Company Formation (Proprietary Limited)

What is a proprietary limited company?

Under Australian law, a proprietary limited company (abbreviated as 'Pty Ltd') is a business structure that has at least one shareholder and no more than 50 non-employee shareholders, where the liability of shareholders is limited to the balance amount (if any) which remains unpaid on the shares held by its members. The company must have at least one director who is resident in Australia, and there are restrictions on the company’s ability to raise funding from the public.

Who can register a company?

Almost anyone can register a company in Australia. The only requirements are that company directors are at least 18, at least one director resides in Australia, and the company has a physical registered office with an Australian address (i.e. no PO Box). There may be other restrictions if a person has been banned or disqualified by ASIC.

How much does registration cost?

We offer company registration starting from $598 (including GST and the $488 government fee). Work for an accounting firm? Your first company registration is $488 under our introductory offer for accounting firms.

What methods can I use to order a document or company registration?

How do you pay for the documents?

We offer a flexible range of payment options, including via credit card and bank transfer. Credit cards accepted include Visa and Mastercard. All orders received will be sent a Tax Invoice.

How are the documents delivered to me?

We include as standard electronic delivery of your documents in PDF format. For an additional cost, we also offer clients the choice to have their documents printed, bound, and delivered to their door using a premium leather-feel document folder which is sure to make a strong impression on your end clients. Simply select this option when placing your order.

What file formats does ABNAustralia.com.au send the documents in?

We send you the documents in a print-ready Portable Document Format file, otherwise known as a 'pdf' file. To open and print the document, you'll need Adobe Acrobat, or an equivalent PDF reader.

What do you do if ASIC rejects your application to register a company?

If ASIC rejects your application to register a company, then it's easy enough to fix things and it is free — there is no charge from us, and no charge from ASIC. Below, we have set out some common reasons about why ASIC might reject your application to register a company.

Address related issues
ASIC accepts only property addresses that Australia Post accepts as postal addresses. ASIC will reject an address that is missing a unit number, suite number or floor level (if that information is needed for proper delivery), that includes ‘Corner of’, or that is a PO Box.

Name is rejected
ASIC will reject a name if it is inappropriate, or already taken — or is similar to a name already taken.

Information is missing or inaccurate
Generally these messages indicate that a answer has been left blank somewhere, or has inaccurate information.

Preparing to register a company

• Choose a company name
• Decide on the state/territory of registration
• Choose registered and business addresses
• Is there an ultimate holding company?
• Choose company officeholders
• Decide on the share structure
• Choose the shareholders

Find out more information about registering a company in Australia

You can read through our knowledge centre to find out more about some of the issues you need to consider when registering a 'proprietary limited' company. Our knowledge centre summarises some of the key requirements and processes for registering and running a company, and flags some important obligations for officeholders.

New: Read our comprehensive guide on setting up an company in Australia.