Registering a company may sound like a complex endeavour, but it really isn’t. Now, thanks to the internet, the process is a quick and simple one, with the time it takes to complete the necessary online form being as little as 10 minutes. Then, once the application has been sent to Companies House, applications are generally accepted within a matter of hours.
In this post, we explain how to register a company at Companies House in 4 simple steps, including what information you need to provide.
Key considerations when registering a company
Before we jump in, there are two key questions you need to ask:
- What type of company do you want to register?
- How do you want to register your company?
What type of company do you want to register?
In the UK there are five company types:
- Private company limited by shares – for normal business
- Private company limited by guarantee – for non-profit work
- Private unlimited company – if financial confidentiality is a must
- Public limited company – if you want to sell shares on the stock markets
- Limited liability partnership – for professional partnerships (such as accountants, solicitors, dentists, etc.)
The most popular structure is the private company limited by shares.
The vital characteristic of this type of company is that the liability of the shareholders (the owners) is limited to the value of the shares they hold. This means, if the company were to encounter financial difficulties, the shareholders’ personal finances are protected.
For the purposes of this post, we are going to explain how to register a private company limited by shares. If you have any questions about any of the other structures, including how to register them, please see the links above or feel free to leave a comment on this post.
Before we go any further, it’s important to know that a private company limited by shares can be registered with just one person.
How do you want to register your company?
You can either register your company directly with Companies House, or use a third-party, such as an accountant or company formation agent, like us.
Companies House is the UK’s regulatory body for companies. They are tasked with:
- Overseeing the registration of new companies
- Overseeing the dissolution (closure) of existing companies
- Maintaining a register made up of all companies
The company registration service that Companies House offer is very much stripped back, and does not provide any extras that a company formation agent can.
For example, to register a company you must provide a registered office address.
Using a residential address is permitted but not recommended, as the registered office address is placed on the public register – meaning anyone can access the address online. This opens the business owner up to unexpected visitors and potential ID fraud. Plus, by using a residential address, the company may appear ‘small time’ or ‘amateur’.
A company formation agent, such as us, will typically allow customers to use their address as their registered office. Not only does this protect their residential address from the public register, but it also helps the business make a solid, professional impression.
This is just one of the services that a company formation agent can offer that Companies House does not.
Regardless of who you register your company with, the information that you must provide is the same. However, the process by which you provide this information will differ from platform to platform. We believe that we provide the simplest company registration service in the UK.
How to register your limited company
The entire company registration process is online and we have broken this down into four simple steps:
- Choose a company name
- Select a company registration package
- Checkout
- Enter your company details
Let’s explore these steps in more detail.
Step 1: Choose a company name
You probably have a good idea of the name that you would like to attach to your company, so the first thing you should do is check its availability using our name search tool. This will immediately tell you if the name has already been taken, as it must be unique.
The tool will also tell you if your proposed name includes any ‘sensitive words or expressions’. This is a list (set out by Companies House) made up of words and expressions – that if used incorrectly in a company name, could mislead or harm the public.
If your company name includes any of these, you will need to upload supporting documentation to accompany your company registration to prove that you qualify to use the word or expression.
For example, if your proposed name included the word ‘Optician’, we would notify you that this was a sensitive word. You would then need to seek written approval from the General Optical Council. If they were to sign this off, you could then upload their correspondence as part of the company registration process.
See this post for more information: Sensitive words and expressions – what you need to know.
Regardless of the company name you choose, because you are registering a private company limited by shares, your name must end in one of the below.
- Limited
- Ltd
- Cyfyngedig (if your company’s jurisdiction is in Wales)
- Cyf (if your company’s jurisdiction is in Wales)
Whilst they are interchangeable, you do get to choose which version your company is registered with.
Step 2: Select a company registration package
Now that you’ve picked a company name that’s available, the next step is to choose the company registration package that’s right for you.
We offer seven limited by shares packages:
- Digital – £52.99
- Privacy – £67.99
- Professional – £79.99
- Prestige – £149.99
- All Inclusive – £224.99
- Non-Residents – £164.99
- eSeller – £129.99
All the packages give you the core company registration, the difference is in the additional extras.
We’ve already mentioned the registered office address service, whereby you can use our address as your company’s registered office. If you purchase the ‘Privacy’ package, you can team this with our Director’s Service Address – this allows you to also use our address as the official address for one company director. This then ensures that the director’s residential address is wholly protected from the Companies House register.
You may need additional services on top of address protection, such as the preparation and filing of your company’s first confirmation statement, VAT registration, or even a Full Company Secretary Service. Our ‘All Inclusive’ package includes all of these.
It’s worth mentioning that all of our packages come with the option to open a business bank account with the UK’s leading banking providers, including Barclays, Monzo, NatWest, and Tide to name just a few.
You will also notice that we offer a ‘Non-Residents’ package. This is perfect if you want to form a company but live outside of the UK, as it includes all of our address services, plus the option to open a WorldFirst UK Business Bank account (account opening subject to approval).
