As one of the most developed countries in the world, the United Kingdom has some of the best company formation strategies for both citizens and non-citizens who want a simple Limited company to do business in the UK. Some of these agents might also be posing as agents despite not being accredited by the UK government to carry out such business with the company house.
Companies House is one of those popular UK agencies paved by the Department for Business and Trade. The Companies House has been in existence for a long time and currently provides a directory of all the companies operating in the UK for public access to them.
Recently, due to the nature of the online businesses I do, I was advised to open a company in the UK to enjoy stress-free businesses. I started searching for the best company formation agents UK – A little Google search brought back a lot of results from top company formation UK with different offerings and I became confused and couldn’t tell which one to go with.
This post on the best company formation agents UK is to help anyone else who wants to try the same thing as me and would like some filtered results from the Google highest bidder results.
What Is Company Formation UK?
In a nutshell, company formation is the process of legitimizing your business as a legal entity in the United Kingdom for business purposes. It is a must-do step for anyone or group of individuals who intend to operate a business in the United Kingdom in the 21st century and beyond. A company formation is just a process but the agency responsible for company formation is Companies House UK and as a resident, perhaps you can do this directly or use an agent.
However, as a non-resident who still wants to operate a business in the United Kingdom, you are going to require a company formation agent who will take care of all those filings, address provisions, and other legal steps such as publication, shares and deliver the documents to you physically or digitally under the package you decide to go with on the agent’s offerings.
How To Register A Company In UK Company House
Registering a company in the UK is pretty much simple. You can use the government’s official website to register and pay with your credit card which costs somewhere around 12 pounds. However, if you are a non-citizen and want to incorporate your company in the United Kingdom, you are going to need a Company formation agent in the UK to get it done. So this post will be more focused on non-residents and little about residents.
Follow these steps if you want to register a company in the UK Company House
Step 1. Decide the structure of your company
Step 2. Pick a name for your company
Step 3. Find a good company formation agent in the UK
Step 4. Provide your ID card (International passport)
Step 5. Get your documents delivered to you digitally or physically
That is all.
Best Company Formation Agents UK
Below are some of the best company formation agents UK that can provide you with a fast turnaround on company registration with Companies House in the UK. You can choose any address of your choice from Companies House England, London, Wales, etc.
1. 1st Choice Formation UK
1st Choice Formations has proven to be one of the top 10 rated company formation agents in the UK. This company is capable of helping you register your company of any kind with Companies House in a few hours with well-defined packages that can help you make your choice. This company works for both local and international business owners.
If you want to start a company in the UK and you are not a resident, you will just provide your International passport and 1st Choice Formations will take care of the rest on your behalf while you focus on operating your business. Their packages start from as low as £49 which comes with their registered office address, Limited company formation, and other bonuses that come with the package. With this amount, they will also help you open a bank account in the UK in your business name so you can start doing business right away.
To contact them, go to their website: https://www.1stchoice-formations.co.uk/
2. 1st Formation
1st Formation is another of the best company formation agents in the UK that provides quality services in the registration of businesses for both residents and non-residents. Their virtual office address is in London and as little as £12.99 you will be able to complete your company formation and get your Limited company formed with digital documents delivered to you via email.
However, if you need a service address to do business within your marketing and advertorial business location, 1st Formation also helps you do that seamlessly. Their all-inclusive package comes with more offers including PAYE registration and company secretary services which cost £99.99 at 40% discount as of the time of making this report. For more information, check them out at https://www.1stformations.co.uk/.
3. Icon Offices
When I wanted to open a company in the UK, a friend of mine told me he was currently using Icon Offices formation services and I checked them out. Behold, I think they are amazing with the quality of services they provide. Icon Office happens to be one of the most trusted and credible company formation agents in the UK that anyone inside and outside of the UK can use for their company formation. Whether you are in Africa, Europe, America, Asia, etc, you can use Icon Offices and you have access to a host of services including a unique office address with an office number that can be used for mail forwarding, and others.
They have packages starting from as low as £5.99 and you can select any virtual office address of your choice to begin with. If you are not going to be receiving many emails, you can choose the basic virtual office plan and you will be good and perhaps upgrade later especially if you are on a budget. For more information, https://iconoffices.co.uk/.
