How to Register a Company in the UK: Step by Step

What you need before you start

To register a private limited company you need a name, a UK registered office address, at least one director, at least one shareholder, details of anyone with significant control, a SIC code and articles of association. Each director also needs a Companies House personal code from identity verification. GOV.UK lists these items on its register your company page.

• A company name that is available and ends in "Limited" or "Ltd"
• An appropriate UK registered office address (a PO Box is not accepted)
• A registered email address that someone monitors (it is not shown on the public register)
• At least one director aged 16 or over, with a service address and a Companies House personal code
• At least one shareholder, who can be the director, and details of the shares
• Details of each person with significant control (PSC)
• One or more SIC codes that describe what the company will do
• A debit or credit card for the £100 fee

How to register a company on GOV.UK, step by step

GOV.UK sets out the process in its set up a private limited company guide. The order below puts identity verification first, because the application cannot be finished without each director's personal code.

1. Verify each director's identity and collect their personal codes.
2. Choose the company type: limited by shares or limited by guarantee.
3. Choose and check the name.
4. Set the registered office address and registered email address.
5. Appoint directors and, if you want one, a company secretary.
6. Add shareholders and PSCs.
7. Pick your SIC code.
8. Choose articles of association.
9. Confirm the lawful purpose statement and pay £100.

Step 1: Verify identity first

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been compulsory for new directors and PSCs, and each director's personal code is given as part of the registration filing. Each person verifies once, free, through GOV.UK One Login and receives their own code. Our Companies House identity verification guide covers documents, the app and the deadlines in full.

Step 2: Choose the company type

A private company can be limited by shares or limited by guarantee. A company limited by guarantee has guarantors and a statement of guarantee instead of shareholders and a statement of capital. This guide covers companies limited by shares, the type to choose if the owners will hold shares and receive dividends. GOV.UK notes that most companies limited by shares have one class of share, normally called ordinary shares.

Step 3: Choose and check the company name

The name must usually end in "Limited" or "Ltd" (or the Welsh equivalents for a company registered in Wales). The company name rules also say:

• It cannot be the "same as" an existing name. Small differences in punctuation, special characters or common words used in UK company names do not make a name different.
• If someone complains that your name is "too like" theirs, Companies House can require you to change it.
• It cannot be offensive, and sensitive words that suggest a link to government need permission first. "Accredited", for example, needs approval from the Department for Business and Trade.
• A name that looks like someone's trade mark can lead to a complaint and a forced name change.

Check availability with the free Companies House name availability checker before you start the application.

Step 4: Set the registered office address and email

The registered office is where official post goes, and it is public. Since 4 March 2024 it must be an appropriate address: a physical address in the UK, in the same country the company is registered in (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland), where post comes to the attention of someone acting for the company and delivery can be acknowledged. Royal Mail PO Boxes and similar services are not acceptable.

You can use an accountant's, solicitor's or formation agent's address if it meets these rules and you have their permission. Founders who live abroad usually need one, because HMRC and Companies House post goes to this address. See our registered office address service.

You must also give a registered email address. It must be monitored, and it is not shown on the public register.

Step 5: Appoint directors and, if you want, a secretary

A private company must have at least one director, and at least one director must be a natural person. GOV.UK's directors guidance adds that a director must be 16 or over and cannot be disqualified or an undischarged bankrupt. Directors do not need to live in the UK.

A company secretary is optional for a private company. Each director gives a service address, which is public, and a residential address, which is protected. If you would rather not show your home address, a director service address can be used as the public one.

Directors are legally responsible for keeping records, filing accounts and paying Corporation Tax. They can hire an accountant to help, but the responsibility stays with them.

Step 6: Add shareholders and people with significant control

You need at least one shareholder, who can be the director, and there is no maximum. The price of each share can be any value; GOV.UK suggests a low value such as £1 to limit shareholders' liability. The application builds a statement of capital showing each shareholder, the number and total value of shares, and the rights attached to them (dividends, voting and any redemption rights).

A person with significant control is anyone who:

• holds more than 25% of the shares
• holds more than 25% of the voting rights
• can appoint or remove a majority of the directors
• has significant influence or control over the company

A sole founder who owns all the shares is usually both the only director and the only PSC. PSCs also need to verify their identity.

Step 7: Pick your SIC code

A SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code identifies the company's business activities. Choose the code or codes closest to what the company will actually do. SIC codes are confirmed in every confirmation statement, so you can update them later if the business changes.

