Rwanda in six hours when the file is clean.
02
Where 0% is real
Thirty of the 44 low-tax jurisdictions charge nothing on foreign income, and in the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos no direct taxes exist at all.
03
Where the rate is not the point
In Europe, Asia and South America people pay ordinary tax and come anyway. For the VAT number, the market, the staff or the reputation.
04
Where the bank decides
In the Caribbean and across Africa the account, not the registrar, sets the timeline and often the jurisdiction. We start it in parallel.
| Region | Jurisdictions | Fastest to register | Corporate tax | What people come for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low tax companiesMore details → | 44 | Estonia - as fast as 1 day | 0% in 30 of the 44 | Holding an asset, IP, shipping, a neutral vehicle |
| EuropeMore details → | 50 | Guernsey - 24 hours | 0% to 35% | An EU VAT number and a company banks accept |
| AsiaMore details → | 28 | Singapore - 1-3 days | 0% to ~31% | Selling, manufacturing and hiring in the region |
| AfricaMore details → | 43 | Rwanda - 6 hours to 3 days | 0% to 35% | Entering the market, and getting the dividend back out |
| CaribbeansMore details → | 18 | Nevis - 1-2 business days | 0% in 13 of the 18 | Funds, SPVs and asset holding - plus a real onshore half |
| North AmericaMore details → | 9 | Delaware - 1-3 days | 21% federal · no state tax in three states | A US entity, an EIN and a US bank account |
| Central AmericaMore details → | 6 | Belize - 1-2 business days | 0% in 5 of the 6 - territorial | Territorial taxation and nearshoring to the US |
| South AmericaMore details → | 9 | Uruguay - 7-15 business days | 25% to 40% · Uruguay 0% on foreign income | The market, with the exit route for profit planned first |
| OceaniaMore details → | 8 | Marshall Islands - 1-2 business days | 0% in 4 of the 8 | Ships, yachts and holding - or Australia and New Zealand |
Important: The counts are jurisdictions we register in, not countries. Denmark appears twice because the ApS and the K/S are different products, and the United States appears as four states because that is the decision you actually make there.
Several jurisdictions sit in two regions at once, so the numbers add up to more than the countries do. Open the region and the full table is there.
Country of incorporation
Every jurisdiction we register in
The full list, by region. Open a region for the legal form, the timeline and the real corporate rate side by side - or go straight to a country.
European companies50 jurisdictions
Albania
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBulgaria
CroatiaCyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark ApsDenmark K/SEstonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany (GMBH)
Gibraltar
Greece
Guernsey
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland LTD
Isle of Man
Italy
Jersey
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madeira
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Northern Cyprus
NorwayPolandPortugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
SwedenSwitzerlandTenerifeUnited Kingdom LTDLow-tax companies46 jurisdictions
Anguilla
Antigua
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados (IBC)
Belize
Bermuda Islands
BruneiBVI
Canada
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Curacao (NV - BV)Cyprus
DominicaEstoniaGeorgiaGibraltar
GrenadaGuernseyHong KongIreland LPIsle of ManJafzaJersey
Labuan
LebanonMalta
Marshall Island
Mauritius (GBC-1)
Nauru
Nevis
NiueNorthern CyprusPanamaSaint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
SamoaSan Marino
Scotland
Seychelles
Turks and Caicos IslandsUAEUnited Kingdom LLP
VanuatuAsian companies28 jurisdictions
Near East companies11 jurisdictions
North American companies10 jurisdictions
South American companies9 jurisdictions
Caribbean companies20 jurisdictions
African companies31 jurisdictions
Before you register
What every registrar and every bank will want
The list barely changes between continents. What changes is how long each item takes and who checks it.
01
Passport and proof of address Certified copies for every shareholder, director and beneficial owner, usually issued no more than three months before filing, and apostilled in most places.
02
A described business activity Not "consulting". What you sell, to whom and from where. Registrars reject the wording, and then banks ask the same question in more detail.
03
Source of funds, documented Contracts, statements, a sale agreement, a tax return. This is what applications are refused on, far more often than the choice of country.
04
Beneficial ownership disclosure Almost every jurisdiction now maintains a register, open or closed. A structure built to hide the owner no longer hides the owner from a regulator.
05
A registered office and agent Mandatory everywhere on this page, renewed annually, and in many places it is the agent rather than you who files with the registry.
06
Minimum capital, where it is real A token in Estonia and the Netherlands, €25,000 in Germany with half paid before you trade. Both exist, and the difference matters to the timeline.
07
A resident director or signatory, where the law requires one Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Brunei, India and others. We provide one where that is lawful, and say so plainly where it is not.
08
Tax registration, and VAT as a separate application Incorporation does not hand you a tax number or a VAT number. Both are decided on evidence that the business is real.
09
A bank that will actually take the file Chosen before the country is, not after. The bank's appetite decides the jurisdiction as often as the tax rate does.
10
Annual filings, from day one Annual return, accounts, and a substance report where it applies. Restoring a struck-off company costs several times what keeping it would have.
