UK COMPANY
- Art Teacher
- London, UK
- 5-7 Hrs
Forming a company in the UK is simple, even for non-residents. You can register a Private Limited Company (Ltd) online with Companies House within 24–48 hours. You will require an exclusive company name, one director, a registered office in the UK, and one minimum shareholder (could be the same individual). Following incorporation, you will need to register for Corporation Tax with HMRC, have annual filings, and potentially register for VAT if turnover is over £90,000.
- Company Name
- Registered Office Address – UK address required (can be a virtual office).
- Director Info
- Shareholder Info
- Person with Significant Control (PSC) – Anyone owning 25%+ of shares or voting rights.
- Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Choose a unique name using the Companies House name checker.
- Apply online at Companies House – Fee: £12, takes 24 hours.
- Receive Certificate of Incorporation with company number.
- Register for Corporation Tax with HMRC within 3 months.
- Register for VAT, PAYE, and open a UK business bank account (Optional).
FAQs
There are no restrictions on foreign nationals or non-UK residents owning all shares in a UK company. Overseas investors and owners are fully permitted.
A UK private company can have a single director (must be a natural person), and, in many cases, the sole director can also be the only shareholder, which means one person can own and run the company alone.
A company can act as a director of another UK company, but there must always be at least one natural person as a director. It can also be a shareholder in another company.
It is not mandatory to create custom articles as the Model Articles are the default and suitable for most small companies. You only need custom articles if you have special requirements.
Board meetings are not legally required for private companies unless the AOA specifically mandate them as most decisions can be made by written resolutions.
UK companies must have a registered office for official correspondence, but business records do not have to be kept there. They can be kept at a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL).
Companies can create custom share classes with different rights, including non-voting, preference, or veto (golden) shares with the appropriate Articles and shareholder resolutions.
The UK does not currently allow re-domiciliation of companies to another country. To move, the business must form a new company abroad and transfer assets or operations as appropriate.