Step 8: Choose articles of association

If you register online, the memorandum of association is created automatically, and it cannot be updated once the company is registered. For the articles of association you can use the standard model articles or supply your own. Many single-founder companies use the model articles. If you need special share classes, investor rights or founder vesting, speak to a UK solicitor before filing.

Step 9: Confirm the lawful purpose statement and pay

Every new company must confirm that its intended future activities are lawful. This lawful purpose statement is also repeated in each confirmation statement. You then pay the Companies House incorporation fee of £100 online by debit or credit card. The fee doubled from £50 on 1 February 2026; our Companies House fees guide lists every current fee.

What you receive after registration

When the company is registered you receive a certificate of incorporation. It confirms the company legally exists and shows the company number and date of formation. The online service typically registers the company for Corporation Tax at the same time, unless you say it is dormant.

HMRC then posts the company's 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) to the registered office, and sends a Corporation Tax activation code within 10 days (21 days if you live abroad). Our UTR number guide explains what to do if the UTR does not arrive.

How long it takes to register a company

An online application is typically registered within 24 hours. Paper takes longer.

Add time for identity verification. Companies House reported an average of 2.4 minutes for people using the app, but anyone without suitable photo ID needs longer. HMRC's letters then arrive by post, so allow extra days if your registered office forwards mail abroad.

After registration checklist

Registering the company is the start. These are the next jobs, in rough order:

• Get the company UTR and activation code, then add Corporation Tax to the company's HMRC business tax account.
• Tell HMRC when the company becomes active. You must do this within 3 months of starting your tax accounting period. Starting to do business includes buying, selling, advertising, renting a property and employing someone.
• Open a business bank account in the company's name. Banks set their own criteria, and approval is never guaranteed.
• Register as an employer if the company will run payroll. HMRC says to register before the first payday, and no more than 2 months before you start paying people. See our payroll service.
• Check VAT. Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12 months, and a company run from abroad may have no threshold at all. Our VAT registration threshold guide covers both tests.
• File the confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, with 14 days to file after the review period ends. The online fee is £50. See our confirmation statement service.
• File the first accounts, which are due 21 months after incorporation. Many small companies qualify for micro-entity accounts.
• File the Company Tax Return (CT600) 12 months after the end of the accounting period. HMRC's free filing service closed on 31 March 2026, so returns now need commercial software. See our CT600 guide.

Our free compliance deadline calendar works out these dates from your incorporation date.

When to use a formation agent instead

If you live in the UK, have your own appropriate address and are happy with model articles, registering yourself on GOV.UK is quick and costs only the £100 fee. A formation agent earns its fee in other situations:

• You live outside the UK. You need a UK registered office that meets the appropriate address rules and someone to handle HMRC and Companies House post.
• You want your home address off the public register. A service address keeps it private.
• You want the application checked before it goes in, including the name, SIC codes, share structure and PSC details, which are harder to fix after registration.
• You want the follow-up handled: Corporation Tax registration, the UTR, the first confirmation statement and deadline reminders.

One point to be clear on: an agent can only verify your identity for Companies House if it is a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). Borderless Filings is not an ACSP, so you verify yourself free through GOV.UK One Login and give us your personal code. Our filing team then prepares and submits the application, tracks it in your portal and sends your documents. UK residents can use our UK company formation service; founders abroad should see UK company formation for non-residents.

Not sure a UK company is the right vehicle? Compare the options in sole trader vs limited company and UK Ltd vs US LLC, or take the US LLC or UK Ltd quiz. This guide explains the filing process and is not legal or tax advice.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Set up a private limited company
• GOV.UK: Register your company
• GOV.UK: Choose a company name
• GOV.UK: Company address
• GOV.UK: Appoint directors and a company secretary
• GOV.UK: Shareholders
• GOV.UK: People with significant control (PSCs)
• GOV.UK: Memorandum and articles of association
• GOV.UK: Add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account
• GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
• Companies House: Identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025
• Companies House: Companies House fees
• legislation.gov.uk: Companies Act 2006, section 154
• legislation.gov.uk: Companies Act 2006, section 155
• HMRC: Corporation Tax, trading and non-trading
• HMRC: Register as an employer
• Companies House: Filing your company's confirmation statement
• Companies House: Life of a company, part 1 accounts
• HMRC: Company Tax Returns

Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.