Compare company formation jurisdictions

Filter company formation jurisdictions by the constraints that actually drive the decision: what the company is for, offshore versus onshore, budget, tax, formation speed, local substance, ownership privacy and banking. Non-matching jurisdictions stay visible with the reasons, then jump straight to the full guide or a tailored consultation.

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7 of 7 match

Jurisdictions are compared on the criteria that drive the decision. Non-matching options stay visible (dimmed, with the reasons) so you can see what relaxing a filter would unlock. Figures are indicative and for comparison only; confirm specifics in the full guide or a consultation.

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About this comparator

This comparator covers all 35 company formation jurisdictions in the Jagelski & Partners guide library, spanning onshore, midshore and offshore classes. The filters run on the axes that drive a formation decision: use case, jurisdiction class, budget, tax, formation speed, substance, ownership privacy and banking access. Jurisdictions with a dedicated crypto licensing pathway carry a cross-link to the licensing comparator. Data is stated as of June 2026 and re-verified before publication. A non-matching card is not a rejection: it stays visible, dimmed, with the exact filters it fails, so you can see what relaxing one constraint would unlock. Figures are indicative; confirm specifics in the full guide or a consultation.

Every record is compiled from the corresponding full formation guide, which is built on registry and tax-authority primary sources: companies legislation, official registry fee schedules and published tax guidance. Each record is then checked against a pinned-fact validation matrix before publication, so the figures on a card trace back to a verified source rather than a third-party aggregator.

All records are stated as of June 2026 and re-verified before publication. Registry fees, tax rates and economic-substance rules change, sometimes mid-year, so treat the cards as a shortlisting tool and confirm the current position in the full jurisdiction guide or a consultation before incorporating.

Only that it fails one or more of your active filters; the reasons are listed on the dimmed card. It is not a verdict on the jurisdiction itself. Relaxing a single filter, often budget or privacy, can return strong candidates to the shortlist, which is why non-matching jurisdictions stay visible instead of disappearing.

All 52 company formation jurisdictions at a glance

The interactive filters need JavaScript; the full comparison dataset is below. Every figure is compiled from the corresponding full jurisdiction guide and re-verified before publication.

