Which country has the cheapest listed annual company cost?
Georgia has the lowest listed annual company cost in the 2026 dataset at $100. This is a comparison field, not a quote or a guarantee of total setup costs.
WhereNext Open Data
Business Incorporation by Country 2026
A neutral country-by-country reference for comparing listed company formation, banking, tax-system, freelancer tax-rate, and freelance-visa fields already held in the WhereNext registry.
Quick answer
Quick answer
In the 2026 dataset, Georgia has the cheapest listed annual company cost at $100.In the 2026 dataset, the fastest listed company-formation time is 1 week across 17 jurisdictions.In the 2026 dataset, 6 jurisdictions use the no-income-tax classification.In the 2026 dataset, the easiest-banking picks by freelance-friendliness are UAE, Estonia, Georgia, and Portugal.
Based on the WhereNext freelance & business dataset — 95 countries; sources: Global Nomad Guide (2025), Wise Business, OECD Tax Database, Nomad List, various government immigration portals, Startups Without Borders, World Bank Doing Business indicators (legacy + B-READY 2024). Informational comparison only — not tax or legal advice.
Country comparison
Annual company cost means the registry's listed yearly comparison field. Missing registry values remain visibly unlisted.
| Country | Annual company cost | Formation time | Banking difficulty | Tax system | Freelancer income tax rate | Freelance visa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $100 | 1 week | Easy | Territorial | 1% as small business (20% standard) | Remotely from Georgia |
| Albania | $200 | 2 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-23% progressive | Not listed |
| Estonia | $200 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 20% flat (0% on retained profits) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Moldova | $200 | 3 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 12% flat | Not listed |
| North Macedonia | $200 | 1 week | Moderate | Worldwide | 10% flat | Not listed |
| Rwanda | $200 | 1 week | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Serbia | $250 | 1 week | Moderate | Worldwide | 10-15% flat | Not listed |
| Bangladesh | $300 | 8 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | $300 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 10% flat | Not listed |
| Bulgaria | $300 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 10% flat | Not listed |
| Cambodia | $300 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign income | Business Visa (EB) |
| Ghana | $300 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 5-35% progressive | Not listed |
| Guatemala | $300 | 6 weeks | Difficult | Territorial | 5-7% on local income | Not listed |
| Hungary | $300 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 15% flat | White Card (Digital Nomad Permit) |
| India | $300 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 5-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Kenya | $300 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 10-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Latvia | $300 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 20-31% progressive | Not listed |
| Lithuania | $300 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 15-20% (5% for small business) | Not listed |
| Mongolia | $300 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 10% flat | Not listed |
| Montenegro | $300 | 1 week | Moderate | Worldwide | 9-15% progressive | Not listed |
| Nepal | $300 | 6 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 1-36% progressive | Not listed |
| Nigeria | $300 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 7-24% progressive | Not listed |
| Romania | $300 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 10% flat (+ 10% dividend) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Sri Lanka | $300 | 3 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 6-36% progressive | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Tunisia | $300 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-35% progressive | Not listed |
| United Kingdom | $300 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 20-45% progressive | Innovator Founder Visa |
| Colombia | $400 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-39% (nomad visa: tax-exempt first year) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Costa Rica | $400 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign income | Digital Nomad Visa (Rentista) |
| Croatia | $400 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 20-30% (nomad visa: tax-exempt) | Digital Nomad Permit |
| Czech Republic | $400 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 15% flat (23% above ~$75K) | Business License (Zivnostensky List) |
| Dominican Republic | $400 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign income (first 5 years) | Not listed |
| Ecuador | $400 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-37% progressive | Professional Visa |
| Egypt | $400 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-25% progressive | Not listed |
| Jamaica | $400 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 25% flat | Not listed |
| Laos | $400 | 6 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-25% progressive | Not listed |
| Morocco | $400 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-38% progressive | Not listed |
| Peru | $400 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 8-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Philippines | $400 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-35% progressive | Not listed |
| Poland | $400 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 12-32% (flat 19% option) | Not listed |
| Slovakia | $400 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 19-25% progressive | Not listed |
| South Africa | $400 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 18-45% progressive | Not listed |
| Taiwan | $400 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 5-40% progressive (Gold Card benefits) | Employment Gold Card |
| Turkey | $400 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 15-40% progressive | Not listed |
| Argentina | $500 | 8 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 5-35% progressive | Not listed |
| Chile | $500 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0-40% (3-year foreign income exemption) | Tech Visa |
| Fiji | $500 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-20% progressive | Not listed |
| Hong Kong | $500 | 1 week | Easy | Territorial | 2-17% on HK-sourced income only | Not listed |
| Ireland | $500 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 20-40% (12.5% corporate) | Not listed |
| Jordan | $500 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 5-30% progressive | Not listed |
| Malaysia | $500 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign-sourced income | DE Rantau (Digital Nomad Pass) |
| Mauritius | $500 | 2 weeks | Easy | Territorial | 15% flat (0% on foreign income) | Premium Visa (Digital Nomad) |
| Mexico | $500 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 1.92-35% progressive | Temporary Resident Visa |
| New Zealand | $500 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 10.5-39% progressive | Not listed |
| Portugal | $500 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 14.5-48% (IFICI: 20% flat for qualifying new residents) | Digital Nomad Visa (D8) |
