UK company formation: a private limited company, from abroad
UK company formation from abroad: we file your private limited company with Companies House and give it a UK registered office. State fee £100.
- £100 Companies House fee to incorporate online
- 24 hours Usual time to register an online application
- 19% to 25% Corporation Tax on company profits
What a UK private limited company is and who can form one
You set the company up and run it online, in one account on the Legarithm platform.
One founder is enough
The private company limited by shares, the LTD, is the usual form for UK company formation. A shareholder risks only what is unpaid on the shares. You need one shareholder and one director, and the same person can hold both roles. The director is 16 or older, and at least one director of every company is a natural person.
No UK residence or passport asked
Directors do not have to live in the United Kingdom, and the law sets no nationality for shareholders. What the company keeps in the UK is its registered office address. You sign and verify identity online, with no trip to the UK.
What the public register shows
Companies House publishes the name, the number, the registered office, the directors with a service address and the people with significant control. The registered email address is never published.
UK law sets no minimum share capital for a private company: a share can carry any value, and many founders issue one share of £1.
Who sets up a company in the UK from abroad
A store selling to UK customers invoices them in pounds from a UK company and registers for VAT once its taxable turnover for 12 months passes £90,000.
A software or app business signs contracts with UK clients and platforms as a UK limited company, with the limited liability those buyers look for in a supplier.
A consultant or a small agency invoices clients through a company whose liability stops at its share capital, with accounts on the public register for clients to read.
A start-up issues shares of different classes to its founders and investors. The articles of association set the rights of each class, and the statement of capital shows them on the public register.
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
Cost to set up a limited company in the UK
The state fees are the Companies House fees in force on 10 November 2026. Our fee covers the documents, the filing, the UK registered office address and the HMRC registrations, and stands in your quote.
UK company formation, our fee
Fixed in your quoteYou get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.
Get a quote- Companies House fee, online or software filing
- £100
- Companies House fee, paper form IN01
- £124
- Same-day incorporation, software filing
- £156
- UK registered office address, a year
- in your quote
- Confirmation statement, each year online
- £50
- Confirmation statement on paper
- £110
- Books, accounts and Company Tax Return
- in your quote
How to register a company in the UK: six steps
An online application is usually registered within 24 hours. A paper form takes 8 to 10 days.
- day 11
Name and activity
We check the name against the Companies House index. It ends with Limited or Ltd and is not the same as a registered name. We pick the SIC code that describes the business.
- day 1 to 22
Identity verification
Each director and each person with significant control verifies identity with Companies House and receives a personal code. A biometric passport is one of the IDs GOV.UK One Login accepts online.
- day 23
Documents
We draft the memorandum of association, the articles of association and the statement of capital, and list the people with significant control. You sign online.
- within 24 hours4
Filing with Companies House
We file with the £100 fee, our registered office address and your registered email address. The certificate of incorporation shows the company number and the date of formation.
- week 1 to 25
HMRC registrations
The company is usually set up for Corporation Tax at incorporation. We register it for VAT and PAYE with HMRC when it needs them.
- week 26
Payment account and books
We prepare the file for an account with an electronic money institution and open the books from the first invoice: accounting in the UK.
UK company registration requirements: address, email, identity
The Companies Act ties every UK company to the UK through its registered office. We give your company that address.
| Requirement | What the law asks |
|---|---|
| Registered office | A physical address in the part of the UK where the company is registered. A PO box is no longer accepted. |
| Registered email | An address the company reads. Companies House uses it and keeps it off the register. |
| Director | At least one, aged 16 or over, a natural person, living anywhere. |
| Shareholder | At least one person or company. A director can be the shareholder. |
| People with significant control | Anyone with more than 25% of the shares or votes, the right to appoint or remove most of the board, or other significant influence or control. |
Our address as your registered office
We give your company its registered office address as part of our service. Post for the company reaches a person acting for it, and the sender can get confirmation of delivery. That is what the law calls an appropriate address. Letters from Companies House and HMRC appear in your account.
Identity verification since November 2025
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 for every director and person with significant control. A founder abroad verifies online through GOV.UK One Login with a biometric passport from any country, or through an authorised corporate service provider. The Post Office route is for people who live in the UK.
