Traditionally Cyprus was a territory with a growing business activity mainly as a station for international businesses. The means for such activities has always been the Limited Liability Company with shares. In recent years there has been a rapid increase in the establishment of Companies, mainly because of the tax incentives enjoyed by such establishments through Cyprus.
There is no requirement or licensing procedure for the participation of foreigners in a Cyprus company. Their participation in a company may be up to 100% of the shares and there are no conditions regarding the minimum amount they must invest in the capital of the ccompany.
The procedure for the registration of a Company is relatively simple and it usually takes approximately 3-5 working days. Enterprises and individuals wishing to have a company in Cyprus usually choose to take ready-made (shelf company), which enables them to have an immediate registration of the company.