Open a company in Europe as a foreigner: what each country asks

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. No residence condition is set on founders or shareholders in the provisions read. Nationality does not matter: no nationality condition is set on founders or shareholders in the provisions read. No named contact person, but the articles must state the Belgian Region in which the company's registered office is located.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The Act sets no residence condition on founders or managers. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or managers. The registration application must be filed in Bulgarian; documents may additionally be provided in English, but a certified Bulgarian translation is mandatory and controls.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders and management may live anywhere; the Act sets no residence condition. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or management. No named local contact person, but the company's own registered seat and business address must be in Croatia.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The Law sets no residence condition on founders or directors. Nationality does not matter: the law sets no nationality condition on founders or directors. No separate local contact person, but the company must keep a registered office in Cyprus. Some company filings, such as documents attached to the annual return, may be filed in English.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The act's disqualifying grounds for a company officer do not include residence. Nationality does not matter: the act's disqualifying grounds for a company officer do not include nationality.

Not on this page yet: the rule for founders living abroad.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Shareholders may live anywhere; the Act sets no residence condition on them. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on shareholders. At least one board member must be resident in the EEA, unless the registration authority grants an exemption. Filings to the trade register must be in Finnish or Swedish; other languages need an official translation as well.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. A foreigner may create a company in France without living there, and may direct it from abroad. Nationality does not matter: any nationality may found a company; only the immigration steps differ for those who move to france.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders may live anywhere; the act sets no residence condition on founders or managing directors. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or managing directors. No contact person, but the registration must state a business address in Germany.

Not on this page yet: the rule for founders living abroad.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The Civil Code sets no residence condition on members. Nationality does not matter: the civil code sets no nationality condition on members. No separate contact person, but the company must have a genuine registered seat inside Hungary.

Yes, with one condition. A founder may live anywhere, but at least one director must live in an EEA state, or the company holds a bond. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders; any person or persons may form a company. The company must at all times have a registered office in Ireland. The Act and the register are in English; the name may end in English or Irish.

Not on this page yet: the rule for founders living abroad.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders and board members may live anywhere; the act sets no residence condition on either. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or board members. No contact person as such, but the company must have a registered legal address in Latvia with a genuine legal basis to be there. Filings run in Latvian: a private document in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified Latvian translation.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The act sets no residence condition on founders or on the company's manager. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or on the company's manager. No local contact person is named, but the company's registered office must be in Lithuania.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The Act sets no residence condition on founders, directors or the company secretary. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders, directors or the company secretary. No local contact person is required, but the memorandum must state a registered office in Malta. English is one of the Act's two working languages alongside Maltese; documents in another language must be translated into one of the two.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders may live anywhere for the ordinary (in-person notarial) route; the law sets no residence condition on founders or managing directors there. Nationality does not matter: non-eu founders are not excluded from the ordinary (in-person notarial) route. No separate contact person, but the company's statutory seat must be in the Netherlands. The deed of incorporation may be in English when the electronic notarial deed route is used; the general rule is Dutch.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders and board members may live anywhere; the act sets no residence condition. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders or board members. A representative for service of documents in Poland is required for a board member (or similar person) whose address is outside the EU.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Founders may live anywhere; Romanian law sets no residence condition on associates. Nationality does not matter: the act expressly allows a company with entirely foreign capital, eu or not. No local contact person, but the company must be a Romanian legal person with its registered office in Romania.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. The Act expressly allows a foreign person to found the company. Nationality does not matter: the act expressly allows a foreign person to found the company, with no distinction for an eu or non-eu founder. No separate contact person, but the company's registered seat must be a real, provable address. The ministry publishes the simplified electronic founding form in English as well as Slovak — but only for that restricted route.

Not on this page yet: the rule for founders living abroad.

Yes. A founder may live outside the country. Shareholders may live abroad; the act itself provides for them. Nationality does not matter: the act's list of who may not be an administrator does not mention nationality. The bylaws may require a shareholder living abroad to name an address in Spain for notices. The standard documents for online formation must exist in English; other filings are in Spanish.

No. At least half the board must live within the EEA; a company with one founder-director needs an EEA residence or a dispensation. Nationality does not matter: the act sets no nationality condition on founders; only a place-of-residence rule applies to the board (see nonresident_ok). If nobody authorised to represent the company lives in Sweden, the board must appoint a Sweden-resident person to receive service on its behalf. At least one required formation document, the bank's certificate of paid-in capital, must be in Swedish.