Contact Advisory Services

Contact Advisory Services Ltd is a corporate services provider in central Malta that helps founders, investors and established groups set up, run and, when needed, restructure companies on the island. The office is at Pater House on Psaila Street in Birkirkara, a busy town that sits between Valletta and the northern resorts, and its approach combines flexible thinking with practical results for both businesses and individuals.

For a UK reader the appeal is straightforward. Malta is an English-speaking EU member with a familiar common-law flavour to its company rules, and a Maltese company needs local officers, filings and a bank account. This firm offers all of that from one team. On VisitMalta.co.uk it is listed among our corporate services providers in Malta, and you can reach it through the form further down this page.

Background and regulation

The firm dates its start to 2010. The origin is simple: founders kept finding the legal and administrative side of starting up in Malta confusing, so the practice was built to make the process clear and dependable. Since then it has helped hundreds of businesses, from technology start-ups to established financial institutions, to put down roots in Malta.

Contact Advisory Services Ltd is authorised as a Class C Company Service Provider by the Malta Financial Services Authority, the island's financial regulator. In practice that means it can act as your licensed agent when dealing with the Malta Business Registry, and it is itself bound by the regulator's rules on anti-money laundering checks and professional conduct. The team includes lawyers, accountants and corporate administrators, and the firm also draws on an international network of contacts for clients who need support beyond Malta.

If you are new to the topic, our guide to the financial services sector in Malta explains how the regulator, banks and service providers fit together.

Company formation and administration

Company formation is the firm's best-documented service. It walks clients through eight stages: an initial consultation on structure, due diligence on directors, shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners, reserving the company name, drafting the Memorandum and Articles of Association, depositing the initial share capital, filing with the Malta Business Registry, receiving the certificate of registration, and completing tax and employment registrations afterwards. A name, once approved, can be held for three months.

The capital figures are simple. A private limited company needs authorised share capital of at least €1,164.69, of which 20 per cent, or €232.94, must be paid up in cash on incorporation. A public limited company needs far more, and a European company more again. Government registration fees start at €245 for companies with share capital up to €1,500, and the annual return fee starts at €100. A disbursement fee of €320 covers the registration fee and certified copies of the constitutional documents for companies in that smallest band. Professional fees are quoted separately according to the work involved.

After incorporation the same team can act as company secretary, keeping the statutory registers, organising board meetings and the annual general meeting, preparing resolutions and managing the registered office. It also offers professional directorship, supplying a qualified individual or corporate director who takes an active part in governance rather than simply lending a name. Local banks usually expect at least one Malta-resident director, so this is often the practical route for overseas owners. Support with opening a corporate bank account is part of the package, and the firm gathers the deposit slip or bank confirmation that the registry needs once the initial capital is paid in. Practical support of this kind saves overseas owners a good deal of time when they cannot visit in person.

Redomiciliation, branches and restructuring

Not every client starts from scratch. The firm helps foreign companies move their registration to Malta through redomiciliation, which keeps the same legal entity, with its assets, rights and obligations, rather than closing one company and opening another. Companies that are being wound up, are insolvent or are facing certain proceedings in their home country cannot use this route.

A foreign company that prefers to keep its home structure can register a branch in Malta instead, within one month of setting up a place of business. A branch managed and controlled abroad is taxed in Malta on income arising there and on foreign income remitted to the island, under the same corporate tax system as a Maltese company. Because the company continues as the same body, ongoing court cases and existing obligations carry over unchanged, which is worth bearing in mind when planning a move. The service range also includes board meeting facilitation, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and company liquidation among its services.

Tax outcomes depend on individual circumstances, so use our overview of the Malta corporate tax structure for background and take personal advice before deciding.

Licensing, gaming and financial institutions

A large part of the service list is aimed at regulated sectors. For remote gaming, the firm assists with licence applications, choosing between licence options and game types, and understanding licence fees and taxation. It also supports key function holders and recognition notice applications. Anyone weighing up the sector can read more in our iGaming in Malta guide.

For financial institutions the services include payment institution and electronic money institution licence applications, passporting under the relevant payment and e-money rules, and investment services work. That includes fund and corporate structuring, drafting offering memoranda, applying for authorisation from the Malta Financial Services Authority, and ongoing regulatory support and passporting for investment firms and funds.

Ship and yacht registration is a further line, covering Malta ship registration, tonnage tax, yacht registration and the VAT treatment of yachts. The firm also advises on intellectual property, including trademark and patent registration.

Compliance, assurance and commercial advice

Regulated clients need continuing support as well as a licence. The compliance team covers licensing requirements, anti-money laundering, data protection, EBA guidelines, DORA, training, and the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. An assurance practice reviews information security, IT audit, incident response plans, ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS certification, SWIFT assessments, PSD2 compliance, SOC2 audits, and fraud and AML solutions.

On the commercial side the firm drafts and negotiates contracts and manages them through their lifecycle. Employment services include employment contracts, payroll, share option schemes, dismissals and redundancies. The approach is one-stop: the aim is that one point of contact can reach each specialist inside the team.

Accounting, tax and residence

For day-to-day finance the firm offers book-keeping, VAT services, payroll administration and audit coordination. Its tax work spans corporate tax, VAT compliance and advisory, tax representative services, international tax and personal tax. If you are comparing structures, our Malta tax guide for UK nationals is a useful starting point.

Individuals are served too. The firm assists with residence and work permits and with the island's residence schemes: the Permanent Residence Programme, the Retirement Programme, the Startup Residence Programme, The Residence Programme, the Global Residence Programme and the Nomad Residence Permit. Our relocation guide for UK movers and digital nomad guide cover the practical side of those moves.

Firms that want a larger audit and tax house in the same market can compare this provider with CLA Malta, our featured partner or browse the accountants and corporate advisers page.

How to start

Prospective clients describe their plans, and the team comes back with feedback and suggested solutions. A first conversation normally covers the business model, who will own and direct the company, and which licences, if any, are involved. Expect identity and due diligence documents to be requested early, as regulated providers must carry out those checks before acting. Having passports, proof of address and a short description of the intended activity ready will speed things up.

To begin, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the firm.