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Company formation · United KingdomUnited Kingdom
From €4002–5 working days
Government fees are paid separately at cost and are listed below with their source.
Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case.
For founders living in the EU or elsewhere abroad who will run a UK Ltd remotely, without moving to Britain.
Start company registrationA founder living outside the UK can register a private limited company online: directors do not have to be UK residents, but each director must verify identity with Companies House and the company needs a physical UK registered office.
Updated
United KingdomCurrencyGBP
Non-resident route
Residence is not a condition for a UK director. What does apply to a founder abroad is identity verification, a UK address for the company and, later, the question of a bank account.
Yes. Incorporation is filed online with Companies House, and a director only has to be 16 or over; UK residence is not required.
Since 18 November 2025 every director and every person with significant control (PSC) must verify identity before the filing, either through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and then supply a Companies House personal code. You complete this step yourself, from abroad, with your passport.
The registered office must be a physical address in the part of the UK where the company is registered: an English and Welsh company needs an address in England or Wales, a Scottish company one in Scotland. A PO box is not accepted.
Our package does not include this address. You arrange it before filing, and we enter it in the Companies House application.
Companies House charges £100 for a digital incorporation since 1 February 2026; a paper filing costs £124 and same-day online registration £156. These fees are paid at cost and are not part of our price.
After the first year the company files a confirmation statement every year: £50 online or £110 on paper.
Profits up to £50,000 are taxed at 19%, profits above £250,000 at 25%, with marginal relief in between; the thresholds are shared among associated companies. Ordinary dividends carry no UK withholding tax.
VAT is 20% at the standard rate, and registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover over the last 12 months exceeds £90,000. How the UK rate compares with the rest of Europe is set out in our corporate tax comparison.
We prepare the articles of association and share certificates, file the incorporation online and register the company for Corporation Tax; our part takes the working days shown in the price line. Identity verification is personal to each director and PSC, and Companies House sets its own processing time.
Package
From €400
2–5 working days
Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case.
Four steps we take over, next to what each involves if you file alone from abroad. The £100 Companies House fee is paid on top, at cost.
| Step | Filing alone from abroad | We do it |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporation filing | Completing the Companies House online application, including director and PSC details | Yes |
| Articles of association | Choosing model articles or drafting your own | Yes |
| Share certificates | Issuing a certificate for each shareholder | Yes |
| Corporation tax registration | Registering the company with HMRC for Corporation Tax | Yes |
For comparison, a Cyprus company inside the EU:From €1,2007–15 working days
Tell us the directors, shareholders and the UK address you plan to use. We usually reply within one business day.
From €4002–5 working days
Company forms
The two UK forms in our reference, with the minimum share capital each one requires.
| Form | Minimum share capital | Who it suits | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| LtdPrivate company limited by sharesOur package registers this formFrom €4002–5 working days | £0 | Most common vehicle for foreign founders. At least one director who is 16 or over; directors do not need to be UK residents. Registered office must be a physical address in the UK.Suits a trading or holding company owned by one or a few founders; one share of any nominal value, commonly £1, is enough.Cannot offer its shares to the public. | Get a quote |
| plcPublic limited company | £50,000 | Required for offering shares to the public. Higher governance and audit obligations.Suits a company preparing to offer shares to the public.Not for a small owner-managed business: the authorised minimum is £50,000, with higher governance and audit duties. | Get a quote |
Process
Six steps from the first message to the Corporation Tax registration; the actor is marked on each.
You send the names of directors and shareholders, the share split and the planned activity; we turn them into the data Companies House asks for.
Agreed company structure
Each director and PSC verifies identity through GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, a requirement since 18 November 2025.
Companies House personal code for each person
You arrange a physical address in the same UK jurisdiction as the company; a PO box is refused.
Registered office confirmed
We prepare the articles of association and file the incorporation online; the £100 Companies House fee is paid at cost.
Submitted incorporation application
We register the new company with HMRC for Corporation Tax and issue the share certificates.
Corporation Tax registration and share certificates
What you receive
The company files a confirmation statement once a year: £50 online or £110 on paper, the rates in force since 1 February 2026.
A business bank account is a separate step outside our package. High-street banks often require a UK-resident director or a UK address and checks in person; non-resident directors usually open accounts with digital providers that onboard remotely.
Requirements
Every row is a published figure from GOV.UK, Companies House or legislation.gov.uk, with the date we last checked it.
Each PSC is named in the incorporation filing and, like each director, has had to verify identity with Companies House since 18 November 2025.
Selling into the UK does not by itself call for a UK company, and it does not remove VAT: a business not established in the UK has no VAT registration threshold.
Registration at Companies House does not open a bank account; each bank or provider decides on its own checks.
Price
Our fee and our working days; the Companies House fee is a separate column with its own date and source.
Government fees are paid separately at cost and are listed below with their source.Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case.
| Service | Country | Our fee from | Our working days | Companies House fee | Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK company formationWhat's includedWhat's included
Not included
| United Kingdom | From€400 | 2–5working days | £100 | Get a quote |
Request
Five questions about the founders and the plan. The quote comes in writing, with the Companies House steps each director completes personally.
The information on this site is general and is not legal advice for your specific situation.
Legal disclaimerQuestions
Answers use the figures in the requirements table above.
Yes. A director must be 16 or over and does not need to be a UK resident; the whole incorporation is filed online.
No visit is required for the registration itself. Identity verification is done through GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and the filing goes to Companies House online. A bank account is a different matter: high-street banks often ask for checks in person.
An online application is usually registered within 24 hours of filing; a postal one takes 8–10 days. Identity verification for every director and PSC has to be finished first.
No. The registered office must be a physical address in the same UK jurisdiction as the company, and our package does not include one.
No. There has been no UK investor visa since the Tier 1 Investor route closed on 17 February 2022. The Innovator Founder visa is a separate application that needs endorsement of the business by an approved endorsing body.
The confirmation statement costs £50 online. Corporation Tax is 19% on profits up to £50,000 and 25% above £250,000.
Sources
GOV.UK, Companies House, HMRC and legislation.gov.uk; secondary sources are marked as such.
| Source | Publisher | Type | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislation | |||
| Companies Act 2006, section 763 (authorised minimum) | legislation.gov.uk | Legislation | Checked on |
| Government sites | |||
| Set up a private limited company: register your company | GOV.UK | Government sites | Checked on |
| Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025 | Companies House | Government sites | Checked on |
| Set up a private limited company: appoint directors and company secretaries | GOV.UK | Government sites | Checked on |
| Set up a private limited company: company address | GOV.UK | Government sites | Checked on |
| Companies House fees | Companies House | Government sites | Checked on |
| Audit exemptions for private limited companies | Companies House | Government sites | Checked on |
| Rates and allowances: Corporation Tax | HM Revenue & Customs | Government sites | Checked on |
| VAT rates | GOV.UK | Government sites | Checked on |
| VAT registration: when to register | HM Revenue & Customs | Government sites | Checked on |
| Increasing the VAT registration threshold (policy paper) | HM Revenue & Customs | Government sites | Checked on |