Register your company with the UK's favourite company formation agent.

20,921 reviews 4.8 out of 5.0
4,380 reviews 4.9 out of 5.0

Quick guide to our
company formation packages

Explore in detail on our Compare Packages Page.

Digital

£12.99
  • LTD Company
  • Digital Company Documents

Privacy

£27.99
  • LTD Company
  • Digital Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address

Professional

£44.99
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement

Prestige

£69.99
£119.99 40% OFF
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement
  • London
    Business Address
  • VAT Registration
Special Offer

All Inclusive

£99.99
£165.99 40% OFF
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement
  • London
    Business Address
  • VAT Registration
  • PAYE Registration
  • Full Company
    Secretary Service
Special Offer

Our company formation packages

Explore in detail on our Compare Packages Page.

  • LTD Company
  • Digital Company Documents
  • LTD Company
  • Digital Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement
  • London
    Business Address
  • VAT Registration
  • LTD Company
  • Digital & Printed
    Company Documents
  • London
    Registered Office
  • London
    Service Address
  • Confirmation Statement
  • London
    Business Address
  • VAT Registration
  • PAYE Registration
  • Full Company
    Secretary Service
Compare all Packages

The best choice of business bank accounts

Form your company with 1st Formations and set up your
business bank account in minutes with no paperwork or stress.

 
Barclays Bank Card
Natwest Bank Card
 
Anna Bank Card
Tide Bank Card
Monzo Bank Card
Cashplus Bank Card

Company formation in 4 simple steps

Search for a company name.
1

Company Name

Begin by searching for your company name to see if it is available for registration.

Select a company package.
2

Select Package

Select the package that is right for you. We have a range of different options.

Checkout and pay for your order.
3

Checkout

Proceed to checkout. You will also have the option to add additional services.

Complete details to setup your company.
4

Company Details

Quickly fill in your company details and let us take care of the rest.

Everything was in one place, and it was easy to use for somebody who didn’t really know what they were doing.

Liz Fraser, Dot Dot Dash Coaching View customer story

New to company formation?

Created for beginners, this short video will provide you with everything you need to know
about the company formation process - in the simplest of terms. Watch it and register your company today.

Pick up a free business bank account

Select a business bank account during the company formation process and tick off another task on your ‘to do’ list.

We offer 6 business banking options to our UK customers, each with simple online account opening.

We also offer UK business banking to our non-UK resident customers through our partnership with WorldFirst.

Select a bank today and get your business account up and running in a matter of minutes.

Register Now

Our business banking partners

Graphic image showing several banking options we offer

It was an incredibly easy process.

Alex Williams, Well Fruited View customer story

Grow your business with offers from our partners

We have teamed up with some of the top business brands
in the world to give our customers a range of special offers and discounts.

Names.co.uk logo.
Worldfirst logo.
Hubspot logo.
Jotform logo.
Shopify logo.
Google Workspace logo.
Monday.com logo.
iStock logo.
Fiverr logo.
Microsoft 365 logo.
Revolut logo.
Wallester logo.
GoCardless logo.
Payoneer logo.
Semrush logo.

We are a carbon neutral business

  • Responsibility

    As the UK's leading company formations agents, we recognised
    our responsibility to address our impact on the environment.

  • Action

    We calculated and offset our carbon footprint by investing in
    environmental projects certified to the most recognised standards.

  • Commitment

    We are proud of this achievement and committed to maintaining
    our carbon neutral status for many years to come.

Recent company formation reviews

Take a look at what our customers say after registering a company with us.

“Wow what can I say an absolutely easy smooth and professional company. Process of starting my new company with them was absolutely brilliant..many thanks to Linah..” (14 June 2023)

Peter Jackson

Raider Acquisitions Ltd

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“Perfect delivery of services, quick, precise and good value. Thank you.” (12 June 2023)

Steve Ingall

RS Construction Consultants Ltd

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“Clear and professional set up online to set up our first business. Great help and support from staff via phone, making sure everything was correct. I would recommend and will use them again.” (7 June 2023)

Andy Stock

Stock and Ford Ltd

Trustpilot logo.

“I opted for non-resident package, and the entire process took around 3 days. Great customer service, I got all my questions answered.” (7 June 2023)

Ellen Landes

Arabian Business Concepts Ltd

Trustpilot logo.

