Home/Non-resident company formation
Register a UK company from outside the UK
A UK limited company formed for directors and shareholders who live outside the UK, with no requirement to visit and no requirement for a UK-resident director.
Who it is for. Founders abroad selling into the UK or Europe, marketplace sellers needing a UK entity, and groups establishing a UK subsidiary.
What Companies House needs
- A registered office in the jurisdiction of registration — this is where our address service is not optional but structural
- Identity verification for every director and person with significant control, which takes more evidence from abroad
- A service address for each officer, so residential addresses abroad are not published
- A clear description of what the company will do, and where its customers are
What this form gets wrong most often
- Registration is easy; banking is the hard part
- Nothing stops a non-resident forming a UK company. Opening a UK business account is where most non-resident formations stall, and it is worth resolving before you buy, not after.
- A UK company does not make you UK tax resident
- Where a company is managed and controlled affects where it is taxed, and there may be obligations in your own country too. Take advice locally as well as here.
- Apostilles are usually needed eventually
- Banks, registries and counterparties abroad ask for legalised documents. Arranging it at the point of formation is cheaper than doing it under time pressure.
What has to be filed afterwards
- Confirmation statement and annual accounts, on the same timetable as any UK company
- Corporation tax registration with HMRC once trading begins
- VAT registration where UK supplies require it, which can arise sooner for overseas businesses
Questions
Do I need to visit the UK?
No. Incorporation, identity verification and filings can all be handled remotely. Some banks require a visit; not all do.
Do I need a UK director?
Not to register the company. Some banks prefer or require one, which is a banking condition rather than a company law one.
Can I use my home address abroad?
As a service address, yes — but it would then be published on the UK public register. The registered office must be in the UK jurisdiction of registration.
Non-resident company formation
£199.99 + VAT
plus £100 Companies House fee- Name ends in
- Limited or Ltd
- Jurisdictions
- England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Full price list on the pricing page. Companies House sets and collects its own fee.
Other structures
Enquire
Non-resident company formation enquiry
Tell us who is involved and what the organisation is meant to do. If a different structure fits better, we will say so before you pay for this one.
Non-resident company formation
Tell us what you are trying to do and we will reply with what is involved. No obligation, and we will say so plainly if what you need is not something we do.