Setting Up a UK Company (in England) with an Operational Office. Service offer

• Company incorporation – from 2 weeks;
• Bank account opening – from 1 month (depending on the bank).

Incorporation in the UK of a Private Company Limited by Shares includes the following steps:

1. Selecting:

• Company name to be checked for its availability[2] (at least three names), such name:
  • must not be identical or similar to the name of any existing company;
  • must end with a suffix denoting the type of entity (“Limited” or “Ltd”);
• Company structure (director, shareholder, beneficial owner, attorney);
• Share capital and distribution of shares between the shareholders;
• Activity and geography of business.

2. Paying fees for services

3. Providing documents for the directors / shareholders / beneficial owners / attorneys[3]:

• copy of the internal passport with the address page;
• copy of the international passport;
• proof of address (if there is no address stamp in the internal passport).

At the meeting, it is necessary to show the original documents for verification or produce notarized copies.

4. Preparing a package of documents for company incorporation, having the documents signed by the directors and shareholders.

5. Filing an application for incorporation of the company

The set of documents delivered to the client upon incorporation of a UK company includes:

1. Certificate of Incorporation – original;
2. Minutes of Subscribers Meeting – original;
3. Minutes of First Meeting of Directors – original;
4. Memorandum and Articles of Association – original;
5. Share Certificate – original;
6. Apostilled set including: a copy of Certificate of Incorporation, copy of Minutes of Subscribers Meeting, copy of Minutes of First Meeting of Directors, copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association, and an original Power of Attorney (if a professional director is appointed);
7. Company seal.

Every UK company must annually submit an Annual Return to Companies House. The Annual Return is a snapshot of the company and should include the following information:

• Company name;
• Registration number;
• Date that the Annual Return is made up to;
• Principal business activity of the company;
• Type of company, for example, private or public;
• Registered office address of the company;
• Address at which the company keeps its company documents, if other than the registered office, and what documents these are;
• Details of the company secretary (individual or legal person), if any;
• Details of all the directors of the company (individuals or legal entities).

If the Annual Return is not delivered, the Registrar might assume that the UK company is no longer operational and might take steps to strike it off the register.

UK companies are required to maintain accounting records and keep them at the registered office or any other location that the directors may think appropriate. The records must be available to the company officers for inspection at all times.

If a company keeps records outside the UK, it must send accounts and returns at least every six months and keep them in the UK. Those accounts and returns must disclose the financial position of the company and enable the directors to prepare accounts that comply with the requirements of the Companies Act or the International Accounting Standards.

Private companies must keep accounting records for 3 years from the date of their making. Public companies must keep records for 6 years.

All UK companies are required to prepare annual accounts reflecting the financial position of the company and the results of its financial activities for the year.

Accounts must normally include:

• a profit and loss account;
• a balance sheet signed by a director on behalf of the board;
• notes about the accounts;
• group accounts (if applicable).

Accounts must also be accompanied by:

• a director’s report signed by the secretary or director, including an analysis of activities (or a strategy report) if the UK company does not qualify as small;
• an auditor’s report stating the name of the auditor, signed and dated by the auditor (unless the UK company is exempted from audit).

If a UK company is not eligible for exemption from audit (see below), then its accounts must be audited by an auditor and a corresponding report must be attached to the accounts.

Until the first general meeting of shareholders, the directors may themselves appoint an auditor. Thereafter, auditors are usually appointed by the shareholders’ meeting. The auditor must be a member of a recognized supervisory body and be authorized by that body to act as auditor.

To qualify for an audit exemption, a UK company must be a small entity during the financial year. In other words, it must meet two of the following conditions:

• The annual turnover must not exceed GBP 10 200 000;
• The balance sheet total must not exceed GBP 5 100 000;
• The average number of employees must be no more than 50.

The postal service includes:

• provision of postal address (such address can be publicly stated as postal);
• receiving mail and sending notifications of receipt (during the first three business days of each month);
• scanning up to 5 pages per month;
• one monthly shipment of mail to the office of GSL Law & Consulting.

The postal service fee is USD 610 per year, including 1 monthly shipment to the office of GSL Law & Consulting. Additional courier shipments of documents from the office are subject to additional charges.

The postal service includes scanning up to 5 pages of the received mail per month. Scanning any more documents than that and sending them by email is subject to additional charges (if necessary) – USD 10 / page.

A SIM card with a local UK number allows receiving and making calls from/to other countries as part of international roaming.

The cost of getting a local SIM card without your company’s representative having to travel is USD 250 plus courier delivery charges. Please ask your consultant at GSL Law & Consulting for more information.

The cost of renting your own office with a separate address depends on the size and location of the premises, as well as the amenities available. By way of example, renting an office of 14 sq. m. may cost GBP 1 500 per month + VAT. Our fees for searching for office space is 15-20% of the annual rent.

The services of recruiting staff are provided upon request based on business needs, employee’s duties, and work schedule. The fee for such services is 30-35% of the employee’s annual salary. The minimum wage of an employee in the UK is from GBP 1 000 per month.

[1] Please check with your consultant at GSL Law & Consulting about the possibility of opening a UK bank account for your company.

[2] Companies House can reject any name that it considers inappropriate or that coincides with or is similar to the names of existing companies.

[3] A Registered Agent / Compliance Officer has the right to request other documents and information for the persons in the company structure.

[4] The fees are valid as of August 2025.

[5] With postal address in London.