Corporation (Sociedad Anónima or SA)

Well regarded and widely used.

Single-Shareholder Corporation (Sociedad Anónima Unipersonal or SAU)

This corporate type was introduced in Argentina in August 2016 pursuant the Argentine Civil and Commercial Code modification and is beginning to be used. Well regarded and widely used.

Simplified Corporation (Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada or SAS)

This corporate type aims to be a more agile and economic alternative, both in its incorporation and in administration and management. Its incorporation and development are required to be entirely in digital form. However, some provinces or jurisdictions have restored the use of digital corporate documents for this type of company.

Limited Liability Company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada or SRL)

Well regarded and widely used. This is the type of company is usually preferred by foreign shareholders due to tax purposes.

Branch

Less common – and thus less well known to third parties – than a subsidiary.

Proprietary company

Well regarded and widely used.

Public company

Well regarded and widely used. All Australian companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) are public companies.

OG, KG, GmbH and AG are well regarded and widely used. GmbH is the most used form of a corporate entity in Austria. The legal form of the FlexKapG has only been possible since January1, 2024, and therefore, there is not yet any market experience with that legal form.

With Limited Liability (WLL)

Well regarded and widely used.

Closed Shareholding Company (BSC(c))

Well regarded and widely used.

Foreign Branch (Branch)

Well regarded and widely used.

Public limited company (société anonyme/naamloze vennootschap)

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited company (société à responsabilité limitée/besloten vennootschap)

Company of reference. Used by US companies for tax reasons as it qualifies for check-the-box election in the US. NOTE DLAP BELGIUM: To be verified by US-colleagues

Belgian branch office of a foreign company

Regularly used.

Limited liability company (Sociedade Limitada)

Well regarded and widely used for a simpler and less expensive corporate structure.

Corporation (Sociedade Anônima)

Well regarded and widely used, especially for medium and large businesses.

Corporate subsidiary

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited Liability Company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada or SRL)

Well regarded and used regularly by small and medium-sized family enterprises and businesses.

Corporation (Sociedad Anónima or S.A.)

Well regarded and widely used for big businesses and companies seeking financing options in the equity market.

Simplified Corporation (Sociedades por Acciones or SpA)

Well regarded and used regularly by small and medium-sized enterprises and businesses, especially venture capital.

Branch of a Foreign Legal Entity (Agencia)

Not frequently used by foreign companies as it is not a separate legal entity and depends on the parent.

The LLC is the most popular legal form for foreign investors to conduct business in China.

General partnership (Sociedad Colectiva)

Rarely used.

Limited partnership (Sociedad en Comandita Simple y por Acciones)

Rarely used.

Limited liability partnership (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada)

Not frequently used.

Corporation (Sociedad Anónima)

Widely used.

Simplified stock company (Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada)

Widely used.  Most common type of company used in Colombia, except for cases in which the law requires another type of company (ie, corporations for the performance of financial activities subject to surveillance of the Colombian Superintendency of Finance).

Well regarded and widely used. Joint stock company and limited liability company are the most commonly used forms of a corporate entity in Czech Republic.

Limited liability company (Kapitalselskab)

Public and private limited companies are both well regarded and widely used.

The limited partnership company are in the newer alley of corporate forms, thus not as commonly known. However, the company form provide certain benefits regarding share capital requirements and tax considerations.

For instance, many partner-based companies, such as liberal professions, law firms and auditing firms, have reorganized to a limited partnership company in recent years.

JSC

Well regarded and widely used.

LLC

Well regarded and widely used.

OPC

New entity form based on an attractive single founder structure.

Branch

Regularly used where there is a foreign company which requires a specific contract to be carried out in Egypt.

RO

Regularly used where the goal is to carry out market exploration and analysis as opposed to carrying out commercial activities.

Osakeyhtiö (Oy)

Well regarded and widely used. Most commonly used is the private limited liability company, and mainly only listed companies are public limited liability companies.

Société par actions simplifiée (SAS)

Highly regarded and widely used.

Société à responsabilité limitée (SARL)

Highly regarded and widely used.

Société anonyme (SA)

Highly regarded for large companies but considered as a very complex form. Not appropriate for a first incorporation in France.

GmbH – limited liability company

Most popular legal form in Germany. However, some people might feel more secure contracting with bigger companies, especially stock companies (AG) or smaller companies where the partners are subject to personal liability.

Societe anonyme (S.A.)

Well regarded and extensively used especially for companies that wish to have a significant share capital, different shareholders and more sophisticated decision-making.

Limited liability company (L.L.C.)

Well regarded and used regularly in various industries. Used frequently by foreign entities with a small scale of activity in Greece.

Private company (P.C.)

Relatively new type of capital company, addressed to small and medium enterprises, with lots of similarities to LTD. During recent years, this type of entity has been more frequently used by foreign entities who wish to incorporate a subsidiary in Greece due to its flexibility, simple incorporation (thorough a private agreement) and its partners' contributions system.

