Forming a company in Asia
Set up a company with Confidus Solutions in any of the Asian states, and we will offer you our highly valued expertise. Earth's largest continent by surface area, Asia consists of 48 sovereign states as well as several partially recognised countries and dependencies. As a global entrepreneur, make sure you choose the right corporate structure with the advice of Confidus Solutions. Contact us now to proceed with incorporating your business in Asia.
List of countries and territories
The most developed jurisdictions in terms of GDP per capita (PPP based) and historical development patterns are Qatar, Macau, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
For incorporation purposes, we would advise you to choose one of following:
Legal structure and advice
At any point in the lifetime of a business, the need might arise for a company registered in Asia, especially if your business is concerned with petroleum extraction, the copper or silver mining industries or financial services. Nonetheless, companies in any industry might wish to take advantage of our company formation services, including those with commercial activities in forestry, fisheries, water filtering and rice production. Before registering a company, you must have a solid knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the numerous options in Asia and nearby islands such as Cyprus (you can read more about this option in the Forming a company in Europe section), Christmas Island or the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, so you can make an informed decision as to where you wish to establish your company.
Confidus Solutions is here to provide you with the best financial advice, a neat corporate structure offering full privacy as well as tax compliance and incisive legal advice on jurisdictions within the Asian continent. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are an individual or corporation working on plans to start up or expand a business.
Company type
Sociedad de garantia reciproca
and sociedad anónima
are frequently encountered company types throughout Asia. All Asian states are independent from each other, which makes it difficult to recommend one specific legal entity for registering a company.
Please bear in mind that if you need to incorporate a foundation in Macau or Hong Kong, it would be best to contact us. There are fundamental differences between company formation procedures in mainland China and those in Macau or Hong Kong. However, if you are looking for an easy-to-follow tutorial on the major legal structures for companies in Asia, please continue reading, as there are a number of factors that may present significant challenges and risks.
Confidus Solutions’ top-choice suggestions are Hong Kong, Macau, Christmas Island, Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, you can incorporate a holding company, an offshore company, a branch of a foreign company, a representative office or one of a number of other legal entities. Please contact us to find out more.
Jordan
In Jordan, we would suggest that you register as a foreign company, which is specifically aimed at non-Jordanian companies operating in Jordan. Jordan also has other legal entities that we haven’t listed here. Contact us and we will help you choose the most suitable company type for your corporate needs.
China
In China, you have a few options, including a 有限公司 or a 股份有限公司 . The 有限公司 in China is similar to the United Kingdom’s limited company structure, while the 股份有限公司is similar to the UK’s plc.
More and more business leaders are shifting their focus to China — a country that attracts a substantial amount of foreign investment. This is mainly due to the country’s growing economy and the availability of huge government subsidies for infrastructure. Incorporating a company in China may be a prerequisite for undertaking commercial activity in China. We have listed Hong Kong and Macau separately, because the “one country, two systems” policy means that Hong Kong and Macau will effectively remain separate jurisdictions for the foreseeable future.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the available company types are the 有限公司 or the 無限公司 . The Hongkonger 有限公司 means “limited” in Chinese, and may denote either a private or public company limited by shares, or a company limited by guarantee. 無限公司 means “unlimited” and is similar to a limited liability company (Ltd) but with a few important exceptions. Want to find out more? Contact us now!
India
In India, you can incorporate a sole proprietorship, a limited liability partnership, a public limited company or a private limited company. A public limited company (Ltd) in India is similar to the United Kingdom’s plc, while a private limited company (Pvt Ltd) is similar to a limited company in the UK.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, among many other options, offers the chance to register a private limited company (شركة ذات مسئولية محدودة) a joint-stock company (شركة مساهمة) a general partnership company (شركة تضامن) a limited partnership (شركة التوصية البسيطة) a foreign company (شركة أجنبية) or an individual establishment (مؤسسة فردية). Registering a company in Saudi Arabia gives you a ready-made path for doing business all over the Middle East area with ease and legitimacy.
Singapore
In Singapore, your options are a private limited company, a sole proprietorship or a partnership. Singapore is an important regional business hub, offering modern infrastructure and a rapidly growing economy. Many business leaders and investors choose Singapore for its prestige as an international tax haven. Contact us to find out more.
Brunei
In Brunei, you can register a proprietorship, a partnership or a public or private company. Sdn. Bhd. in Malay stands for “sendirian berhad”, which is a private enterprise that can be a sole proprietorship, partnership or company. Brunei Bhd. is short for berhad
, a public enterprise that can be a sole proprietorship, partnership or company.
