What do I get?
What about fees and taxes?
Is the whole process online?
How long does it take?
Can I choose any company name I like?
What are the legal requirements?
What if I am not a UK resident?
Can I incorporate several companies?

What do I get?

You get a brand new company, absolutely "clean" (with no history or liabilities) and ready to trade. Unlike certain of our competitors, we make sure that all the necessary paperwork is done before you receive it.

For a complete list of what we send you, click here.

What about fees and taxes?

The price you pay for your company formation includes VAT and all other taxes and charges. There is nothing else to pay.

Is the whole process online?

Yes! There are absolutely no paper forms to fill in whatsoever.

When your company is formed, we send you all the documents you need. You will need Adobe Reader in order to access them. Adobe Reader can be downloaded free by clicking here or on the icon below.

You can rest assured that your payment details are processed safely over a secure, encrypted link. However, if you are concerned about buying over the net, we do offer an offline option - click here for details.

How long does it take?

We have done everything we can to make the process as simple as possible. Filling in the forms should take no longer than 5 minutes.

Once we have your completed forms and payment is authorised, we start to incorporate your company. This depends on Companies House, but normally takes less than one working day.

When your company is ready, we send you all the documents you need by e-mail. With incorporate.co.uk, you don't have to wait for the post.

Can I choose any company name I like?

Yes, as long as it is legal.

The main legal requirements are:

• It must end with "Limited" or "PLC" (depending on which type it is), and it cannot contain the word "limited" anywhere else in the name.

Examples: WXYZ Technology WXYZ Technology Limited

• It must not be a criminal offence to use the name.
• It must not be the same as another company's name. Companies House ignores spaces, punctuation, the type of company, the endings "Company" and "and Company", and abbreviations. It also treats "&" the same as "and".

Examples: Marks and Spencer Ltd. Mark, Sand, Spencer plc. Marks & Spencer Company plc. Marks & Spencer & Co. plc. Mark Spencer Consulting Ltd.

• It must not be offensive.
• It cannot contain a number of sensitive words or expressions, unless you obtain special permission. If you want to use one of these words, we recommend that you initially form your company with a different name, and try to change it later.

Examples: British Widget Company Ltd. Widget Makers Insurance Co. Ltd. Widgets International Limited The Fine Widget Company (UK) Limited

Please note that even if your company is formed, you may be ordered to change the name later if it is "too like" an existing company's name. We recommend that you check a number of combinations to see if there is a company with a similar name.

Click here to check your proposed company name.

What are the legal requirements?

• You don't need to worry about paperwork, because we do all that for you. However, there are a few legal requirements which all companies have to meet.
• You must have at least one director (two for PLCs). Undischarged bankrupts cannot be directors, nor can anyone who has been disqualified.
• There is no strict age limit for directors in England and Wales, but to ensure that incorporation goes smoothly, we will only accept directors who are over 18.
• You must have a company secretary. If there is only one director, that person cannot also be the company secretary. If you require, we can provide a company secretary - click here for details.
• For normal trading companies, there must be at least one shareholder (two for PLCs). This can be the same person as a director or company secretary. Directors run the company, but shareholders own it. If you require, we can provide a nominee shareholder, so that the shareholder's details are not on the public register: click here for details.
• You must have a registered office in the country of incorporation (either England/Wales or Scotland). We can provide this service to companies registered in England - click here for details.
• See above for help choosing your company name.

Both the registered office service and the company secretary service are available as part of our comprehensive StartNewBusiness start-up package.

What if I am not a UK resident?

We are happy to offer our services to non-UK residents.

Unlike other European countries, neither the directors nor the owners of a UK company have to be resident in the UK. But the company will need a registered office in the country of its incorporation. If you choose to incorporate in England, we can provide this service - click here for details.

Many non-residents are now choosing to incorporate in the UK to take advantage of its language, relatively low tax rates and sensible company law. It is the perfect base from which to sell your goods and services to the 480 million citizens of the EU. (Please check with your lawyer before forming your company.)

For people wishing to start a UK business from abroad, we strongly recommend the complete StartNewBusiness package.

Can I incorporate several companies?

Yes, and we will be delighted to help you with this.

Credit terms are available to practising firms of solicitors and accountants in the UK. For your maximum convenience, we can also arrange for a web account, so that you will merely need to enter a user name and password.

As part of our service, if required we can personalise your client's memorandum and articles of association with your name, address, logo and any other details. There is no charge for this service. We also offer incentives for multiple orders.

For further details of our services to professionals, please contact us at enquiries@incorporate.co.uk.

Your clients may also benefit from our complete business start-up package. If you would like to arrange introductions, we are happy to discuss our affiliate programme with you. Please contact us for details.