Overview of company structures

Key Differences between a Branch Office and a Subsidiary:

Branch Office

• is an extension of the parent company and is not a separate legal entity.
• liabilities incurred by the branch office extend to the parent company,
• must be the same name as the parent company and enters into contracts under the parent company name,
• activities are limited to the activities of the parent company,
• must file branch as well as parent company accounts
• must appoint at least one local authorised representative

Subsidiary (Limited liability company)

• is a separate legal entity from the parent
• has limited liability at the subsidiary level
• can have the same or different name as the parent
• activities can be similar or different from the parent company,
• must file accounts of the subsidiary only
• must appoint at least one local resident director