Branch vs subsidiary
is the core structural choice for foreign presence: a branch is an extension of the parent (no separate legal personality, parent fully liable), while a subsidiary is a locally incorporated company the parent owns. The choice drives liability, tax, banking and perception.
How the two differ where it matters
- Liability: branch obligations are the parent’s; a subsidiary contains local risk within its capital.
- Tax: both usually pay local tax on local profits, but branches complicate attribution and home-country credit mechanics; subsidiaries make dividends and transfer pricing the interface.
- Registration and audit: branches often file parent accounts locally — publicity some groups dislike; subsidiaries file their own.
- Commerce: banks, landlords and clients in many markets treat subsidiaries as more substantial; some regulated activities require one.
Employment works through either — but where the goal is only employing a few staff, an EOR often beats both. See entity setup.
FAQ
Is a branch cheaper than a subsidiary?
Usually somewhat — no capital requirement, one set of group accounts — but the savings are smaller than assumed once local filings, audits and tax attribution work are counted. The liability exposure and the parent-accounts publicity often outweigh the savings for operating businesses.
Does a branch avoid permanent establishment issues?
The opposite: a registered branch is a permanent establishment by definition — it declares local taxability rather than avoiding it. PE risk questions concern unregistered presence; a branch is the registered, managed version of that presence.