Types Of Companies

Information about Types Of Companies

This is a list of types of companies, i.e. legal forms such as the corporation.

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By type

Corporations

Main article: Types of corporations

Abbreviation	Country	Full term	English term/description	Notes
AE (ΑΕ)	Greece	Anonimi Etairia (Ανώνυμη Εταιρία)	Anonymous society (Anonymous corporation)	Similar to S.A.
AB	Sweden	Aktiebolag	Limited company (Stock company)	When used within the company's name, it is turned into the definite form (i.e aktiebolaget). Normally not limited by liquidation. No personal liability. Risks only invested capital. Min. 100,000 SEK private company Min. 500,000 SEK public company. Board of directors.
HB	Sweden	Handelsbolag	Trading partnership	Joint and several also personal liability (i.e handelsbolaget). At least 2 physical persons or legal entities. Normally limited by liquidation
AD (АД)	Bulgaria	Aktsionerno drujestvo (Акционерно дружество)	Joint Stock Company (JSCO)
AD (АД)	Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, F.Y.R.O.M.	Akcionersko društvo (Акционерско друштво)	Stock corporation
A.D. (А.Д.)	Serbia and Montenegro	Akcionarsko društvo (Акционарско друштво)	Stock corporation
AG	Austria	Aktiengesellschaft	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 70.000 EUR
AG	Germany	Aktiengesellschaft	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 50.000 EUR
AG	Switzerland	Aktiengesellschaft	Stock corporation^[1]	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 100.000 CHF
d.d.	Croatia	Dioničko društvo	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company
d.d.	Slovenia	Delniška družba	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company
A/S	Denmark	Aktieselskab	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 500.000 DKK
AS	Norway	Aksjeselskap (private)	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Private Limited Company (LTD) or incorporated company, min. capital 100.000 NOK
ASA	Norway	Aksjeselskap (public)	Stock corporation	Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 1.000.000 NOK
a.s. or akc. spol.	Czech Republic	Akciová společnost	Stock company	Can be both private or public. The minimum share capital is 2 million CZK (20 million CZK for IPOs). Organs: General Assembly, Board of Directors and Supervisory Board.
a. s.	Slovakia	Akciová spoločnosť	Stock company	Assimilable to Public Limited Company, plc. The minimum share capital is 1 million SKK (approx. 25 000 EUR). Organs: General Assembly, Board and Control Council.
BAT	Ukraine	Vidkryte Aktsionerne Tovarystvo	Open Joint-Stock Company	Similar to Public Limited Company (PLC) or (Public) Corporation)
Ltd or 有限公?	Hong Kong	Limited or 有限公司	Can denote either a Private or Public Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	Similar to a United Kingdom LTD/PLC. Under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance (Chapter 32) the name of a Hong Kong incorporated company may be registered in either the English or Chinese language, or both. (Pinyin: yǒu xiàn gōng sī)
Ltd or 'Cyf' (Welsh)	England & Wales	Limited or Cyfyngedig (Welsh)	Private limited company (liability limited by share capital)
Plc or 'Ccc' (Welsh)	England & Wales	Public Limited Company or Cwmni Cyfyngedig Cyhoeddus (Welsh)	Public limited company (liability limited by share capital)	Requires an authorised minimum share capital of GBP £50,000; of which it must have allotted shares to the value of at least GBP £50,000 and a minimum of 25% must be fully paid up prior to starting business.
Unltd or Ultd	England & Wales	Unlimited or Anghyfyngedig (Welsh)	Private Unlimited Company (with share capital)	Unlimited Company (with share capital); as the word implies, the members or shareholders of the company have no limit placed on their liability for the company's financial obligations in the event of it becoming insolvent, however, it is not a requirement under the Companies Act of Great Britain for an Unlimited Company to state either Unltd, Ultd or Unlimited after its company name. It is nevertheless, a company (a legal entity like its peers Ltd and Plc) registered and formed (incorporated) under the Companies Act of Great Britain and subject to the Companies Act. The advantage of an unlimited company is that they are exempted from filing accounts with the Registrar of Companies for public disclosure (unless, during the accounting period covered, the company is a qualified subsidiary or a parent of a limited company undertaking) subject to a few exceptions to this rule.