Jurisdiction	Class	Year-1 all-in cost	Formation timeline	Corporate tax	Economic substance	FATF status
Abu Dhabi (ADGM)	Onshore	USD 20,000-28,000 all-in Year 1 for a non-financial ADGM Ltd (flexi-desk, one visa); headline Category B government fee from ~USD 5,800; SPV ~USD 4,000-8,000; FSRA-regulated USD 50,000-200,000+	SPV 2-3 weeks; non-financial commercial Ltd 4-6 weeks once documents and the office lease are in place; FSRA-regulated 4-6 months running in parallel with and beyond incorporation	9%	No	Clear
Antigua and Barbuda	Offshore	USD 1,500 to 3,500 (all-in, via licensed agent)	1 to 2 weeks (via licensed registered agent); name approval 2-4 business days; Certificate of Incorporation 3-5 business days after complete filing	0%	No	Clear
Argentina	Onshore	USD 3,000-8,000 all-in for a foreign-owned SA/SRL (professional formation, local representative, apostille and translation chain, accounting/CPA); excludes premium resident-director bundles and SA paid-in capital	SRL realistic end-to-end ~2-6 weeks; SA ~30-60 days; SAS ~3-8 business days with model bylaws but excluded for crypto. Banking adds materially more for a non-resident-owned or crypto entity	35%	No	Clear
Australia	Onshore	AUD 12,000-20,000 all-in (non-resident, serviced resident-director arrangement) approx $8K-13K	1 to 3 business days (ASIC online filing); 1 to 4 weeks realistic end-to-end for non-resident-owned company	30%	No	Clear
Bahamas	Offshore	US$2,500 to US$5,000 (all-in, via licensed agent)	1 to 5 business days (online filing via a licensed agent)	0%	Yes	Clear
Belize	Offshore	USD 900 to USD 1,500 all-in (government fee from USD 150, plus agent, office and apostille)	1 to 3 business days to incorporation once KYC clears, online via OBRS through a licensed registered agent	0%	Yes	Clear
Bermuda	Offshore	US$8,000 to US$20,000 all-in (standard exempted company, June 2026)	3 to 7 business days (BMA ownership approval gates the timeline; name reservation in ~24 hours)	0%	Yes	Clear
British Virgin Islands	Offshore	US$1,500 to US$3,500 (all-in, via licensed agent)	1 to 5 business days (registered agent, electronic filing)	0%	Yes	Grey-listed
Bulgaria	Onshore	EUR 1,500-3,000 all-in (coordinated remote formation, banking, and first-year accounting)	1-3 business days (registry decision); 2-3 weeks end-to-end for remote formation via POA; 3-6 weeks if bank capital account is on the critical path	10%	No	Grey-listed
Canada	Onshore	From CAD 2,500 (USD 1,800) all-in for a non-resident-managed corporation	1 business day at the registry; 2-3 weeks all-in with business number, tax accounts and banking	26.5%	No	Clear
Cayman Islands	Offshore	US$4,000 to US$10,000 all-in, via licensed agent	1 to 7 business days (24-hour express incorporation available for an additional fee)	0%	Yes	Clear
Comoros (Anjouan)	Offshore	~USD 1,500-3,500 all-in via a licensed agent (registered office, government fee, consular legalisation); indicative only, no official fee schedule is verifiable	About 3 to 7 business days to incorporation through a licensed registered agent once KYC clears; materially longer once consular legalisation and banking are included	0%	No	Clear
Costa Rica	Onshore	US$2,000 to 5,000 (realistic all-in, serviced non-resident structure, as of June 2026)	One to four weeks, end to end	30%	Yes	Clear
Cyprus	Onshore	EUR 2,000-4,000 all-in (registered office, secretary, accounting); EUR 165 government fee + EUR 49 Bar stamp	5-10 working days (1-2 working days expedited); 2-6 weeks to be operational with banking	15%	No	Clear
Czech Republic	Onshore	EUR 1,800-3,000 all-in (state and notary fees ~EUR 400, formation assistance EUR 600-1,000, virtual office EUR 400-800, accounting EUR 600-1,200)	5-10 business days (notary direct-registration route); express registration within 24-48 hours available for a surcharge	21%	No	Clear
Dominica	Offshore	US$1,500 to US$2,500 (all-in, first year)	1 to 2 weeks (registered-agent filing); allow 3 to 4 weeks where source-of-funds review or banking runs in parallel	25%	No	Clear
Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Onshore	AED 30,000-55,000 (USD 8,200-15,000) all-in Year 1, including formation, one visa, office and basic accounting	Licence in 3-5 working days; full operating status with visa and bank account in 4-8 weeks	9%	Yes	Clear
El Salvador	Onshore	USD 700-2,200 all-in for a serviced minimum-capital S.A. de C.V. (notary and legal, local legal representative, registry); headline government fee ~USD 185. Excludes share capital, DASP licensing and banking	About 1-3 weeks for the notarial deed and registry inscription; realistic end-to-end 4-14 weeks including tax registration and banking, with banking the gating step	30%	No	Clear
Estonia	Onshore	€1,870 to €2,375 all-in (e-Residency, state fee, formation assistance, virtual office with contact person, and accounting)	1 business day (online with digital signature)	0%	No	Clear
Georgia	Onshore	~USD 1,500-3,500 all-in for a non-licensed LLC (formation/service fee, legal address, basic accounting, annual NAPR update); excl. preferential-status application, licensing, banking	Registration in 1 business day (GEL 100) or same-day express (GEL 200); realistic end-to-end operational readiness 1-4 weeks, gated by bank onboarding	15%	No	Clear
