Everything an overseas founder needs to incorporate in Britain in 2026 — directors, identity checks, addresses, tax registrations and banking — and the mistakes that cause delays.
Updated 12 August 2026. All fees are the Companies House rates in force after the 1 February 2026 revision.
There is no residency or nationality requirement to own or direct a UK limited company. You do not need a visa to be a shareholder or director, and you can hold both roles yourself, from anywhere in the world.
A real person, any nationality
Can be the same person
No deposit requirement
What your company must have in the UK is an address — more on that below — and, since late 2025, verified identities behind it. Those two points are where most overseas applications now stumble.
Companies House raised its fees on 1 February 2026 to fund the register’s new anti-fraud regime. The current rates:
Standard digital filing
Digital, time-critical cases
Per year, filed digitally
Paper incorporation costs £124 and is slower; there is rarely a reason for an overseas founder to use it. On top of the state fees, a non-resident will normally budget for a registered office service, mail handling and identity verification through an authorised agent.
Since 18 November 2025, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, every new director and person with significant control (PSC) must verify their identity before or at incorporation — an unverified director simply cannot be appointed.
There are two routes: directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) — a supervised formation agent, accountant or law firm that runs the check for you. The direct route works best with biometric documents readable by the GOV.UK app; founders abroad whose documents don’t scan cleanly usually find the ACSP route faster and more predictable. Once verified, your Companies House personal code covers future appointments — it is a one-time exercise.
Non-residents almost always use a professional registered office service. Beyond compliance, the address matters commercially: banks, payment providers and marketplaces read a credible London address very differently from a mailbox in a unit block.
Incorporation puts you on the register; it does not finish the job with HMRC.
A note on where tax is paid. A UK company run entirely from abroad can raise corporate-residence and permanent-establishment questions in your home country. The UK side is straightforward; the interaction with your local tax law is where advice pays for itself — take it before you incorporate, not after.
This is the hardest step for a non-resident. UK high-street banks generally want UK-resident directors or a UK footprint before opening a business current account. Most overseas founders start with a UK-regulated fintech or e-money account with a GBP sort code and account number — fully workable for invoicing, payments and VAT — then add a traditional bank once trading history exists. Clean documentation (verified IDs, a real registered office, a coherent description of the business) is what separates approvals from silent rejections.
The failures we see are rarely exotic: a director who skipped identity verification before filing; a registered office that is really a mail-forwarding box; Corporation Tax registration left past the 3-month window; a company name too close to an existing registration; and bank applications submitted before the paperwork tells one consistent story. Each is avoidable on day one.
We handle UK company formation for overseas founders end to end — incorporation, verified identities via our partner ACSP, a compliant London registered office, HMRC registrations and banking introductions. If you plan to hire from abroad later, our sponsor licence cost guide covers the next step, or book a free consultation.
Yes. There is no residency or nationality requirement to be a director or shareholder of a UK limited company. One director (a real person) and one shareholder are enough, share capital can be as little as £1, and both roles can be held by the same overseas person. What the company must have in the UK is a registered office address.
From 1 February 2026 the Companies House digital incorporation fee is £100, with a same-day digital service at £156 and paper incorporation at £124. The annual confirmation statement costs £50 filed digitally. Non-residents usually also pay for a registered office address service and identity verification through an authorised agent.
Yes. Since 18 November 2025, identity verification is mandatory for new directors and people with significant control. You can verify directly with Companies House via GOV.UK One Login, but overseas founders without UK biometric documents usually verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as a formation agent or law firm.
Yes. Every UK company must have an ‘appropriate’ registered office address in the UK — a real address where documents can be delivered and acknowledged, not a PO box alone — plus a registered email address, and each director needs a service address. Non-residents typically use a professional registered office service.
UK Corporation Tax is 19% on profits up to £50,000 and 25% above £250,000, with marginal relief between the two. You must register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting business activity. VAT registration becomes compulsory once UK taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12-month period, and PAYE applies if you employ staff in the UK.
Tell us where you are and what the business does, and we’ll map the whole setup — company, identity checks, addresses, HMRC and banking — before you spend a pound.
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