Limited private companies

Well regarded and widely used.

Private company limited by shares (Zrt.)

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited liability company (Kft.)

Most widely used corporate form in Hungary, more than ninety per cent of all companies operating in Hungary are Kfts.

Private limited company

Highly regarded.

Limited liability company

Well regarded and widely used.

Private company limited by shares (LTD)

Very well recognized. A LTD is the most common form of corporate entity used in Ireland.

External company

Well recognized.

Company

Well regarded and widely used.

Branch / representative office

Well regarded and not uncommon for corporation with limited local presence (eg limited sales or marketing activity).

Società a responsabilità limitata (S.r.l.)

Well regarded and widely used. The most common corporate entity in Italy for small- to medium-sized businesses, especially due to the flexibility in management.

Registered branch

This form is used by foreign companies which wish to gain presence without establishing a subsidiary in Japan.

Kabushiki-Kaisha (KK)

Well regarded and widely used.

Godo-Kaisha (GK)

Some business entities may be hesitant in dealing with 3rd-party GKs as the structure is relatively new. A GK structure was introduced with the adoption of revised Japanese Companies Act in 2006, and it took some time to come to be recognized. However, as the number of GKs increased and some major global companies selected GKs as entities in Japan, GKs are getting to be commonly used.

Private limited liability company (Société à responsabilité limitée or S.à r.l.)

Well regarded and widely used.

Public limited liability company (Société anonyme or S.A.)

Well regarded.

Special limited partnership (Société en commandite spéciale or SCSp)

Well regarded and widely used in the private equity and funds industry.

A private limited company is a well-established and widely recognized business entity.

Private companies limited by shares are well regarded and the most common type of company.

S.A. de C.V.

Well regarded and widely used.

S. de R.L. de C.V.

Well regarded and widely used.

S.A.P.I. de C.V.

Well regarded and widely used.

Branch office

Widely used.

B.V. (private company with limited liability)

Well regarded and widely used.

Co-operative U.A.

Well regarded and widely used.

C.V. (a limited partnership)

Widely used.

Limited liability company

Well regarded and widely used.

Branch

Less common (and thus less well known to 3rd parties) than a subsidiary.

Private limited company 

Well regarded and most commonly used.

Business names

Generally used by sole proprietors as it is relatively cheap and easy to register.

Public limited company

Well regarded and commonly used for large enterprises.

Unlimited company

Not commonly used.

Limited liability partnerships and Limited Partnership

Mostly used for professional businesses such as legal and accounting businesses.

Incorporated Trustees

Well regarded and mostly used by religious and educational institutions.

Private LLCs

Well regarded and widely used.

Public LLCs

Well regarded, but not widely used because private LLCs fits most company requirements.

Partnerships with unlimited liability

Well regarded, but not widely used except in particular sectors.

Corporation (Sociedad Anónima or S.A. and Sociedad Anónima Abierta or S.A.A.)

Well regarded and widely used for big businesses and companies seeking financing options in the equity market.

Closed Stock Corporation (Sociedad Anónima Cerrada or S.A.C.)

Well regarded and used regularly by small and medium-sized family enterprises and businesses.

Limited Liability Company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada or S.R.L.)

Well regarded and used regularly by small and medium-sized family enterprises and businesses, as well as by corporate groups with holding companies domiciled in U.S.

Branch of a Foreign Legal Entity (Sucursal)

Only used by foreign companies that participate in bidding or tender processes called by Peruvian governmental entities in order to prove their experience in certain industry or projects.

Subsidiary

Being a separate and distinct legal entity from its parent company, it is an attractive investment option for foreign entities wishing to do business in the Philippines.

Branch office

Appeals to entities that wish to maintain the decision making as being centralized with the foreign company's board of directors (or its equivalent) abroad.

Representative office

Caters to entities that do not intend to engage in business or derive income from the Philippines. It is allowed to undertake limited activities, such as information dissemination, promotion of the home office/foreign company's products and quality control.

Regional or area headquarters

Caters to entities that do not intend to engage in business or derive income from the Philippines. The purpose of a regional or area headquarters is limited to supervising, superintending, inspecting and/or coordination all subsidiaries, affiliates and branches in the Asia-Pacific region of the home office/foreign company. It is an administrative branch and is not allowed to participate in the management of any subsidiary/branch office the foreign company may have; it also cannot solicit or market goods and services.

Regional operating headquarters

Caters to entities that wish to avail of certain tax incentives. Unlike a regional or area headquarters, it may derive income from the Philippines and perform qualifying services such as general administration and planning, business planning and coordination, sourcing/procurement of raw materials/components, marketing control and sales promotion, training and personnel management, logistic services and corporate finance advisory services.

Partnership

Easier to form since it will no longer go through an incorporation process and only articles of partnership would be required. No need to obtain a license to do business in the Philippines if a foreign company intends to be a limited partner (as opposed to a general partner, which is required to secure such license).

