Legal Requirements to Form a Private Company for UK Residents

Legal requirements to form a private company for UK residents: if you're considering forming a limited company for the first time and are a UK resident, you'll need to bear in mind that there are a number of legal requirements you must meet. Here at Coddan we can tell you all you need to know, and guide you through the process if you decide to use our company start-up services.

The first thing you're required to have when you want to open a company are people – officers. If it's a private company limited by shares, the requirement is a minimum of one director and one shareholder, and you can also appoint a company secretary if you wish. For a company limited by shares, a sole director can also be appointed to the roles of secretary or shareholder.

It's important to note that there's no minimum age limit on company officers being appointed, but because these positions carry legal responsibilities, anyone under 16 will likely not be approved by registrar of companies, which is the government's registrar of companies. Additionally, it often arises that there are not enough candidates for the roles of company officers, or that some people do not want their name appearing in the public domain, and at Coddan, we can assist in by providing nominee directors and other officers.

Another legal requirement for registering a company in the UK for UK residents is that there must be an official registered office address within the UK, whether in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. All documents must be kept at this address (or at the single alternative inspection address aka SAIL) and be available for inspection at any time. If you do not wish to use your own address, we can supply one as part of our registration services - you will not have to be based there as it will just be used for correspondence purposes.