| Abbreviation | Country | Full term in nation | Full term in English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE | Greece | Anonimi Etairia | Anonymous society (Anonymous corporation) | Similar to S.A. |
| AB | Sweden | Aktiebolag | Stock company | When used within the company's name, it is turned into the definite form (i.e aktiebolaget). |
| AD | Bulgaria | Aktsionerno drujestvo | Joint Stock Company (JSCO) | |
| AD | Republic of Macedonia | Akcionersko društvo | Stock corporation | |
| A.D | Serbia and Montenegro | Akcionarsko društvo | Stock corporation | |
| AG | Austria | Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | Equivalent to Public Limited Company (PLC) or incorporated company, min. capital 70.000 EUR |
| AG | Germany | Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | Equivalent to PLC or incorporated company, min. capital 50.000 EUR |
| AG | Switzerland | Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | Equivalent to PLC or incorporated company, min. capital 100.000 CHF |
| d.d. | Croatia | Dionicko društvo | Stock corporation | Equivalent to PLC or incorporated company |
| A/S | Denmark and Norway | Aktieselskab, aksjeselskap | Stock corporation | |
| a. s. | Czech Republic | Akciová spolecnost | Stock company | Can be both private or public. The minimum share capital is 2 million CZK (20 million CZK for IPOs). Organs: General Assembly, Board of Directors and Supervisory Board. |
| a. s. | Slovakia | Akciová spolocnost | Stock company | Assimilable to Public Limited Company, plc. The minimum share capital is 1 million SKK (approx. 25 000 EUR). Organs: General Assembly, Board and Control Council. |
| BAT | Ukraine | Vidkryte Aktsionerne Tovarystvo | ie i obr /> Open Joint-Stock Company | Similar to Public Limited Company (PLC) or (Public) Corporation) |
| Ltd or |
Hong Kong, China | Limited, '' (in Traditional Chinese) | Can denote either a Private or Public Limited Company (liability limited by share capital) | Similar to a UK LTD/PLC. Under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance (Chapter 32) the name of a Hong Kong incorporated company may be registered in either the English or Chinese language, or both. |
| Ltd or 'Cyf' (Welsh) |
England & Wales | Limited, or 'Cyfyngedig' Welsh language equivalent | Private Limited Company (liability limited by share capital) | |
| Plc
or 'Ccc' (Welsh) |
England & Wales | Public Limited Company, or 'Cwmni Cyfyngedig Cyhoeddus' Welsh language equivalent | Public Limited Company (liability limited by share capital) | Requires authorised minimum share capital of GBP £50,000; of which it must have allotted shares to the value of at least GBP £50,000 and a minimum of 25% must be fully paid up prior to starting business. |
| Unltd or Ultd | England & Wales | Unlimited, or 'Anghyfyngedig' Welsh language equivalent | Private Unlimited Company (with share capital) | Unlimited Company; as word implies, members or shareholders of the company have no limit placed on their liability for the company's financial obligations in the event of it becoming insolvent, however, it is not a requirement under the Companies Act of GB for an Unlimited Company to state either Unltd, Ultd or Unlimited after its company name. It is nevertheless, a company (a legal entity like its peers Ltd and Plc) registered and formed (incorporated) under the Companies Act of Great Britain and subject to the Companies Act. The advantage of an unlimited company is that they are exempted from filing accounts with the Registrar of Companies for public disclosure (unless, during the accounting period covered, the company is a qualified subsidiary or a parent of a limited company undertaking) subject to a few exceptions to this rule. |
| SE | European Union | Societas Europaea (Latin for 'European Company') | European (Public) Limited Company (liability limited by share capital) | The legal form of the European (Public) Company. Similar to a UK PLC or German AG company etc. An SE (Societas Europaea) may be created on registration in any one of the Member States of the European Union, and is subject to the European Company Statute - Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 on the Statute for a European company (the 'Regulation'). An SE is able to relocate its registered office to any other Member State of the EUand without it being wound up. |
