How to Register a Company in the UK: A Step-by-Step Guide

The United Kingdom offers a professional and globally recognised Limited Company structure with registration through Companies House. Both UK residents and international founders can establish a company, subject to identity, address and disclosure requirements.

Step 1: Choose your company name

The name must be available on the Companies House register and follow restrictions on sensitive, offensive or misleading words. It normally ends in “Limited” or “Ltd”. A company-name check does not establish trademark rights, so consider a separate UK trademark search.

Step 2: Choose directors and shareholders

A private company limited by shares needs at least one natural-person director and at least one shareholder. The same person can hold both roles, and directors and shareholders do not have to live in the UK.

Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement from 18 November 2025, with transitional arrangements applying to existing roles. Check the current Companies House identity-verification guidance before filing.

Step 3: Choose a Registered Office Address

Every company must maintain an appropriate physical address in the same UK jurisdiction in which it is registered. The address appears on the public register and must be capable of receiving official correspondence.

Options include business premises, an eligible home address or a professional Registered Office service.

Step 4: Prepare the constitutional documents

The founding documents include:

• The Memorandum of Association, confirming the initial subscribers' intention to form the company.
• The Articles of Association, which govern how the company is run.

Many companies use the statutory model articles; bespoke arrangements may need professional drafting.

Step 5: Register with Companies House

The application includes the company name, Registered Office, director details, shareholder and share information, people with significant control and the appropriate SIC code.

Companies House currently charges £100 for standard online incorporation, and most online applications are processed within 24 hours. Fees and processing times can change, so confirm them on the official Companies House fees page.

After approval, Companies House issues a Certificate of Incorporation and company number.

Step 6: Register for Corporation Tax

The company must tell HMRC when it becomes active and manage Corporation Tax obligations. HMRC normally sends the company's Unique Taxpayer Reference to the registered office after incorporation.

Step 7: Register for VAT when applicable

VAT registration is normally required when taxable turnover exceeds the current threshold. As of August 2026, the threshold is £90,000, but always confirm the current figure using HMRC's VAT threshold guidance. Voluntary registration may be available below the threshold.

Step 8: Open a business bank account

Banks conduct their own identity, residency and business checks. Prepare the Certificate of Incorporation, company number, ownership information and evidence of business activity. International founders should check eligibility before selecting a provider.

Ongoing compliance requirements

After formation, the company must generally:

• File a confirmation statement at least every 12 months.
• Prepare and file annual accounts.
• Submit Company Tax Returns and pay tax when due.
• Maintain statutory registers and current information about directors, shareholders and people with significant control.
• Update Companies House when key details change.

Information to prepare before filing

Collecting the information once, in a controlled record, reduces inconsistent applications. A typical preparation checklist includes:

• The proposed company name and an alternative.
• The registered office and the appropriate email address for Companies House communications.
• Each director’s legal name, date of birth, nationality, occupation, service address and residential-address information required for the filing.
• Shareholder or guarantor details, the number and class of shares, nominal value and prescribed particulars.
• People with significant control and the nature of their control.
• The intended business activities and relevant SIC codes.
• The articles of association or confirmation that model articles fit the arrangement.

Identity-verification requirements and filing processes can change. Check the current Companies House guidance before collecting or submitting information.

Guidance for overseas founders

A UK private limited company can have directors and shareholders based outside the United Kingdom, but the company must maintain an eligible registered office in the correct UK jurisdiction. Banking, payment providers, tax residence, payroll, VAT, permanent-establishment exposure and home-country reporting are separate questions from incorporation.

Overseas founders should map where directors make decisions, where staff perform work, where customers are served and where records will be maintained. Incorporating a UK company does not itself provide immigration permission, personal tax residence, a bank account or permission to use every address service for all purposes.

Timing and cost variables

Companies House controls incorporation acceptance and published filing fees. Timing can be affected by the filing route, identity checks, name concerns, inconsistent information and requests for evidence. Tax registrations, bank onboarding and regulated-business approvals follow their own processes and should not be represented as part of one guaranteed incorporation time.

Before engaging a provider, separate:

• Government filing fees.
• Service fees and optional address or mail services.
• Accounting, tax or regulated-professional work.
• Bank, payment, software and verification costs.
• Renewal fees and ongoing statutory filings.

Common filing problems to avoid

Applications and later compliance work become harder when names differ across identity records, an address is used outside its permitted scope, share information is not understood, or PSC details are incomplete. Another common mistake is treating the incorporation email and registered office as items that never need monitoring.

Review the incorporation record immediately after approval. Confirm names, addresses, shareholdings, SIC codes and dates, then store the certificate, memorandum, articles, authentication information and ownership records securely.

The first operating month

After incorporation, assign responsibility for Companies House and HMRC correspondence, establish bookkeeping from the first transaction, confirm Corporation Tax actions when trading begins, and create a compliance calendar. Document bank authority, expense approval, contracts and data access. If staff will be hired, assess PAYE, employment and pension responsibilities before payroll starts.

The company should also decide how statutory records, board decisions and shareholder approvals will be maintained. A clean operating record is easier to build from day one than to reconstruct before accounts, investment or due diligence.

Official sources to keep in the company record

Bookmark the current Companies House incorporation, filing and identity-verification guidance, together with the relevant HMRC pages for Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE. Record the date each source was reviewed and the person responsible for checking it again before a filing. Government guidance should take priority over a service summary when a form, fee, deadline or eligibility rule has changed.

Keep authority receipts, submission references and accepted documents with the statutory record. If an application is rejected, preserve the rejection message and the corrected information rather than replacing the earlier version without an audit trail.

Conclusion

UK company registration is straightforward when the ownership, address, identity and filing information is prepared correctly. RevoCompliance can coordinate the incorporation and help establish the ongoing compliance calendar.