Step 3: Checkout
Just before you make payment, you have the option to add some more additional services to your basket. For example, you may want a guarantee that your company is formed on the same day as you make the order, in which case you can pick up the ‘Guaranteed Same-Day Service’ for only £39.99.
When you’re ready, provide us with your name, password for your new account with us, and your billing information. None of this is applied to the details for your company, it’s simply a requirement to open your account with us.
You can then complete the payment. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, and American Express.
Step 4: Enter your company details
This is where you provide the necessary information to get your company registered at Companies House. If you’re forming the company alongside someone else, the following section will act as a handy checklist when collecting the personal information that you require.
This part of the post directly refers to our own company registration process, but the information outlined here will be relevant regardless of who you register your company with.
Your company’s ‘Particulars’
You must provide the following information for your new company:
Company Name
Whilst you will already have provided your company name, you have a chance to change it here. This is also where you choose to use ‘Limited’, ‘Ltd’, ‘Cyfyngedig’, or ‘Cyf’.
If your company name contains any sensitive words or expressions, it’s on this page that we’ll notify you that you will be required to submit additional information, and who you will need to seek authorisation from. This is also the step at which you can upload this approval as and when it has been received.
Jurisdiction
You need to select your company’s jurisdiction, which must be one of the following:
- England & Wales
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
The jurisdiction must match up with the location of the company’s registered office. For example, if the registered office is in:
- London – your jurisdiction must be England & Wales
- Cardiff – you can choose between England & Wales or Wales
- Belfast – your jurisdiction must be Northern Ireland
- Edinburgh – your jurisdiction must be Scotland
SIC Codes
The Standard Industrial Classification code is a five-digit code that sets out the industry (or industries) in which your company will be operating. You must select at least one code from the SIC list provided, although you can select up to four.
You should be as accurate as possible when picking your SIC code(s), but don’t be too concerned if you feel you have selected the wrong code, as it can be updated whenever you file a confirmation statement.
Registered Office Address
This is the official address of your new business and where government bodies such as Companies House, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will send mail for your company. It’s also the location where any court documentation will be sent.
You can use any physical address in the UK as your registered office address (other than a PO Box), provided that you have permission from the landlord.
As mentioned, you can use a residential address as the registered office address if you wish; however, that does have a number of downsides.
You do not need to carry out any business activity at the registered office. However, you must have access to the official government mail that’s sent to the address.
It is possible to change the registered office address once the company has been registered, provided that the new registered office is in the same jurisdiction. For example, you could move the registered office from London to Manchester or Cardiff, but you could not move it to Belfast or Edinburgh.
Director information
The director is the person tasked with the day-to-day running of the company. A private company limited by shares must have at least one person in the director role at all times, with no limit on the number of directors that you have at any one time. In most cases, the director will also be a shareholder (the person or people who own the company) – this is not compulsory though.
For each person being appointed as a director, you will need the following:
- Title
- Name (we recommend entering this as it appears on the person’s passport)
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Occupation
- Service address (also known as the correspondence address) – this is very much like the director’s version of the registered office, in that it is placed on the public register, so using a residential address is not recommended
- Residential address – this is not placed on the public register, unless it is being used as the registered office address and/or service address
A company can also have a corporate director (for example, another company), provided that at least one person is also acting as the director. For each corporate director you will need the following:
- Title of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- Name of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- The legal name of the corporate entity
- Address of the corporate entity
- The location where the company was registered (if this is outside of the UK, you will also need to provide the governing law and legal form of the entity)
- Registration number
As well as each providing the necessary information, every director will need to give their consent to act as a director. This is done by ticking a box during the online process.
Shareholder information
Shareholders are the owners of the company. A company must have at least one shareholder (this can be a corporate shareholder if you wish, although the norm is for shareholders to be people). When more than one shareholder is appointed, the number of shares that they hold and the value of these shares define their ownership.
For example, if a company had two shareholders, both holding one share worth £1, they would be 50%/50% owners of the company. On the other hand, if one shareholder had nine shares worth £1 each, and another shareholder had one share worth £1, the ownership structure would be 90%/10%.
For each person being added as a shareholder, you will need the following:
- Title
- Name (we recommend entering this as it appears on the person’s passport)
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Occupation
- Residential address (not placed on the public register)
- Share information, including the class, quantity, currency, and price per share
- The answer to three of these online signature questions:
- Mother’s maiden name
- Father’s forename
- Town of birth
- Telephone number
- National Insurance number
- Passport number
For each corporate entity acting as a shareholder, you will need the following:
- Title of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- Name of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- The legal name of the corporate entity
- Address of the corporate entity
- Share information, including the class, quantity, currency, and price per share
- The answer to three of these online signature questions:
-
- Mother’s maiden name
- Father’s forename
- Town of birth
- Telephone number
- National Insurance number
- Passport number
Person with significant control (PSC) information
All companies must now identify any people with significant control. This is any person who meets at least one of the below criteria:
- Owns more than 25% of the company’s shares
- Holds more than 25% of the company’s voting rights.
- Holds the right to appoint or remove the majority of directors.
- Has the right to, or actually exercises significant influence or control.
