UK Company Registration Guide

An overseas company entity can allow you to have overseas accounts and payment capabilities in a more compliant way, publish apps on overseas platforms, offer SaaS or other digital products. Having a legal overseas company entity makes the process smoother and fund management more transparent. Even if you don’t have such needs at the moment, preparing in advance can leave more possibilities for the future.

Why a UK Company?

The advantage of a UK company is not that it’s particularly “advanced,” but that it’s sufficiently “neutral.” It doesn’t come with the intense regulatory and tax complexities of a US company, nor is it as easily “blacklisted” by banks or platforms as some offshore jurisdictions. It is a moderately transparent, cost-effective option with high global acceptance. The registration process is completed online in a few days; maintenance costs are low, about 100 pounds per year; and the exit mechanism is clear, with dissolution costing just a few dozen pounds. It’s not like a US LLC which can cost thousands of RMB to maintain annually, nor like some Southeast Asian companies that are easy to register but limited in practical use.

Cost Comparison: UK vs US

The total cost for a UK company in the first year is about 800-1000 RMB; while a US company costs at least 3-4 times that, and many services are not smooth for non-US residents.

UK Company Registration Process

Preparation

The key to registering a UK company is not “filling forms,” but identity verification.

You need to prepare in advance:

1. Passport: Must be a valid international passport.
2. Proof of Address: Bank statement or credit card statement, must be the original PDF file, containing your name and address, issued within the last three months, electronic bill screenshots are invalid.
3. Foreign Currency Credit Card: For paying registration fees, Visa or Mastercard recommended, Google Pay also supported.

Register a Company (Recommended: 1st Formations)

The official entry point for UK company registration is Companies House ↗ , but as a non-UK resident, since you cannot provide a UK office address, you can only use an agent service. I recommend 1st Formations ↗ , as it is an officially authorized agent with a clear process and supports complete identity verification.

In the input box, enter the company name you want to register, click the Search button, if you see Congratulations! This company name is available. it means the company name is available for registration, click the Choose a Package button to proceed. Otherwise, choose a different company name.

Choose an appropriate registration package: 1st Formations offers multiple registration package options, please choose according to your personal needs; here are just a few commonly used ones:

• Digital: The most economical choice, suitable for users who already have a UK address.
• Privacy: Suitable for most Limited Company registration needs. Includes complete registration service and one year of company address. Generally speaking, this package is sufficient.
• eSeller: Targeted at cross-border e-commerce.

Taking the Privacy Package as an example: includes registration service, registered address, and service address, approximately £67.99 (including £50 government registration fee, the UK government increased company registration fees from £12 to £50 in April 2024, so the price of the Privacy Package has also increased).

Here’s a brief overview of each item, which might be useful in the future:

1. Limited Company (Limited Company Registration)

This is the core of the service: helping you register a “Private Limited Company” in the UK. It is the most common business entity in the UK, with limited shareholder risk, suitable for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

2. Companies House £50 Filing Fee Included

The statutory registration fee charged by the UK Companies House is included in the package price. You do not need to pay extra.

3. Free Business Bank Account

After company registration, you will receive a recommendation link to apply for a business bank account. For UK locals, this is usually Barclays, NatWest, etc.; for non-residents, it’s services like WorldFirst that support multi-currency accounts.

4. Free Online Company Manager

An online platform to help you manage company information, submit annual reports, change directors, download files, etc. It’s like a “control panel” for your company in the UK.

5. Free .com or .co.uk Domain Name

After successful registration, you will receive a link to claim a free .com or .co.uk domain from IONOS, valid for one year. Suitable for quickly building an official website or brand landing page.

6. Filing of the First Confirmation Statement

UK companies must submit a “Confirmation Statement” to the government once a year, similar to an annual inspection. This service helps you prepare and submit the first filing, but does not include the £34 government fee.

7. Business Telephone Number – Free for 3 Months

Provides a London or regional phone number, with calls forwarded to your designated mobile or landline. Suitable for enhancing company image, especially during external communication.

