UK company formation for non-residents

Yes. There is no residence or nationality requirement for directors or shareholders of a UK private company. The company must have a registered office in the UK jurisdiction where it is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) and a registered email address, and directors must complete identity verification. Our £149 package covers the office for a year.

Formation with a year's UK registered office is £149 plus the £100 Companies House fee, so £249. Adding Corporation Tax, PAYE and VAT registrations as needed is £219 plus £100. The £349 full pack adds the first confirmation statement (Companies House £50 fee separate) and first accounts. Registered office renewal is £69 a year thereafter.

Through GOV.UK One Login using a passport or national identity card and a biometric check on a phone, or through an authorised corporate service provider. Most overseas directors can complete One Login remotely. Where a document type is not supported we explain the alternative route. Verification must be done before incorporation.

Yes. A company incorporated in the UK is UK tax resident and pays Corporation Tax on its worldwide profits at 19% to 25%, regardless of where its owners live, unless a double tax treaty makes it resident elsewhere because it is managed and controlled there. The owner's country may also tax the company or its dividends. We explain the position for your country before you incorporate.

High-street banks generally will not open accounts for companies with no UK-resident director. Several digital banks and payment providers do, with varying conditions, and many non-resident-owned companies operate through them successfully. We explain the realistic options for your circumstances; we do not open accounts for you and we take no commission.

If the company makes taxable supplies in the UK above £90,000 you must register; a non-established business selling goods in the UK must register from the first sale, with no threshold. Many e-commerce sellers need registration from day one. The £219 package includes VAT registration where required.

A London address used as the company's official address on the public register, where Companies House and HMRC send post. We scan and email official post to you. It is included for the first year in all non-resident packages and renews at £69 a year. It is not a trading address or a virtual office for customer mail.

No. Companies House does not require one. Some banks, marketplaces and payment providers prefer or require a UK-resident director or a UK-resident person with significant control, and that is a commercial matter rather than a legal one. We do not supply nominee directors.

A confirmation statement each year with the £50 Companies House fee, annual accounts within nine months of the year end, a Corporation Tax return within twelve months, VAT returns quarterly if registered, and payroll submissions if the company employs anyone in the UK. Our limited company accounts service handles these after the first year.

Yes, but a salary paid to a director who is not UK resident and does not work in the UK is usually not subject to UK PAYE, and may be taxable where you live. Dividends to a non-resident shareholder carry no UK withholding tax. The right extraction route depends on your country's rules, and we explain the UK side.

Often, yes. Marketplaces and payment processors frequently treat UK entities differently, and UK consumers may prefer a UK seller. But the company remains non-established for VAT if it has no UK fixed establishment, so marketplace VAT collection rules and immediate registration apply. Our e-commerce service handles the detail once trading.

Identity verification is the pacing item and can usually be completed in a day. Once verified, Companies House typically incorporates within 24 hours. HMRC registrations follow within two to four weeks. Most overseas founders have a trading company with a UTR within three weeks of first contact.