South Korea
주식회사 (old writing: 株式會社) in Korean denotes jusik hoesa
, which is a legal structure roughly equivalent to the United Kingdom’s plc; 유한회사 (old writing: 有限會社) is yuhan hoesa
, which is comparable to the UK’s limited company; 합자회사 (old writing: 合資會社) is hapja hoesa
, which describes a corporation similar to a limited partnership; finally, 합명회사 (old writing: 合名會社) signifies hapmyeong hoesa
— similar to a general partnership.
Taiwan
You have several options for registering a company in Taiwan, such as the Taiwan 無限公司 (unlimited company), the 有限公司 (limited company), the 兩合公司 (limited partnership) and the 股份有限公司 (public limited company or corporation).
Oman
SAOG stands for société anonyme omanaise générale
, which is approximately equivalent to a public joint-stock company. An SAOC is a société anonyme omanaise close
, similar to a closed joint-stock company.
Pakistan
Thinking of incorporating a company in Pakistan? Then you’ll need to choose between a Ltd, an SME Pvt or a Pvt Ltd A Pakistani Ltd is similar to a plc in the United Kingdom. SME Pvt is a single-member company useful for small businesses, while a Pvt Ltd is similar to the UK’s private limited company, or Ltd.
Israel
In Israel, you can register a foreign company or a limited liability company (keep reading for further explanation). A foreign company is a branch registration. In Hebrew, בע"מ is be'eravon mugbal
, which literally means by limited liability/warranty
.
Iran
شرکت سهامی عام in Farsi denotes sherkat sahami am
, which is a legal structure similar to the United Kingdom’s plc. A شرکت سهامی خاص is a sherkat sahami khas
, which is equivalent to a private plc in the UK. A شرکت با مسئولیت محدود is a sherkat ba masouliyat mahdoud
, comparable to the United Kingdom’s limited company (Ltd) Finally, an Iranian شرکت مختلط غیر سهامی (sherkat mokhtalet gheyr sahami) is similar to a limited partnership.
Before incorporating a company in Iran, you may wish to look at other options in Asia, as Iran’s political situation is not the most favourable for international trade.
Company formation procedure
As you will have gathered, choosing the right jurisdiction and business type within the framework of a wider corporate structure is not easy, but don’t worry — Confidus Solutions is here to help.
Each of the above-mentioned states and dependencies has its own systems, and so it would be a difficult and time-consuming task to devise general guidelines for company registration. However, the company registration process is fairly uniform across most Asian countries.
Choosing a jurisdiction
The location in which you establish your company (commonly known as its legal address) is quite an important decision that should be given careful consideration before you proceed to the next step. Confidus Solutions can provide you with extensive advice regarding trading laws, registration procedures and registration fees.
Ask us about due diligence once you have chosen the country in which you wish to establish or expand your business.
Choosing a company name
The company name is a key decision when preparing to incorporate a company. Some countries specify the language and script that must be used, and you should be aware that some charge government processing fees. You can rely on us to help you with due diligence for the country you are interested in.
This process ensures that the name you have selected is not in use by any other registered entity.
Company registration
Once all the preparation steps are complete, we can move forward with registering the company with the government agency responsible for commercial activity within that country.
You will need several essential documents for this, including the company’s articles of association
, which lists the name, ownership details, shareholder details and administrative structure of the business entity. The articles of association (a.k.a. articles of incorporation) is a legal document that requires professional legal assistance to draft in compliance with all legal requirements.
Confidus Solutions’ team of lawyers will help here as well. In some countries, these documents must be reviewed by a notary public before they are signed.
Tax compliance
Does your company provide tangible goods or services? If so, you will need to set up an extensive structure in order to process payments, circulate funds within the corporation and submit annual tax returns to the government.
An income tax is usually imposed by the government, and so your company must complete the relevant tax registration process and obtain a tax number, which is required by law. In most countries, registering for a tax number is a free or low-cost process.
Licences and permits
Additional licences might be needed if your company is involved in one of a number of specific industries that are regulated and monitored by the state. These might include silver mining, forest management or financial operations.
If this is the case, talk to us for advice on all the legal requirements your company will need to meet before your business starts operating commercially within a specific Asian country. In addition to licences, certain permits may be required as well. Many businesses, for example, operate in one of the large number of industries requiring construction site or health permits.
Confidus Solutions
When you are looking to register a company in Asia, we offer the whole package. Please be advised that the precise amount of investment required will depend solely on the nature and scope of the services you have in mind. Contact us now by email, phone or Skype.