- Holds the right to exercise or actually exercises significant control over a trust or company that meets one of the first 4 conditions
In the majority of cases, this will be a shareholder. In the rare instance that no one qualifies as a PSC, you would need to provide a company statement accompanying the registration explaining that there are no registerable PSCs.
For each person with significant control, you will need to provide the following:
- Title
- Name (we recommend entering this as it appears on the person’s passport)
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Occupation
- Service address
- Residential address (not placed on the public register)
- Information on the nature of their control (for example, they hold more than 25% of the company’s shares)
It is also possible for a corporate entity to be a PSC. If this is the case for your company, you will need to provide the following:
- Title of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- Name of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- The legal name of the corporate entity
- Address of the corporate entity
- The location where the company was registered (if this is outside of the UK, you will also need to provide the governing law and legal form of the entity)
- Registration number
- Information on the nature of its control (for example, they hold more than 25% of the company’s shares)
Secretary information
The secretary is an optional appointment. If one is appointed, the duty of the secretary is to ensure that the company stays up to date with its filing responsibilities. If a secretary is not appointed, this responsibility is taken on by the director(s). It is possible for someone to be a director, shareholder, secretary, and PSC.
For each person being appointed as a secretary, you will need to provide the following:
- Title
- Name (we recommend entering this as it appears on the person’s passport)
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Occupation
- Service address
- Residential address
You can also appoint a corporate entity as a secretary if you wish. To do this you will need to provide the following:
- Title of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- Name of the authorising person from the corporate entity
- The legal name of the corporate entity
- Address of the corporate entity
- The location where the company was registered (if this is outside of the UK, you will also need to provide the governing law and legal form of the entity)
- Registration number
As well as providing the necessary information, every secretary will need to give their consent to act as a secretary. This is done by ticking a box during the online process.
The articles of association
This is the document that outlines how the company is going to be operated, like an internal handbook for the internal workings of the company.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to create your own. Companies registered through our system are incorporated using a modified version of the Model articles of association. All you need to do is indicate via the click of a button that you’re happy for your company to be registered using our prepared articles of association (these suit the overwhelming majority of companies).
If you want your company to adopt bespoke articles of association, please get in touch with our Customer Service Team.
Your chance to pick up some Business Essentials
One of the major benefits of registering a company with 1st Formations, rather than directly with Companies House, is that you can take advantage of the various (often exclusive) partner offers that we’ve curated for our customers.
Once you’ve provided your company details, you have the chance to opt-in to offers from banks, accounting software providers, and card acquiring services. We work with the following businesses:
Banking
- Anna
- Barclays
- Cashplus
- Mettle
- Monzo
- NatWest
- Tide
- WorldFirst
Accounting software
- Anna
- Xero
- Iris
Card acquiring
- Takepayments
All you need to do is select who you’re interested in. You’ll then receive more information on redeeming the offer, as soon as your company has been formed.
Checking your application
The final thing you must do is check over all the information that you have provided, ensuring there are no typos or other mistakes.
If you spot a problem, you can go back and fix the issue – otherwise, you can send your company registration application.
For added peace of mind, if you are concerned about making a mistake, we offer a ‘Pre-Submission Review’ service for only £4.99 (this is automatically added to your basket before you checkout, but you are welcome to remove this). With this service, a company expert will review your application, looking for any mistakes. The application will only be sent when we’re satisfied that it’s error-free.
Once an application has been sent to Companies House, we’ll normally have a response back from them within 24 hours. In the rare occurrence that a registration is rejected, we’ll work with you to fix any issues. There is no charge for this, nor is there a charge for resubmitting the application.
Our ID requirements
We are legally required to run ID checks on all account holders, Beneficial Owners (defined as any shareholder who is to hold 25% or more of a company’s share capital) or directors who intend to use our address as their service address at Companies House.
These checks are non-intrusive and should only take a few seconds.
In some instances, we may need to collect proof of ID and proof of address documentation. Again, the process for collecting this information is extremely quick – it should take no longer than 5 minutes.
We will email you the exact requirements as soon as your application has been submitted. See the ID requirements section of our Find Quick Answers page for more information.
When your company has been registered
We’ll email you as soon as your application has been accepted and your company has been registered at Companies House. This email will include your key company information, such as your company number, company authentication code, and the memorandum and articles of association.
You will also have free and immediate access to our Online Company Manager, an essential tool that allows you to make changes to your company, track important due dates, and much more.
About the public register
When you register a limited company, a large portion of the information that you provide – including the people associated with it and the share capital – gets placed on the Companies House public register. This is to give transparency to anyone looking to work with the company.
This is unavoidable and the price the business owner pays for using this esteemed business structure.
Of the company details covered in ‘Step 4’ of this post, the only pieces of information that is suppressed from the public register are:
- Residential addresses (provided that a residential address has not been given as the registered office address or a service address)
- The day on dates of birth (month and year are published)
- The answers to online signature questions
- Any personal information you have provided us as part of an additional service or partner offering
So there you have it, how to register a limited company
We hope you have found this post helpful.
If you are thinking about registering a limited company, we’d love to help you do it. Take a look at our company registration packages, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Thanks for reading.
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