22 answers for owners and founders of a Cyprus company, from ordering to banking, annual compliance and what happens after incorporation. General information, not legal or tax advice; your specialist confirms how it applies to you.
Six months. Once the Registrar approves the name, the incorporation application must be filed within that period or the reservation lapses. The Registrar charges €10 per proposed name, plus €20 per name for a faster review, so it pays to search the register before choosing.
Source: Choosing a company name, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
The application (form HE1) must be signed and sworn before the court by the lawyer entrusted with the incorporation. The memorandum and articles are signed in Greek, and a certified translation is filed if you also want copies in another language. You sign your part remotely, and the lawyer handles the court step in Cyprus.
Source: Applying to incorporate a company, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
The Registrar charges €165 to incorporate a company with share capital, and €100 more for the accelerated procedure. A file of translations adds €160. The standard fee is included in your year-1 price of US$3,699, and any extra is itemised on your quote.
Source: Applying to incorporate a company, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
The Registrar's fee for form HE60 is €20. The larger cost is usually bringing tax, social insurance and annual return filings up to date first, because any of them can lead to an objection. Our strike-off service starts from Quote.
Source: Filing an application for strike off, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
A new company files its beneficial owners within 90 days of registration, and there is no filing fee. Later changes in ownership also have to be reported within a short deadline, 45 days according to the Registrar's guidance (confirm with your specialist). Filing is done online in the beneficial ownership system.
Expect the certificate of incorporation, the certificates of directors, shareholders and registered office, the memorandum and articles, and certified ID and proof of address for each director and beneficial owner. Banks also want a business plan, expected turnover and counterparties, and evidence of where the money comes from. Having the company's tax number ready helps.
Usually yes for personal documents issued abroad. Banks commonly ask for passport copies certified by a lawyer or notary, and some ask for an apostille on documents from outside Cyprus. We tell you what the chosen bank wants before you book a notary, so you certify once.
The first annual return is drawn up 18 months after incorporation, then every 12 months after that. Each return must reach the Registrar within 28 days of its date. Late filing costs €50 on the first day, plus €1 a day, up to €150.
Within 60 days of incorporation, to obtain its tax number. VAT registration is a separate step, required once taxable supplies pass €15,600 over the last 12 months or are expected to in the next 30 days. We can arrange both registrations once the company exists.
Source: After incorporation, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
File form HE4 with the Registrar within 14 days of the change, with the secretary's declaration and a €20 fee. A late HE4 can cost €50 on the first day plus €1 a day, up to €250. New directors go through KYC with us before we file.
Source: Updating directors and secretary, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
At least three months after the Registrar publishes the application in the Official Gazette. If nobody objects in that time, the company is struck off. A company can apply only if it has stopped or never started business, and it should first settle its tax, social insurance and creditor obligations and file its annual returns.
Source: Filing an application for strike off, Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property
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