How to register a UK limited company yourself

Before you start

This guide takes you through setting up a private company limited by shares, from choosing a name to checking what needs doing after incorporation. It covers a new UK company. If you live overseas, use our companion guide for non-UK residents, which adds the address, identity and overseas tax checks.

Fees and guidance checked on 4 October 2026. Check the current Companies House fee before paying.

Have the following ready:

• Your proposed company name and an alternative.
• A suitable UK registered office and an email address you will monitor.
• Each director's personal details, addresses and Companies House personal code.
• Each shareholder's name, address and agreed share allocation.
• Details of anyone who will have significant control over the company.
• The business activity and its Companies House SIC code.
• Your choice of articles of association, which set the company's rules.
• A payment card for the £100 registration fee.

Agree the ownership before filling in the application. If two people are starting the business together, decide who owns what and how decisions will be made. A company registration form will not settle a disagreement between founders.

Step 1: Check that you want a company limited by shares

This is the structure used by many businesses whose owners hold shares. The company is a separate legal entity, and its directors take on filing and record-keeping duties. You will need at least one director and one shareholder; the same person can do both. A private company does not have to appoint a company secretary. See the official company setup guide.

The steps below assume individual directors and shareholders, with a simple share structure. Charities, companies limited by guarantee, corporate owners and arrangements involving different share classes need different preparation.

Step 2: Choose and check the company name

1. Search your proposed name on the Companies House register.
2. Check for existing trade marks using the UK trade mark search.
3. Read the company naming rules if the name contains a restricted or sensitive word.
4. Use the required ending, normally “Limited” or “Ltd”.

A name can be refused because it is the same as an existing name. A similar name can also cause a dispute. Having an available website domain does not clear either check.

Keep the spelling you have chosen in one place and copy it into the application. Check it again on the final review screen.

Step 3: Arrange the registered office and company email

Your registered office must be a physical UK address in the jurisdiction where you register the company. For example, a company registered in Scotland needs a Scottish registered office. It must be an appropriate address where official post reaches someone acting for the company and delivery can be acknowledged. A PO Box alone is not acceptable. Companies House address requirements.

You can use your home, an accountant's address or an address service if you have permission and it meets the rules. The registered office is public, so consider privacy before using your home.

If you buy an address service, check what mail it accepts, how quickly it forwards or scans letters, and the renewal cost. Arrange this before applying.

You must also supply a registered email address. Companies House does not publish it. Use an inbox someone will check regularly, including its spam folder.

Step 4: Choose the directors and collect their details

A director must be at least 16 and eligible to act. Directors do not have to live in the UK. Check the director eligibility rules if there is a disqualification or bankruptcy issue.

For each director, prepare their full name, date of birth, nationality, occupation and the address details requested in the application. Use accurate details that agree with their identity records.

There are two addresses to think about:

• The service address is for correspondence with the director and appears on the public register.
• The usual residential address is where the director actually lives and is supplied separately to Companies House.

Choose the public service address deliberately. Supplying your home in a public address field can make it visible even if you also provide it privately as your residential address. See what information Companies House makes public.

Step 5: Verify each director's identity

Each proposed director needs to complete Companies House identity verification and obtain their personal code before you submit the registration. Start from the official identity verification service.

You can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login for free. Follow the service's questions to find the route available to you. Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, or ACSP, can verify you and may charge a fee. Read how verification works.

Use your own email address for your One Login. Each person's identity needs its own account. Once verification is complete, save the personal code securely. The code belongs to the person, so you will normally use the same code for their other company roles.

Do not confuse this with the company's authentication code, which is a separate credential used for company filings.

Step 6: Decide who owns the shares

Write down each shareholder's allocation before you apply. A simple example is:

In the second example, the total nominal share capital is £100. It is separate from the Companies House fee and does not mean the business is worth £100.

You will need each shareholder's name and address, the number and nominal value of their shares, and the amount paid or unpaid. Make sure those amounts reflect the arrangement you actually intend and record any payments made to the company.

Ordinary shares commonly carry voting and dividend rights. Check the rights you are agreeing to, rather than copying unfamiliar wording. Different share classes or special investor rights need suitable articles and advice. Official guidance on shareholders and shares.

