Searches for a 'director bond Ireland form' often lead to confusion between the bond itself, Form A1 and Form B67. They do different jobs. If a new Irish company has no director resident in the European Economic Area (EEA), the normal route is to arrange a prescribed Section 137 bond and furnish it with the incorporation application on Form A1.
This guide focuses on the filing sequence and documents. It complements our broader non-resident director bond guide, which explains the residency rule and who needs an exemption. It is for founders preparing an Irish company with all proposed directors living outside the EEA.
First check whether a bond is actually needed
The CRO says an Irish company generally needs at least one director resident in an EEA member state. The EEA includes EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It is residence, not passport or shareholder nationality, that matters for this rule. A UK-resident director is not an EEA-resident director merely because the UK is geographically close to Ireland.
List every proposed director and their actual country of residence before choosing a formation route. A shareholder living overseas is not automatically a director. If a genuine director is EEA-resident, the company may satisfy the rule without a bond; if none is, obtain advice on the Section 137 route before submitting Form A1.
What is the 'bond form' and who issues it?
There is no ordinary CRO application form that a founder can complete instead of obtaining a bond. The CRO says it accepts only the prescribed bond form supplied by the surety, with the required execution formalities. The surety must be a bank, building society, insurance company or credit institution. The statutory bond has a value of EUR 25,000; that is the amount of cover, not the price a founder pays for the product.
The bond provides for specified company-law and tax fines or penalties if the company fails to pay them. It is not a substitute for normal tax payments, annual returns, bookkeeping or a director's duties. Ask the bond provider to confirm the proposed legal company name and effective dates before it executes the document.
- Prescribed bond instrument from an eligible surety, correctly executed.
- Certified copy to furnish to the CRO with the incorporation application.
- Company name on the bond matching the proposed name on Form A1.
- Start date covering incorporation and validity for at least two years.
How the bond fits with Form A1 on CORE
Form A1 is the CRO's incorporation application. It records the company name, registered office, directors, secretary, subscribers, shares and activity declaration. The bond does not replace any of those details or the company constitution. The CRO instructs applicants filing A1 through CORE to tick the Section 137 Bond box and submit a certified copy of the bond with Form A1.
The bond must be furnished pre-incorporation and be effective at incorporation. Do not assume an online A1 submission by itself completes a bond filing: follow the CRO's current instructions for the executed instrument and its certified copy. Allow time for the surety to prepare it and for the CRO to receive it. The CRO states that A1 applications with bonds cannot be prioritised.
Avoid the name and date mismatch traps
A bond prepared for a proposed name that the CRO later refuses can delay the revised application. The CRO says a new or amended bond matching the replacement name must be submitted before incorporation. Check the proposed company name and keep a backup name ready, but do not treat a preliminary name search as a guarantee of CRO acceptance.
The effective date also matters. A bond that starts after incorporation will not satisfy the CRO's stated requirement for a new company. Conversely, an effective period that starts too early may leave less practical coverage after registration. Coordinate the dates with the surety and the actual A1 filing timetable rather than guessing a completion date from an old processing notice.
Form B67 is not the new-company bond form
Form B67 is used to apply for a Section 140 certificate stating that an existing company has a real and continuous link with one or more economic activities carried on in Ireland. The CRO says that application needs a recent statement from Revenue. A company that obtains the certificate is exempt from the EEA-resident director requirement while it remains in force.
That route depends on evidence of actual Irish activity and is not a quick substitute for the prescribed bond when a brand-new company has no qualifying director. Form B10 is different again: it reports a change to directors or secretary. If a B10 change would leave an existing company without an EEA-resident director, the bond or another valid exemption needs to be addressed with that change.
What happens when the initial bond is nearing expiry?
The prescribed minimum bond validity is two years. Before the end date, check whether the company now has a genuinely EEA-resident director, has obtained a Section 140 certificate, or still needs a replacement bond. The company should not let the basis for its exemption lapse without a compliant replacement.
Put the renewal review in the company compliance calendar alongside the annual return date and registered-office arrangements. A change in a founder's residence does not automatically update the CRO record or remove the need to evaluate the statutory test. Obtain company-law advice if the position is uncertain.
Pre-filing checklist for an overseas founder
Complete the normal incorporation work as well as the bond work. That means confirming the legal name, Irish registered office, genuine proposed activity, share allocation, directors, separate secretary where required, identity-number route and signed constitution. A bond solves only the EEA-director requirement.
StartCompany.ie offers a non-resident formation route that includes the two-year director-bond element. Review the current package scope and total payable price before ordering, and tell the formation team the directors' actual countries of residence at the outset. Final acceptance of the bond and incorporation application remains with the CRO.
- Confirm that none of the proposed directors is EEA-resident.
- Check the company name and prepare a backup.
- Obtain the prescribed bond with matching name and effective dates.
- Prepare Form A1, constitution, officer and share details.
- Tick the bond box in CORE and furnish the certified bond copy as CRO directs.
- Calendar the bond expiry and the company's other first-year filings.
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Non-Resident Company Formation
Official information and next steps
This is general information, not company-law, insurance or tax advice. The CRO decides whether the filed documents meet the statutory requirements. Recheck its current instructions before arranging the bond or filing A1.