The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the world’s most developed and economically productive countries, with an annual gross domestic product (GDP) of $3 trillion. It’s a high-income country with good infrastructure and rule of law, making it a reliable place to conduct business. This article will explain the documents you need to register a business in the UK.
What Documents Do You Need To Register A Company In the UK
Registered Office Address
Every UK-based business must have a valid office address to receive mail about legal and corporate matters. This address must be accessible to the public during working hours.
Your company must submit proof of a registered office address to Companies House. You’ll provide the complete address and the correct postcode for Companies House to verify.
Directors Credentials
Every British company must have at least one appointed director responsible for day-to-day management. A director can be a local or foreign resident. They must be at least 16 years old and not disqualified from corporate directorship due to previous conduct.
Company formation requires submitting personal information about all appointed directors. You must provide valid identity documents for each director, e.g., a government-issued identity card or travel passport. The identification helps Companies House vet the worthiness of every director.
Shareholder Identification
Every company must have at least one shareholder. You’ll choose a total number of shares, i.e., share capital, and allocate specific amounts to each shareholder. The higher the number of shares a person owns, the higher their influence over corporate affairs.
You must provide the names of all shareholders in your business. You must also identify persons of significant control (PSCs), which refers to anyone who holds more than 25% of shares, over 25% of voting rights, or has the power to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.
Memorandum of Association
A Memorandum of Association (MoA) is a document that defines your company’s relationship with shareholders, its objectives, and scope of operations. This document denotes all the responsibilities assigned to each director and how each member controls corporate affairs.
The good news is that if you’re registering your UK company online, you don’t need to manually create your memorandum of association; the Companies House website will automatically generate one based on the information you provide.
If you’re registering by post, you can use the template provided by the British corporate governing body.
Articles of association
Articles of Association is a legal document that defines your company’s internal regulations. It is a binding agreement between the shareholders and directors of your company.
This document denotes how executives will accomplish tasks within your organization. It defines how directors can be appointed or removed, how financial records will be handled, the capital structure, and many other important factors.
Shareholders and directors would refer to this legally binding document in case of any disputes, so ensure it’s well-written. You can ask a lawyer to review and correct any mistakes before submitting the Articles of Association.
How Can You Submit the Registration Documents?
You can submit the documents online or by postal service. Online submissions can be processed in as little as 24 hours, while postal registrations can take up to 10 days. Companies House charges £12 for online registrations and £40 for postal registrations.
If your application registration is approved, you’ll receive a Certificate of Incorporation confirming that your business is formally registered and recognized by the government.
