Key Takeaways
- Government and Companies House registry fees form the baseline cost charged at the point of incorporation.
- Registered agent and registered office services are recurring charges every non-resident company must budget for from the start.
- Share capital, stamp duty and name reservation add separate one-off costs alongside an annual government licence falling due at setup.
- Your realistic all-in first-year total depends on several variables, so review the cost drivers before comparing quotes.
Understanding the Cost of Company Incorporation in Gibraltar
The cost to incorporate a company in Gibraltar splits cleanly into two layers: a small, fixed set of government charges that anyone pays, and a much larger band of professional fees that depend on how you structure and service the entity. Government fees at incorporation total £110; a foreign owner working through a licensed Corporate Service Provider should budget materially more once registered office, agent, and compliance work are added.
This matters because almost no non-resident incorporates directly. Gibraltar company law follows the pattern of the UK Companies Act 2006, with the local rules set out in the Companies Act 2014, and the standard vehicle for trading or holding is the private company limited by shares. The official Companies page confirms the registration fee and stamp duty payable when documents are presented.
This article covers what each cost component is, where the official figures come from, and what drives your first-year total up or down. It is written for foreign owners, investors, and their advisers weighing the price of a Gibraltar entity against alternatives.
Government and Companies House Registry Fees at Incorporation
The statutory charges to register a company are fixed and modest. They are set out in Companies House Gibraltar's Guidance Note 19 (GN19), the official Table of Fees updated in August 2025.
Two charges fall due when you present the incorporation documents: a registration fee and stamp duty on nominal share capital. Both are payable at Companies House at the point of filing.
| Item | Fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|
| Standard registration fee | £100 | Three working days |
| Stamp duty on nominal share capital | £10 | At filing |
| Same-day surcharge (lodged before 12:00 midday) | £200 (£300 total with base) | 24 hours |
| Two-hour turnaround (lodged 09:00–15:00) | £500 (£600 total with base) | Two hours |
| Change-of-name registration (post-incorporation) | £100 | Standard |
Standard processing runs to three working days. The two expedite options exist for owners who need the entity faster, with the surcharge reflecting the speed.
The documents lodged at filing are the Memorandum of Association, the Articles of Association, a Declaration of Compliance, and a Statement of Nominal Share Capital. A useful point for tax planning: every company registered under the Companies Act 2014 is automatically registered for corporate tax with the Income Tax Office from the date of registration, so there is no separate tax-registration fee at setup.
Company Incorporation in Gibraltar
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Registered Agent and Registered Office Fees
This is where most of your real cost sits. Every Gibraltar company must keep a registered office and a registered agent within the territory and appoint a qualified secretary; these are legal requirements, and a non-resident owner cannot avoid them.
Directors may be individuals or corporate bodies, and none need to be resident in Gibraltar. A local secretary or service provider is still advisable for filing continuity, and the secretary itself is mandatory.
The professional fees you should expect fall into recognisable bands. The figures below are honest market ranges, not fixed quotes; a provider's actual price depends on structure complexity and the services bundled.
| Service | Approximate annual or one-off range |
|---|---|
| CSP base incorporation package (name clearance, drafting Memorandum and Articles, registry filing) | £800–£1,200 (one-off) |
| Registered office | £200–£500 per year |
| Registered agent (compliance monitoring, filing reminders) | £500–£800 per year |
| Local company secretary | £500–£1,500 per year |
| AML/KYC onboarding per person (director, shareholder, UBO) | £100–£400 each |
A common pattern is the "free first-year registered office," which then renews at roughly £350–£500 annually. Read the renewal terms before you commit, because the bundled first-year price rarely reflects the recurring cost.
Onboarding fees apply to each director, shareholder, and ultimate beneficial owner, so a structure with several non-resident individuals multiplies this cost quickly.
Two further outlays are easy to overlook. Non-resident owners usually need foreign passports notarised and apostilled, plus proof-of-address documents dated within 90 days, and the cost of obtaining these falls on you.
Share Capital, Stamp Duty, and Name Reservation Costs
A company must define its share capital at incorporation, and formation is possible with a single share. Most private limited companies are set up with a nominal share capital of £100, and capital may be denominated in any currency.
There is no stamp duty on the issue of shares. The only capital-related charge is the flat £10 stamp duty on nominal share capital at incorporation, which also applies to any later increase in capital.
Increasing share capital after formation requires a company resolution and notification to Companies House, which triggers a further filing fee and stamp duty on the additional capital. For private companies, no sliding-scale capital duty based on authorised share capital was identified in the official fee schedule.
On naming, the proposed name must clear the Company Registrar before documents are submitted. A provider can reserve a name for 90 days for a non-refundable fee; the exact amount is listed in GN19, and you should confirm the current figure with Companies House Gibraltar before relying on it.
Ongoing Compliance in Gibraltar
Keep your Gibraltar entity compliant with filings, returns, and statutory obligations.
The Government Annual Licence and Fees Falling Due at Setup
The recurring government cost of a Gibraltar company is low. Once incorporated, the unavoidable annual government charge is on the order of £156, combining the annual return fee and the business licence fee.
The annual return (form FAR01) confirms share capital, officers, and registered address, and is filed under GN19. It is due within 30 days of the anniversary of incorporation. The GN19 schedule shows differing figures for this filing depending on context, so confirm the applicable amount with Companies House rather than treating a single number as fixed.
A business licence is required only if the company trades or supplies services within Gibraltar, registered with the Gibraltar Business Licensing Authority under the Gibraltar Fair Trade Act 2015. The precise fee band is not published in the sources reviewed here, so contact the Authority directly for current pricing if you intend to trade locally.
