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Oceania · Pty Ltd

How to register a company in Australia

Australia gives a non-resident a genuinely respected, single-layer-tax company — the proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) — and the registration itself is fast and online through ASIC, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. A foreigner can own 100% of the shares, there is no minimum capital, and ASIC usually issues your Australian Company Number (ACN) within one to two business days of a clean application. On paper it looks as easy as the UK or New Zealand. In practice there is one structural catch that defines the whole project for a foreign founder: a Pty Ltd must have at least one director who 'ordinarily resides' in Australia (Corporations Act 2001, s.201A). You can be the sole shareholder from anywhere on earth, but you cannot legally be the company's only director unless you live in Australia. So a non-resident either relocates someone, recruits a trusted Australian co-founder, or — most commonly — pays a professional resident-director (nominee) service. Layered on top, every director, including offshore ones, must first obtain a Director ID from the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), and without an Australian myGovID that means a slow paper application with certified documents. Budget for those two frictions before you start.

Australia overview How we research
Country
Australia
Topic
How to register
Reviewed
June 2026

By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research

  1. 1

    Secure an Australian resident director first

    Because s.201A requires at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia, this is the gating step, not an afterthought. Unless a co-founder already lives there, you engage a professional resident-director (nominee) service — typically A$3,000–6,000+/yr, often with a security deposit or indemnity. This is a real legal role with real liability for the appointee, so expect due diligence on you and a proper appointment agreement, not a rubber stamp.

  2. 2

    Get a Director ID for every director via ABRS

    Before being appointed, each director must hold a Director ID issued by the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS). Australian residents do it in minutes with a myGovID. A non-resident who cannot get a Strong-strength myGovID must lodge the paper form (NAT 75433) with certified copies of a primary ID (e.g. passport) and a secondary ID, posted to the ABRS in Australia — a process that can take several weeks. Start it early.

  3. 3

    Choose and check your company name

    You can either register under your ACN alone or reserve a name. Search ASIC's free Check Name Availability and the trade-mark register first — ASIC rejects names that are identical or nearly identical to an existing company or business name, and registering a company name does not give you trade-mark rights. The name must end in 'Proprietary Limited' or 'Pty Ltd'.

  4. 4

    Establish an Australian registered office and principal place of business

    A Pty Ltd must have a registered office and a principal place of business, both physical Australian addresses (a PO box alone will not do for the registered office). Non-residents almost always use the address service bundled into their resident-director or formation package. ASIC, the ATO and the courts send official mail here, so it must be a real address where documents are received.

  5. 5

    Decide shares, shareholders and officeholders, and get member consents

    There is no minimum capital — a single A$1 ordinary share fully foreign-owned is standard. Identify your shareholders (members), at least one director (with the resident-director rule satisfied), and optionally a company secretary. You must obtain written consent to act from each director and secretary and consent to be a member from shareholders, and keep these on file before lodging.

  6. 6

    Choose your governing rules — replaceable rules or a constitution

    A Pty Ltd is governed either by the replaceable rules in the Corporations Act (the free default that suits most single-shareholder companies) or by a written constitution you adopt. For a simple 100%-foreign-owned startup the replaceable rules are usually fine; a constitution is worth it for multiple share classes, investors, or bespoke governance.

  7. 7

    Lodge Form 201 with ASIC and pay the registration fee

    Register by lodging Form 201 (Application for registration as an Australian company) — done online through ASIC or, far more commonly for non-residents, through an ASIC-connected formation agent who bundles the filing. The ASIC fee is A$611 for a proprietary company (from 1 July 2025, CPI-indexed each 1 July). On approval ASIC issues your ACN and a Certificate of Registration, typically within one to two business days.

  8. 8

    Apply for an ABN, TFN and appoint a public officer

    After registration, apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and a company Tax File Number (TFN) — usually together via the Australian Business Register / business.gov.au. You must also appoint a 'public officer' (the company's representative to the ATO) within three months of starting to carry on business; this person is the ATO's contact for the company's tax affairs.

Realistic timeline: ASIC registration is the fast part — one to two business days once the application is clean. The real timeline for a non-resident is set by the two prerequisites: lining up a resident director (days to a couple of weeks, including due diligence and a signed agreement) and obtaining a Director ID by paper, which can take several weeks with international post and certified-document checks. Add a few days to a few weeks for an ABN/TFN and for opening a workable bank account. Realistically plan four to eight weeks from a standing start to being fully incorporated, tax-registered and bankable — front-load the Director ID and the resident director.

Right after you incorporate

Register the company for income tax and a TFN with the ATO

An Australian-incorporated company is automatically an Australian tax resident and lodges an annual company income-tax return with the ATO. Obtain the company TFN (alongside the ABN), set your accounting period, and appoint the public officer who deals with the ATO. Living abroad does not move the company off the Australian tax base.

Register for GST if turnover reaches A$75,000

GST is 10%. Registration is compulsory once your GST turnover reaches (or is expected to reach) A$75,000, and you must register within 21 days of crossing it; below that it is optional. Once registered you charge GST on taxable Australian supplies, claim input-tax credits, and lodge a Business Activity Statement (BAS) — usually quarterly. Many non-resident-owned companies register voluntarily to reclaim GST on Australian costs.

Open a business bank or fintech account

This is the hardest remote step. The big four (CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ) generally want at least one signatory to verify identity in person or by video and are cautious with foreign-controlled companies; having your mandatory resident director onshore materially helps. Fintechs such as Wise and Airwallex onboard Australian Pty Ltds remotely and are the common interim solution — set this up early to receive revenue.

Set up bookkeeping, PAYG and ASIC annual review

Keep proper records and engage an Australian accountant or tax agent (~A$1,500–3,500/yr for a small company) to lodge the company return and BAS. Register for PAYG withholding only if you pay salaries (including to a director). Each year ASIC issues an Annual Review (fee A$329, from 1 July 2025) on the registration anniversary — pay it on time, as late payment triggers automatic penalties.

Register PAYG withholding and FBT only if relevant

If the company pays wages or director salaries above the threshold, register for PAYG withholding and report through Single Touch Payroll. Fringe benefits tax (FBT) and superannuation guarantee obligations arise only once you have employees. A non-resident sole owner who draws profit as dividends rather than salary often needs neither in year one — confirm with your tax agent.

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-resident own 100% of an Australian Pty Ltd?

Yes. There is no restriction on foreign share ownership — a single non-resident can own all the shares. The catch is directorship, not ownership: a Pty Ltd must have at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia, so a foreign sole owner must still appoint a resident director (often a paid nominee service).

Do I need to be in Australia to register the company?

No — the ASIC Form 201 lodgement is done online and a non-resident can complete it from abroad, usually through a local formation agent. What you cannot do remotely is satisfy the resident-director requirement yourself, and obtaining a Director ID from overseas is slow because it generally means a paper application with certified ID rather than the instant myGovID route.

What is a Director ID and how does a foreign director get one?

A Director ID is a unique identifier issued by the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) that every company director must hold before appointment. Australians get it instantly with a myGovID. A non-resident who cannot obtain a Strong-strength myGovID must lodge the paper form (NAT 75433) with certified copies of a primary and secondary identity document, mailed to the ABRS — allow several weeks.

Why do I need a resident director if I own the whole company?

Australian law separates ownership from control. Section 201A of the Corporations Act 2001 requires every proprietary company to have at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia, regardless of who owns the shares. The nominee is a genuine officeholder with real legal duties and liability — which is why professional resident-director services charge several thousand dollars a year and conduct their own due diligence.

Sources

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