What Details do I Need to Form a Limited Company? (Limited by Shares)

When forming a private limited company by Shares in the UK, you will need to have the following:

• Proof of ID
• Company Name, Company Address and Business Activity
• Director and Secretary (optional) Details
• Share Capital and Shareholder Details
• People with Significant Control (PSC) Details
• Memorandum and Articles (M&As)

Proof of ID

We have a legal obligation to check proof of ID and proof of address documents for all customers located on our system and all officers for companies that use our address services - this is to ensure we comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) requirements.

Company Name, Company Address and Business Activity

Your company name must not contain any words deemed to be sensitive, or it cannot be the same as an existing company on the Companies House register. 

Every company must have a registered office within the UK - England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, which is the official address of the company. It will need to be a physical address (i.e. not a PO BOX without physical location) as Companies House, and HMRC will need to send correspondence to this address. 

You'll need to choose your company's business activity (a maximum of 4) called a SIC code, which descriptions can be found in the SIC reference table.

Director and Secretary (Optional) Details

To incorporate a private limited company, you need at least one director, who must be at least 16 years or older. You may also have a secretary, but this is optional. The information you will need to supply for each officer includes:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth (Must be 16 years or older)
• Nationality
• Occupation
• Country of Residence
• Residential Address (This is not displayed on public record)
• Service Address (Can be the same as the registered office)

You can be a UK company director regardless of your nationality.

A Corporate (Company) Director
if you want to appoint a company as a director, you will need to supply the following:

• Company Name
• Full Name (of the Company Director)
• Company's Address
• EEA or Non-EEA (whether the company is registered in the European Union or not)
• Country Registered
• Registration Number
  
  If the company is non-EEA you will also need to provide the following:
• Governing Law (?)
• Legal Form (?)

Share Capital and Shareholder Details

A minimum of 1 shareholder is required. You can be both director and shareholder. You will need to supply the name and address of each initial shareholder in the company (known as a subscriber).

• Full Name
• Address
• Share Currency (GBP, EUR, USD)
• Share Class (Ordinary, Preference, Redeemable)
• Number of Shares
• Value Per Share
• 3 Security Questions (these act as an online signature)
  
  • First three letters of Town of birth
  • Last three digits of Telephone number
  • First three letters of Mother's Maiden Name

You can be a UK company shareholder regardless of your nationality or location.

A (Corporate) Company Shareholder
If you want to appoint a company as a shareholder, you will need the following information:

• Company Name
• Full Name (of the Company Director)
• Company's Address
• Share Currency (GBP, EUR, USD)
• Share Class (Ordinary, Preference, Redeemable)
• Number of Shares
• Value Per Share
• 3 Security Questions (these act as an online signature. Use the Company Director for the questions)
  • First three letters of Town of birth
  • Last three digits of Telephone number
  • First three letters of Mother's Maiden Name

People with Significant Control (PSC)

A PSC is a person or relevant legal entity (such as a company) who has significant influence or control over the company. All UK Limited companies will need to provide Companies House a record of people who own or control their company.

Memorandum & Articles (M&As)

We provide the option to select the standard articles that Companies House provide as a template for a typical Limited by Shares company. You have the option however to upload customised articles.

See our how it works page for assistance.

I'm ready to form my company!