Two filing deadlines shape later costs but fall after setup. The corporate tax return is due within nine months after the end of the month in which the accounting period ends, and accounts must reach the Companies Registry within 13 months of the chosen financial year-end. The corporate tax rate is 15% on income accrued in or derived from Gibraltar, raised from 12.5% effective 1 July 2024; you can review the official position through the Income Tax Office.
What Makes Your Total First-Year Cost Vary
The single largest variable is the route. A self-managed filing costs only the £110 government charge, while a CSP-led setup with first-year services typically runs £1,200 to £2,500.
Beyond that, several factors push the figure up or down:
- Speed. Same-day filing adds £200; two-hour service adds £500.
- Nominee and privacy services. Local directors, nominee arrangements, or couriered originals each carry separate charges.
- Regulated activity. Financial services, online gaming, and crypto businesses must license with the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, with licence costs reaching from several thousand to tens of thousands of pounds.
- Accounting. A company with Gibraltar assessable income below £1,750,000 (threshold raised from £1,500,000 in January 2025) needs an Independent Accountant's Report, typically £300–£1,500 per year; one with no assessable income files only an abridged balance sheet signed by directors.
- Banking. Account setup and international compliance checks can add roughly £400–£600.
- Ongoing change reporting. Gibraltar maintains a public UBO register, and each change in ownership, director, or shareholder must be reported within 28 days, with providers charging around £100–£300 per update.
Substance expectations also carry cost. A workable plan includes a local secretary, periodic board meetings in Gibraltar, and accounting records kept locally, and an annual compliance review covering UBO, KYC refresh, and substance confirmation typically costs £250–£500 per year.
Gibraltar Incorporation Pricing
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A Realistic All-In First-Year Cost Figure
For a non-resident owner, three scenarios bracket the likely spend. The first is the bare government floor; the second is a standard CSP setup; the third reflects more complex structures.
| Scenario | Year-one cost |
|---|---|
| Government fees only (self-managed) | ~£266 (£110 at incorporation plus ~£156 annual government floor) |
| Standard CSP, non-regulated, one or two non-resident owners, no assessable Gibraltar income | approx. £1,600–£3,500 |
| Higher-end or complex structures (secretary, accountant's report, nominees) | from approx. £2,500 upward; substantially more for regulated entities |
The standard CSP range absorbs the incorporation package (£800–£1,200), registered office in year one (£200–£500), the annual return filing, KYC onboarding for two or three people (£200–£1,200), and optional bank account setup (£400–£600). Where Gibraltar-sourced income triggers an accountant's report or a company secretary at the upper service tier, the total moves toward and past the higher band.
The practical lesson for budgeting: the advertised base price rarely equals the true cost of forming and maintaining the entity. Regulated-sector businesses in distributed ledger technology, gaming, or fintech sit well outside these ranges and need separate licence and compliance estimates.
Conclusion
A Gibraltar company is cheap to register and modest to maintain on the government side, but the figure that matters to a foreign owner is the all-in first-year cost through a licensed provider, which for a straightforward private limited company sits in the low thousands. Build your budget around the service layer, not the £110 registry fee, and confirm the current annual return and business licence figures directly with the relevant authorities. If your business is regulated or involves several beneficial owners, expect costs above the ranges shown here and plan for licensing and per-person compliance work early.
How Expanship Can Help Your Business in Gibraltar
Expanship prices and manages the full cost stack of a Gibraltar incorporation for non-resident owners, from the statutory registry fees through registered office, agent, and first-year compliance, so you see the real number before committing. The same team handles the wider needs of a foreign-owned entity in the territory.
- Company incorporation and name clearance with Companies House
- Registered agent and registered office services
- Corporate tax registration and return filing
- Ongoing compliance management, including UBO and annual return obligations
- Accounting and bookkeeping, including the Independent Accountant's Report where required
- Banking introductions for new entities
To scope your setup and get a clear cost estimate, contact Expanship Gibraltar.
Frequently Asked Questions
The absolute minimum is £110 in government fees, made up of a £100 registration fee and £10 stamp duty on nominal share capital, both payable at Companies House when documents are filed. This figure assumes a fully self-managed filing, which most non-residents do not pursue because a registered office and agent in Gibraltar are legally required.
A standard CSP incorporation package, covering name clearance, drafting the Memorandum and Articles, and registry filing, generally costs between £800 and £1,200 as a one-off. Including registered office, agent, KYC onboarding, and first-year services, a realistic all-in first-year total for a simple non-regulated company runs approximately £1,600 to £3,500.
Standard processing takes three working days. A same-day service is available for a £200 surcharge when documents are lodged before midday, and a two-hour turnaround costs £500 when lodged between 09:00 and 15:00.
No sliding-scale capital duty applies to a private limited company. The only capital-related charge is the flat £10 stamp duty on nominal share capital, paid at incorporation and again on any later increase, and there is no stamp duty on the ordinary issue of shares.
The unavoidable annual government cost is roughly £156, combining the annual return filing and, where the company trades locally, the business licence fee. The annual return on form FAR01 is due within 30 days of the incorporation anniversary; confirm the exact filing fee with Companies House, as the published schedule shows differing figures by context.
It depends on income. A company with Gibraltar assessable income below £1,750,000 needs an Independent Accountant's Report, typically £300 to £1,500 per year, while a company with no assessable income files only an abridged balance sheet signed by directors and needs no accountant.
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the content, laws and regulations are subject to change, and the application of laws can vary widely based on specific facts and circumstances.
Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel tailored to their individual situation. Expanship and its authors disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the content of this article.
For specific advice regarding your business setup, compliance requirements, or any legal matters, please consult with qualified legal and tax professionals in the relevant jurisdiction.
