UK Company Formation for International Founders

A UK limited company, often written "Ltd," is a separate legal entity registered with Companies House. It can trade, hold a bank account and enter contracts in its own name, and your personal liability is generally limited to what you have invested in the company.

Yes. UK law does not require a director or shareholder to live in the UK or hold British citizenship. The company does need a UK registered office address, which is why Bristol Co's package includes mail forwarding to a UK address.

You need photo identification for verification, such as a passport, plus your proposed company name, director and shareholder details, and a description of what the company will do. Bristol Co's registered office covers the UK address requirement, so you do not need one of your own before you apply.

Since 18 November 2025, Companies House has required every new company director to verify their identity before a company can be incorporated, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. You can do this directly through GOV.UK, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider like Bristol Co, which is usually simpler if you are applying from outside the UK.

ACSP stands for Authorised Corporate Service Provider, a status Companies House grants to regulated businesses that can carry out identity verification and filings on behalf of clients. As a registered ACSP, Bristol Co verifies your director's identity as part of your formation package instead of you having to complete the GOV.UK process yourself.

The £199 UK LTD Formation package covers company formation, ID verification for one director, a year of business registration, a UK domain, a UK phone number, payment platform setup support, and mail forwarding to your UK registered address. The price and inclusions are the same wherever you're applying from.

The £480 Complete UK Business Setup package includes everything in the £199 package, plus a website and support setting up your Amazon store.

We provide setup support for payment platforms such as Wise and Payoneer, and once your company is formed you can apply directly to UK banking providers. Approval is decided by each provider individually, not by Bristol Co.

Once your application and ID verification are complete, Companies House typically incorporates a company within 24 hours. However, this depends on Companies House's own workload and whether every detail in your application is correct the first time.

No. Bristol Co handles the Companies House filing and the identity verification Companies House requires for every new director, and gives you a UK address for your mail, so you can open a UK company without traveling to the UK.

Each payment platform decides who it accepts, partly based on where you live, and approval is decided by each provider individually, not by Bristol Co. Wise, for example, only lets residents of the countries on its list hold money in a Wise account: Saudi Arabia is on that list, while Algeria and Morocco currently are not (checked October 2026). Tell us where you live before you apply and we will talk you through the options.

Every UK company then has yearly obligations: a confirmation statement to Companies House at least once every 12 months (£50 online), annual accounts, and a Company Tax Return to HMRC. If your company supplies goods or services in the UK it may also need to register for VAT. Bristol Co’s Accounting & Bookkeeping and UK Tax & VAT services support you with this once your company is trading.