| Sdn Bhd | Malaysia | Sendirian Berhad | Private limited Company | Equivalent to Public Limited Company in the UK |
| Bhd | Malaysia | Berhad | Stock Corporation | Denotes publicly listed companies in Malaysia |
| Co. | USA. | Company | Stock Corporation or Non-stock corporation | In some USA States, it is permissible to use Company or Co. in place of Inc. or Corp. for a corporation. See the table under USA in the article Types of corporations. Allowed by many states but not all; however, individuals and partnerships may register a ficticious name with the word "Company" in it either with the county where they reside or with the state in such areas where the state registers ficticious names. |
| Corp. | USA | Corporation | Stock corporation or non-stock corporation | "Corporation", "Incorporated" and the abbreviations "Corp." and "Inc." are the only terms universally accepted by all 51 corporation chartering agencies in the USA. |
| Inc. | U.S.A. | Incorporated | Stock corporation">Stock corporation or non-stock corporation | "Corporation", "Incorporated" and the abbreviations "Corp." and "Inc." are the only terms universally accepted by all 51 corporation chartering agencies in the United States. |
| K.K. | Japan | Kabushiki kaisha | Business corporation | The predominant form of company in Japan, and the only type that can be publicly traded. |
| LTD | Australia | Limited | Public Limited Company | Equivalent to PLC Public Limited Company in the UK |
| LTD | New Zealand | Limited | Public or private Limited Company | All NZ limited liability companies must use LTD |
| Ltd | India | Limited | Public Limited Company (liability limited in share capital) | Equivalent to a UK PLC. |
| Pvt Ltd | India | Private Limited | Private Limited Company (liability limited in share capital) | Equivalent to a UK LTD. |
| Ltd. | Some USA. States. | Limited | Corporation | In some USA States, it is permissible to use Ltd. instead of Inc. or Corp. for a corporation. |
| N.V. | Belgium and Netherlands | Naamloze Vennootschap | A limited liability company, liability limited by shares. In its articles or corporation it may forbid public trading of its shares. However, it is the only type of company in the Netherlands that may allow public trading of its shares. | |
| OAO | Russia | Otkrytoye aktsionernoye obshchestvo | Open Joint-Stock Company |
Similar to Public Limited Company (PLC). There is also ZAO (zakrytoye aktsionernoye obshchestvo- Close Joint-Stock Company, or closely-held corporation, no more than fifty shareholders) |
| Oy(j) | Finland |
(Julkinen) osakeyhtiö |
(Public) Limited Company | |
| Rt. | Hungary | Részvénytársaság | Stock company | |
| S.A. | Spain | Sociedad Anónima | Stock Corporation | Minimum capital is 60.101,21€ |
| S.A. | Brazil | Sociedade Anônima | Public Limited Company | |
| S.A. | Portugal | Sociedade Anónima | Public Limited Company | |
| S.A. | France | Société Anonyme | Public Limited Company | public corporation. |
| S.A. | Switzerlan | Société Anonyme Società Anonima | Public Limited Company | |
| S.p.A. | Italy | Società per Azioni | Stock corporation | Italian plc. As with Ltd., some USA states also permit this designation (in which case, it is synonymous with corporation). Currently, only the state of Connecticut permits this use. |
| S.A. | Romania | Societate pe Actiuni | Stock corporation | Romanian plc. |
| S.A. | Poland | "Spólka Akcyjna" | Stock corporation | |
| Co., ltd. | Thailand | Company Limited | Private limited company or limited company | |
| PLC. | Thailand | Public Company Limited | Stock corporation | |
| P.T. / PT | Indonesia | Perseroan Terbatas | Limited Company | |
| P.T. Tbk. / PT Tbk | Indonesia | Perseroan Terbatas, Terbuka | Stock corporation |
Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships
| Name | Country | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Anpartsselskab. Similar to Limited Liability Company. Taxwise, it is a separate entity. The company capital must be at least DKK 125.000 | |
| BM or B.M. | Israel | Be'eravon Mugbal- The hebrew term for Ltd.. Not used much in English, usually translated as Ltd.. |