SE	European Union	Societas Europaea (Latin for 'European Company')	European (Public) Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	The legal form of the European (Public) Company. Similar to a UK PLC or German AG company etc. An SE (Societas Europaea) may be created on registration in any one of the Member States of the European Union, and is subject to the European Company Statute - Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 on the Statute for a European company (the 'Regulation'). An SE is able to relocate its registered office to any other Member State of the European Union and without it being wound up.
Sdn Bhd	Malaysia	Sendirian Berhad	Private limited Company	Equivalent to Public Limited Company in the UK
Bhd	Malaysia	Berhad	Stock Corporation	Denotes publicly listed companies in Malaysia
Co.	U.S.A.	Company	Stock Corporation or Non-stock corporation	In some U.S. States, it is permissible to use Company or Co. in place of Inc. or Corp. for a corporation. See the table under "United States" in the article Types of corporations. Allowed by many states but not all; however, individuals and partnerships may register a fictitious name with the word "Company" in it either with the county where they reside or with the state in such areas where the state registers fictitious names.
Corp.	U.S.A.	Corporation	Stock corporation or non-stock corporation	"Corporation", "Incorporated" and the abbreviations "Corp." and "Inc." are the only terms universally accepted by all 51 corporation chartering agencies in the United States.
Inc.	U.S.A.	Incorporated	Stock corporation or non-stock corporation	"Corporation", "Incorporated" and the abbreviations "Corp." and "Inc." are the only terms universally accepted by all 51 corporation chartering agencies in the United States.
K.K.	Japan	Kabushiki kaisha (株式会社)	Business corporation	The predominant form of company in Japan, and the only type that can be publicly traded.
LTD	Australia	Limited	Public Limited Company	Equivalent to PLC Public Limited Company in the UK
LTD	New Zealand	Limited	Public or private Limited Company	All NZ limited liability companies must use LTD
Ltd.	Pakistan	Limited	Public Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	Equivalent to a United Kingdom PLC.
Pvt. Ltd.	Pakistan	Private Limited	Private Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	Equivalent to a United Kingdom LTD.
Ltd	India	Limited	Public Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	Equivalent to a United Kingdom PLC.
Pvt Ltd	India	Private Limited	Private Limited Company (liability limited by share capital)	Equivalent to a United Kingdom LTD.
Ltd.	Some U.S. States.	Limited	Corporation	In some U.S. States, it is permissible to use Ltd. instead of Inc. or Corp. for a corporation. See the table under "United States" in the article types of corporations. This is not to be confused with a Limited Liability Company, which is a different type of legal entity.
N.V.	Belgium and Netherlands	Naamloze Vennootschap	A limited liability company, liability limited by shares. In its articles or corporation it may forbid public trading of its shares. However, it is the only type of company in the Netherlands that may allow public trading of its shares.
OAO	Russia	Otkrytoye aktsionernoye obshchestvo	Open Joint-Stock Company	Similar to Public Limited Company (PLC). There is also ZAO (zakrytoye aktsionernoye obshchestvo () - Close Joint-Stock Company, or closely-held corporation, no more than fifty shareholders)
Oy(j)	Finland	(Julkinen) osakeyhtiö	(Public) Limited Company	Minimum share capital 2500 €, at least one member in the board of directors, no personal liability, company name must include "OY" or "osakeyhtiö"
Nyrt.	Hungary	Nyílt részvénytársaság	Public stock company
Zrt.	Hungary	Zárt részvénytársaság	Private stock company
S.A.	Spain	Sociedad Anónima	Stock Corporation^[2]	Minimum capital is 60.101,21?
S.A.	Argentina	Sociedad Anónima	Public Limited Company
S.A.	Brazil	Sociedade Anônima	Public Limited Company
S.A.	Perú	Sociedade Anónima	Public Limited Company
S.A.	Portugal	Sociedade Anónima	Public Limited Company
S.A.	France	Société Anonyme	Public Limited Company	public corporation.
S.A.	Switzerland	Société Anonyme Società Anonima	Public Limited Company	(see AG above)
S.p. A.	Italy	Società per Azioni	Stock corporation	Italian plc. As with "Ltd.", some U.S. states also permit this designation (in which case, it is synonymous with "corporation"). Currently, only the state of Connecticut permits this use.
S.A.	Romania	Societate pe Acţiuni	Stock corporation	Romanian plc.
S.A.	Poland	Spółka Akcyjna	Stock corporation (Joint stock/listed)	Minimum share capital: PLN 500,000 (approx. EUR 130,000)
Co., ltd.	Thailand	Company Limited	Private limited company or limited company
PLC.	Thailand	Public Company Limited	Stock corporation
P.T. / PT	Indonesia	Perseroan Terbatas	Limited Company
P.T. Tbk. / PT Tbk	Indonesia	Perseroan Terbatas, Terbuka	Stock corporation

Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships

Name	Country	Type
ApS	Denmark	Anpartsselskab. Similar to Limited Liability Company. Taxwise, it is a separate entity. The company capital must be at least DKK 125.000
BM or B.M. (בע"מ)	Israel	Be'eravon Mugbal- The Hebrew term for "Ltd.". Not used much in English, usually translated as "Ltd.".
B.V.	Netherlands	Besloten Vennootschap, a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares. The most common form of enterprise. Similar to GmbH, LLC, Ltd., BVBA, SPRL.
BVBA	Belgium	Besloten Vennootschap met Beperkte Aansprakelijkheid, a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares. The most common form of enterprise. Similar to GmbH, LLC, Ltd., BV, SPRL.
CC	South Africa	Closed corporation
C.V.	Netherlands	"commanditaire vennootschap"; a partnership with one or more silent partners.
d.o.o.	Slovenia	Družba z omejeno odgovornostjo, "company with limited liability"
d.o.o.	Croatia	Društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću, "company with limited liability"
d.o.o. (д.о.о.)	Serbia and Montenegro	Društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću (Друштво с ограниченом одговорношћу), "company with limited liability"
E.P.E.	Greece	Etairia Periorismenis Euthinis (Εταιρία Περιορισμένης Ευθύνης)
G.D.K. (合同会社)	Japan	Godo kaisha, a variant of the American LLC introduced in 2006
GmbH	Germany, Austria and Switzerland	Translated "company with limited liability". Similar to Limited Liability Company (LLC). In Germany, min. capital €25,000, in Austria €35,000, in Switzerland CHF 20,000
Inc.	Australia	An incorporated entity, often an incorporated association, that is, a non-profit entity, but in some cases a for-profit entity instead.
Kft.	Hungary	Korlátolt felelősségű társaság (Limited liability company)
LLC LC Ltd. Co.	U.S.A.	Limited liability company, similar to a corporation and a limited liability partnership. May be legally abbreviated in multiple ways. The most common abbreviation is LLC. Allowable abbreviations may vary by U.S. State. Note: Ltd. by itself is not a valid abbreviation for an LLC, because in some states, like Texas, Ltd. may mean a Corporation instead of an LLC.
LLP	U.S.A.	Limited liability partnership where each partner is fully liable for the debts of the partnership, not including acts of professional negligence or malpractice.
Ltd.	UK and others	Private company with liability limited by shares (not traded publicly) or by guarantee. Established under English law and used by countries with similar company laws. In Australia, a company with the suffix Ltd may be a company limited by guarantee (e.g. for charities, universities etc). Such companies may obtain dispensation from the Registrar of Companies to operate without the suffix to distinguish their activities from those of a commercial company.
TNHH/ Cty TNHH	Vietnam	Công ty trách nhiệm hữu hạn. Limited liability company.
Ltda.	Brazil	Sociedade Limitada. Limited liability partnership where each partner is fully liable for the debts of the partnership.
NL	Australia	Mining company not entitled to call on the unpaid issue price of shares; no liability for shareholders, as distinct from limited liability
PLLC	United States	Professional Limited Liability Company. Some states do not allow certain professionals to form an LLC that would limit the liability that results from the services the professionals provide such as doctors, medical care; lawyers, legal advice; and accountants, accounting services, when the company formed offers the services of the professionals. Instead states allow a PLLC or in the LLC statutes, the liability limitation only applies to the business side, such as creditors of the company, as opposed to the service side, the level of medical care, legal services, or accounting provided to clients. This is meant to maintain the higher ethical standards that these professionals have committed themselves to by becoming licensed in their profession and not immune to malpractice suits.
PLC	UK and Ireland	A public limited company, liability limited by shares which are traded publicly.
OOD / ООД	Bulgaria	Limited liability company (drujestvo s ogranichena otgovornost, Дружество с Ограничена Отговорност).
OOO	Russia	Obshchestvo s ogranichennoy otvetstvennostyu - (Limited Liability Company)
ТО?	Ukraine	Tovarystvo z obmejenoyu vidpovidalnistyu - (Limited Liability Company (Partnership))
ТО?	Kazakhstan	Tovarishchestvo s ogranichennoy otvetstvennostyu - (Limited Liability Company (Partnership))
Pty. / Pte.	Various	a prefix used to distinguish a Proprietary Limited company (Pty. Ltd.), essentially the same as a UK private limited company (Ltd.) Used in Australia, South Africa and others. A Proprietary company generally (depending on jurisdiction) is one with fewer than 50 members (shareholders), and not exceeding a certain annual revenue. In Australia, proprietary companies are classified as either small or large depending on the number of employees and the quantum of gross assets and operating capital.
Pvt. Ltd.	India	Private Limited Company, can have up to 50 shareholders and min 2 shareholders . Shares are not traded on a stock exchange.
Sàrl or SARL or SàRL	France Switzerland
SDN BHD	Malaysia	Sendirian Berhad (Private Limited)
S.L.	Spain	Sociedad Limitada. Minimum capital is 3.012?
S.L.N.E.	Spain	Sociedad Limitada Nueva Empresa^[3]. Similar to SL, it was introduced in 2003 to speed up the registration of a new company (it takes one day to register). Minimum capital is 3.012?
SPRL	Belgium	Société privée à responsabilité limitée, a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares.
Sp.z o.o.	Poland	Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością, limited liability
S.R.L.	Romania	Societate cu Răspundere Limitată
Srl or S.r.l or S.R.L.	Italy Switzerland
S.R.L.	Spain Argentina	Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (equivalent to S.L.)
s.r.o. or spol. s r.o.	Czech Republic	Společnost s ručením omezenım
s.r.o.	Slovakia	Spoločnosť s ručením obmedzenım

A company is a form of business organization.

Types

There are various types of company that can be formed in different jurisdictions, but the most common forms of company are:

a company limited by shares.

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Business law
Business organizations
Basic forms:
Sole proprietorship
Corporation
Partnership
(General · Limited · LLP)
Cooperative
USA:
Business trust · LLC · LLLP
Delaware corporation
Nevada corporation
UK/Commonwealth:
Limited company
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Motto
Ελευθερία ή θάνατος
Eleftheria i thanatos
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The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian: Државна заједница
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Anthem
Land der Berge, Land am Strome (German)
Land of Mountains, Land on the River
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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worldwide view of the subject.
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