8. Email Copy of Certificate of Incorporation, Mem & Arts and Share Certificates

After successful company registration, you will receive the following electronic documents:

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum & Articles of Association
• Share Certificates
• WebFiling authentication code (for logging into the government system)

9. Email Copy of Company Register with First Entries

This is a “company statutory register” with initial records, including directors, shareholders, share allocation, controlling persons, etc. It is an important foundational document for compliant company operation.

10. Registered Office Service – London WC2

You can use an address in London’s central WC2 area as your company’s registered address, avoiding the use of a home address. All government correspondence will be scanned and forwarded to you via email.

You can also refer to the official process diagram: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-limited-company .

Then it’s the Checkout payment, where you need to fill in some information:

1. Account information
2. Billing address, please fill in truthfully
3. Payment method, you can choose domestic foreign currency credit cards (dual currency credit cards and all currency credit cards are supported), and Google Pay is also supported.

After filling out, click the Pay Now button.

Next are some basic information to fill out.

Fill in company information:

• Company name: Must end with LTD, if you previously set the company name as example, then you should fill in example LTD here.
• Company type: Select “Limited by Shares”
• Registration region: England & Wales
• SIC Code: Choose appropriate industry codes based on your actual business; you can select multiple codes to cover all relevant businesses.

Add company member information:

• Directors and shareholders can be the same person, fill in according to passport information truthfully; Nationality: Select “Chinese”
• Check all positions (Director, Shareholder, PSC, etc.)
• Set up company equity information
• Set registered capital, generally £1

Set addresses:

• Use the London address provided in the package for registered address and service address
• The forwarding address can be your own email or a friend’s address, but not for public records

Information confirmation: Carefully check all filled information to ensure accuracy. After registration submission, you will receive two key emails:

Identity verification invitation from Credas, with a verification code. Download the Credas App, enter the verification code, use passport + facial recognition + NFC to verify the passport chip.

Address verification form email from 1st Formations, click Complete in English. Fill in company business description, funding source, trading countries, and upload proof of address.

Note: The company name should include LTD, and the proof of address must be an original document stamped by a bank counter. You need to explain why you are using a UK address (usually selecting “No UK address available” is sufficient).

After verification is approved, within 1-3 business days, you will receive a confirmation email with 5 PDF files:

• Company Certificate
• Share Certificate
• Register
• Memo & Articles
• WebFiling Code (for subsequent login to the government system)

At this point, the initial registration work for the UK company is completed. Next is to wait for the registration to be completed and receive the company materials.

1. Check registration progress: Log in to the 1st Formations website, click My Account > Orders  in the upper right corner to check the processing progress. Usually, the registration time is about 3-5 business days. Registration completion notification: Receive an email from 1st Formations with the subject: “1st Formations: Order Ref. XXXXXXX Order Fulfilment”, which means the company registration is complete. The email contains five PDF attachments and your company’s registered address (Service Address). Save these files for future use. The five PDF files are as follows:
2. CERTIFICATE (similar to a business license): Contains the Company Number, which will be used when registering for bank, Stripe, Wise, and other services; you can also query company information on the UK government website
3. Authentication Code: Generally used when dealing with tax matters
4. REGISTER (shareholder registration information)
5. SHARECERTS (share certificates)
6. MEMARTS (company articles of association) At this point, we have completed the registration of a UK company!

Register Company Tax Information (Corporation Tax)

After successful registration, you need to register for a company tax number (Corporation Tax) with HMRC within 3 months.

1. Log in to HMRC Government Gateway ↗ 
2. Fill out the application form using your company registration number
3. HMRC will mail your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) to your registered address
4. Log in to your 1st Formations account to download scanned copies

This UTR is your core credential for future account submissions and tax filing.

UK Company Bank Account Opening (Optional)

Currently, Wise has an unstable attitude towards UK company account opening, consider:

• Airwallex: Supports Stripe payments, clear review process
• WorldFirst: Suitable for e-commerce businesses, supports multi-currency accounts

Six, Subsequent Maintenance

Registration is just the beginning. You still need to:

• Submit a Confirmation Statement annually (company information confirmation)
• Submit Annual Accounts annually (financial report)