“Skepticism about using a formation agent but 1st Formations online platform is simple, easy and very effective. Post incorporation, swift follow up (and the packet of Haribo in the paper copies of the documents was a nice touch). Strongly recommend.” (5 June 2023)

Neil Whittington

Arturian Limited

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“1st Formations are highly experienced and the process they have developed for the registering of a company is clear, straightforward amd efficient.” (2 May 2023)

Kevin Higham

Stratum Resources Limited

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“Assistance given by staff during the application process all staff pleasant and easy to get on with.” (19 April 2023)

Greg Morrison

Weld Test Solutions Ltd

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“Great and amazing service. All my questions were answered and my company was formed without any issues. I definitely recommend them.” (19 April 2023)

Terence Mohan

Mansa Online International Ltd

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“1st formations is certainly the best company formation agent. They keep you updated at all times and are very quick to answer your call when you have queries regarding your company. I couldn't recommend them enough.” (3 April 2023)

John Duffy

John Duffy Ltd

Trustpilot logo.

“Needed to register my little business as I wanted to work at a festival and needed to be registered to do that. Was baffled trying to do it on my, and then 1st Formations came up and in just a few clicks it was done.” (26 March 2023)

Jilly Jolly Jones

Jolly Good Potions Ltd

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The information you need to form a company

Here is what you need to register a company limited by shares - the most popular type of UK company

Company Name

A company name that is not already in use at Companies House. You can check the availability for your preferred company name by using our company name checker.

Registered Office

A registered office address that is a physical address in the UK. Don't worry, most of our packages include a London registered office service, for example, the Professional Package.

Company Officers

The details of all company officers (directors and secretaries) and shareholders, including full name, residential address, occupation, date of birth and nationality.

Form a limited company with our Non-Residents Package

Our Non-Residents Package is perfect for customers who are based overseas and wish to form a UK limited company.

Our package includes online company registration, WorldFirst UK business banking, a full London presence with registered office and business address services, including same-day digital mail service and international mail forwarding.

We are able to form companies for customers from most countries in the world. A full list of eligible countries can be found here.

View Non-Residents Package

Form a limited company with our Non-Residents Package

Form a limited company with our Non-Residents Package

Last Updated: 06 Mar 2024

Eligible Countries:

  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • The Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Burundi
  • Cabo Verde
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • East Timor (Timor-Leste)
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Estonia
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • Gabon
  • The Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Honduras
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kiribati
  • Korea, South
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Suriname
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Tajikistan
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican City
  • Vietnam
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Meet the people
behind the companies

We helped them set up their company with ease, allowing them to do the things they love without the stress.

Mart Abramov, Founder of Tax Scouts Limited.

“They hold your hand every step of the way which I found incredibly useful, and still find incredibly useful as we grow.”

Mart Abramov Tax Scouts
Victoria Rennoldson, Founder of Culture Cuppa.

“Simple process broken down into easy-to-understand steps. Everything was in one place and easy to use.”

Victoria Rennoldson Culture Cuppa
Paul Tavener, Founder of Marvellous Escapes.

“I wanted to make sure that it was the right step that I was taking and 1st Formations gave me that peace of mind.”

Paul Tavener Marvellous Escapes

Why register your company with 1st Formations?

We are obsessive about our customers.

We are obsessive
about our customers

The No.1 thing that has made us successful has been our fanatical focus on the customer.

We are competively priced.

We have been able to
greatly reduce our prices

As we have grown we've been able to pass on our economies of scale to the customer.

Our staff are the most knowledgable.

We have the most knowledgeable
Customer Service Team

Our company formation training programme is much-admired within our industry.

Business startup guides

Have you got any questions about the company formation process or business
in general? No problem. We’ve written a number of guides to help you start, run and grow your business.

A guide to UK company formation.

A guide to UK company formation

Everything you need to know about setting up a UK limited company. Find out what company formation means, how to pick the perfect name, and what you must do to register a company with Companies House.

10 duties of a company director.

10 duties of a company director

After company incorporation you will immediately take on a number of responsibilities. This is a comprehensive look at everything you need to do in your new role as company director.

How to change from sole trader to limited company.

How to change from sole trader to limited company

The UK limited company structure provides multiple benefits when compared to sole traders, with the biggest being the financial protection it offers its members. Here’s how to make the switch.

The most tax-efficient way to take money from a limited company.

