Your Australian resident director.
Productised. Indemnified. Live in 5 days.
A productised resident director service for foreign founders, foreign companies entering Australia, and Australian expats abroad. Section 201A coverage, full indemnity wrap, D&O insurance, 5 business-day SLA from signed engagement to ASIC-listed director.
The unaddressed middle of the AU resident director market.
Under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s201A, every Australian proprietary company must appoint at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. Foreign-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, special-purpose vehicles — none are exempt.
The market is barbelled. Bare-nominee shops skip indemnity, secretary work, and onboarding. Premium incumbents run 4–6 week onboarding. The mid-market sits unaddressed — a productised, indemnified, digital-first service with the same governance discipline. That’s us.
Five strategic differentiators.
Productised tier ladder
Transparent pricing. Pick the tier that fits your structure. No bespoke quotes for standard work.
Explicit indemnity wrap
Side-A/B D&O cover ≥AUD $10M and deed of access, indemnity & insurance — communicated upfront, not buried in the terms.
5-day onboarding SLA
From signed engagement to ASIC-listed director within 5 business days. Backed by KYC automation (Sumsub) and digital signature workflows.
Best-suited director allocated
We allocate the best-suited director from our network — matched on sector, complexity, jurisdiction, and language — backed by NZX-listed governance discipline and group oversight.
AML/CTF Tranche 2 ready
Compliant from launch with the new tier-2 regime effective 1 July 2026. Sub-scale providers are scrambling; we’re built for it.
Partnership channel
Inbound from offshore incorporator partners and accounting firms — faster, cleaner referrals than chasing cold leads.
Best-suited director, not a one-person service.
Every appointment is matched to the right person on our director bench — selected on sector experience (fintech, industrial, resources, regulated), jurisdiction familiarity, language, and complexity of the entity. Our founder leads the directorship practice and sits on appointments where the brief calls for his specific background (NZX-listed founder-CEO, multi-jurisdiction fintech, governance-heavy transitions). Other appointments are led by senior directors from our network with comparable depth.
Every director on our bench: AU-resident, AICD or equivalent, Director ID holder, KYC-cleared, D&O-insured under our group policy, bound by the same engagement standard and service-level SLAs.
We’re built for these clients.
Foreign founders
E-commerce sellers and solo or small-team founders in US, UK, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and the EU, setting up their first AU Pty Ltd. Triggers: Amazon AU listing, Shopify AU storefront, GST registration, SaaS expansion. Fit: Essentials tier.
Foreign companies entering AU
Established foreign multinationals or Series B+ scale-ups standing up AU subsidiaries. Triggers: AU enterprise customer, HR/payroll, JV, regulated industry entry. Fit: Business or Corporate tier.
Australian expats
Australian directors of existing AU companies relocating overseas for work, study or family for ≤24 months. Triggers: Corporate posting, secondment, government appointment, lifestyle relocation. Fit: Expat Cover.
Pick your tier. Annual, paid in advance.
Essentials
- Section 201A resident director
- D&O cover under group policy
- Deed of access, indemnity & insurance
- ASIC annual review
- Standard KYC
- Email support
Foreign founder, e-commerce.
Business
- Everything in Essentials
- Up to 4 board meetings/yr
- Registered office address
- Mail scanning + forwarding
- Quarterly status check-in
- Priority response (4 business hours)
Foreign company entering AU with operations.
Corporate
- Everything in Business
- Up to 8 board meetings/yr
- Quarterly compliance review
- Enhanced KYC + ongoing CDD
- Direct line to AJ for governance calls
- Suited to regulated entities
Mid-market multinational, regulated entity.
Expat Cover
- Purpose-built for AU directors abroad ≤24 months
- Section 201A cover during overseas posting
- D&O cover under group policy
- Registered office + mail handling
- ASIC annual review
- Smooth return-to-AU handover
Australian director, temporary overseas posting.
All annual. Paid in advance. Subject to KYC clearance. ASIC lodgement fees at cost. Speak to our team for an engagement proposal.
One-off extras, transparent pricing.
Pty Ltd incorporation
From quiz to ACN, lodged by us.
ATO setup pack
TFN, ABN, GST, PAYG, public officer.
Bank account introduction
Warm intro to Airwallex, Wise Business, ANZ International, HSBC Premier.
Trademark filing
Filed per class with IP Australia.
Director resignation
Resignation or replacement of a director. Clean handover protocol, ASIC lodged.
