Entity design connects legal form with the people, decisions and activities it must support. Prepare the proposed ownership chain and compare relevant company, branch or representative arrangements through qualified review. The resulting document plan should explain authority, activity and parent relationships without assuming one label suits every proposal.
Design ownership before choosing the legal label
Map shareholders, ultimate controllers and management authority across WLL arrangements, single-shareholder structures where permitted, branches, BSC, holdings, partnerships and representative offices. The entity must fit the intended activity and ownership eligibility.
Distinguish the parent from the new undertaking
A branch and a subsidiary organise legal relationships differently. Representative-office permissions need separate confirmation, while holding arrangements require clarity about the assets or interests being held.
Build a coherent constitutional document set
Ensure names, ownership, signing powers and intended activity agree across resolutions and application records. Qualified legal advice should address rights and liabilities; coordination prepares the questions and documentary dependencies.
Specific enquiries within this scope
Choose the task that matches your situation. Availability, responsible providers and any required professional permissions must be established in the written scope.
Scope to agree in writing
- Proposed ownership architecture
- Entity role comparison
- Constitutional record questions
- Formation evidence index
Prepare for the enquiry
- Proposed owners and controllers linked to the proposed entity
- Commercial activity description showing current record versions
- Ownership and signing preferences and relevant authority evidence
- Available identity and corporate documents with document inconsistencies flagged
Before you take the next step
What should the proposed ownership chart show?
Direct shareholders, ultimate controllers and the purpose of any parent or holding company. Include intended signing roles so the structure can be assessed against the activity and management model.
Which entity options need more than a label comparison?
WLL arrangements, branches, BSC structures, partnerships, holdings and representative offices organise rights and activities differently. Qualified advice should assess the options relevant to the actual ownership proposal.
What makes a formation document set coherent?
Names, ownership, authority and activity agree across resolutions, identity evidence and applications. Missing or contradictory records should become review questions before filing instructions are assembled.
Continue your planning
Business licences and activities
Connect each proposed revenue activity to the entity’s permissions and supporting documents. Keep sector approvals, trade-name questions and premises evidence aligned with a clearly recorded operating scope.
02Corporate bank account preparation
Prepare the ownership chain, signing evidence and transaction narrative supporting a corporate account application. Reconcile the banking file with the entity’s purpose before the institution undertakes its independent assessment.
03Corporate governance and secretarial planning
Map shareholder, manager and board decisions to the constitutional record. Review activity-specific controls and corporate registers, with qualified specialist involvement for trusts, foundations and family-office arrangements.