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Keep a copy with your company records
Use this planning checklist after registering a national company in the EU. Confirm the tasks and deadlines for your company form, financial year and business activity. Estonia, Ireland and Portugal are examples; there is no single EU filing calendar. This checklist does not describe the proposed EU Inc regime.
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Sources checked on 11 October 2026. The downloads contain the same tasks and national examples as this page.
Use the boxes below during your review. Save completed tasks and filing receipts in your own records. This page does not store your checklist progress.
Start with your company records
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Keep the incorporation certificate, constitution, shareholder details and capital records together. Confirm who handles official notices, filing access and deadlines. Agree which tasks your provider will complete and which remain with you.
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Identify the people who ultimately own or control the company. Check the national register, initial filing deadline and rules for changes. A shareholder list and a beneficial ownership filing serve different purposes. See the Ireland and Portugal examples below.
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Check provider eligibility and prepare company, ownership and business evidence. Keep company money separate from personal spending. Registration does not guarantee approval by a bank or payment institution.
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Agree an invoice process, receipt storage and regular reconciliation with your accountant. Record formation expenses, founder loans and capital contributions. Confirm the local accounting rules and document retention periods.
Prepare to trade and keep reporting
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Assess corporate tax, VAT and payroll separately. Confirm any activity declaration and licence requirements. Review where the company is managed, where staff work and where sales are taxable. Do not assume incorporation completes every tax registration.
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Confirm employment terms, payroll registration and social security obligations where each employee works. Cross-border and posted workers can need a separate assessment. Set up the required employer and employee notifications.
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Record the financial year-end, annual return, accounts, tax returns and payment dates. Assign an owner to each task and save filing receipts. Check dormant-company rules even if the company has no sales. Use the national examples below.
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Review the registered address, directors, owners and contact details when they change. Renew required address or contact-person services. Keep access to registry and tax portals available so official notices reach the responsible person.
If your business needs a regulated activity licence, confirm it before you start that activity. Use the country guides to identify the relevant company form. Use the business bank account guide to prepare an application.
National deadlines: three practical examples
These examples show why one EU-wide checklist cannot set every deadline. Confirm the financial year, filing route and any official extension that applies to your company. Company registry and tax obligations are distinct. Confirm which duties each filing fulfils; some national declarations combine information.
Estonia: OÜ
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An Estonian OÜ must submit an annual report even if it had no economic activity. The deadline follows the company's financial year. A 31 December year-end normally means a 30 June deadline.
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VAT registration has its own conditions, thresholds and application process. Review the place of supply and cross-border transactions with your accountant. Company registration alone does not settle the VAT position.
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If the management board is outside Estonia and its foreign address is used as the company's legal address, a licensed contact person is required. Renew the appointment before it expires and ensure official mail is forwarded.
Ireland: LTD
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Once the company has a CRO number, notify Revenue. A tax agent applies through ROS. Confirm which registrations apply, including Corporation Tax, VAT and employer PAYE, and arrange access for returns and payments.
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A newly incorporated Irish LTD must file its beneficial ownership details with the RBO within five months of incorporation. Keep the company's internal beneficial ownership register as well.
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The first annual return is made up to the date six months after incorporation. File it within 56 days of that date. No financial statements accompany this first return. Later returns and accounts follow separate requirements.
CRO: first annual returnCRO: annual return date and filing deadline
Portugal: Lda
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For a company subject to commercial registration, submit the declaration before starting activity and no later than 15 days after the application for registration. Arrange submission with the certified accountant. A later trading start does not extend that limit.
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File the initial beneficial ownership declaration within 30 days after the company's incorporation is registered. Update changed details within 30 days of the change. Check the annual confirmation requirement with the accountant.
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The certified accountant files the IES/DA. The standard accounts registration deadline is the 15th day of the seventh month after year-end: 15 July for a calendar year. Check official extensions for the filing year and track tax payments separately. Pay the generated registration fee and save the receipt to complete the accounts registration.
Build a calendar your team can use
For each filing, record its name, authority, deadline, responsible person and proof of submission. Ask the accountant to check the calendar before the first trading month and after changes to the business. Add reminders early enough to prepare the documents and obtain signatures.
Confirm whether the accounting quote includes annual accounts, tax returns, payroll and registry filings. Use the total company cost guide to separate these recurring costs from the incorporation fee.
Include ongoing obligations in your company plan
Tell us where you live, what the business does and where you plan to hire. We will help you compare formation options and the support you need after registration.
Get your free planFrequently asked questions
What should I do after registering a company in Europe?
Secure the company records, identify beneficial owners, arrange accounting and review banking, tax and employer registrations. Build a filing calendar for the national company form and its financial year. The deadlines depend on the country and the business.
Does company registration include VAT registration?
Do not assume it does. VAT has its own registration conditions. Review the type of sales, place of supply and relevant thresholds with your accountant. Corporation tax, VAT and payroll registrations are separate questions.
Does a company with no sales still have filing duties?
It can. For example, an Estonian OÜ must file an annual report even when it had no economic activity. Check the rules for your company form before assuming that an inactive company has no returns or accounts to file.
What is the first annual return deadline for an Irish LTD?
The first B1 annual return is made up to the date six months after incorporation and must be filed within 56 days of that date. It does not include financial statements. Later returns have different accounts requirements.
Does this checklist apply to EU Inc?
This checklist covers existing national companies, with Estonia, Ireland and Portugal as examples. EU Inc remains a proposal with no confirmed launch date. Its future filing duties depend on the adopted rules.