i’ve got a singaporean software corporation and i’m one paper short of successfully setting up a branch office in taipei.
it seems that in tapei a company needs to have a physical office (desks, chairs, coat rack, coffee maker, the works… ) in order to legally transact business. this, i am told, is to eliminate corruption (that’s a good one!!)
all i do is develop sofware outside taiwan and distribute it locally. i simply need to place my company sign board in a technology company’s window and submit their address to the tax people – there must be a way to do this without paying a fortune – anyone have any experience with this?
[quote=“jdiperna”]i’ve got a singaporean software corporation and i’m one paper short of successfully setting up a branch office in taipei.
it seems that in tapei a company needs to have a physical office (desks, chairs, coat rack, coffee maker, the works… ) in order to legally transact business. this, i am told, is to eliminate corruption (that’s a good one!!)
all i do is develop sofware outside taiwan and distribute it locally. i simply need to place my company sign board in a technology company’s window and submit their address to the tax people – there must be a way to do this without paying a fortune – anyone have any experience with this?[/quote]
There are people or entities in Taiwan who provide either (1) the use of their own address for this purpose or (2) rental of very small office spaces for branch offices.
If you wish to contact such a person or entity, PM me and I will provide you the contact info.
Tigerman is right, it shouldn’t be too hard to find somebody who can provide an address for you. Just make sure that the building can be used for business purposes. You’ll have to present a copy of the "Property Use Licence " that the landlord of the address in question should be able to provide.
At least that’s how it was when I opened my branch office last year.
i believe that it’s possible, but i’m confused about a couple of things.
-what is a fair market price for this? i would have thought that a one-off hong bao with 6-8 thousand nt would be a reasonable thank you for someone to go through the trouble of producing that document one time. but the best i’ve come up with so far is NT 42,000 per year, recurring! the same service costs NT 4,000 in singapore.
-do the government compliance people visit your office to make sure that your company is really there? i guess what i’m saying is: is it perfectly legitimate to rent your registered address this way? (for the sake of argument) if i got the guy at the local fashion boutique to agree to put up my sign and provide the document, should i expect trouble later on?
And aren’t we all mighty impressed when we call up a legit-looking business to find it’s an answering machine which the housemaid accidentally answers.
For fucks sake, get a grip man. Offices have desks, cofee machines and … gasp … office workers in them. What do you want a fake office for ?
Looking at your website … that’s the deal? You don’t dare publish your “office” address in Singapore?
ROTFLOL
Well, you got all the papers but one you said … I guess that must be the roof. Good luck when thr typhoons come.
It is not a fraudulent act. Most of the international oil companies which are registered here in Taiwan just use the name and address of a local accounting firm, property development firm, or lawyer’s firm. Some of them probably have a contract to use the location of the law firm where tigerman works . . . . . I think it is perfectly legal.
I’m thinking of setting up a company next year (after I quit my current job) and so I was wondering how to go about it.
I would like to find out…
reputable company that can process the paperwork
deal with accounts/book-keeping etc
provide the usual functions of dealing with taxes for corporate entities, ie. sales tax, income tax, whatever?
To those who have done this, any suggestions?
Also, I am wondering if it’s better/possible to set up as a local or foreign entity! Suggestions, please!
What hitches did you experience? What is the upside?
I know lots of businesses that rent documents. I guess it is a frequent practice in Taiwan. If it was “illegal”, then it may be a cheap one time payment. But since it is “legal”, you will have to pay (for a physical identity) every year.
kentaiwan - i considered both a top of the line accounting firm that handles huge international firms as well as a local firm that a friend recommended. i was quite satisfied with the quality of service from the local firm and chose them. they provided most of the services that you mentioned. if you like, send me a private message and i can give you my contacts there and tell you more about it.
Because, you are wrong. This person is not comitting an “obviously fraudulent” act. He is attempting to comply with Taiwan’s relevant law, which requires that a branch office have a registered address in Taiwan.
There are similar services in the States, probably everywhere. I think sometimes it’s called renting desk space. Ideal for sales reps who need to use phones, conference room, secretarial services but don’t need a full office. These business centers are licensed to provide this service, so I don’t see how it could be illegal.
Good question. But I’ve got a better one. Why should you or anyone else here use Segue to help an anonymous Indian set up a fake office in Taiwan? Who could this possibly benefit?
Many posters here are anonymous. Off hand, I can only think of Richard Hartzell as an example of someone using his real name. Is your real name “monkey”?
And, am I mistaken in thinking that one legitimate function of this site is to help each other?
Or are you opposed to helping the guy because he is an Indian?
And, he is not trying to establish a “fake” office here. He merely wants to distribute his software, and the distributor wants to deal with a Taiwanese entity. Thus, he must establish a presence here, and Taiwan law requires that he have a registered address here. This is primarily for the purpose of receiving service of process and inquiries.
It isn’t as though the guy is trying to deceive anyone… he’s trying to obey the law.
What exactly is it that you object to in this situation?
I’ve already told you why I would help him… and I have in fact already contacted him. I have absolutely no reason to believe that he is trying to defraud anyone, as you assume.
Do you know the guy? Why do you assume he is trying to defraud anyone?
