Two of the five carry a constraint nobody advertises.
Most setup firms publish a map with five flags on it and leave you to discover the difference. This is the comparison instead — including the two markets where a foreign owner cannot simply appoint themselves and start.
What each country asks of a foreign owner.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Market | Foreign ownership | Director requirement | Banking | To trading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United StatesState and city led | Permitted in full for the activities in these five lines. LLC or corporation. | No residency requirement. An EIN is issued to a foreign owner without a Social Security number. | The hard step. Prepared thoroughly, decided by the bank. | 8–14 weeks |
| United KingdomFastest to incorporate | Permitted in full. Private limited company, incorporated in days. | No residency requirement. Companies House now verifies director identity. | Difficult for a non-resident, with more workable options than the US. | 6–12 weeks |
| CanadaProvince decides | Permitted in full in these sectors. | Varies by province. Ontario and British Columbia impose no director residency requirement; federal incorporation requires resident Canadian directors. We incorporate where the rule does not bind you. | Slow to open, generally approvable with a local director or address. | 10–16 weeks |
| AustraliaOne real constraint | Permitted in full. Proprietary limited company. | At least one director ordinarily resident in Australia, each holding a Director ID. This is a director question, not an ownership question. We confirm in writing how it will be met before you commit. | Straightforward once the resident director is in place. | 10–18 weeks |
| GulfUAE first, Saudi and Qatar on assessment | Full foreign ownership is now available on the UAE mainland for most activities, with free zones as an alternative. Saudi entry runs through an investment licence. | No residency requirement for UAE company directors. | The slowest step in the region and heavily compliance-led. | 6–12 weeks |
Every line above is re-verified against the current position for your city and activity before we quote, and every regulated step is carried out by a licensed professional in that jurisdiction.
Canada and Australia, in one paragraph each.
Canada
Federal incorporation under the CBCA carries a resident-Canadian director requirement. Several provinces — British Columbia and Ontario among them — impose none at all. So the constraint is entirely avoidable, but only if the choice is made at stage one. Incorporating federally because it sounds more substantial, then discovering the rule, is an expensive way to learn it.
Australia
A proprietary company must have at least one director ordinarily resident in Australia, and every director needs a personal Director ID. Ownership is unaffected — you can hold 100% of the shares from anywhere. But somebody on the board has to live there, and how that is met is settled in writing before we start rather than worked around later.
Three things that should decide the country — and one that should not.
Where the venture actually works
A branded taxi operation is closed in the Gulf and open in the US. A mini mart is strongest in the UK. Start from the venture, not the flag.
Where you have a reason to be
Family, a network, a language, a previous visit. A city where you know somebody is worth more than a city with better statistics.
What the timeline does to your capital
Six weeks and eighteen weeks are very different if the money is borrowed or if it is sitting idle. Australia is the slowest of the five and that has a cost.
Not: which country is cheapest to incorporate in
Formation cost is a rounding error against the whole project. Choosing a jurisdiction on filing fees is how people end up licensed in the wrong place.
Not: which passport it might lead to
None of them. Company ownership confers no immigration status in any of the five markets.
Not: where the marketing is loudest
The volume of setup advertising in a market correlates with how many people are selling formations there, not with how good the market is to trade in.
One call, and we tell you whether it works.
Bring the country you have in mind, the venture that interests you and the capital you are prepared to commit. You will get an honest read on whether that combination is buildable before anyone talks about fees.