Best Company Formation Package in Ireland: How to Choose

The best company formation package in Ireland is not automatically the cheapest package or the most expensive one. It is the one that covers the requirements your company actually has, without leaving a crucial item for later. For many founders that is a simple LTD incorporation. For others, an IPN, registered office, first annual return support or a non-resident director bond changes the right answer.

Start with the company, not the package name. Who will be the directors? Is at least one director resident in the EEA? Does the company have a physical registered office in Ireland? Does a director need an IPN? Is the founder setting up a single-director LTD and therefore in need of a separate secretary? Those answers lead to a package choice that is both clearer and safer than comparing headline prices alone.

Compare the Four Formation Routes

The table below is a decision aid, not a substitute for checking the full live scope before ordering. Prices and inclusions are shown as listed by StartCompany.ie on 4 August 2026.

What Every Proper Irish Formation Package Should Make Clear

A provider cannot incorporate a company correctly without certain information, and a useful package should be transparent about that. CRO incorporation guidance is a useful benchmark: the Form A1 records the company name, registered office, officers, subscribers, issued shares and principal activity. The LTD constitution and officer consents are also part of the formation process. A package description should explain what it prepares, files and hands back to you.

• Whether the CRO incorporation fee is included.
• Whether a company name check is completed before filing.
• Whether the LTD constitution, Certificate of Incorporation and share certificates are supplied.
• What identity-number help is available for directors without a PPSN.
• Whether a physical Irish registered office address is included or available.
• Whether company-secretary, RBO and annual-return support is included, optional or excluded.
• What happens where no director is EEA-resident.

A low advertised starting price is not necessarily poor value. It can be right for a founder who genuinely only needs the core formation work. The problem is choosing it when the company already needs extras that are essential to filing or to the first year of compliance.

Choose Basic for a Straightforward LTD

The EUR240 Basic package is designed for a clean, straightforward Irish limited company setup. It includes a company name check, Certificate of Incorporation, constitution, share certificates, CRO fees, consultation and basic tax advice. It works best when the founder has already settled the practical questions behind the application.

Before choosing Basic, confirm that you have a physical Irish registered office, the right director and secretary setup, and the required identity details. If the company has only one director, that person cannot also be the secretary. If a director has no PPSN, consider whether IPN support is needed. Our one-person LTD guide explains the single-director rule in more detail.

Choose Standard When IPN and First Annual Return Support Matter

The EUR490 Standard package is a better fit where a director has no Irish PPS number and needs an IPN route, or where the founder wants the first annual return included from the beginning. It includes the core formation work plus a free IPN number where there is no PPS number and the first annual return, listed as worth EUR119.

This is not only about convenience. CRO guidance requires relevant officers to use verified identity details for incorporation and later filings. The first annual return is generally due six months after incorporation, even though financial statements are not normally attached to that first return. Booking the support early can make a deadline that is easy to overlook much easier to manage.

Choose Premium for a More Complete First Year

The EUR798 Premium package is for a founder who wants formation and more of the early administrative framework together. In addition to the core incorporation work, it lists a registered office address for the first year, RBO registration, IPN support where needed, first annual return support, officer documents, director and secretary booklets, first board minutes and selected director, share and company-name changes.

It is particularly relevant where privacy, dependable handling of statutory mail or first-year records matter. A registered office is not merely a mail-forwarding preference: it is the Irish address where CRO correspondence and legal notices are served. Read the registered-office guide before deciding whether to use a home or business address.

Choose Non-Resident When a Section 137 Bond Is Required

The EUR2,499 Non-Resident package is a specialist route, not simply an overseas version of a standard package. It is designed for a company that needs the two-year non-resident director bond under Section 137 of the Companies Act 2014. This commonly applies when no company director is resident in the EEA at incorporation.

The package lists the bond, CRO fees, company documents, post-formation support, first annual return and RBO registration. A founder living outside Ireland does not automatically need this package: an EEA-resident director may satisfy the residence requirement. Conversely, an Irish citizen living outside the EEA does not satisfy the rule merely because of citizenship. Review the Section 137 bond guide or the non-resident checklist before choosing a route.

Package Features That Need Separate Attention

Registered office

Every company needs a physical registered office in Ireland. A post-office box by itself is not sufficient. This requirement exists whether an address service is included in a package or not.

Company secretary

Every company needs a secretary. A single-director LTD needs a separate secretary. Check that the role is already covered, or arrange a company secretary service before the application is prepared.

RBO filing

A newly incorporated company normally has five months to file beneficial-ownership details with the RBO. A package may help with the filing, but the company must provide complete and accurate beneficial-owner information.

Tax and banking

Incorporation does not itself register every tax or open a bank account. Once the company begins trading, it may need Corporation Tax, VAT, employer PAYE or RCT registration, depending on its activity. Compare our tax registration service and prepare a separate banking application where needed.

Questions to Ask Before Paying

• Does the quoted price include the CRO incorporation fee and all core company documents?
• Will the package be appropriate if my director does not have a PPSN?
• Do I already have a compliant Irish registered office and a suitable secretary?
• Does any director satisfy the EEA-residency rule, or do I need a Section 137 bond?
• Which first-year filings are included, and which remain my responsibility?
• Are later registered-office, secretary, RBO or annual-return fees clear?
• Does the provider state what is included without relying on vague “from” pricing?

Make the Package Choice Before Filing, Not After

The cleanest route is to identify all relevant requirements before the application is prepared. That reduces back-and-forth, helps avoid a filing that cannot proceed, and lets you budget for the work that genuinely applies to your company. If your situation involves overseas directors, multiple shareholders, a complex share structure or tax planning, take legal and tax advice as well as formation support.

Compare the live package inclusions and prices, or ask StartCompany.ie to check your director, secretary, address and IPN setup before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources

• CRO: company incorporation guidance
• CRO: annual return guidance
• CRO: duties of directors and secretaries
• RBO: beneficial ownership information
• Revenue: registering a business for tax

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, financial or company-secretarial advice.