Company Incorporation Guide
Australia company registration from abroad
Applicable country/region: AU - Australia
Published: Updated:
- Written by our advisory team
- Australia rules and requirements
- Checked against official sources
Guide overview
One application and the choices it records
Australia company registration comes down to one application, made through the Business Registration Service (BRS) or a private service provider. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) handles it and puts the company on its register. Most steps before filing are choices the form records. It gives the company type and name, the addresses, the share structure and the people who will own and run it. Each of them must have signed a consent before the form is lodged. Those entries rest on harder questions about the right vehicle for a business owned from abroad and the people behind a parent company. Then come the director and address rules, the first tax numbers and yearly upkeep.
COMPANY TYPES
A Pty Ltd, or the foreign company itself
Sole traders, partnerships and trusts are business structures, but not companies. A small company is usually a proprietary company limited by shares (Pty Ltd) under the Corporations Act 2001. It is a separate legal entity. A shareholder's liability stops at any amount unpaid on their shares. A foreign company can register itself in Australia instead, with an ARBN and a resident local agent who answers for it. No new entity is formed. What a company must have depends on the type of company. A public company can offer shares to the public but needs a larger resident board and resident secretary. A Pty Ltd runs on the Act's replaceable rules, a constitution of its own, or both.
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 Registered Capital Requirement
Minimum Registered Capital Requirement:
1 Australian dollar
Capital Injection Not Required:
Positive
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Who the form names, and who looks behind a parent company
The form records each officeholder's birth details and home address, and what each shareholder holds. ASIC takes these details, not ID documents. A Pty Ltd's shareholders then appear on the public register. Since 2 February 2026, ASIC's online extracts omit those home addresses, which stay on the register. Where another company holds the shares, the form stops at the ultimate holding company. Banks look further. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) holds them to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, which makes them check beneficial owners. From 1 July 2026, firms that help set up a company share that duty. They trace a parent company to anyone owning 25% or more, or otherwise in control.
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
REQUIREMENTS AND ESTIMATED COST
Australia company registration requirements: directors and address
A Pty Ltd needs at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. The test is residence, not citizenship or a visa. So a non-resident can register a company in Australia, own all of it and sit on its board. Each director needs a director identification number (director ID) from the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), after an identity check. It follows the board seat, not the shares, and each person applies before being appointed director. The registered office and principal place of business must be physical addresses, not PO boxes. The registered office address must be in Australia, with the occupier's written consent if the company does not occupy it. An address change goes to ASIC within 28 days.
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™ (DE). This service already includes one year of Australian Registered Address.
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™ (DE). This service already includes one year of Australian Registered Address.
Included: Yes ×1.00
Tax Registration: Director Of Australian Company Must have a director identification number (director ID)
To register a company in Australia, the prospective director must have a director identification number (director ID). If you will use TKEG Expat™ (DE)'s Nominee Director service, you do not need to apply for a director ID.
To register a company in Australia, the prospective director must have a director identification number (director ID). If you will use TKEG Expat™ (DE)'s Nominee Director service, you do not need to apply for a director ID.
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™ (DE).
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™ (DE).
Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: CNY 26,750
Estimated Cost
Estimated Cost:
CNY 11,250 – 41,750
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TAX
The tax numbers after registration, and when GST starts
Registration gives the company an Australian Company Number (ACN), but not its Australian Business Number (ABN) or its tax file number (TFN). Both are business registrations that follow the ACN, and they can be made together. The ABN comes from the Australian Business Register and is used in tax and business dealings. The company must apply for its own TFN with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). If the company quotes no ABN, other businesses must withhold 47% from what they pay it. Once its GST turnover reaches A$75,000, or is expected to in year one, a company needs to register for GST within 21 days. An ABN comes first.
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
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
What registration starts, and the next step
Besides the ACN, ASIC issues a certificate of registration and posts a corporate key to the registered office. The work then becomes compliance, and the officeholders carry it. Each year, soon after the review date, ASIC sends an annual statement. The annual review fee is usually due two months after that date. The directors pass a solvency resolution by then, unless a financial report was lodged in the past year. Public documents must show the name and ACN, or an ABN that contains it. A company trading under another name must register a business name. The next step is a corporate bank account, and banks may ask to see the ABN.
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 InformationFrequently Asked Questions
It depends on the jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions, or the banks involved, require each shareholder to pay its contribution from an account in its own name; others regulate only the account that receives the capital and the confirmation that proves the payment; and some have no capital verification at all. Check the rules that apply to the company before paying in any capital.
The company's registered capital belongs to the company, not to its shareholders, so the shareholders cannot simply withdraw it after incorporation. The company may spend it on its business. Returning capital to the shareholders requires a procedure the applicable company law provides, such as a formal capital reduction, and profits can be paid out to them only as a lawful distribution.
Yes. An Australian company requires a locally resident director, so a non-resident owner buying or registering an Australian company needs an Australian nominee director.
References
asic.gov.au · company typesasic.gov.au · register a foreign company in australiaasic.gov.au · register a companyaustrac.gov.au · professional designated servicesasic.gov.au · director identification numbers director idsasic.gov.au · company addressesasic.gov.au · australian company number acnbusiness.gov.au · register for goods and services tax gstasic.gov.au · company annual reviewasic.gov.au · register a business namebusiness.gov.au · register a companylegislation.gov.au · textbusiness.gov.au · tax registration for your businessbusiness.gov.au · register for an australian business number abnbusiness.gov.au · register for a tax file numberabrs.gov.au · who needs apply and whenabrs.gov.au · about director idaustrac.gov.au · about austracaustrac.gov.au · overview initial customer due diligenceato.gov.au · registering for gstbusiness.gov.au · set up your business bank accountasic.gov.au · hide a residential address on the companies register
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