The three tiers
| Tier | Countries | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Fully digital | Estonia, UK | Registration in days; banking and substance run separate clocks |
| Remote with quality gate | Netherlands, Ireland | Video-notary identification, digital deed, 2–3 weeks — and a result banks trust on sight |
| In-person tradition | Germany, parts of the south | Notary appointments and physical steps still anchor the timeline |
Reviewed 18 August 2026.
The Dutch remote route, concretely
Passport, address proof and the ownership chart; video identification with the civil-law notary; digital deed; registrations filed for you — the complete walkthrough: the digital notary route. Founders from Riyadh to Lagos to London complete it from their desk, and the notarial gate is why the result onboards everywhere: the banking map.
Choosing your tier
Speed-first experiments: tier one serves. Companies that must bank, contract and claim treaties: the quality-gated tier wins the total timeline — the fuller clock comparison: incorporation speed compared.