UK Company Formation
Business Registration
in the United Kingdom
Turn your business idea into reality with expert registration services. We handle the paperwork and compliance so you can focus on growing your business.
Side by side
UK LTD: Resident vs. Non-Resident Comparison
The company is identical. The route to it is not. Where you are resident decides how you verify your identity, what address Companies House will accept, how you get banked, and when VAT registration bites. Find your column before anything is filed.
- UK Resident:UK ID and a home address
- Non-UK Resident:Verifying from abroad
| Features | UK ResidentUK ID and a home address | Non-UK ResidentVerifying from abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Local business owners, physical stores, UK-based service providers, and freelancers operating within the UK. | Global e-commerce sellers, remote digital agencies, and consultants looking for a stable UK business entity. |
| Identity Verification & UTR | Simple verification using a UK passport or driving license via the GOV.UK app. A Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) is automatically issued to the home address. | Requires digital ID verification (passport and face-match) through an authorized corporate service provider. The UTR is issued but must be forwarded from a UK address. |
| Registered Office Address | Can use a physical home address, office address, or a virtual UK registered address to protect privacy. | Must use a physical UK Registered Office Address (PO Boxes are not allowed). This requires a dedicated virtual office/mail forwarding service. |
| UK Bank Account | Easily opened at any major UK high-street bank (like HSBC, Barclays) or digital platforms (Revolut, Monzo). | Traditional UK banks are generally unavailable without local residency. Non-residents typically set up business accounts through international digital platforms (like Wise, Airwallex, or Payoneer). |
| Taxation & Compliance | Pay standard UK Corporation Tax on business profits, with VAT registration only becoming mandatory if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000. | Pay UK Corporation Tax on business profits, with an immediate, mandatory VAT registration requirement (£0 threshold) if you sell physical goods stored in the UK. |
Choosing a structure
The structure you register decides how profits are taxed
Private limited company
The LTD, and what almost everyone means by a UK company. Liability stops at the shares, profits are taxed as Corporation Tax, and it is the structure a UK bank and a UK client both expect to see.
- Liability
- Limited by shares
- Suits
- Almost every trading business
Limited liability partnership
An LLP keeps the limited liability but is transparent for tax: the partnership itself pays none, and each member is taxed on their own share of the profit.
- Liability
- Limited, members taxed
- Suits
- Professional partnerships
Company limited by guarantee
No shares and no dividends. Members guarantee a nominal amount instead, which is why it is the usual shape for a charity, a club, or a social enterprise that reinvests what it makes.
- Liability
- Limited by guarantee
- Suits
- Non-profits and clubs
UK establishment
A branch of an existing overseas company rather than a new entity. Faster to register, but the parent stays on the hook and its accounts have to be filed at Companies House.
- Liability
- Sits with the parent
- Suits
- An existing overseas company
Documents
What we need from you
Have these ready and the filing usually goes out the same working day.
Missing one of them? Send what you have. We will tell you what is still outstanding before anything goes to Companies House, not after it comes back rejected.
Frequently asked
Common questions
The six we are asked before almost every UK incorporation, resident and not.
Get the UK company set up once, and correctly
One team from the name check to the day the account opens: the incorporation, the registered office, the UTR, and the paperwork a bank will actually accept. No handing you back a certificate and calling it done.
Start your formation
Start the incorporation
Tell us the country and we take it from there
Send the details below and an advisor picks it up the same working day. Most incorporations are confirmed by Companies House within hours of filing.
- Name checked against the Companies House index before filing
- Registered office and a director service address included
- Confirmation statement and first accounts dates set from day one
- PSC register completed at incorporation, not chased afterwards