Company Formation Checklist

To set up a limited company, you need to provide some critical information. Don't worry; our online registration is easy, paper-free, and made to guide you without mistakes. We'll send your application to Companies House electronically, and your company should be registered in three hours.

Use this company formation guide and get it right the first time. The following is the information required to set up a limited company.

1. Choose a Company Name

Please read our company name check guide for information about requirements on company names.

Our company formation platform will require you to upload supporting documentation if you use sensitive words or expressions.

2. Registered Office Address

Your company's official address.

It should be a full postal address in the same part of the UK where your business is registered. A PO Box number is not acceptable.

Companies House and HMRC will send statutory/ official mail to this address. You also have the option of using it as your business address.

The address will be publicly available on the Companies House, accessible through the Companies House Search Service.

3. Share Particulars

Every limited company must have at least one class of ordinary shares that can't be redeemed. At least one of these irredeemable shares must be in effect when incorporating the company.

While some companies stick to a single class of ordinary shares, many now opt for multiple classes like ordinary A, ordinary B, and so on.

Using Your Company Formations online registration platform, you can register your company with various share classes, whether fully paid, fully unpaid, or partly paid. We also support currencies like £ sterling, euros, or US dollars.

Share details you need to provide during registration, including —

Share class description: Most companies start with ordinary shares.
Nominal value of each share class: While many companies set it at £1, it can be as low as £0.000001 per share.
Prescribed particulars: These are the specific rights associated with each share class.

4. Choose a SIC Code

You are required to determine your business activity and its corresponding standard industrial classification (SIC) code.

Our online company formation process includes a SIC code search feature. However, we advise that you identify your company's SIC code before initiating your order by consulting the official SIC code list.

5. Company Directors details

To qualify to serve as a director, you must -

Be at least 16 years old;
Not have an undischarged bankruptcy; and
Not have been disqualified as a company director.

Have in hand the following director details –

Full legal names
Day of Birth (Minimum age of 16).
Residential address (won’t be published on the public register)
Service address (residence or others, to be published on the public register).
Profession.
Citizenship.

6. Person with Significant Control (PSC)

A PSC owns or controls your company. They're sometimes called 'beneficial owners. However, there are situations where the PSC is not a direct shareowner.

According to Gov.uk, most PSCs are those who hold:

More than 25% of shares in the company
More than 25% of voting rights in the company
The right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors or any other exercise of significant control.

Please note a person also has significant control if they exercise significant influence or control over a trust or firm where the trustees or members meet the above conditions.

To help you determine who is a PSC, consider the following —

If the person fulfils one of the three conditions listed above as articulated by the Companies Act.
In cases where two or more individuals or entities jointly hold shares or rights, the legal perspective acknowledges that each party has the full rights and responsibilities for those shares or rights.
An individual may hold shares or voting rights directly or indirectly through a uk corporation, an overseas company, trust, or other entity.
Not serving as a stockholder or director but having substantial influence or control over a company when, for instance, they consistently guide or influence a significant segment of the board.
A share held by a nominee on behalf of an individual is regarded as owned by that individual.

For a PSC who is not registered as a director, stockholder, or secretary, provide the following information —

Full name
Date of Birth
Residential address (won’t be published on the public record)
Service address (residence or others, to be published on the public register).
Nationality
Nature of control (e.g., The person holds more than 50% to 75% of shares.)

A note about registrable persons and relevant legal entities

If an individual meets one or more of the three PSC conditions described above, that individual is a registrable person.

Suppose a UK company meets the conditions; then the company is a registrable relevant legal entity (RLE) that must file its own PSC information. Therefore, the law does not require you to consider who controls such entities.

However, an overseas company or a foreign holding company is not a registrable relevant legal entity unless —

It opens a UK establishment and registers as an overseas company.
Overseas companies listed on recognised exchanges by the Overseas Companies Regulations (2009)

Suppose an overseas company meets one or more of the above conditions. In that case, it is necessary to determine if an individual holds a majority stake in the overseas company (directly or indirectly). If there is, that individual will be a registrable person in relation to the UK company.

7. Details when the Shareholder is a person with Significant Control

A limited company should have at least one shareholder who can be a director. You’ll own 100% of the company if you're the only one.

Where the shareowner is a Person with Significant Control (PSC)

Full names
Date of Birth
Residence address (won’t be published on the public register)
Service address (residence or others, to be published on the public register).
Nationality
Nature of control (e.g., The person holds more than 50% to 75% of shares.)

8. Details when the shareholder is NOT a Person with Significant Control

If the shareowner holds less than 25% of the company, the individual is not a PSC. You’ll need to provide their details as follows —

Full names
Date of Birth
Residence address (won’t be published on the public register)
Service address (residence or others, to be published on the public register).
Nationality

Three Security Details (these act as an online signature)

First three letters of mother’s maiden name
First three letters of father’s forename
First three letters of town of birth

9. Secretary’s details (if necessary)

Private limited companies are not required to appoint a secretary.

The primary role of a company secretary is to help directors with the administrative aspects of running the business. Consequently, the necessity for a company secretary depends on the complexities involved in your enterprise.

The following are the secretary details required during registration —

Full legal names;
Day of Birth (Minimum age 16);
Residence address (won’t be published on the public register);
Service address (residence or others, to be published on the public register);
Profession; and
Citizenship.

A note about online signatures and security questions

Within the context of UK company formations, signatures and security questions demonstrate you have the consent to appoint the individuals to the respective offices.

To obtain a signature, Companies House poses security questions that they consider appropriate for confirming a person's identity and consent. These questions are the appointee’s–

Town of birth (first three letters required);
Telephone number (last three digits required);
National insurance number (last three digits required);
Mother’s maiden name (first three letters required);
Father’s first name (first three letters required); and
Passport number (last three digits required).

Each director and secretary must choose any three security questions from the above list and provide the first three digits of the appropriate answers. They are not required to determine the same questions as the other appointees.

Because Companies House accepts answers to (any) three of the seven security questions, we offer (only) three questions. You’ll need the following information for each of the appointed directors and secretaries —

Initial three letters of mother's initial name;
Initial three letters of father's forename; and
Initial three letters of the town of birth.

(Our intuitive proprietary company registration platform is user-friendly. When an individual holds positions as a director, shareholder, or PSC simultaneously, you only need to input their information once. Simply check the relevant boxes for each role to which the same information applies.)

10. Memorandum and Articles of Association

You can adopt the model statutory documents prepared by Companies House for the memorandum and articles of association. Check the appropriate box; the system will tailor the articles to fit your company.

Alternatively, you can download the model documents, make modifications, and upload them. You can also choose to upload entirely new articles and memorandum of association.

Please note that your articles will be available in the public register of companies.

11. Submission

Before submitting your application, ensure all the details are correct. Our system alerts you if anything crucial is missing. Once you submit it, our company formation specialists review it to prevent any potential delays due to errors.

Your application is then sent securely to Companies House. They check and, if all is well, approve within three working hours. With any of our formation packages, you'll receive digital copies of your incorporation documents, and you can start trading immediately.

Expect your UTR within ten days after your company successfully incorporates. You don't need to apply separately. If it takes more than three weeks, contact HMRC.

However, if you want to register for a VAT number voluntarily, make a separate application.

A Note on Privacy for New Company Officials

All the information from your application form will be available to everyone on the official company register. But details like your home address stay private unless you (or any official) used it as a registered office, service, or trading address.

So consider any of our address services as part of your company privacy policy. Our services include —

Our service allows you to receive your company’s correspondence at our central London location as if it were your own, giving the appearance of your business being based in the heart of the capital.