Gibraltar	Midshore	GBP 2,000-5,000 all-in (registered office, company secretary, accounting, no banking complexity) ~ $2,540-6,350; GBP 100 registration + GBP 10 stamp duty	~3 working days standard once documents are approved; same-day option (urgency fee GBP 200, documents lodged before midday) and a two-hour service at a higher fee; several weeks to be operational with banking	15%	No	Clear
Hong Kong	Onshore	HK$15,000-25,000 (about US$1,900-3,200) all-in, including formation, company secretary, registered office, accounting and the audit	Incorporation in about one hour in normal cases (electronic); most incorporations completed within a week once name clearance and KYC are in order	16.5%	Yes	Clear
Ireland	Onshore	EUR 1,500-3,500 all-in (formation agent, registered office, secretary, accounting; no banking complexity); plus EUR 1,500-2,500 two-year Section 137 bond where no EEA-resident director; EUR 50 CRO online filing fee	3-5 working days expedited (Fé Phrainn); 3-4 weeks Ordinary; 2-8 weeks to be operational with banking	12.5%	No	Clear
Kazakhstan (AIFC)	Onshore	AIFC registration fee USD 300; realistic all-in Year 1 USD 5,000-15,000+ for a non-licensed Private Company once registered office, service-provider/agent fee, accounting setup and IIN are added	AIFC registration 5-20 working days, commonly ~2 weeks (AFSA cites processing up to 10 days); banking adds 2-4 weeks, 2-3 months for crypto-facing companies	0%	Yes	Clear
Kyrgyzstan	Onshore	~USD 1,500-4,000 all-in for a non-resident-owned standard OsOO (turnkey formation, mandatory legal address, first-year accounting, translations); a premium full-service provider may quote ~USD 7,000+. Excl. HTP audit, licensing capital, banking	Statutory 3 business days for the single-window registry decision; realistic end-to-end 3-7 business days, or 1-3 weeks turnkey including translation and courier time	10%	No	Clear
Labuan (Malaysia)	Midshore	from USD 3,500 all-in Year 1 (formation + trust company agent, registered office, resident secretary, first-year maintenance); substance to claim the 3% rate adds approximately USD 30,000+ per year	1 to 2 weeks end to end; registry approves a complete lodgement within 24 hours	3%	Yes	Clear
Latvia	Onshore	EUR 1,400-2,500 all-in (state fee, registered/virtual office, lean accounting, incidental notary/translation); excl. EUR 2,800 share capital	1-3 working days standard (1 day expedited); realistic end-to-end about 5-7 working days; bank account opening is the main bottleneck (weeks)	0%	No	Clear
Lithuania	Onshore	EUR 1,500-2,700 all-in (state and name fees, notary where used, e-signature, registered office, formation assistance, accounting); excl. EUR 1,000 share capital	3-5 business days (complete documents); realistic end-to-end one to three weeks including preparation, registered address, and name check	17%	No	Clear
Macau	Onshore	about US$5,200 to US$6,900 all-in (including MOP 25,000 paid-up capital); registry fee alone is MOP 100 (approximately $12)	2 to 3 weeks via notarial deed (about 5 working days expedited)	12%	No	Clear
Malta	Onshore	EUR 3,000-6,000 all-in (corporate service provider, registered office, company secretary, accounting; no banking complexity); MBR fee from EUR 100 (electronic) / EUR 245 (paper); licensed or high-risk structures with banking run far higher	3-7 working days (24-48 hours for simple structures) once the MBR has complete documentation; 4-10 weeks to be operational with banking, materially longer for crypto and non-resident-heavy profiles	35%	No	Clear
Marshall Islands	Offshore	USD 1,500-2,300 all-in (standard serviced corporation); up to ~USD 7,500 with nominees and a banking introduction; excl. licensing and banking capital. DAO LLC ~USD 9,500 via MIDAO	One business day registry filing; realistic ~10-20 business days end-to-end once the apostilled, couriered document set and the agent's KYC are factored in. DAO LLC via MIDAO with a 24-hour TurboDAO add-on	0%	Yes	Clear
Mauritius	Midshore	From USD 5,900 all-in (GBC); from USD 2,000 (Authorised Company)	2-4 weeks for a clean GBC, via a licensed management company	15%	Yes	Clear
Nevis	Offshore	US$1,500 to US$2,500 (all-in, via licensed agent)	24 to 48 hours at the registry; a few days to two weeks end-to-end	0%	No	Clear
New Zealand	Onshore	USD 5,000-9,000 all-in for a normal foreign-owned company; USD 12,000-20,000+ for crypto/FSP; driven by the resident-director service plus AML/CDD, not the trivial government fee	Same day to a few days for the Companies Office filing once consents and the resident director are in place; realistic end-to-end a few days to a couple of weeks, gated by sourcing the resident director and AML/CDD, not the filing	28%	No	Clear
Oman	Onshore	From ~USD 5,000 all-in (excl. refundable ~OMR 20,000 capital deposit); Omani hire adds from ~OMR 3,600/yr (~USD 9,400)	3-8 weeks end-to-end (clean single-shareholder: 3-4 weeks; multi-shareholder or restricted activity: 6-8 weeks)	15%	No	Clear
Panama	Offshore	US$2,400 all-in (government franchise tax US$300, resident agent US$350, registered office US$250, formation and notarisation US$1,000, UBO and accounting-records compliance US$500)	2 to 10 business days once due diligence is complete (resident-agent filing)	25%	No	Clear
