The official registration process looks simple: pick a name, register with Companies House, done. In practice, the decisions made in week one — the information you gather, the documents you prepare, how you set up banking — follow a company for years, and getting them wrong costs far more time to unwind later than to do properly the first time.
Before You Touch the Registration Form
Gather everything first: director details including full name, date of birth, address, nationality, and occupation; shareholder names, addresses, and shareholdings; Person with Significant Control information for anyone owning more than 25 percent of the company; your registered office address, which can be your home address; and a description of your company's activity. Incomplete information, incorrect dates, and missing PSC details are the most common mistakes at this stage — gather it all before you start the actual registration, rather than discovering gaps mid-form.
Choosing a Name You've Actually Checked
Brainstorm several options before you fall in love with one, then check each against the Companies House register, trademark availability at the IPO, and domain availability. This step alone takes an hour or two and prevents the single most common rejection: a name too similar to one that already exists.
Registering: DIY or Formation Agent
You have two real paths. Registering directly online at Companies House costs a £100 digital incorporation fee, with 1 to 3 business days processing once you have completed the form and uploaded your documents. Using a formation agent — services like Rocket Lawyer, LawBite, or Companies Made Simple — typically runs £100 to £300, since agent packages bundle the statutory Companies House fee into their own pricing; confirm the current total on the agent's own page, since this shifted when the Companies House fee itself increased. Either way, you will receive your Certificate of Incorporation and company number within a similar 1 to 3 day window once everything is submitted correctly.
The Step People Skip: Banking, Immediately
Open a business bank account as soon as your Certificate of Incorporation arrives, using it, your company number, director ID, and proof of address. Using a personal account for company transactions, even temporarily, is one of the more common mistakes new directors make — it complicates your accounting immediately and can undermine the clean separation between personal and company finances that supports your limited liability protection.
Where to Go From Here
The Complete UK Limited Company Formation Guide walks through every one of these steps in full detail, plus the naming rules, the required documents explained one by one, and the annual compliance calendar for what comes after you are registered.
Get The Complete UK Limited Company Formation Guide →
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This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Fees and processing times can change — confirm current figures directly on GOV.UK before registering.