A Cyprus limited liability company is the most popular type of Cypriot company because it can be used for various purposes:

• it can be used as a Cyprus holding company and benefits from many Cyprus corporate tax advantages
• it can also be used as a Cyprus trading company and effect a wide variety of commercial activities
• it can be used as a financial company in Cyprus and investors can set up private banking institutions within a limited liability company

• An exempt private company in Cyprus is formed by a corporation and another company
• It has a maximum number of 50 debenture holders
• Only the exempt company holds its shares
• The director also belongs to the company
• A Cyprus exempt private company is not required to file accounts and an annual return
• It is not subject to the statutory restrictions on loans to directors

• A Cyprus subsidiary is a legal entity, independent of the parent company ie. an extension of the same business but located in another country.
• The parent company has control over the subsidiary company because it holds a major percentage of the shares and capital of the business.
• However, a subsidiary company runs independently of the parent company, taking its own risks, and taking into account the regulations and norms of the country in which it is situated.

• A Cyprus subsidiary is a legal entity, independent of the parent company ie. an extension of the same business but located in another country.
• The parent company has control over the subsidiary company because it holds a major percentage of the shares and capital of the business.
• However, a subsidiary company runs independently of the parent company, taking its own risks, and taking into account the regulations and norms of the country in which it is situated.

• A secondary establishment or extension of the parent company or head office, located in another area.
• Since a Cyprus branch is only a part of the company, it carries out the same activities within the market and the branch is dependent upon the parent company
• A branch in Cyprus has a subordinate relationship with the parent company because a branch cannot function without the parent company.
• A branch office in Cyprus must have the same name as that of its parent company
• A Cypriot branch does not acquire a separate legal personality so the liability for any activities undertaken by the branch office is incurred by the parent company
• Any foreign company has the right to open a branch in Cyprus.

• A public company in Cyprus must have at least 7 shareholders.
• The shares are freely transferable and available for public subscription.
• A Cyprus public limited company requires at least two directors and must also register its memorandum and articles of association with the Cyprus Registrar of Companies.
• The minimum authorised share capital of Cyprus public companies is €25,629, which must be fully paid up before the company initiates its business or exercises its borrowing powers.

In a Cyprus general partnership, all partners are general partners and therefore every partner is jointly and severally liable along with all of the other partners for the debts and obligations of the partnership that arise while he/she is a partner.

A general partnership must satisfy three conditions according to the Partnership Law in Cyprus:

• it must be carrying out a business
• it must have at least two partners and no more than 20, unless it is involved in banking activities, whereby the maximum number of partners is 10
• the purpose of the general partnership must be to make a profit
• foreigners are also allowed to participate in Cyprus general partnerships

Limited partnerships in Cyprus differ from general partnerships in that one or more general partners have to have unlimited liability and the rest of the partners will have limited liability.

• Sole proprietors run a business on their own with or without employees
• A sole proprietor in Cyprus will have unlimited liability for his debts 

There are three types of trust that can be registered in Cyprus:

• a local trust, where both the settlor and beneficiaries are residents of Cyprus
• an offshore trust is the same as the local trust except that the beneficiaries have to be non-residents, and all of the trust’s activities are conducted outside Cyprus and
• an international trust where both the settlor and the beneficiaries are non-residents, but one trustee has to be Cypriot.

• If it is a private company in Cyprus, it can have from one (1) to fifty (50) members
• If it is a Cyprus public company, it must have at least one (1) member
• The initial minimum share capital will depend on the type of VCIC