Documents to set up a company in the UK
Documents
Each director, shareholder and person with significant control
- Valid passport, for the identity check
- Home address and a service address
- Date of birth, nationality and country of residence
- Number of shares and the amount paid for them
- Short description of the business, for the SIC code
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of incorporation and a current register extract
- Articles or other constitutional documents
- Ownership chart up to the people who control it
- Board resolution to subscribe for the shares
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformUK company tax: Corporation Tax of 19% to 25%, VAT at 20%
HMRC's rates of today, for a company's taxable profit and its sales.
| Tax | Rate | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation Tax, small profits rate | 19% | Profits of £50,000 or less |
| Corporation Tax, main rate | 25% | Profits above £250,000 |
| Marginal relief | between 19% and 25% | Profits between £50,000 and £250,000 |
| VAT, standard rate | 20% | Most goods and services |
| VAT, reduced and zero rates | 5% and 0% | Home energy, children's car seats, most food |
Corporation Tax from the first trading day
A company tells HMRC within 3 months of becoming active, that is, of buying and selling with a view to profit. It pays the tax 9 months and 1 day after the end of its accounting period and files the Company Tax Return within 12 months.
VAT and PAYE when the company needs them
A company registers for VAT within 30 days of the end of the month its taxable turnover for the last 12 months went over £90,000. It registers as an employer before the first payday, even when the only person paid is its director.
The £50,000 and £250,000 limits are shared out among associated companies and cut in proportion for a short accounting period.
UK company formation for non-residents: run it from your account
We prepare the company's file for an electronic money institution, an EMI: the certificate, the articles, the owners and the business plan in one pack. When the EMI asks about the business, you see the request in your account and we reply together.
Letters to the registered office reach you in your account.
A new director, a change to a director's details or a new person with significant control goes to Companies House within 14 days. We file the form from your request.
Two or more partners who want profit taxed in their own hands choose a limited liability partnership: LLP registration in the UK.
What a UK limited company files every year
We keep the books and file each document below on time: accounting in the UK.
| Yearly duty | When | State fee |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation statement | At least every 12 months, up to 14 days after the review period ends | £50 online |
| First annual accounts | Within 21 months of incorporation | none |
| Later annual accounts | Within 9 months of the accounting reference date | none |
| Corporation Tax payment | 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period ends | none |
| Company Tax Return | 12 months after the accounting period ends | none |
| Late accounts penalty | From 1 day to over 6 months late | £150 to £1,500 |
A platform where you open
and run the company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company Ltd
- Registration in progress
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Proof of address Checked
- Company documents Sign
- Source of funds declaration Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
The Legarithm team
We prepare your documents, check them before they are filed and keep your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about UK company formation
Can a non-resident set up a UK limited company?
Yes. A person of any nationality, living anywhere, can own all the shares and be the only director. We give the company its UK registered office address and file the incorporation remotely.
How much does it cost to set up a limited company in the UK?
Companies House charges £100 for an online application, £124 on paper and £156 for same-day incorporation. Our fee, with the registered office address, is in your quote.
How long does UK company registration take?
Companies House usually registers an online application within 24 hours. A paper application takes 8 to 10 days, and the same-day service is a software filing for £156.
Do I need a UK address or a UK director?
You need a UK registered office address, which we give as part of our service. The director can live anywhere and only has to be 16 or older.
Do I have to verify my identity with Companies House?
Yes. Since 18 November 2025 every director and every person with significant control verifies identity and gets a personal code. A founder abroad does it online with GOV.UK One Login and a passport.
Is there a minimum share capital for a UK limited company?
No. The law sets no minimum for a private company, and a share can carry any value. Many founders issue one share of £1, and the statement of capital shows it on the public register.
Do you register companies outside the UK too?
Yes. The countries where we register companies, with their types, terms and taxes, are listed on international company formation.
Get a quote for your company in the UK
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in the UK
LLP registration in the UK
A partnership of 2 or more members with limited liability, taxed in the members' hands
OpenAccounting in the UK
Books, annual accounts, the Company Tax Return and VAT, each with its due date
OpenInternational company formation
The countries where we register companies, set side by side
OpenThe Legarithm platform
Documents, signatures, post and every deadline of the company in one account
OpenGuides to a company in the UK
Updated 10 November 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