Risk review
Higher-risk industries. Required before accepting cannabis, crypto, gambling, high-risk extractives.
From signed engagement to ASIC-listed director.
Engagement
Quiz form → engagement letter & Deed of Indemnity issued via DocuSign. Discovery call optional.
KYC & Identity
Sumsub KYC link — ID, sanctions, PEP, adverse media. Beneficial owners 25%+ included.
Director ID
DIN application via ABRS. 15-min walk-through call with foreign directors who haven’t done it before.
ASIC Lodgement
New company → Form 201. Existing → Form 484. Lodged via registered agent portal.
ATO + Bank + Go-live
TFN, ABN, GST. Bank intro. Registered office mail-scanning live. Welcome pack and dashboard.
Ongoing cadence
Quarterly status check-in. Annual ASIC review (within 14 days). Annual KYC refresh and D&O renewal.
What we check before AJ accepts the appointment.
Aligned to AUSTRAC’s Customer Due Diligence rules and AML/CTF Tranche 2 (effective 1 July 2026). Same standard the big-four firms apply.
Entity & structure
- Company structure chart (parent → AU → subs)
- Beneficial-ownership disclosure (all 25%+ holders)
- Constitution & shareholders’ agreement
- Officeholders, ACN/ARBN
- Nature of business activities
- Source of capital and ongoing funding
- Banking institutions and jurisdictions
Individual checks
Every director, 25%+ holder and signatory.
- Passport + secondary government photo ID
- Proof of residential address (<3 months)
- Existing Director ID (if any)
- Citizenship, tax residency
- PEP & sanctions screening (AU DFAT, OFAC, UN, EU, UK)
- Adverse media check (last 5 years)
- Source of wealth & source of funds declaration
Industries we do not accept: adult entertainment, online gambling (unless AU-licensed), unregulated crypto exchange, weapons, controlled substances. Cannabis is case-by-case (AU-licensed medicinal only). Crypto/Web3 case-by-case (regulated structures only).
Accounting and complex secretarial are handled by partners.
Accounting & tax
Bookkeeping, BAS, IAS, tax returns, FBT, payroll tax, R&D claims — handled through our accounting partner network in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, and New York. We’ll introduce you to a partner that fits your size, sector, and complexity.
Complex secretarial & legal
Constitutions, share-buyback resolutions, employee share schemes, AFSL/ACL applications, ASIC defence matters, complex restructures — referred to specialist company-secretary and legal firms.
X77 Ventures is not a registered tax agent, BAS agent, or legal-services provider, and does not hold an AFSL or ACL. The resident-director service is governance and compliance support, not regulated financial, tax, or legal advice. Our partners are properly licensed and registered.
Resident director questions, answered.
Why does Australia require a resident director?
Section 201A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) requires every Australian proprietary company to have at least one director who ordinarily resides in Australia. Public companies need at least two of three. There is no exemption for foreign-owned companies.
How fast is onboarding?
Five business days from signed engagement to ASIC-listed director, end-to-end. Day 1 engagement; Day 2 KYC; Day 3 Director ID; Day 4 ASIC lodgement; Day 5 ATO + bank intro + go-live. Backed by a written SLA.
What’s the indemnity wrap?
Two layers: (1) Side-A/B Directors & Officers liability insurance of at least A$10M, with X77 named on the policy; (2) Deed of Access, Indemnity & Insurance between you, X77 and the appointed resident director personally. Both are issued before the engagement starts — not as a sales upsell later.
Are you ready for AML/CTF Tranche 2?
Yes. We’ve built the AML program, KYC tooling (Sumsub), and ongoing CDD cadence specifically for Tranche 2 (effective 1 July 2026). Many sub-scale providers will exit the market when it takes effect; we were built for it.
What if X77 wants to resign?
90 days’ written notice. We assist in identifying a successor (internal, partner-firm, or external nominee provider). No hostage clauses.
What if WE want to terminate?
30 days’ written notice. ASIC removal lodged within 48 hours of effective date. Pro-rata refund on unused months.
Do you do nominee shareholder services?
No. Beneficial ownership stays with you and is transparent on the ASIC register.
Can you cover NZ, US, PH too?
NZ: yes, via Auckland partner directors. US: yes via X77 USA. PH: yes via Manila partner network. Pricing per jurisdiction on enquiry.
What happens if you uncover DD red flags?
We decline the engagement. DD fee non-refundable. We don’t disclose reasons publicly. If a red flag emerges after engagement we’ll discuss with you and may resign with notice.