Sources and Official References

Official sources come before commercial summaries.

Government registries, tax authorities, licensing portals, and primary instructions are used as the starting point for country-specific guidance.

Important: This page provides general education, not legal, tax, accounting, financial, banking, insurance, immigration, or professional advice. Verify current requirements with official authorities where the business will actually operate.

By Evan J. Marwell · Reviewed August 6, 2026

Source hierarchy

National, federal, state, provincial, territorial, and municipal government portals.
Tax authorities, company registries, licensing agencies, and official business-support services.
Primary statutes, regulations, official forms, instructions, and regulator notices where appropriate.
Reputable professional and educational references for general context.

Core official sources

United States

Canada

United Kingdom

Australia

New Zealand

European Union

Your Europe: Starting a business

Review policy

Pages are reviewed for clarity, broken links, and material rule changes. Because government systems can change between reviews, the linked authority remains the source of truth for current forms, fees, thresholds, identity requirements, and deadlines.