Note: If your answer to the source-of-funds question is thin, fix that before choosing between countries. Everything else on this list is administration by comparison.
On the ground
Seventeen offices, our own people
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Berlin
Germany
Rankestraße 26
Singapore
Singapore
3 Church Street, #29-68 Samsung Hub
Bangkok
Thailand
Unit P01, Penthouse, VASU1, 1 Sukhumvit 25 Alley
Foshan
China
A-Tower, Yuneng Digital Plaza, 46 Lishui Avenue South
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan
32 Razzakov Street
How it works
Five stages from first call to a working account
STEP 01
The opinion
Where you live, where you work, where you will bank and what the company will do. Out of that comes a jurisdiction, a legal form and a written reason. Free.
STEP 02
Documents and name
Certified passports, proof of address, the activity description and a name the registrar will accept. Translations and legalisation where they are required.
STEP 03
Incorporation
Filed by us or by our local partner. You receive the certificate, the constitutional documents and the registers.
STEP 04
Legalisation and the bank
Apostille where the bank needs it, then the account application. Started in parallel with the incorporation, not after it.
STEP 05
Keeping it alive
Registered agent, annual return, accounting and the substance filings. The part people forget until the company is struck off.
Why Prifinance
Why this is worth paying a lawyer for
Anyone can sell you an incorporation. The value is in the choice made before it and the account opened after it.
01
6,000+ companies across 215 jurisdictions
The awkward cases. A shareholder who cannot travel, a registrar that rejects the activity wording, a bank that wants one more document - all routine here.
02
The bank is chosen before the country is
70+ banking relationships, and we know which of them will look at your business model and which will not open the file at all.
03
We say no to structures that will fail
If effective management, CFC rules or a missing licence will undo the whole point, you hear it before you pay rather than a year later.
04
Seventeen offices, our own people
From Tallinn to Miami, Dubai to Singapore. Where we use a local partner we say so, and the file still runs through one team.
05
The company keeps running afterwards
Registered agent, annual returns, accounting, VAT and substance reports. In the local language, from the same people who incorporated it.
Your team
The people who will run your file
Dmitri Mihhailov
General Partner
Leads Prifinance's corporate practice and oversees client engagements, with senior expertise in international company structuring and bank-account setup.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
Corporate services advisor
Corporate services and compliance: documents, legalisation, annual filings and the bank's questions.
Alex Danila
Company formation specialist
Your day-to-day contact - coordinates incorporation, documents and the bank introduction, from the first call through to launch.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Start & license your business worldwide with Prifinance
Good to know
Four things about tax that decide the country
The headline rate is where the conversation starts, and almost never where it ends.
Effective management beats registration
If the decisions are taken where you live, most tax authorities will treat the company as resident there, whatever the certificate says.
CFC rules attribute profit to you
Controlled foreign company regimes tax undistributed profit in your own hands. They exist across Europe and in many other countries.
The second tax is usually the bigger one
VAT reaches 27% in Hungary, and getting profit out carries withholding tax, an exit levy or exchange control in much of Africa and South America.
Low rates are bought, not given
The Tenerife ZEC 4%, the Madeira IBC 5% and most free-zone regimes come with jobs, investment and audited conditions attached.
Important: None of this makes any of these countries a bad choice. It makes the choice depend on your facts rather than on a league table of rates.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”
Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
Google
FAQ
What people ask before choosing a country
Which country should I register in?+
It depends on what you sell, where you live, where your customers are and which bank has to take the money. Tell us those four and the answer is usually two candidates.
Which is the fastest?+
Guernsey in 24 hours with a fifteen-minute express route, Estonia in as little as a day, the United Kingdom in 24 to 48 hours, Rwanda in six hours on a clean file.
Can I register without travelling?+
In the large majority of the 215 - each region page marks which. Malta, Monaco, Bermuda, Andorra and a handful of others expect an in-person step.
Will a 0% company mean I pay no tax?+
Not by itself. Where the company is managed and where you are resident usually decide that, through effective management and CFC rules.
How long until I can actually use the company?+
The registry is days to weeks. The bank account is two to eight weeks and depends on your business model and your source-of-funds file. Plan around the account.
Do I need a local director or a real office?+
In some countries yes, by law - Ireland, Australia, Switzerland and others. Elsewhere substance is what makes the tax result and the bank hold up.
Can you open the bank account too?+
Yes, and we start it in parallel with the incorporation rather than after it. There are 70+ banking relationships behind the application.
Is a ready-made company faster?+
Sometimes by a few days, and it changes nothing about the bank, which is the part that takes the time. We will say when it is genuinely worth it.
What does it cost to keep a company running?+
More than the incorporation, every year: registered agent, annual return, accounting and a substance report where it applies. We quote the running total, not year one.
What if the right answer is not to register abroad at all?+
Then that is what the opinion says. It happens often enough that we put it on the page rather than let you find out later.
Free consultation
Tell us what the company is for
Your activity, where you live, where your customers are and where you want to bank. You get a written recommendation with a country, a legal form, a total cost and the reasoning - free of charge.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days