Australian Branch Setup

Australia is a good place to do business – stable legal system, clear regulation and free movement of capital. Getting set up properly is the part that takes local knowledge. We help overseas companies choose between a branch and a subsidiary, register it, and then keep the Australian arm compliant year after year: tax, payroll, bookkeeping and reporting to ASIC.

We work with clients online and over the phone, so you do not need to be in Sydney to work with us.

Branch or subsidiary?

An overseas company can do business in Australia in two main ways: register itself here as a foreign company (a branch), or incorporate an Australian company that it owns (a subsidiary). The rules below are from ASIC, checked October 2026.

If the overseas company sets up a subsidiary and does not itself carry on business in Australia, it does not also have to register as a foreign company. Either way, every director needs a director ID – for a foreign company, directors must have one or have applied for one before it registers.

Which is better depends on what you are doing here, how long for, how profits will flow back home and how your home country taxes them. We look at the cost of compliance, the tax on both sides, asset protection and how the Australian arm will be financed, and recommend a structure. See also business structuring and our post on the company structure.

A director who lives in Australia

A subsidiary set up as a proprietary company needs at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. If none of your people are based here, that is often the first practical hurdle – and one we can solve. Our founder, Thomas Murmylo, acts as the Australian-resident director for the Australian operations of overseas companies, and can do the same for yours.

Directors have real legal duties under the Corporations Act, so this is not a name on a form. As your resident director we:

• fill the requirement for at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia
• advise the board on Australian legal, tax and reporting requirements as they come up
• run the Australian company's accounts, so that it stays compliant and the board has what it needs to make decisions

Local agent and registered office

A foreign company registered in Australia as a branch needs a local agent who lives in Australia, and every Australian company and registered foreign company needs a registered office here. We can act as your local agent and provide the registered office, alongside the accounts and compliance work.

Anti-money laundering checks

Since 1 July 2026, Australia's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws apply to some of the services accountants provide – including acting as a director of a company on a client's behalf and providing a registered office or principal place of business address. These are regulated by AUSTRAC.

In practice, before we take on any of these roles we must verify who we are acting for: the company, its directors and its beneficial owners – the people who ultimately own or control it. Expect us to ask for identity and ownership documents at the start, and to update them from time to time. It is the law, and it protects the company as much as us. See AUSTRAC's guidance on professional services for the detail.

Registrations

Depending on the structure and what the business will do, setting up usually involves:

• ASIC – registering the foreign company (with its certified documents and local agent) or incorporating the subsidiary
• Director IDs for every director
• ATO – tax file number, ABN, and GST registration if the business must or chooses to register
• Payroll – PAYG withholding, super and, for NSW employers, workers compensation, once you start employing people here

We handle the registrations and tell you what else applies – licences, for example, depend on the industry. Our post on 10 essential points in setting up a business in Australia is a good overview, and business setup covers the Australian entities in more detail.

Ongoing compliance

Once you are trading, the Australian arm has the same obligations as any local business, plus some of its own:

• bookkeeping and management reporting, in Xero or another platform
• payroll, Single Touch Payroll and super for Australian staff
• GST and BAS lodgements
• the annual tax return, including cross-border questions such as transfer pricing and dealings with the parent company
• ASIC obligations – keeping details up to date and, for a branch, lodging financial statements each year

Our founder, Thomas Murmylo, is a Chartered Tax Adviser who specialises in Australian and international taxation.

What it costs

Acting as your resident director, local agent or registered office has no fixed fee: it depends on the business, its risk profile and what our engagement covers, and we agree it with you up front.

Setting up an Australian company costs $1,500 including GST, which includes the government charges, GST registration and a consultation on running the entity – see our price list. Foreign company registration, structuring advice and ongoing compliance are charged at our hourly rates of $220 to $420 an hour plus GST, or a fixed periodic fee once the work settles into a regular cycle. We will give you a quote before we start.

Questions people ask