Form A1 is the main incorporation form for registering a new Irish company with the Companies Registration Office (CRO). It sits beside the company constitution and tells the CRO who is forming the company, where the company is registered, who the officers are, and how the first shares are structured.
What Does Form A1 Cover?
CRO incorporation guidance says Form A1 requires details of the company name, registered office, company email address, secretary, directors, consent to act, subscribers and share details. It also includes a declaration that the Companies Act 2014 requirements have been complied with and states the activity the company is being formed to carry on.
That sounds simple, but mistakes in these details can delay incorporation or create cleanup work after the company is registered.
Company Name
Your proposed company name must be acceptable to the CRO. It should not be identical or too similar to an existing company name, misleading, offensive or restricted without proper approval. A formation agent should run a company name check before preparing the filing.
Start with our free company name check if you want to test your preferred name.
Registered Office Address
The company must have a registered office address in Ireland. The CRO describes this as the address where CRO correspondence and formal legal notices are sent. It must be a physical location in the State, not only a PO box.
If you do not have an Irish premises, use a compliant registered office address service.
Directors and Company Secretary
An Irish LTD can have one director, but if it has only one director, the company secretary must be a different person or body corporate. The company also needs to consider the EEA-resident director requirement. If there is no EEA-resident director, a Section 137 bond or another exemption route may be needed.
This is especially important for non-resident founders. See our Section 137 bond guide for the non-EEA director issue.
Subscribers, Shareholders and Share Capital
The subscribers are the initial shareholders who agree to form the company and take shares. For many small Irish LTD companies, the share structure is simple: one or two shareholders, ordinary shares and a clear split of ownership. More complex investor structures should be planned carefully before filing.
The share details on Form A1 should match the constitution and the intended share certificates issued after incorporation.
Business Activity
The filing asks what activity the company is being formed to carry on. Keep this accurate and practical. Your activity description can affect tax registration, banking questions and later compliance checks, so do not choose a vague activity just to finish the form quickly.
Identity Details
Directors and certain parties may need a PPSN or official identity route such as an IPN or VIF depending on the filing requirement. If you are outside Ireland and do not have a PPSN, prepare for this before expecting the formation to move instantly.
Our IPN/VIF number service can help with this part of the process.
Common Form A1 Errors
- Choosing a company name that is too close to an existing name.
- Using an address that is not a valid Irish registered office.
- Listing one person as sole director and secretary of an LTD.
- Ignoring the EEA-resident director requirement.
- Using share details that do not match the founders' agreement.
- Delaying identity number preparation for non-resident officers.
Form A1 Checklist
- Proposed company name and backup name.
- Irish registered office address.
- Company email address.
- Director and secretary details.
- Shareholder/subscriber details.
- Share capital and share allocation.
- Company constitution.
- Business activity and identity details.
Need Help Filing?
Our company formation Ireland service prepares the incorporation details, files with the CRO and provides the core company documents after registration.