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Australia company registration for non-residents

Company Incorporation Guide

Australia company registration for non-residents

Applicable country/region: AU - Australia

Published: Updated:
  • Written by our advisory team
  • Australia rules and requirements
  • Checked against official sources
Most popularAustralia Company Registration (PTY LTD)

Guide overview

Australia company registration: the decisions in order

Australia company registration begins with an application to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It records decisions taken before filing. This guide follows them in order: whether a company is right among the available business structures, compared with trading as a sole trader, in a partnership or through a trust; the name, or the ACN used in place of one; the registered office and principal place of business; the share structure and the shareholder and officeholder details; the internal rules; and each director's identification number and written consent, both needed before appointment. The sections that follow explain what each decision settles and where non-resident founders most often stall.
Why a Pty Ltd, and what is left to decide

COMPANY TYPES

Why a Pty Ltd, and what is left to decide

The structure question comes first; governance depends on the type of company. A sole trader, a partnership and a trust are the other ways to carry on a business in Australia, and the company differs in that it exists apart from its owners: it is a separate legal entity, it can issue shares, and a shareholder's liability stops at whatever is still unpaid on their shares. For a private operating business, that company is usually the proprietary limited company. What remains open is governance: the company can run on the replaceable rules in the Corporations Act 2001, on a constitution of its own, or on a mix of both, and that choice is made before filing.

Reading the company types

Rows cover ownership, shareholder and director rules, capital and notes for each company type.

Australia PTY LTD Basic Information

Ownership:
Consolidated Ownership
Limited Liability:
Positive
Publicly Participates In Capital Market:
Negative

Australia PTY LTD Shareholder / Director / Secretary Requirements

Requirements For Shareholders:
At least one
Requirements For Directors:
At least one
Legal Representative Not Mandatory:
Positive
Local Directors Not Mandatory:
Negative
Local Secretaries Not Mandatory:
Positive

Australia PTY LTD Registered Capital Requirement

Minimum Registered Capital Requirement:
1 Australian dollar
Capital Injection Not Required:
Positive

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Why the file is about people, not just a company

Most of this file exists because the application records people as well as a company. It names each director and shareholder with a home address, sets out the shares each one holds and rests on every director's signed consent to act, and much of that becomes visible on the companies register once the company exists. That is why the handling of residential addresses is worth settling before filing rather than after. Where another company holds the shares, the file reaches beyond it to the individuals who ultimately own it, and for a foreign-owned company that beneficial ownership record is worth keeping in order after registration.
Why the file is about people, not just a company

Reading the documents

Rows are document types grouped by who provides them; each entry ends with its process and format.

Natural Person Shareholders & Directors's Required Documents

Proof of Address:
Proof of address can be a water and electricity bill payment receipt. The proof needs to clearly state the individual's name, address, and date. The date should not exceed one month.
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy
Passport:
Shareholder and director's passport front page scan
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy
Other Documents:
Shareholding ratio of shareholders (at least one director and one shareholder, aged 18 or above).
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Physical Copy

Legal Entity Shareholders's Required Documents

Proof Of Registration / Business License:
Business license/registration certificate of the holding company is required.
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy
Company Bylaw:
The Articles of association of the holding company requires
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy
ID Card:
Ultimate Beneficiary‘s ID
Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy
The director seat, the director ID and the address

REQUIREMENTS AND ESTIMATED COST

The director seat, the director ID and the address

Two of these requirements are one decision, and reading them together removes most of the confusion. A proprietary company needs at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia, and the director identification number belongs to whoever takes a board seat, resident or not, and must be obtained before the appointment. The number therefore follows the seat, not the shareholding: a founder who remains only a shareholder has none to apply for, while a founder who also joins the board does. The address works on its own terms: the registered office needs the address provider's written permission where the premises are not the company's own, and has to stay current after registration.

Reading the requirements

Base cost is the service and government fees; each requirement shows if it is included and what solving it costs; the estimate adds them up.

Base Cost

Service Fee:
CNY 11,250

Requirements

Registered Address: An Australian address is needed

To register a company in Australia, an Australian address is required. If you do not have an Australian address, you can choose the registered address service provided by TKEG Expat. This service already includes one year of Australian Registered Address.
Included: Yes ×1.00
Tax Registration: Directer Of Australian Company Must have Australian personal ID number

To register a comapny in Australia, the propective director must have an Austrlaian personal ID number. If you will use TKEG Expat's Nominee Director service, you do not need to apply for an Austrlian personal ID number.
Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: CNY 3,750
Nominee Director: An Australian resident director is required

To register a company in Australian, an Australian resident director is required. If you do not have an Australian resident director, you can choose the nominee director service provided by TKEG Expat.
Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: CNY 26,750

Estimated Cost

Estimated Cost:
CNY 11,250 – 41,750
Check Eligibility And Calculate Price

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TAX

Why the ACN is not a tax number

The rates and due dates in the panel are not the first tax question a new company meets. Registration with ASIC produces the Australian Company Number (ACN), which identifies the company on the companies register and is not a tax number. The ABN, an 11-digit tax and business identifier, is a separate registration issued by the Australian Taxation Office, and GST registration is a further decision again. Whether the company needs each of them, and when, depends on what it does, its turnover, who its customers are and its Australian tax position, so the question is reviewed on those facts rather than assumed at incorporation.
Why the ACN is not a tax number

Reading the tax data

Rows cover corporate income, withholding, value-added and capital gains tax, plus effective rates, for each jurisdiction.

Corporate Income Tax (CIT)

General CIT Rate:
30%, with a reduced rate of 25% for small to medium businesses
CIT Return Due Date:
15th day of the seventh month following the end of the income year
CIT Payment Due Date:
First day of the sixth month following the end of the income year.
CIT Estimated Payment Due Date:
Monthly or quarterly.

Withholding Tax (WHT)

Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):
0/0/0
Non-Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):
30/10/30

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

General VAT Rate:
10
Learn More Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Capital Gain Tax (CGT)

General Capital Gain Tax Rate:
Capital gains are subject to the normal CIT rate (30%)

Effective Tax Rate (ETR)

Composite Effective Average Tax Rate:
28.50%
Composite Effective Marginal Tax Rate:
28.56%

Conclusion

After the certificate: upkeep and the tax review

Once ASIC has issued the ACN and the certificate of registration, the work shifts from formation to upkeep, and it falls on the officeholders. The company's details on the register have to be kept current, its records and share register maintained and the annual review fee paid, while its name and ACN, or an eligible ABN, go on its formal documents, invoices and notices. For a company owned from abroad, the resident director and registered office remain requirements. Keep their details with the ownership records. Use the business registration service to check what else you need to register a business. Next is the tax review, whether the company needs an ABN, GST registration or both, alongside the bank account preparation.
Most popularAustralia Company Registration (PTY LTD)
About Australia
Jurisdiction Overview

About Australia

Australia offers foreign companies a stable financial system, simple company registration, and strong trade and investment ties across the Asia-Pacific region.

View Complete Information

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