4. Uniwide Formation
Uniwide comes with a lot of other add-ons like service office addresses and registered addresses at a stand-alone price. Compared to Icon Offices, Uniwide is expensive for starters but offers prestigious services that complement the cost of their services. Their registered office address is in Kensington, London which can be used on your website, mails, and for mail posting.
With their address services, any mail posted to you will then be scanned and sent to you via email. Also if you receive a parcel, it can be received and forwarded to your physical address anywhere you are using DHL. Their official website can be found at this address: https://www.uniwide.co.uk/ for further inquiries.
5. Your Company Formations
Your Company Formation has been in existence for a long time too and has maintained a level of relevance which puts them in a good position to be one of the best company formation agents in the UK today offering good and quality services at affordable prices. They are currently in partnership with over 7 banks so that once your company is formed, you can get instant access to those banks at your fingertips with the opportunity to get some cashback.
Your Company Formation has a lot of restrictions for non-residents and might disapprove your application if you are a non-resident. They are 100% compliant with the list the government published about high-risk nations for money laundering which includes many contents and their countries. You should check their website at https://www.yourcompanyformations.co.uk/, properly before making any payment.
6. Mint Formations
Mint Formations support both UK and non-UK residents. However, as you may expect, it is way cheaper for UK residents and very expensive for non-UK residents. You might spend as much as 130+ including VAT as a nonresident. But the good news is that they are also very good and reliable company formation agents in the UK you can try them out by checking their website at https://www.mintformations.co.uk/ for more information.
7. Rapid Formations
Rapid Formations is also one of the best company formation agents in the UK with good partnerships with Barclays, NatWest, Tide, Monzo, Cashplus, Anna, WorldFirst, and TSB. Their non-resident packages are a little affordable starting from as low as £119.99 which includes 1 year of free registered office address in London, Address service for 12 months, a client portal to manage your companies if you ever need more companies, to see them all in one dashboard and manage them.
The above are the top-rated company formation agents in the UK according to Google reviews and Trust Pilot reviews. Some of the agents have some positive reviews up to around 4000 which is very good and as such I made bold to recommend them.
How To Set Up A Limited Company Online
Setting up a Limited company online is very easy for both residents and non-UK residents. The processes are pretty much the same but require different layers of security checks as a measure to curb international money laundering.
Step 1. Ensure you have means of identification (international passport or driver’s license only)
Step 2. Look for a trusted company formation agent
step 3. Buy a package that meets your status and requirements
Step 4. Select the package and pay online via PayPal or credit card
Step 5. Get your limited company registered by the agent within hours
If you are looking for the best company formation with VAT registration, I recommend 1st Choice Formation for that as they have a lot of add-ons that will serve you in this regard.
Limited Company Advantages And Disadvantages
Advantages
There are a lot of benefits or advantages of owning a limited company in the UK. One of those benefits is the fact that its shareholder’s liability is limited to the amount invested in the company. Personal assets are generally protected from business debts and liabilities.
Also, a limited liability company is considered an entity that is separated from its owners, and any risk involved in the company does not pose any risks to the owners in legal standing. Again, ownership transferability cannot be over-emphasized as one of the best advantages of owning a limited liability company. Shares in a limited liability can easily be transferred or sold at any time.
It also offers a lot of benefits to employees such as stock options, pension schemes, and HMOs, and finally, limited liability companies have easy access to capital by issuing shares to investors to raise funds for expansion or growth.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of a limited liability company are also numerous such as complex formation and maintenance which usually require professional agents to do the whole work for you or you get lost on the way trying to do it yourself. It also has a lot of costs associated with the setting up and maintaining of the company such as registration fees, accounting solutions, and compliance costs.
Limited companies are also mandated to make some information publicly accessible by all such as financial statements, and details of directors and shareholders which poses great privacy concerns for the company for investors and owners.
Company Formation UK With Bank Account
Whether you are a UK resident or a non-resident, there are a lot of UK company formation agents that are directly in partnership with many business bank providers in the UK. The list above provides a detailed explanation of some of the services the agents provide company formation agents such as 1st Choice Formation, 1st Formation, Uniwide Formation, etc are all in partnership with some great banks in the UK including Payoneer, Wise, Barclays, Tide Bank among others to provide you with access to a business bank account after your successful company formation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I’d like to say that my best choice is Iconic Offices for your company formation. I chose them because they were referred by a trusted coach and I took out time to read through all their websites. Iconic Offices kind of offers the best quality services at more affordable rates where you can easily get your company started and keep running.
