Setting up a company as a foreign founder, country by country
The usual company type, foreign ownership rules, minimum capital and government fee in 20 countries, for founders who aren't citizens there. Every answer comes from a registry, investment board, government portal or tax authority.
The key answers, by country
| Country | Company type | Foreign ownership | Minimum capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Pty Ltd | No general ownership cap on the pages checked; FIRB notification applies to foreign government investors starting a business and to substantial interests (generally 20% or more) above thresholds | None stated |
| Colombia | S.A.S. (sociedad por acciones simplificada) | The SAS law lets one or more natural or legal persons form an SAS with no nationality condition; no official page reached states foreign ownership limits or a 100% rule in terms | None stated: Ley 1258 sets no minimum amount, and shares must be fully paid within two years |
| Cyprus | private limited company (Ltd) | Not stated on the official pages reached: the Registrar sets no nationality condition on members in the pages read (one to fifty members), but no page says in terms that foreigners may own 100% | None for private companies |
| Estonia | OÜ (private limited company) | No nationality bar is stated for owning an OÜ. e-Residency, the route to running it online, is open to people from all countries except Russia and Belarus. Financial services, crypto, tourism, education and construction need a licence or notice before trading. | €0.01 per shareholder |
| Georgia | LLC | Not stated as a percentage; the Law on Entrepreneurs provides for foreign natural and legal persons as founders | None stated (subscribed capital may be any amount where shares have no nominal value) |
| Hong Kong | private company limited by shares | Non-Hong Kong residents may incorporate a local limited company; no residency rule for directors or shareholders under the Companies Ordinance | None stated (no minimum paid-up capital under the Companies Ordinance) |
| Indonesia | PT PMA | All business fields are open to investment except those listed as closed or conditional; Presidential Regulation 10/2021 (as amended by 49/2021) sets the fields with foreign ownership limits | Issued and paid-up capital of at least IDR 2,500,000,000 per company, and total investment above IDR 10,000,000,000 per 5-digit KBLI business field per project location, excluding land and buildings (BKPM Regulation 5/2025) |
| Ireland | private company limited by shares (LTD) | No nationality condition on shareholders appears in the Companies Act 2014 sections read; the company must intend to carry on an activity in Ireland and cannot be a bank or insurer. The binding constraint for foreign founders is the EEA-resident director rule | None stated on the official sources reached (see unverified) |
| Malaysia | Sdn Bhd | The Companies Act 2016 stipulates no equity conditions; 100% foreign equity allowed for new manufacturing projects since June 2003, but sector approvals and licences may impose equity conditions | None stated |
| Malta | private limited company (Ltd) | Not stated on the official pages reached: the Companies Act sections read set no nationality condition on shareholders, but no official page says in terms that foreigners may own 100% | €1,164.69 authorised share capital for a private company, with at least 20% of the nominal value of each share paid up |
| Mexico | S.A. de C.V. | Foreign investment may hold any proportion of a Mexican company's capital (so up to 100%), except where the Foreign Investment Law says otherwise: some strategic areas are reserved to the State, some activities to Mexicans, and others carry percentage caps | No fixed statutory amount: the articles must set a minimum capital that is fully subscribed, and at least 20% of each cash-paid share must be paid in |
| Netherlands | BV (besloten vennootschap) | No nationality condition on BV shareholders appears on the official pages read; a BV can be started alone or with others and is set up through a Dutch civil-law notary | €0.01 |
| Philippines | domestic corporation with foreign equity | SEC's OneSEC covers domestic stock corporations with more than 40% up to 100% foreign equity; sector limits (Foreign Investment Negative List) not confirmed | None stated |
| Portugal | Lda (sociedade por quotas) | The government says there is no legal bar on foreign citizens forming companies in Portugal; each foreign shareholder needs a Portuguese tax number (NIF) first | Not confirmed from an official page in this run (see unverified) |
| Singapore | Pte Ltd | Not stated as a percentage on the ACRA pages checked; foreigners may register but must use a Corporate Service Provider and meet the local residency rule | $1 (currency not named on the ACRA page) |
| Spain | SL (sociedad limitada) | Transactions between residents and non-residents are free under Law 19/2003. Non-EU/EFTA investors taking 10% or more (or control) of a Spanish company in screened sectors such as critical infrastructure, critical technologies (including AI and cybersecurity), energy, sensitive personal data and media need prior authorisation | €1 (since Ley 18/2022 'Crea y Crece'); while capital is under €3,000, 20% of profit goes to a legal reserve and partners carry joint liability up to €3,000 on liquidation |
| Thailand | private limited company | A company becomes a foreign juristic person when foreigners hold 50% or more; it may then operate the 43 businesses listed in the Foreign Business Act only with permission | THB 2,000,000 for a foreign-owned company in a business not on the Foreign Business Act lists; THB 3,000,000 per listed business |
| United Arab Emirates | mainland LLC or free zone company | Up to 100% foreign ownership on the mainland for most activities, except listed strategic activities; free zones set their own company types | None stated |
| United Kingdom | private limited company (Ltd) | GOV.UK sets no nationality or residence condition on shareholders: one shareholder can own 100% and be the only director, and directors do not have to live in the UK | None stated: at least one share is needed and a share can be any value (GOV.UK gives £1 as an example) |
| Vietnam | limited liability company with foreign investment | Subject to market access conditions for foreign investors, including ownership ratios, which vary by sector; no general percentage cap stated on the pages checked | None stated |
Choosing where to incorporate
Our guides weigh the choice itself: where to incorporate as a remote founder, a US LLC for non-US founders and tax residency for remote founders.
How we check
Every answer comes from an official source: the company registry, investment board, government business portal, tax authority or the law itself, read on the date shown on each country's page. Where an official page doesn't answer a question, the country page leaves it out rather than guess. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
You're welcome to reuse the table or the CSV under CC BY 4.0: credit "Remote Builders" with a link to this page. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the members' chat.