Home/Registering a company/How long it takes
How long does it take to register a company?
What actually controls the timing, and why we will not print a number.
Companies House publishes its own processing times and they vary. A same-day digital service exists and costs £156 in statutory fees, but it still depends on their queue and on the submission being correct first time. No agent controls how quickly Companies House works.
What we control
That your submission is clean: the name checked against the rules and the register, the officers and shares correct, identity verification done, and nothing that will bounce.
What we do not control
The Companies House queue, whether a name is referred for review, and how long a sensitive-word non-objection takes to obtain. Advertising a turnaround we cannot deliver would just be a promise made with someone else's time.
What actually causes delay
A name that conflicts. A sensitive word needing a letter from a named body. An officer whose identity is not verified. A share structure that does not add up. All four are avoidable before submission, which is the point of checking first.
If you genuinely need it today
The same-day service exists. Tell us before you order so the submission is prepared to that standard, and understand that the statutory fee is higher.
Where to go next
Check a name first
Statutory rules, then the Companies House register. Free, and no email required.
Check a company name What it costs