Company formation in the UK

Published by iworkineurope on

How to register a company in the UK

To register a company in the UK, you need to complete a formal application form. The process is very simple, and it’s exactly the same whether you live in the UK or overseas.

The following steps need to be taken.

  • Choose a company name
    The first step in the UK company formation process is to choose a company name and check that it is available to register. Please let us know the name of your choice and we will let you know the outcome. If the company name is available, you can proceed with the company formation process. However, if it is already in use, you will have to modify the name until you find one that is available to register.
  • VAT Registration with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
  • Office address (free for 12 months, worth £39.00) – legally required by all UK companies
  • Preparation and filing of your annual confirmation statement
  • Preparation and maintenance of your statutory company registers
  • A business bank account
  • Apostilled Document Service to legalise your company documents for overseas use
  • Company Seal to emboss official paperwork with your company name and registration number
  • Standard Industrial Classification code (SIC code) You must provide a Standard Industrial Classification code (SIC code) to describe and classify your company’s main business activities. You can choose a maximum of four. Articles of association. This is a constitutional document that sets out the rules for running your company. We will provide you with the standard ‘model’ version of the articles of association. This is suitable for most limited companies, so you don’t need to worry about creating your own.

Share capital
To form a limited by shares company, you are legally required to issue a minimum of one share for every shareholder. If you are forming the company on your own, you can simply issue one share to yourself.

It’s important to think about your long-term plans before deciding on the number of shares you issue. Do you want to sell shares to bring in investment or new business partners in the future? Do you want to gift shares to your spouse or family members? You can always issue more shares after incorporation if need be.

Once we have finished with the application, we will electronically file your application at Companies House for approval. Most companies are approved and registered within 24 hours. Your company is ready to start trading as soon as it’s incorporated.

When your application is approved, we will notify you by email and provide you with digital copies of your company formation documents and company registers. These are extremely important, so you must keep them safe and retain them for the lifetime of your company.

Costs

For a ‘standard’ incorporation of a Limited Company, we charge 250 Euro.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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