The most tax-efficient way to take money from a limited company

Operating as a limited company provides flexibility when it comes to your personal income. This is what you need to know in regards to paying yourself.

7 tips for managing money when starting up a business.

7 tips for managing money when starting up a business

Taking care of a startup can be a culture shock - going from steady, monthly pay to the unknown. We’ve compiled some handy tips to help you manage your money after registering a company.

How to create a website for a new business.

How to create a website for a new business

Congratulations on setting up a company! Now it’s time to get your new business noticed. Here’s what you need to do to build a website that will demand attention.

Frequently asked questions...

Why should I form a limited company?

The main benefit of forming a limited company is the protection provided by limited liability. This means if your business runs into financial trouble, your personal assets will not be at risk. Other benefits include enhanced credibility and tax efficiency.

What is meant by a company limited by shares?

A company limited by shares is the most popular type of limited company. 'Limited by shares' simply means the liability of the owners is limited to the nominal value of the shares issued by the company.

How long does it take to register a company?

It usually takes 3 to 6 working hours to form a company with 1st Formations; however, this is dependent on Companies House workload on the day, and it can take up to 24 hours.

Can I register a company on my own?

Yes. One person can form a limited company in the UK. You will need at least one director, who can also be the company’s shareholder (owner).

What information do I need to set up a company?

  1. A company name that is not currently registered at Companies House. You can check if your company name is available using our company name checker.
  2. A physical address in the UK to use as your registered office address. Most 1st Formations packages include a registered office address service, for example, our Privacy Package.
  3. The details of all directors and shareholders, including full names, residential addresses, occupations, dates of birth and nationalities.

How many shares do I need to issue?

A limited company must issue at least one share. If there is more than one shareholder, it requires to issue at least one share per shareholder. It is often recommended to issue more than the minimum number of shares to avoid the need to issue more in the future.

Do I have to be in the UK to form a company?

No. You can form a company as a non UK resident from most locations in the world. However, you will require to have a UK registered office address, which 1st Formations provides in most our company formation packages. Have a look at our Non-Residents Package.

What methods of payment do 1st Formations accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards including Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, and American Express.

Do I need a business bank account?

There is no legal obligation for a limited company to open a business bank account; however, in practice it is almost impossible to operate without one. A limited company is a separate legal entity from its owners, therefore you should keep your personal and business finances separate.

When can I start trading with my new company?

You can start trading through your new limited company immediately after it is registered at Companies House.

What are the annual filings?

The annual filing requirements for a limited company are the confirmation statement, annual accounts and Corporation Tax Return.

Do 1st Formations provide support after I form my company?

Yes, 1st Formations provide full telephone and email support for all customers during the lifetime of their companies. We also provide an Online Company Manager and a full range of company services including London company address services to help you maintain and develop your company.

The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Business

Our eBook is available FREE with every company formation package.
1st Formations Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Business

Learn how to cultivate a business idea, create a business plan, explore funding strategies, and start your business, with our comprehensive guide.

We’ll also show you how to set up a company website, sell online, cope with the stress of running your business – and much more.

Are you ready to
set up your company?

Register Now

What you can expect from us...

1st Formations are authorised Companies House formation agents, and we are also a member of ACRA (the Association of Company Registration Agents) ensuring our company documentation is of the highest quality, always up-to-date and compliant with current regulations and legislation.

We are available and ready to support you every step of the way; from tentative initial enquires, to helping you choose a package, to guiding you through the company formation process.

If you need any assistance or you would like to form your company by telephone with one of our experts, give us a call at 020 3897 2233.

Once you are ready to start

It’s a simple matter of following our simple 4 step company formation process: Go to our homepage and find out if your company name is available; choose a package; select any company services you may require, checkout and pay; and complete our 'online company registration form'. This should take you no more than 15 minutes and your new company should be ready to trade in 3 to 6 working hours.

As soon as your new company is incorporated, we will send you a digital copy of your company documents. Printed documents will take between 24 to 48 hours to reach you by post, and if your package included any address services, these will be set up for you within 3 to 5 working hours.

After company formation

Let’s just say our journey together has just started! 1st Formations provides free customer support for the lifetime of your company. So please call or email us if you need help.

We also provide a free Online Company Manager facility for all customers, where they can maintain and update their company records and details, without having to login and navigate Companies House website, and a full range of company services.