Setting Up a Tech Company Internationally: A Developer-Turned-Founder's Guide
You've built the product. You have paying customers. Now you're thinking: "Where should I actually register this thing?"
Here's the honest guide I wish existed when developers ask me this question.
The TL;DR Decision Tree
Do you sell to US customers?
YES -> Delaware LLC (0% state tax for non-residents)
NO -> Continue
Do you sell primarily to EU?
YES -> Estonia (0% on reinvested profits, e-Residency)
NO -> Continue
Do you want to move personally?
YES -> UAE (0% everything + resident visa)
NO -> Estonia or UK
4 Jurisdictions Every Tech Founder Should Know
Estonia — The Developer's Choice
- 0% tax on reinvested profits
- e-Residency: manage from anywhere
- Stripe, PayPal, Wise all work
- Registration: 1-3 days, from EUR 190
- Catch: 20% when you take money out
Delaware — The Investor's Standard
- 0% state tax for non-residents
- VCs know Delaware law
- Amazon, Stripe US work
- Catch: bank account from abroad is hard
UK — The Credibility Play
- Companies House: 24 hours, GBP 12
- Every payment processor works
- 19-25% tax, no special regimes
Cyprus — The IP Play
- IP Box: 2.5% on IP income
- Non-Dom: 0% personal tax on dividends (17 years)
- Catch: mandatory audit, slower banking
When Multi-Company Structure Makes Sense
At ~EUR 500K annual revenue:
Cyprus (holding + IP, 2.5%)
|
v
Estonia (operations, 0% reinvested)
|
v
Customers worldwide
Drops effective tax from 20-25% to 5-10%.
3 Mistakes
- Choosing by tax rate alone. 0% means nothing without Stripe.
- Over-engineering at EUR 50K MRR. Start simple.
- DIY through a $500 agent. 6 months later, still no bank account.
More details: crystal.tax/en/ecommerce-international-structure/
Maksim Stepanenko, Crystal Tax — international business structuring since 2014
Top comments (0)