A virtual office in Australia refers to a physical place for doing business that can be rented by persons who engage in a business activity. The virtual office is used by investors with the purpose of having a professional business presence on a foreign or local market and it can be the ideal solution for those who work as sole traders or freelancers and who do not have the possibility of purchasing or renting a brick-and-mortar office.
It is recommended to opt for the services of a virtual office in Australia if you need to have a business presence here, but you do not need a large office with numerous employees in order to carry out your operations. It is important to know that if you develop a business here, a part of the process of company formation in Australia is to have an official business address, and the virtual office can be the ideal solution for this incorporation step.
The services of a virtual office in Australia can vary based on your current needs and they can be upgraded in the case in which your business activity expands and you need additional assistance. For the costs associated with this service, you can always address to our team of specialists in company incorporation in Australia, who can help you in selecting the most suitable services at very low costs.
The virtual office is a very flexible solution for those who want to open a company in Australia, both in terms of pricing policies and in the services one can opt for throughout the time.
The costs are definitely lower than in the case of a regular office and in some cases, one can even receive the first month of services without any costs. It is highly recommended to first-time businessmen.
Please mind that if you will set up a company in Australia through the services of a virtual office, there will be advantageous conditions regarding the contract with the services providers.
For a regular office, the rental contract is generally signed for 6 months or 1 year, but for the virtual office, the contract is renewed on a monthly basis in most of the cases.
Another way to start a business rather fast (the virtual office does provide certain benefits, but the incorporation procedure will still be necessary for your business) is through a shelf company in Australia.
This refers to a legal entity that is ready to start its operations and it can be purchased from prices starting at $1,500 but it can increase up to $4,500.
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What are the main benefits of a virtual office in Australia?
A virtual office has multiple benefits for investors who have a more flexible business activity. It can be used as a meeting point with business partners, clients or company’s employees. Investors can also opt for a receptionist and the place where you can receive your official business correspondence. For more details on this subject, as well as on the steps for opening a bank account in Australia from overseas, our team is at your disposal.
You can watch a short presentation on the virtual office in Australia in the video below:
In all cases, virtual offices in Australia will be situated in an office building, in a location that is suitable for business purposes. A virtual office will always have meeting rooms of various sizes, which can be used if need to organize a more important meeting with your employees. Our team can also help you on matters related to employment.
Besides these, the virtual office provides very flexible services that can be modified based on your current needs, and, more importantly, it has very low costs compared to a standard business office. You can find out below the major difference in the costs associated with the two types of offices:
- depending on the facilities the virtual office has, its location, the city where it operates, the virtual office package selected by the customer, one can pay a minimum of AUD $46/month (this is applicable only when the investor wants to have an official business address, as required by the steps for company incorporation in Australia);
- one can also select the services of a virtual receptionist, and the prices can start from AUD $20 to AUD $469 per month;
- a 5-star virtual office can have a monthly cost of AUD $105 to AUD $520 per month;
- compared to the costs of traditional office, regardless of the selected package, the services of a virtual office are much cheaper, as, for instance, the price for a square foot of office space is rented at minimum $31,7 (in Canberra, in 2017), while in Sydney, it can cost $102;
- a median cost for a square foot is of $50-60 in Australia and, for an average size of an office of 50 square meters, one will pay more than $30,000 per year, without including the taxes.
What services can one obtain through a virtual office in Australia?
If you want to set up a company in Australia, you will need to take care of numerous aspects. You must select a legal entity, prepare the incorporation documents, register the business form with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and with the tax authorities, obtain various licenses and permits, to name just a few of the basic requirements.
You must also have an official business address, this being a compulsory formality and the virtual office can easily be used for this purpose. After this, in order to have your business operational, you must hire employees (where it is the case) and establish the necessary means of communication with the local authorities, clients, partners, workers and other collaborators.
For this, you can ask for a local phone number, phone answering and mail forwarding, voicemail services, management services or a receptionist, these being very useful aspects when we refer to quick and reliable corporate communication. So, if you want to open a company in Australia, this service can definitely be of help, especially if you are working at developing your first business or when you want to open an LLC in Australia as a small business.
For more information on how to select the services of a virtual office, please address to our team of consultants in company formation in Australia. Our specialists can also guide you through the entire process of registering a local company with the Australian institutions.