Ireland has emerged as the undisputed champion in attracting U.S. foreign direct investment, hosting an extraordinary €897 billion (over $1 trillion) in American capital. This massive investment flow has transformed the small island nation into America's premier European platform, with U.S. affiliate assets reaching approximately $2 trillion in 2021.
A Global Investment Powerhouse
Ireland consistently ranks as the number one destination worldwide for U.S. foreign direct investment, vastly outperforming much larger economies. Remarkably, U.S. assets in Ireland exceed those in China by nearly four times, despite Ireland's population being just 5 million compared to China's 1.4 billion. This extraordinary concentration reflects Ireland's strategic value as an export platform, with the country serving as the primary base for U.S. multinationals to serve global markets.
The scale of American corporate presence is staggering. Nearly 970 U.S. companies have set up business in Ireland, ranging from Fortune 500 giants to innovative startups. These include the following:
8 of the world's 10 largest technology companies:
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Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, etc.
9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical firms:
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Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), Merck (MSD), Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, etc.
14 of the top 15 medical device companies
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Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, Stryker, Johnson & Johnson’s device unit, etc.
20 of the top 25 financial services firms:
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Citi, Bank of America, JPMorgan, BNY Mellon, State Street etc.
The Irish Advantage
Ireland's appeal to U.S. companies stems from a unique combination of strategic advantages.
The country's 12.5% corporate tax rate remains highly competitive, complemented by attractive R&D tax credits and an extensive treaty network, including a double tax treaty with the United States.
As the only English-speaking country fully within the EU single market (since Brexit), Ireland provides frictionless access to 450+ million European consumers.
The talent pipeline is particularly compelling. Ireland boasts the highest rate of tertiary education completion in the EU, with over half of 30-34 year-olds holding degrees. The education system consistently ranks in the world's top 10, ensuring a steady flow of skilled graduates in technology and science fields. This English-speaking, highly educated workforce proves invaluable for U.S. companies navigating European expansion.
Tech giants like Apple generated $223 billion in sales through their Irish operations in 2022, while Google's Irish unit recorded nearly €48 billion in revenue.
Beyond the Multinationals
Ireland's success extends beyond Fortune 500 companies to include hundreds of small and medium-sized U.S. enterprises using Ireland as their European launchpad. Companies like HubSpot, MongoDB, and Stripe chose Ireland for their first international offices, leveraging the country's supportive ecosystem and multicultural talent pool to build EMEA operations.
More recently, popular companies like OpenAI and Anthropic have chosen Ireland as their pathway into Europe.
The Industrial Development Agency (IDA) provides comprehensive support, offering guidance, grants, and streamlined processes for incoming investors. This ecosystem approach, combined with Ireland's pro-business culture and stable political environment, creates an ideal foundation for American companies of all sizes.
Why Ireland?
U.S. citizens and companies leverage Irish entities primarily for tax-efficient corporate structuring and EU market access.
Key technical uses include:
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Profit repatriation optimization through Ireland's extensive double taxation treaty network
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EU "passporting" rights for financial services and digital products across the single market
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Intellectual property licensing arrangements benefiting from Ireland's favorable IP regime
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Transfer pricing structures routing non-U.S. revenues through Irish subsidiaries
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GDPR-compliant data processing for European operations under Irish Data Protection Commission oversight
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EU regulatory compliance base for pharmaceuticals (EMA approvals) and financial services
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VAT and customs optimization for e-commerce and cross-border trade within the EU
Setting up in IrelandFor US citizens, opening a company in Ireland is actually incredibly straightforward.
If you have an EEA resident team member that can act as a company director, then that is the hardest part done. If not, there is a simple alternative route that involves putting in place a surety bond, which is a type of insurance policy, which allows non-EEA resident teams to run an Irish company.
Other than that, non-Irish residents need to apply for an ID number from the Irish company registrar which just takes a couple of days.
Finally, you will need an Irish registered office, but it is cheap and easy to outsource that to a local Irish service provider.
You should budget between $700 to $2,200 depending on whether you have access to an EEA-resident director or not. For a more accurate estimate of costs you can use this cost calculator.
Finally, you should estimate between 1-2 weeks to get it set up, but it is really light-touch from your side with the appropriate experts helping you.
To learn more about opening your own company in Ireland as a US citizen, you can visit our website here.
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Company Name: Open Forest
Contact Person: Stuart Connolly
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Country: Ireland
Website: https://www.openforest.co/