Company formation in Australia

Important: a non-resident's right to own the company does not automatically grant a right to live, work or manage it from that country. Immigration, work permits, substance, effective management and tax residence are assessed separately.

• —Technology, consulting, e-commerce and B2B services with Australian customers.
• —Australian subsidiaries of international groups.
• —Projects with a local team, contracts, warehousing or another Australian nexus.

• —A proprietary company limited by shares (Pty Ltd), the standard private operating form with up to 50 non-employee shareholders.
• —A proprietary unlimited company, a private company with share capital but without limited member liability.
• —A public company limited by shares (Ltd), used for larger capital structures and public fundraising.
• —A public company limited by guarantee, generally used for non-profit or member-based purposes.
• —A registered foreign company, an Australian presence of an overseas corporation rather than a separate local limited-liability entity.

• —A Pty Ltd must have at least one director who lives in Australia; additional directors and shareholders may be non-residents.
• —A secretary is optional for a Pty Ltd; if appointed, the secretary must live in Australia.
• —Physical registered-office and principal-place-of-business addresses in Australia are required; an agent's address may be used with occupier consent.
• —Each director obtains a director ID before appointment; regulated activities and state permits are reviewed separately.

• —Passports, residential addresses, dates and places of birth for directors and shareholders, director IDs and written consents.
• —Name, Australian state or territory, registered-office consent and principal business address.
• —Share structure, class, number, paid or unpaid amount and member consent.
• —For a corporate shareholder, the certificate, constitution, authorised signatory and UBO chain, with translations where needed.

1. 01Review the activity, tax residence, resident-director arrangement, state licences and banking feasibility.
2. 02Agree the name, governance, share structure, officeholders and addresses.
3. 03Obtain director IDs and written consents, then an authorised filer submits through the BRS/ASIC workflow.
4. 04After the ACN is issued, complete applicable ABN and tax registrations, registers, accounting and licence applications.
5. 05Banking KYB starts under a separate application once the corporate and business evidence is ready.

• —Australian corporate income tax depends on company size and profile; an Australian tax adviser must confirm the applicable rate and residency.
• —GST, PAYG withholding, payroll tax and superannuation arise according to turnover, employees and state nexus.
• —Management from another country may create dual residence, a permanent establishment or owner reporting obligations.

General overview, not personal tax or legal advice. Rules are rechecked before filing.

• —Banks assess the resident director, Australian address, UBOs, source of funds, contracts, website and local operating plan.
• —A foreign ownership chain and limited Australian trading evidence may trigger enhanced due diligence.
• —An ACN or ABN and incorporation do not create an automatic account; the bank may require a director to participate in identification.

• —ASIC annual review: annual statement, review and update of register details, and the annual review fee.
• —Directors pass a solvency resolution and maintain company, share and accounting records.
• —Financial statements, tax returns and GST, PAYG or payroll filings apply according to size and activity.
• —Changes to officeholders, addresses and shares are generally reported to ASIC within prescribed periods.

• —A resident director carries genuine statutory duties; a nominal role without control and information is inappropriate.
• —A physical registered office does not replace a genuine principal place or substance for tax and banking purposes.
• —ASIC incorporation does not replace a professional, financial, consumer, import or state licence.
• —Banks, the tax authority, ASIC and licensing bodies make independent decisions.

• —Structuring the Pty Ltd, public-company or foreign-company route and reviewing the local director and address model.
• —Preparing incorporation data, consents and the share register and coordinating with an authorised Australian provider.
• —Tax, accounting and licence hand-off and a bank-ready KYB pack without guaranteeing a licence, tax result or account.

The exact Basic scope and all exclusions are listed in the pricing section above. Non-standard structures and external costs are agreed before payment.

Requirements checked on August 9, 2026. Before filing, we recheck rules, forms, fees and restrictions with the registration authority.