1. How does the website work?

Your incorporation request is lodged at Companies House automatically. You should get a reply within 24 hours depending of course on the queue at Companies House. Your certificate of incorporation is emailed to you once Companies House approves your company’s name.

After Incorporation

If you have ordered using your own officers, we will email you your certificate of incorporation and status report and depending on the package you bought we will post the printed documents and other company kit.

2. What is a Limited Company?

A limited company is a separate legal entity created by incorporation at Companies House.
Once incorporated Companies House issue a certificate and company registration number. This becomes the company’s ID so to speak. You can change the company’s name at any time but you still keep the registered number. The profits, losses, assets and liabilities belong to the company.

The company is then owned by its members (the shareholders) and run by the managing director or directors. This gives the directors Limited Liabilities. If the company should fail the directors personal assets are protected. Because a company has a life of its own the business can continue to trade despite the resignation or death of any directors or shareholders. Other reasons for choosing a Limited company could include ownership of property, obtaining outside finance, taxation, status and protection from risk.

3. Why do I need to incorporate my Company?

To take advantage of the tax benefit. Limited Liability protects the owner of the limited company from personal loss. A limited company is a separate corporate entity and unlike self-employed or sole trader, its debt is not that of the individual owner. Image & Perception, for example a perspective employee will prefer to work in a limited company rather than for a sole trader.

4. What type of Company we can set up?

• Private limited company
• Public limited company
• Company limited by Guarantee

5. What requirements do I need to meet to form a limited company?

For Private Limited Company:

• At least 1 director & 1 secretary
• At least 1 shareholder (any one of the above can be shareholder)

Public Limited Company:

• At least 2 director & 1 secretary
• At least 1 shareholder

6. Can I use any Company name?

Choosing a name is very important because in the future this can be a valuable asset for the company.

While choosing a name, you must ensure that:

• - You are not using an existing name or a name which is too identical to an existing one, e.g. Arthur Lt and Arthur & Co Ltd
• - You have the necessary permission to use some words which are deemed sensitive. (Sensitive words)
• - You are not using a name which causes offence or imply criminal activity
• - The chosen name ends with either “limited” or “ltd” if they are to be a profit making organization.

7. Who can be a company director or secretary?

For Director:

Anyone, irrespective of their nationality can act as company director subject to the following restrictions:
1. That he/she has not been disqualified by court order
2. That he/she is not an undercharged bankrupt
3. That he/she is not a foreign national subject to restrictions imposed by the UK Government.
There is no minimum age limit in the Companies Act for a director to be appointed in England and Wales. However, he or she must be able to consent to their own appointment.

For Secretary:

The secretary is responsible for the record keeping of the company, such as maintaining company’s register, keeping up to date the company’s record at company’s house and keeping minutes of all directors’ and shareholders’ meetings.

8. What is my company’s registered office?

This is the company’s official address (if registered in England and Wales, it has to have its registered office in England and Wales and if in Scotland, it needs to have its registered office in Scotland). Official correspondence from government bodies such as Companies House, Inland Revenue and Court documents will all arrive on this address. It does need to be the trading address of the company.

9. What is a certificate of incorporation?

Once Companies House accepts registration of your company’s name it issues certificate of incorporation with the registered name and number along with the date of incorporation. This certificate acts as the birth certificate of the company.

10. Can I change my company registered office?

If a company wishes to change its registered office address, you must notify Companies House with the new address on Form AD01. You will also be able to do this free-of-charge via our website in ‘My Account’.

11. How do I change my company name?

If you wish to change your company name you can do so by purchasing a company name change from www.companiesmadesimple.com. We will then provide you with the relevant forms that you will need to fill in and post to Companies House.