| Slovenia | $500 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 16-50% progressive | Not listed |
| Trinidad and Tobago | $500 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 25% flat | Not listed |
| United States | $500 | 1 week | Moderate | Citizenship-based | 10-37% + 15.3% self-employment | Not listed |
| Uruguay | $500 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign income (10-year exemption) | Not listed |
| Vietnam | $500 | 6 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 5-35% progressive | Not listed |
| Canada | $600 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 15-33% federal + provincial | Not listed |
| Cyprus | $600 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-35% (non-dom: dividends exempt) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Finland | $600 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 30-44% progressive | Not listed |
| Greece | $600 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 9-44% (7% flat for foreign income) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Indonesia | $600 | 8 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 5-35% (DN visa: potentially exempt) | Digital Nomad Visa (B211A/Second Home) |
| Netherlands | $600 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 9.32-49.5% (30% ruling available) | Orientation Visa / Self-Employment |
| Panama | $600 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on foreign income | Friendly Nations Visa |
| Thailand | $600 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Territorial | 0% on non-remitted income | Long-Term Resident Visa / DTV |
| Denmark | $700 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 37-52% progressive | Not listed |
| Australia | $800 | 1 week | Easy | Worldwide | 19-45% progressive | Not listed |
| Bahrain | $800 | 2 weeks | Easy | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Freelance Visa (Flexi Permit) |
| Brazil | $800 | 6 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 7.5-27.5% progressive | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Iceland | $800 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 31.45-46.25% progressive | Remote Work Long-Term Visa |
| Israel | $800 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 10-50% progressive | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Malta | $800 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-35% (remittance-based for non-doms) | Nomad Residence Permit |
| Singapore | $800 | 1 week | Easy | Territorial | 0-22% progressive (territorial) | EntrePass |
| South Korea | $800 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 6-45% progressive | Digital Nomad Visa (Workcation) |
| Spain | $800 | 3 weeks | Easy | Worldwide | 19-47% (Beckham Law: 24%) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Sweden | $800 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 30-52% (with municipal tax) | Not listed |
| France | $900 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-45% (micro-entrepreneur: 22%) | Not listed |
| Austria | $1,000 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 20-55% progressive | Not listed |
| Belgium | $1,000 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 25-50% progressive | Not listed |
| Italy | $1,000 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 23-43% (flat tax: 7% for new residents) | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Norway | $1,000 | 2 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 22% flat + social contributions | Not listed |
| Oman | $1,000 | 4 weeks | Moderate | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Not listed |
| Germany | $1,200 | 6 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 14-45% progressive | Freelance Visa (Freiberufler) |
| Japan | $1,500 | 4 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 5-45% progressive | Digital Nomad Visa |
| Luxembourg | $1,500 | 4 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-42% progressive | Not listed |
| Qatar | $1,500 | 3 weeks | Easy | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Freelance Visa |
| Saudi Arabia | $1,500 | 6 weeks | Moderate | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Freelance License |
| China | $2,000 | 12 weeks | Difficult | Worldwide | 3-45% progressive | Not listed |
| Switzerland | $2,000 | 3 weeks | Moderate | Worldwide | 0-40% (varies by canton) | Not listed |
| UAE | $2,000 | 1 week | Easy | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Freelance Permit / Virtual Work Visa |
| Kuwait | Not listed | Not listed | Difficult | No income tax | 0% personal income tax | Not listed |
| Myanmar | Not listed | Not listed | Difficult | Worldwide | 0-25% progressive | Not listed |
| Papua New Guinea | Not listed | Not listed | Difficult | Worldwide | 22-42% progressive | Not listed |
Sorted by annual company cost ascending. Cost and time are registry comparison fields, not provider quotes or promised timelines. Visa availability is a dataset flag, not an eligibility assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest listed company formation time?
The fastest listed formation time is 1 week, shared by 17 jurisdictions in the dataset. Actual timelines can vary with entity type and documentation.
How many jurisdictions have no personal income tax?
6 jurisdictions are classified as no-income-tax in the registry: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. This classification does not rule out corporate, consumption, social, or other taxes.
Which countries use territorial taxation?
13 countries are classified as territorial in the dataset: Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius, Panama, Singapore, Thailand, and Uruguay. Treatment depends on residence, source, remittance, and local rules.
How many countries list a freelance or digital-nomad visa?
38 of 95 countries have freelance-visa availability marked true in the registry. Availability is not an eligibility determination; verify current rules with the relevant government portal.
Methodology & sources
This page is a server-rendered projection of the existing WhereNext freelance & business dataset. It does not add, normalize, or adjust country figures. Annual company cost usescompanyFormation.annualCostUSDand formation time usescompanyFormation.formationTimeWeeks.
Dataset-level sources: Global Nomad Guide (2025), Wise Business, OECD Tax Database, Nomad List, various government immigration portals, Startups Without Borders, World Bank Doing Business indicators (legacy + B-READY 2024). The registry has no per-row source fields, so this page does not invent or imply per-country citations. The easiest-banking picks are ranked by the dataset's curated freelance-friendliness score, 1-10.
This is simplified information for comparison purposes only. Tax obligations, visa requirements, and company formation rules change frequently. Consult a qualified advisor before making decisions.
For filters and side-by-side comparisons, use the interactive freelance guide. For broader editorial context, read best countries to start a business abroad.
Cite and reuse
WhereNext. "Business Incorporation & Freelance Conditions 2026." getwherenext.com/data/business-incorporation-2026.
Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse with attribution.
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