If you are a non-UK resident and wish to incorporate a UK limited company it is possible for you to do so with Companies House, even if you do not have the appropriate visa or work permit to work in the UK.

Registered Office Address

Companies House requires you to have a registered office address in England or Wales, or Scotland if that is where your company is be incorporated.  This does not have to be your residential address, so it is not an issue if you do not live in the UK. Many organisations provide a registered office service, such as accountant, lawyer or company formation agent.  They may forward your mail to you and allow you to use their address with Companies House for a fee (normally between £100 – £500).  On the application you would still include your overseas usual residential address for public authorities and credit reference agencies to have access to.

Running the UK Company

Once your company has been formed it will be subject to UK Corporation Tax.  As a director of a UK company, you are also required by law to prepare a personal self assessment tax return in the UK on an annual basis.

It is usually necessary to open a bank account for your business.  As UK banks must comply with Money Laundering Regulations they may require you to visit the branch in order to comply with these laws.  This means that if there is no branch in your country of residence you may be required to visit the UK in order to do this.  However most of the major UK banks have world wide affiliations with other international banks that will check your documentation on their behalf in your country of residence.

Especially for those companies that are managed by overseas directors it is strongly advisable to appoint a qualified professional to carry out the Company Secretarial role.  This is to ensure that compliance matters are dealt with accurately and promptly.

For more information about Wisteria Formations’ registered office and company secretarial services call our support team on 0844 893 0808.