| BV | Netherlands | Besloten Vennootschap"", a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares. The most common form of enterprise. Similar to GmbH, LLC, Ltd., BVBA, SPRL. |
| BVBA | Belgium | Besloten Vennootschap met Beperkte Aansprakelijkheid, a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares. The most common form of enterprise. Similar to GmbH, LLC, Ltd., BV, SPRL. |
| CC | South Africa | Closed corporation |
| C.V. | Netherlands | "commanditaire vennootschap"; a partnership with one or more silent partners. |
| d.o.o. | Slovenia | Družba z omejeno odgovornostjo, "company with limited liability" |
| d.o.o. | Croatia | ogranicenom odgovornošcu" Društvo s ogranicenom odgovornošcu, "company with limited liability" |
| d.o.o. | Serbia and Montenegro | Društvo s ogranicenom odgovornošcu , "company with limited liability" |
| E.P.E. | Greece | Etairia Periorismenis Euthinis (taa esµ ) |
| G.D.K. | , a variant of the American LLC introduced in 2006 | |
| Germany, Austria and Switzerland | limited liability". Similar to Limited Liability Company (LLC). In Germany, min. capital €25,000, in Austria €35,000, in Switzerland CHF 20,000 | |
| Inc. | Australia | An |
| Kft. | Hungary | Korlátolt felelosségu társaság (Limited liability company) |
| LLC LC |
U.S.A. | Limited liability company, similar to a corporation
and a limited liability partnership. May be legally abbreviated
in multiple ways. The most common abbreviation is LLC. Allowable
abbreviations may vary by USA State.
Note: Ltd. by itself is not a valid abbreviation for an LLC, because in some states, like Texas, Ltd. may mean a Corporation instead of an LLC. |
| LLP | U.S.A. | Limited liability partnership where each partner is fully liable for the debts of the partnership, not including acts of professional negligence or malpractice. |
| Ltd. | U.K. and others | Private company with liability limited by shares (not traded publicly) or by guarantee. Established under English law and used by countries with similar company laws. In Australia, a company with the suffix Ltd may be a company limited by guarantee (e.g. for charities, universities etc). Such companies may obtain dispensation from the Registrar of Companies to operate without the suffix to distinguish their activities from those of a commercial company. |
| NL | Australia | Mining company not entitled to call on the unpaid issue price of shares; no liability for shareholders, as distinct from limited liability |
| PLC | U.K. and Ireland | A public limited company, liability limited by shares which are traded publicly. |
| OOD / | Bulgaria | Limited liability company (drujestvo s ogranichena otgovornost, ). |
| OOO | Russia | Obshchestvo s ogranichennoy otvetstvennostyu - (Limited Liability Company) |
| Pty. / Pte. | Various | a prefix used to distinguish a Proprietary Limited company (Pty. Ltd.), essentially the same as a UK private limited company (Ltd.) Used in Australia, South Africa and others. A Proprietary company generally (depending on jurisdiction) is one with less then 50 members (shareholders), and not exceeding a certain annual revenue. In Australia, proprietary companies are classified as either small or large depending on the number of employees and the quantum of gross assets and operating capital. |
| Pvt. Ltd. | India | Private Limited Company, can have up to 50 shareholders and min 2 shareholders . Shares are not traded on a stock exchange. |
| Sàrl or SARL or SàRL |
France Switzerland | Société à responsabilité limitée |
| SDN BHD | Malaysia | Sendirian Berhad (Private Limited) |
| S.L. | Spain | Sociedad Limitada. Minimum capital is 3.012€ |
| S.L.N.E. | Sociedad Limitada Nueva Empresa Similar to SL, it was introduced in 2003 to speed up the registration of a new company (it takes one day to register). Minimum capital is 3.012€ | |
| SPRL | Belgium | Société privée à responsabilité limitée, a private limited liability company, liability limited by shares. |
| Sp.z o.o. | Poland | Spólka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, limited liability |
| S.R.L. | Romania | Societate cu Raspundere Limitata |
| Srl or S.r.l or S.R.L. | Italy Switzerland | Società a responsibilità limitata |
| S.R.L. | Spain | Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (equivalent to S.L.) |
| s.r.o. | Czech Republic | Spolecnost s rucení |