Pg Company Formation

---
name: pg-company-formation
description: "Source-cited draft: company formation & entity choice for Papua New Guinea (tax year 2025) — rates, thresholds and rules with primary-source citations. Unverified; pending local-accountant review."
license: "AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)"
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  openaccountants_url: "https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/pg-company-formation"
  jurisdiction: "PG"
  tax_year: "2025"
  last_updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Papua New Guinea Company Formation & Entity Choice

## Entity types and incorporation

- **Common entity types** — Company limited by shares (private/proprietary and public), branch of a foreign (overseas) company, business name (sole trader), and partnership  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/public/help.aspx?cn=BusinessRegulations))_
- **Registry** — Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) Companies Office  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/))_
- **Minimum share capital** — None — a company must have at least one share and one shareholder, but there is no minimum capital requirement  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcbfb570-32d0-4a2b-b0e4-f38d4a7e6163))_
- **Minimum directors** — At least one director; at least one director must be resident in Papua New Guinea  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcbfb570-32d0-4a2b-b0e4-f38d4a7e6163))_
- **Minimum shareholders** — At least one shareholder  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcbfb570-32d0-4a2b-b0e4-f38d4a7e6163))_
- **Registered office** — A physical address in PNG is required (a P.O. Box is not acceptable)  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcbfb570-32d0-4a2b-b0e4-f38d4a7e6163))_
- **Company constitution** — Optional — a company need not adopt a constitution at incorporation; the Companies Act default rules apply unless one is adopted  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcbfb570-32d0-4a2b-b0e4-f38d4a7e6163))_
- **Foreign enterprise certification** — A company that is 50% or more foreign-owned must obtain Foreign Enterprise Certification from the IPA before commencing operations  _(Investment Promotion Act 1992 (https://nto.gov.pg/ipa-certification-foreign-enterprises/))_
- **Incorporation application** — Incorporation is by application to the IPA (Form 1 / online via the IPA Online Registry System), including company name reservation and consents of directors/shareholders ((approx — confirm current form references and online portal))  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/documentation/pg/form-a-1.pdf))_
- **Incorporation timeline** — Typically a few business days once a compliant application and name reservation are lodged online ((approx — confirm current IPA processing times))  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/public/help.aspx?cn=BusinessRegulations))_
- **Incorporation fee** — An IPA registration fee applies; verify the current schedule on the IPA portal ((approx — confirm current IPA fee))  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/public/help.aspx?cn=BusinessRegulations))_
- **Annual return** — Companies must file an annual return with the IPA each year to remain on the register  _(Companies Act 1997 (https://www.ipa.gov.pg/public/help.aspx?cn=BusinessRegulations))_
- **Stamp duty on property transfer** — Up to a maximum of 5% on conveyance of property where value exceeds PGK 100,000 %  _(Stamp Duties Act (https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/papua-new-guinea/corporate/other-taxes))_

## Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-07-13. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call `get_skill` with slug `pg-company-formation` on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/pg-company-formation. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.