Instead of having directors and officers elected/appointed to perform certain activities and exercise powers, its partners may perform acts which would bind the partnership.

Limited liability, joint-stock companies and simplified joint-stock companies

A limited liability company is the most popular organizational form for doing business in Poland, whilst joint-stock companies are typically used to serve large, complex and multi-service undertakings. It is envisaged that simplified joint-stock companies will be used for start-up projects.

Partnerships

Partnerships are more popular among freelance professions, in family businesses and in undertakings founded upon mutual trust between the partners.

Branches

Branches are set up by foreign companies that do not wish to have a full-scale presence in the country through a separate Poland-based entity.

Smaller businesses tend to use LDA. companies, as they have a basic governance structure and are therefore easier to manage in terms of corporate compliance.

Multinational foreign companies tend to choose single shareholding structures, either Sociedade Unipessoal or S.A. companies’ types.

S.A. companies are mandatory for most of supervised/regulated activities.

Share capital is currently losing its traditional perception as to being an expression of the commitment of the shareholders to the company’s activity. Whereas until some years ago LDA. and Sociedade Unipessoal companies had a minimum of EUR5,000 share capital, recent legislation changed this minimum to EUR1 per quota, thus dramatically decreasing the importance of the share capital. Nonetheless, even for LDA. companies, some activities may require a given share capital (eg, road freight requires a minimum share capital of EUR10,000).

Corporations

Well regarded and used.

Limited Liability Companies

Well regarded and used.

JSCs and LLCs are widely used, as opposed to other types of companies.

Joint-stock company (public and non-public)

Public joint-stock company – mainly used for large companies.

Non-public joint-stock company – not as widely used as limited liability companies, as the procedure for incorporation is more complicated.

Limited liability company

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited liability company

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited liability company 

Well regarded and widely used.

Private company

Well regarded and most widely used.

Personal liability company

Use is generally limited to associations of professional persons, like attorneys or auditors, who are required under their professional codes, laws or regulations, to practice their profession in entities that permit personal liability.

Public company

Well regarded and widely used.

External company

Well regarded and widely used.

Joint-stock company (Jusik Hoesa)

Generally used by large-sized companies.

Limited company (Yuhan Hoesa)

Generally used by small and medium-sized companies; often used by individuals operating small family-owned business.

Branch (Sucursal)

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited liability company (Sociedad Limitada)

Well regarded and widely used.

Joint-stock company (Sociedad Anónima)

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited company (aktiebolag, AB)

Well regarded and widely used.

Trading partnership (handelsbolag, HB)

Well recognized but not as widely used as limited companies (Aktiebolag or AB).

Limited partnership (kommanditbolag, KB)

Well recognized but not as widely used as limited companies (Aktiebolag or AB).

Branch office (filial, Branch)

Well regarded but not as widely used as a limited company (Aktiebolag or AB).

Stock corporation

Well regarded and widely used; more than 48 percent of the companies in Switzerland are organized as stock corporations.

Company limited by shares

Well regarded and widely used.

Closely-held company limited by shares

Well regarded.

Limited company

Typically an individual or family-owned company.

Branch office of a foreign company

Widely used by foreign companies because of certain tax advantages.

Private limited company

Well regarded and widely used.

Public limited company

Well regarded and widely used.

Partnerships

Unregistered ordinary partnership

Well regarded and widely used, in particular for local business operators.

Registered ordinary partnership

Well regarded, but not widely used.

Limited partnership

Well regarded and widely used, in particular for local business operators.

Well regarded, but not widely used.

Limited Liability Company

Well-regarded and widely used.

Private Joint-Stock Company

Less common due to complexity of administration, but generally well regarded and widely used, as the title to shares is considered more heavily protected as compared to participation interest in LLCs.

LLC

Well regarded and widely used.

Branch

Well regarded and widely used.

FZ-LLC

Well regarded and widely used.

FZ-Branch

Well regarded and widely used.

Dual Licensee Branch

Well regards and widely used.

Private limited company

Well regarded and widely used.

Limited liability partnership (LLP)

Not as widely used as a private limited company.

Registered UK establishment

Not as well regarded and widely used as a private limited company.

C corporation

Well regarded and widely used.

S corporation

Well regarded and widely used. Many institutional investors will require an S corp to convert to a C corp before investing, though conversion is simply with a single tax form.

Limited liability company (LLC)

Well regarded and used regularly in particular industries.

Joint stock company (JSC)

JSCs are well regarded and widely used, especially if the promoters intend to offer shares to the public and trade them on a stock market.

Limited liability company with two or more members (LLC2)

LLC2s are well regarded and widely used by foreign investors if there is more than one investor intending to do business together.

Limited liability company with one member (LLC1)

LLC1s are widely used by foreign investors where they would like to wholly own and control their business in Vietnam.