Business Structures by Country — Founder Guide
What this is
This cluster explains and compares common company/entity structures founders use across jurisdictions — liability, tax model, non-resident suitability, and administrative complexity. It is informational only and not legal, tax, accounting, or incorporation advice.
Last updated:
Compare all structures
Admin complexity is bucketed from the country's mean difficulty across five axes (formation, banking, accounting, payroll, compliance); SaaS suitability is bucketed from the published SaaS scorer. Both are jurisdiction properties, not entity-specific scores.
| Structure | Country | Type | Liability | Tax model | Non-resident | Admin | SaaS | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Corporation | Canada | Corporation | Limited (shareholders) | ~23-31% general / 9% CCPC small | Limited | Moderate | High | North-America-focused founders |
| Czech Limited Liability Company (s.r.o.) | Czech Republic | Limited liability company | Limited (shareholders) | Flat 21% corporate | Limited | Moderate | High | EU-focused SMEs |
| Dutch Private Limited Company (BV) | Netherlands | Private limited company | Limited (shareholders) | 25.8% / 19% first EUR 200k | Moderate | Moderate | High | EU-scaling and holding founders |
| Estonian Private Limited Company (OÜ) | Estonia | Private limited company | Limited (shareholders) | Distributed-profits (deferral) | High | Low | High | Remote, digital-first founders |
| French Simplified Joint-Stock Company (SASU) | France | Simplified joint-stock company | Limited (shareholder) | 25% standard / 15% SME band | Moderate | High | High | Solo founders targeting the EU |
| German Limited Liability Company (GmbH) | Germany | Limited liability company | Limited (shareholders) | ~30% combined corporate | Moderate | High | High | EU-market and B2B founders |
| Polish Limited Liability Company (sp. z o.o.) | Poland | Limited liability company | Limited (shareholders) | 19% corporate / 9% small taxpayer | Moderate | High | High | EU-focused SMEs |
| Portuguese Private Limited Company (LDA) | Portugal | Private limited company | Limited (quotaholders) | 19% mainland / 15% SME band | Moderate | Moderate | High | Iberia/Lusophone-focused founders |
| Singapore Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd) | Singapore | Private limited company | Limited (shareholders) | 17% headline + start-up exemption | Limited | Low | High | APAC-focused founders |
| Spanish Limited Liability Company (SL) | Spain | Limited liability company | Limited (shareholders) | 25% standard / 15% new company | Limited | Moderate | High | Iberia/LatAm-focused founders |
| U.S. C-Corporation | United States | Corporation | Limited (shareholders) | Flat 21% federal (entity-level) | Limited | High | Moderate | Venture-backed startups |
| U.S. Limited Liability Company (LLC) | United States | Limited liability company | Limited (members) | Pass-through by default | Limited | High | Moderate | Bootstrapped or owner-operated founders |
| UAE Free Zone Company | United Arab Emirates | Free zone entity | Limited | 9% above threshold; 0% qualifying income | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | International services founders |
| UK Private Limited Company (Ltd) | United Kingdom | Private limited company | Limited (shareholders) | 25% main / 19% small profits | High | Low | High | Solo founders and small teams |
By structure type
Corporation
Limited liability company
Private limited company
Simplified joint-stock company
Free zone entity
Concepts & guides
Jurisdiction-general explainers of common structure types — how they work, how they differ, and the trade-offs founders weigh. Informational only.
By country
- Canadian Corporation — Canada
- Czech Limited Liability Company (s.r.o.) — Czech Republic
- Dutch Private Limited Company (BV) — Netherlands
- Estonian Private Limited Company (OÜ) — Estonia
- French Simplified Joint-Stock Company (SASU) — France
- German Limited Liability Company (GmbH) — Germany
- Polish Limited Liability Company (sp. z o.o.) — Poland
- Portuguese Private Limited Company (LDA) — Portugal
- Singapore Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd) — Singapore
- Spanish Limited Liability Company (SL) — Spain
- U.S. C-Corporation — United States
- U.S. Limited Liability Company (LLC) — United States
- UAE Free Zone Company — United Arab Emirates
- UK Private Limited Company (Ltd) — United Kingdom
Orientation
A general way to narrow the field — not advice. Your choice commonly depends on funding plans, residency, tax status, and where customers and banking will be.
A general way to narrow the field (not advice)
Raising institutional venture capital?
Investors commonly expect a corporation (for example a Delaware C-corp). If you are not raising, a pass-through or private limited company is often simpler.Operating mostly remotely or as a non-resident?
Fully digital jurisdictions (for example an Estonian OÜ or UK Ltd) often reduce friction, but banking and substance rules can vary.Selling primarily into one market?
A local entity in that market can simplify banking, VAT or sales tax, and customer trust — weigh this against tax and compliance load.Verify before deciding
Entity choice depends on funding, residency, tax status, and activity. Confirm with the official registry and a qualified advisor.
Related
See how each structure plays out operationally on the start a business cluster, model costs with the company formation cost calculator, and review the methodology.
Informational overview only. This page is not legal, tax, accounting, or incorporation advice. Rules commonly vary by jurisdiction, residency, ownership, tax status, and business activity, and can change over time. Verify details with the official registry and a qualified advisor. See the methodology, disclaimer, and sources.