Poland	Onshore	USD 4,000-11,000+ realistic serviced all-in for a non-resident-owned crypto/fintech entity (formation, virtual office, mandatory double-entry accounting, sworn translations, UBO/CRBR, compliance); excl. share capital and licensing	S24 online about 1 business day (statutorily a few days), template articles and cash capital only; notarial-deed route 2-4 weeks, allowing bespoke articles, in-kind contributions, and formation by power of attorney. Banking is the real bottleneck, not incorporation	19%	No	Clear
Portugal	Onshore	EUR 2,500-5,000 all-in (formation, mandatory certified accountant, fiscal representation, registered office); excl. share capital, licensing, banking	Same-day in person via Empresa na Hora (under an hour); Empresa Online a few days; realistic end-to-end ~1-3 weeks for a non-resident, driven by the NIF and the power of attorney	19%	No	Clear
Romania	Onshore	EUR 2,500-5,000 all-in (formation, registered office, accounting with e-invoicing and SAF-T, VAT setup); excl. share capital, licensing, banking	About 3 working days for the registry decision; realistic end-to-end 5-10 working days; some county registry offices reported backlogs in 2025	16%	No	Clear
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Offshore	US$1,500 to US$2,500 (all-in, via licensed agent)	24 to 48 hours at the registry; a few days to two weeks end-to-end	0%	No	Clear
Saint Lucia	Offshore	US$3,000 to US$4,000 all-in (government fee from US$400; registered agent and office US$2,500 to US$3,500)	3 to 15 working days (registry approval 1 to 3 working days; realistic end-to-end including KYC, document certification, and apostilled documents)	30%	Yes	Clear
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Offshore	USD 2,475 to 2,650 all-in (USD 125 government fee alone)	1 to 5 business days (via licensed registered agent)	0%	Yes	Clear
Seychelles	Offshore	From US$1,000 (rising to US$3,000-12,000+ with substance and banking)	24 to 48 hours (incorporation once KYC cleared; KYC review typically 1 to 5 business days)	15%	Yes	Clear
Singapore	Onshore	From S$3,000 (approx. from US$2,310), all-in with nominee resident director, company secretary, registered office and accounting	Same day to a few days (online via Bizfile, through a filing agent)	17%	No	Clear
Slovakia	Onshore	EUR 2,500-4,500 all-in (formation assistance, notarial deed, registered office, basic accounting); excl. share capital, licensing, banking	Two working days for the registry court decision on a complete filing; realistic end-to-end 1-4 weeks including the founding deed, trade-licence step, and legalisation of foreign documents	10%	No	Clear
South Africa	Onshore	USD 5,000-15,000 all-in for a foreign-owned entity (public officer, registered office, accounting and secretarial, banking facilitation); a DIY-light file with no local rep runs nearer USD 1,500-4,000	Same-day to 48 hours for a standard online private company on a clean file; realistic end-to-end 1-3 weeks for a foreign-owned file with foreign-director certification, registered office and beneficial-ownership filing; CIPC benchmark within 21 days. Banking adds materially more	27%	No	Clear
Spain	Onshore	EUR 5,000-8,000 all-in for a properly run non-resident SL (formation, NIE/NIF, registered office, accounting, VAT setup); excl. share capital, licensing, banking	Fast-track CIRCE/DUE route: registry decision 3-5 working days after the notarial deed, ~7-10 working days if NIE and bank are ready. Traditional notarial route ~3-6 weeks. Non-resident realistic end-to-end 4-8 weeks (NIE 1-4 weeks, consulate route 2-3 months)	25%	No	Clear
Switzerland	Onshore	~CHF 8,000-20,000+ all-in for a non-resident SME (notary and register, resident-director/local-management, domiciliation, accounting; limited audit if not opted out); excl. share capital, licensing, banking	Registry decision and SOGC/SHAB publication in a few working days once the file is complete; realistic end-to-end ~2-6 weeks for an international founder, gated by the blocked capital account and bank onboarding	11.85%	No	Clear
United Kingdom	Onshore	From GBP 1,800 (approx. $2,400) all-in year one for a non-resident crypto or fintech entity	24 to 48 hours (online via Companies House digital service or ACSP); same-day possible	25%	No	Clear
United States (Delaware)	Onshore	From US$1,800 all-in (incl. first Form 5472 filing)	1 business day (expedited) to approximately 2 weeks (standard); EIN adds 2-6 weeks for non-residents	21%	No	Clear
Uzbekistan	Onshore	~USD 2,500-6,000 realistic serviced all-in for a non-resident-owned entity (formation, registered agent, registered office, EDS, accounting setup); excl. any licence and charter capital	Registration itself 1-3 business days; a standard LLC can be registered online in about 30 minutes to an hour. Realistic end-to-end 1-3 weeks including PINFL, registered address and the electronic digital signature (EDS)	15%	No	Clear
Vanuatu	Offshore	USD 1,200 to 3,500 all-in (government incorporation USD 150, registered agent and office USD 600-1,500, document prep bundled, apostille USD 100-300); excl. licensing, banking	2 to 5 business days to incorporation once KYC clears; the certificate is usually issued 24 to 48 hours after document submission. Conservative end-to-end 1 to 2 weeks including KYC and apostille of incoming documents	0%	No	Clear

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