The principal governing legislation for all Republic of Ireland companies can be found in the Companies Acts' of 1963 -2005. Irish Company Law is very similar in format to English & Welsh Company Law but is generally considered to be more bureaucratic and less business friendly - At present, electronic company formation is not available in Ireland but company registration is nevertheless relatively quick with most companies being formed within 5 to 7 working days. Unlike English companies, Irish companies must select their VAT/business category at the time of incorporation which has a knock on effect of meaning that 'ready made' or 'stock' Irish companies are not available. It should also be noted that since S.58 of the Finance Act, 1995, there are no non- resident companies available in Ireland but 'managed' companies are nevertheless very popular due to the very low corporate tax rate of 12.5%. The principal features of Republic of Ireland limited companies are:

Directors must be individuals and not corporate entities - There must be at least 2 Directors.

There must be a physical presence in Ireland or there must be a S.58 Bond in situ (Please contact for more information)

There are no nationality restrictions for directors.

A company secretary can be either an individual or company and may or may not be resident in the Republic of Ireland.

All companies must have at least one subscriber/shareholder at the time of incorporation

All companies must have a registered office address within the Republic of Ireland

A new company must be very specific about its objects and chose its 'occupation' from the NACE Code.

Extensive and sophisticated management services are available

Accountancy Practices are virtually identical to those of England & Wales

Stamp Duty is payable on issued share capital at the rate of 1 %

The Company Registration Office is very pedantic about late submissions and fines can be very heavy

Shares should be denominated in Euros but technically can be denominated in any legal tender currency.