Scandinavian tax resident companies comparison in 2024
| Summary at a glance (click hyperlinks for info) | Denmark | Norway | Finland | Sweden | Latvia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total engagement costs? | €10,655 | €10,175 | €20,330 | €12,113 | €6,990 |
| Renewal costs (incl. audit and annual statements) | €6,720 | €3,400 | €11,180 | €3,400 | €3,580 |
| How long to set up the company? | 1 week | 5 weeks | 3 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks |
| How long to open a local corporate bank account? | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Issued share capital required? | €6,700 | €3,550 | €2,500 | €5,500 | €2,800 |
| Corporate bank account location? | Nordea Bank | Norges bank | Danske | Nordea Bank | Baltikums |
| Tenancy agreement required before incorporation? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Annual tax return to be submitted? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Do you need to travel for company setup? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Legal considerations | |||||
| Resident director required? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Local shareholder required | No | No | No | No | No |
| Minimum number of directors? | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Minimum number of shareholders? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Resident company secretary required? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Individual shareholders allowed? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Corporate shareholders allowed? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Corporate director(s) allowed? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Public register of shareholders and directors? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax and accounting considerations | |||||
| Corporate tax payable (standard rate %)? | 32% | 27% | 20% | 22% | 15% |
| Annual financial statements required | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Statutory audit required? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Access to how many double tax treaties? | 76 | 95 | 76 | 80 | 57 |
| Tax exempt free zones available? | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Resident company for local tax? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Withholding tax on dividends paid outside EEA? | 15% | 25% | 20% | 30% | 15% (blacklist only) |
| How long to get Europe work permit approved? | 2 months | 2 months | 2 months | 2 months | 2 months |
| Can the entity hire expatriate staff? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Logistics considerations | |||||
| Allowed to sign sales contracts with local clients? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allowed to invoice local Clients? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Average monthly salary of skilled labor? | €4,500 | €4,200 | €3,900 | €3,850 | €3,800 |
| Average monthly salary of unskilled labor? | €1,500 | €1,400 | €1,350 | €1,300 | €950 |
| English spoken by what % of the population? | 86% | 90% | 70% | 86% | 46% |
| Literacy rate %? | 99% | 100% | 100% | 99% | 99% |
| Computer literacy rate %? | 94% | 95% | 91% | 94% | 75% |
| Monthly office rental per square meter? | €25 | €35 | €30 | €36 | €15 |
| Monthly warehouse rental per square meter? | €15 | €20 | €18 | €20 | €7 |
| Country bonds rating (S&P)? | AAA | AAA | AA+ | AAA | A- |
| Internet connectivity rating? | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| GDP per capita (US$)? | 60,707 | 97,307 | 49,823 | 58,938 | 15,719 |
| Government liberal or controlling? | Liberal | Liberal | Liberal | Liberal | Liberal |
| Population % tertiary enrollment? | 82% | 78% | 92% | 64% | 66% |
| Global business efficiency index score (out of 100) ? | 83% | 76% | 83% | 76% | N/A |
| Ease of doing business ranking (lower the better)? | 3 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 22 |
| Population (millions)? | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 9.6 | 2 |
| Unemployment rate? | 6.30% | 4.10% | 9.40% | 7.80% | 9.70% |
| Inflation rate (2015)? | 0.30% | 3.10% | -0.10% | 0.40% | -0.50% |
| GDP 2015 US$ billion? | 342 billion | 500 billion | 272 billion | 571 billion | 31 billion |
| Average annual growth (2015)? | 1.10% | 2.20% | -0.40% | 2.30% | 2.40% |