Step 7: Identify the people with significant control

A person with significant control, usually called a PSC, is someone who owns or controls the company. This includes someone with more than 25% of its shares or voting rights, or the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board. Other forms of significant influence or control can also count. Check the PSC conditions.

For the examples above, the sole owner is a PSC; both equal owners are PSCs. Exactly 25% does not meet the “more than 25%” share condition by itself, though other conditions may apply.

Collect each PSC's personal details and identify the correct nature of control. For a straightforward individual owner, preparing their identity verification now will also make the post-registration step easier.

Someone who is both a director and a PSC must provide their personal code separately for each role. See Step 11 for the PSC deadline.

Step 8: Choose the business activity and company rules

Find the activity that best describes what the company will do on the Companies House condensed SIC code list. Search by the work you will perform, then read the descriptions before choosing. Use codes from this list when filing.

You also need two incorporation documents:

• The memorandum of association records the initial shareholders' agreement to form the company. The online registration process creates it for you.
• The articles of association set out how the company is run. You can use the standard model articles if they suit your arrangement.

Read the official document guidance. If you need bespoke rules, check the appropriate filing route before proceeding with the standard application.

Step 9: Complete the official registration application

Open Register your company on GOV.UK and follow its registration link.

Work through the questions using the details you have prepared. The Companies House incorporation guidance explains the information required:

1. Enter the company name, registered office and registered email.
2. Add the business activity and SIC code.
3. Enter each director's details and personal code.
4. Enter the shareholders, share allocation and PSC information.
5. Confirm the company documents and any declarations the service asks for, including that the company is being formed for a lawful purpose.
6. Complete the tax setup questions that apply to your company.
7. Review every section, then pay and submit.

The precise order of screens can change. Use the current prompts rather than trying to match a screenshot from an older guide.

Where the combined service asks you to create a Government Gateway account for the company, create a company account as instructed. Do not use your personal Government Gateway ID. GOV.UK One Login for identity verification and Government Gateway for HMRC are separate accounts.

Before payment, check names, postcodes, dates of birth, share totals and ownership percentages. Confirm that everyone whose details you enter has agreed to the arrangement.

Step 10: Check the registration result

Online registrations are usually completed within 24 hours, but allow for checks or a rejected application. Save the submission reference and confirmation emails. Companies House explains the registration process and expected timing.

Once approved, save your certificate of incorporation and company documents. The certificate gives the company number and incorporation date. Search the company on the public register and check the name, registered office and appointments against what you submitted.

If the application is rejected, read the reason and correct that issue. Submission alone does not mean the company has been incorporated.

Step 11: Complete the PSC verification step

For a new PSC added after 18 November 2025, Companies House allows the personal code to be provided when the person is first added or within 14 days of being added. If it was not supplied for the PSC role during registration, use the Provide identity verification details for a PSC service. Have the company number and personal code ready, follow the sign-in instructions, and confirm the verification statement.

Check the recorded deadline and keep confirmation that the PSC submission succeeded. This also applies to a sole owner whose code was already supplied as a director. Current identity verification deadlines.

Step 12: Set up tax access and keep the filing dates

The official incorporation service usually also sets the company up for Corporation Tax, unless it is dormant. Check what you completed and keep the HMRC correspondence.

When the company becomes active and comes within the charge to Corporation Tax, tell HMRC within three months of the start of its tax accounting period. Check the actual activity and start date using HMRC's trading and non-trading guidance, especially if you registered the company before starting the business.

If you still need to add Corporation Tax access, sign in to the company's business tax account, select “Services you can add”, then enrol for Corporation Tax. Have the company number, company UTR and relevant business and accounting dates ready. Follow the activation letter sent to the registered office. HMRC's setup instructions.

Keep company income, spending and records separate from your personal finances from the start. Check whether VAT or PAYE registration applies before making taxable supplies or paying staff. Incorporation does not complete those checks for you.

Put the following in your calendar:

Check the company's actual dates against the accounts and tax return guidance. Changes to an accounting period can affect them. First accounts may cover more than 12 months, while a Corporation Tax accounting period cannot; this can mean two tax returns for the first accounts. HMRC's first-year explanation.

You must also file a confirmation statement at least annually, including when the company is dormant. Check the review period and filing deadline on the register. If you will not trade yet, tell HMRC and check the separate dormant filing requirements.

Related guides

Rates and deadlines can change. Use the official links below to check what applies to you.