I am setting up a European Branch/Subsidary of a US based Software company. What is the best way to go for this?

Is anybody able to give some advice on:

• How would I go about setting up a European branch/subsidiary of this company?
• CHOICE OF ENTITY: Should I register as a branch or subsidiary?
• LOCATION: What is the best country for the European Headquarter
• Filings and Deadlines
• What else should I watch out for?

Thanks !

Depends on a country. Some European countries have laws in books but operate largely based on an unwritten code. In these instances you'd have to rely on local contacts to guide you through.

The Netherlands is a very good place to set up your European headquarters. It takes half a day to set up a limited liability company (which is called a BV). It is easy to set up a Dutch bank account. Dutch banks, tax accountants, and lawyers give you an English translation of everything.

Everyone speaks English and many lawyers and accountants are used to working with foreign companies. The Netherlands also gives a lot of tax breaks for subsidiaries of foreign firms. It's easy to hire people who speak English and other languages so for example, you can hire Dutch people to handle German, French, British and Spanish clients, instead of hiring people in those countries at the beginning when there is a lot of risk. If your business grows in those countries, then you can hire local personnel there.

I have a BV in Amsterdam and am very happy with having opened a company there. If you need any recommendations for tax accountants or other information, please just ask.

Depends on a country. Some European countries have laws in books but operate largely based on an unwritten code. In these instances you'd have to rely on local contacts to guide you through.

Many US tech companies (such as Google and E-bay) choose to host their EU headquarters in Ireland because it has low corporation tax rates and plenty of skilled workers who speak English as a first language.