How to set up a limited company
16-02-2006
We often get asked how do you register a limited company so we have approached the Companies House Directly. The information below provides a bullet point approach to quickly and effectively open up your own registered Limited Company complete with hyper links direct to Companies House.
In order to be incorporated as a limited company, you must file the following four documents with Companies House:
Form 10 shows the intended situation of the Registered Office and the details of the consenting Secretary and Director(s).
Form 12 is the declaration of Compliance with the Companies Act 1985 in respect of the registration. This must be sworn by a Solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths or Notary Public or Justice of the Peace once the Memorandum and Articles of Association (see below) have been completed.
Form 10 shows the intended situation of the Registered Office and the details of the consenting Secretary and Director(s).
Form 12 is the declaration of Compliance with the Companies Act 1985 in respect of the registration. This must be sworn by a Solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths or Notary Public or Justice of the Peace once the Memorandum and Articles of Association (see below) have been completed.
These 2 forms are available to download from the Companies House website at the shortcut http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/forms/formsOnline.shtml
Alternatively, they can be sent out as part of an Information pack, together with guidance notes on forming a company. If you would like to receive hard copies in the post just make contact with Companies House and they will send them accordingly by second class post.
You also need to send to Companies House:
Memorandum of Association. This states the company name, the situation of the Registered Office (to be England and Wales, England or Wales), the objects of the company and its Liability and Share Capital if applicable.
Articles of Association. This gives the internal management affairs and running of the company. Each subscriber to the shares should sign this. The Memorandum & Articles define the liability status of the company. These are not provided by Companies House but can be purchased from a Legal Stationers which you will find listed in Yellow Pages.
Once these four documents have been completed, you should return them to Companies House together with the relevant filing fee. The standard registration fee is £20. Companies House will incorporate the company in five to seven working days after we receive the documents. If you need to form the company quickly, they can offer a Same Day Incorporation service, the registration fee for which is £50.00 and must be correctly received before 15.00.
You can obtain further information by either telephoning Companies House Contact Centre on 0870 3333636, visiting one of our Information Centres, or visiting Guidance booklets and FAQ’s on their website http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/faq/registerNewComp.shtml
You can also ensure the name you have chosen is available for use by either calling the Contact Centre above where you can check up to 4 names per call, or using the Webcheck service http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/f262aed3ef8a5ea79d73c46d34a78cd4//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo where you should check both the “current and recently dissolved” register and the “proposed” register.
There you go – easy peasy!
Jenny Holloway
Industry Advisor
