By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research
Key takeaway: 8 of our 13 jurisdictions let a non-resident be the sole director. The rest require a resident director — usually a nominee service at $1,500–$5,000/year, which recurs forever and dwarfs the filing fee.
✅ You can be the sole director (8)
A registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation is required (a service provides this). No resident member or manager is required.
A UK registered office address is required (a service address works); no resident director or company secretary is needed. From 18 Nov 2025 all directors must complete Companies House identity verification.
No resident director required, but an Estonian legal/contact address and a licensed local contact person are required if no management-board member is Estonian-resident; provided by formation agents (~€300–400/yr).
No resident director required, but every company must appoint a company secretary who ordinarily resides in HK (or a TCSP-licensed firm) and maintain a HK registered office. A sole director cannot also be the secretary — so a local agent is effectively unavoidable.
No local Emirati partner or resident director is legally required for most activities (free zones never required one; mainland mostly dropped it in 2021). A registered office / flexi-desk in the zone is part of the package. A UAE residence visa is needed to get an Emirates ID, which banks often want.
Depends on jurisdiction. Federal/Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba require resident-Canadian directors; BC, Ontario, Quebec, NB, NS and PEI require none. All corporations need a registered office in the jurisdiction of incorporation (an agent/address service satisfies this).
No resident-director requirement. A registered Dutch business address is needed for KVK registration (an address service can provide one). A mailbox with no substance can raise tax-residence questions but is not a legal blocker to forming the BV.
No resident director or local shareholder required. A German registered business address is needed, and the managing director (Geschäftsführer) must be able to act for German authorities/banking — many non-residents use a local address service and advisor.
⚠️ A resident director is required (5)
An Irish registered office and an EEA business address are required. At least one director must be EEA-resident; if all directors are non-EEA, the company must buy a Section 137 non-resident bond (€25,000 cover, ~€1,950 incl. VAT for 2 years) or obtain a real-and-continuous-link certificate. A company secretary is also required.
At least one director must be 'ordinarily resident' in Singapore (citizen, PR, or EntrePass holder). A non-resident founder without one appoints a nominee/resident director (~S$2,000–5,000/yr, often with a deposit). A company secretary and local registered office are also required.
At least one resident director is legally required for a proprietary company. The company also needs a registered office and principal place of business in Australia, and a public officer for ATO purposes.
At least one director must live in NZ (or in Australia plus hold an Australian directorship). The company must have a registered office and address for service in New Zealand (an agent/address service satisfies this).
At least one person authorized to represent the company (a managing officer with signing authority) must be RESIDENT IN SWITZERLAND. Non-residents typically appoint a Swiss-resident director or buy a resident-representative service — an ongoing cost and dependency.
Why this matters more than the fee
A resident director isn't a mailbox — it's a real person on your board with legal duties, and as a non-resident you usually rent one through a nominee service. That fee, commonly $1,500–$5,000 a year (sometimes with a deposit), repeats for the life of the company. Against it, a one-time $100–$300 filing fee is noise. So if running the company alone and lean matters to you, this list should shape your shortlist before price does.
Resident director vs registered agent vs company secretary
Don't confuse three different requirements:
- Registered agent / registered office — required almost everywhere (US, UK, etc.), just an address to receive official mail. Cheap, no control given up.
- Company secretary / local contact person — required in Hong Kong and (effectively) Estonia. A local administrative role; cheaper than a nominee director, but still a local dependency.
- Resident director — required in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland (and Ireland via the EEA-director/bond rule). The expensive one.
If you want the cleanest fully-remote setup, the strongest picks are a U.S. LLC, a UK Ltd, or an Estonian OÜ — all let you own and direct the company alone. Compare them in the comparator (tick "no resident director needed").
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Open the comparatorFrequently asked questions
Which countries let a non-resident be the only director?
As of 2026: the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada (if you incorporate in British Columbia or Ontario) do not require a resident director. You can be the sole owner and sole director from abroad.
Which countries require a resident director?
Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland legally require at least one director who resides in the country. Ireland requires at least one EEA-resident director, or a Section 137 non-resident bond if your whole board is outside the EEA. In all of these, a non-resident typically has to pay for a nominee/resident-director service.
What does a nominee or resident director cost?
Usually $1,500–$5,000 per year, and some providers also want a security deposit. It recurs every year you keep the company, so it often dwarfs the one-time filing fee — which is why the resident-director rule matters more than the headline cost for a remote founder.
Is a resident director the same as a registered agent or company secretary?
No. A registered agent or registered-office address (required in the US, UK and most countries) just receives official mail and is cheap. A resident director actually sits on the board and bears legal duties — far more significant and expensive. Some countries (Hong Kong, Estonia) need a local company secretary or contact person, which is a middle ground: required, but cheaper than a nominee director.
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