Minimum share capital is the figure companies ask about first and the one that matters least. In most European markets it is low enough to be irrelevant to the decision; what actually governs the timeline is the registration procedure and the notarial requirement.
- Minimum capital by country and by legal form
- The forms available in each market
- Why capital is rarely the binding constraint
How much share capital is required to set up a company in each country? The table covers the 31 markets where HTLC Network publishes the figure.
| Country | Legal forms | Minimum share capital |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Shpk · Sha | Shpk: ALL 100 (~€1) · Sha: ALL 3,500,000 private / ALL 10,000,000 public |
| Austria | GmbH · AG · FlexKapG (FlexCo, since 2024) | GmbH: €10,000 (€5,000 cash) reduced variant since 2024 · €35,000 standard variant · AG: €70,000 |
| Belgium | BV/SRL · NV/SA | BV/SRL: no statutory minimum · NV/SA: €61,500 |
| Bulgaria | OOD · EOOD · AD | EOOD/OOD: €1 (nominal, redenominated from BGN 2) · AD: €25,000 (BGN 50,000; ≥25% paid up at formation) |
| Croatia | D.o.o. · J.d.o.o. | D.o.o.: ~€2,654 · J.d.o.o.: €1 (simplified form for smaller ventures) |
| Cyprus | Ltd (private) · Plc (public) | Ltd: none statutory (€1,000 nominal common practice) · Plc: €25,629 |
| Czech Republic | S.r.o. · A.s. | S.r.o.: CZK 1 · A.s.: CZK 2,000,000 |
| Denmark | ApS · A/S | ApS: DKK 20,000 · A/S: DKK 400,000 (DKK 100,000 may be paid up initially in some cases) |
| Estonia | OÜ · AS | OÜ: €0.01 (no practical minimum since 2023) · AS: €25,000 (current minimum, subject to periodic review) |
| France | SAS · SARL | SAS / SARL: €1 (statutory minimum; practical capital typically higher) |
| Germany | GmbH · AG | GmbH: €25,000 · AG: €50,000 |
| Greece | IKE · AE · EPE | IKE: €1 · AE: €25,000 |
| Hungary | Kft · Zrt | Kft: ~€7,500 (HUF equivalent) · Zrt: higher, per Civil Code requirements |
| Ireland | LTD (Private Company Limited by Shares) · DAC · PLC | LTD: none required (typically 100 shares of €1) · PLC: €25,000 |
| Israel | Ltd. (private company) · Public company | No statutory minimum (ILS 1 legally sufficient); the four main commercial banks generally expect ILS 10,000+ paid-up before opening a corporate account |
| Italy | SRL · SpA | SRL: €10,000 standard (€1 possible with reserve obligations) · SpA: €50,000 |
| Japan | Kabushiki Kaisha (KK) · Godo Kaisha (GK) | JPY 1 legally (KK/GK) · JPY 30,000,000 practical minimum for a foreign owner-manager to qualify for the Business Manager visa (since Oct 2025) |
| Lebanon | SARL (limited liability) · SAL (joint stock) | SARL: LBP 5,000,000 ( |
| Lithuania | UAB · AB | UAB: €2,500 (25% paid up before registration) · AB: €40,000 |
| Netherlands | BV · NV | BV: no statutory minimum · NV: €45,000 |
| Poland | Sp. z o.o. · S.A. | Sp. z o.o.: PLN 5,000 · S.A.: PLN 100,000 |
| Portugal | LDA · SA | LDA: €1 per quota (no statutory floor since 2011) · SA: €50,000 |
| Romania | SRL · SA | SRL: RON 500 (~€100) — reinstated as of 2026 (previously RON 200) |
| Serbia | D.o.o. · A.d. | D.o.o.: RSD 100 (~€1) |
| Singapore | Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd) | S$1 (Pte Ltd) |
| Slovakia | S.r.o. · A.s. | S.r.o.: €5,000 · A.s.: €25,000 |
| South Korea | Chusik Hoesa (주식회사, stock company) · Yuhan Hoesa (유한회사, limited liability company) | No statutory minimum under the Commercial Code; KRW 100 million is the practical benchmark tied to FDI registration and the D-8 investor visa |
| Spain | SL · SA | SL: €1 statutory minimum (€3,000 common in practice) · SA: €60,000 |
| Tunisia | SARL · SUARL · SA | SARL/SUARL: TND 1,000 · SA: TND 5,000 (25% payable on formation, balance within 5 years) |
| Turkey | Limited Şirket (LLC) · Anonim Şirket (AŞ, joint-stock company) | Limited Şirket: TRY 50,000 · Anonim Şirket: TRY 250,000 (at least 25% blocked in a Turkish bank pre-registration) |
| United Kingdom | Private Limited Company (Ltd) · Public Limited Company (PLC) · LLP | Private limited company: none required (typically 100 shares of £1) · PLC: £50,000 |
Where a market offers more than one form, the capital requirement differs between them, sometimes by an order of magnitude. The choice between forms is usually driven by governance and liability rather than by the capital figure.
Several jurisdictions allow a reduced-capital variant that can be incorporated with a nominal amount but carries restrictions — on profit distribution, or an obligation to build reserves until the standard threshold is reached.
Figures are those published on the HTLC Network country pages, reviewed September 2026. Rates and thresholds change: confirm the current position for the country concerned before relying on it.
Capital requirements almost never decide where an entity is placed. Registration timeline, notarial formalities and the ongoing audit and filing burden decide it.