Company Formation

Company formation, also called company registration, is the process of legally incorporating a business in the UK through Companies House, the official registrar of companies for England and Wales. When a business is formed, it becomes a legal entity that is separate from its shareholders, giving it its own rights and responsibilities.

No. You do not need to live in the UK to register a company. UK law allows foreign individuals and businesses to set up companies, provided the following requirements are met:

• You must appoint at least one director, who can be an individual or a company.
• Your company must have a registered office address in the UK.

To ensure compliance and smooth setup, it is advisable to work with a solicitor, accountant, or a Companies House authorised agent such as Your Company Formations. Professional support helps you meet all legal obligations and manage your company effectively as a non-UK resident.

To register a company with us, you only need to complete a 5-minute online application form. Please note that your limited company must also have:

• A registered office address
• At least one company director
• At least one shareholder holding a minimum of one share

If you prefer to keep your business or personal director’s address private, you can use our professional address services for added confidentiality.

There are no hidden costs for any of our packages. We advertise a fair, transparent cost for our services, so no unexpected fees are added at the end of the checkout process. We include the Companies House charge of £100.00 with all our formation packages. This fee is charged on all new formations and is included in the price you see.

A limited company requires at least one share per shareholder, with a minimum of one shareholder. There is no limit to the number of shares held by a shareholder.

When you form a company with us and select an introductory bank or merchant account offer, we will forward your details directly to the provider and give you a cashback application form.

Once you complete and return the form, the account provider will review it and issue your cashback in line with the instructions stated on the form.

Once your application is completed online, we will set up your company within 3-6 working hours, depending on Companies House's workload on the day. You will receive a notification telling you that your company registration application has been approved. Digital copies of your company documents in PDF format will be sent to your email address, and you can begin trading immediately.

Yes. A limited company can be formed, owned, and managed by a single person. In this case, you would act as both the sole director and the sole shareholder of the company.

See also: Personal Service Company (PSC) & IR35 Explained!

A company formation agent is a professional service provider that helps individuals and businesses register a company in the UK. At Your Company Formations, our role is to make the process simple and compliant by offering:

• Guidance on choosing a company name and checking its availability instantly
• Registration and reservation of your company name for future use
• Assistance with opening a business bank account for newly formed companies
• Preparation and filing of all required documentation with Companies House
• A registered office address to protect the privacy of directors
• A trading address with mail handling on behalf of corporate clients
• Ongoing advice and support to help you manage your company effectively

Setting up a company is a complex, time-consuming process that requires filing different forms of paperwork in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, working with company incorporation agents saves you the time and hassle of handling the process yourself.

Your Company Formations provides adequate guidance on the suitable corporate structure for your business idea and handles and files the paperwork. Because of our longstanding relationship with Companies House and other service providers, you will benefit from negotiated incorporation rates and cashback when opening your business account with our selected partners.

Your Company Formations is widely recognised as the best company formation agent in the UK, trusted by over 1.2 million businesses. Our reputation is built on a strong track record and a customer-focused approach that puts your needs first.

With over 100 years of combined experience, our team brings deep expertise and knowledge to every formation. Our 4.8 out of 5.0 rating on Trustpilot reflects our commitment to outstanding customer service. We also provide free support during working hours, so help is always available when you need it.

Our services are highly affordable, with formation packages starting from just £2.48, making us a cost-effective choice for businesses of every size and budget. Combining experience, reliability, excellent service, and affordability, Your Company Formations remains the top choice for anyone looking to form a company in the UK.

Use Your Company Formations to register your company and choose a free business account with up to £155 cash back from selected partners.

Our company formation time is relatively quick. We aim to register your new company within three to six hours after you have successfully completed the application form and identity checks. This time frame is subject to Companies House workloads, which can vary depending on factors outside of our control.

The most popular company type businesses use in the UK is the private company limited by shares (LTD). It is a legal structure that offers limited liability to its shareholders, meaning that they are only liable for the amount of money they have invested in the company. This makes it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes, as it protects the personal assets of the shareholders in the event that the company goes bankrupt.

When incorporating a new company, there is some key information required in order to complete the application. It's relatively straightforward; personal details are required, such as full name, contact information, and address details for the company itself. A new limited company formation application also requires a registered office address for the company, a director, and a shareholder holding at least one share. If you wish to keep your details private, you can use our professional address services, which are included with some packages. This is a good way to keep your business or personal director’s address private.

When you register a company with Your Company Formations, we aim to keep the process as simple as possible. No documentation is required for the company application form, and in most instances, it can be completed in approximately 5-10 minutes. Once the company formation application form is submitted, an invitation from Credas (UK Government Approved Third Party Partner) will be sent, which will ask you to upload or take a photo of your identity documents online through a secure portal.

For a client who is registering a new limited company, you will first need to ensure that the name you want is available. You can use our company name search facility on our website to check this prior to proceeding. For a private limited company, the name will also need to end with “Limited” or “Ltd”, or, if you are registering a company in Wales, then the company will need to end with (“Cyfyngedig” or “Cyf”).

No need to worry, most mistakes made during the company formation process can be corrected after your business is officially registered, often without any additional cost.

To help you avoid errors from the start, we offer a Pre-Submission Review for just £4.99 added at checkout. This service allows one of our company formation experts to carefully review your application before it’s sent to Companies House, ensuring everything is accurate and compliant.

Although Companies House doesn’t offer a specific option to register a company as dormant, you can still set up a standard limited company and later declare it as dormant with HMRC. If you want to register a company as dormant from the outset most customers choose the appropriate SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code which is 99999 (dormant company). This option can be selected after checkout.

After your company has been incorporated and you’ve received your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) — usually within 2 to 3 weeks — you can let HMRC know that your business isn’t trading and doesn’t plan to start any time soon. This will officially classify your company as dormant.

No paperwork or signatures are needed. At Your Company Formations Ltd, our company registration service is entirely online. Just follow our streamlined 4-step process, and in most cases, your new company will be formed within 24 hours, depending on Companies House processing times.

If your goal is to run a business for profit, a private limited company (LTD) is usually the best option. It’s the most common company type in the UK and suits a wide range of business activities. We offer a variety of company formation packages to suit startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

If you're setting up a non-profit, charity, association, or community group, a private company limited by guarantee may be more appropriate. Check out our dedicated Limited by Guarantee formation package for more details.

Professionals such as lawyers, architects, or consultants may benefit from forming a limited liability partnership (LLP). LLPs provide the flexibility of a traditional partnership while offering the protection of limited liability.

Once we incorporate your company at Companies House and your company has been approved, your company registration process will be completed. Part of the completion process will include electronic copies of your company incorporation certificate with your unique company number, share certificates (Ltd Companies), and memorandum and articles of association sent to you instantly via email. If you also select a package or product that contains printed documents, these will be sent to you quickly within a day or two.

When you register a new limited company online, you will be asked to provide correspondence address details for all directors. You can choose to publish your address, or, for the majority of our clients, they choose to have a layer of privacy through the use of our director's privacy address. This enables you to keep your address off the public record and helps to prevent companies, agencies, and the general public from obtaining your contact information.

All UK Ltd companies are legally required to appoint at least one director who is over the age of 16. A company director has many legal responsibilities and reporting duties; they are legally responsible for the running of the company. Duties include but are not limited to, filing of accounts, filing documents at Companies House, and keeping the company in good standing. A director can actually be another company; however, at least one of the directors must be a person as opposed to a “legal entity”.