So you’ve decided to register a limited company. Maybe you’re leaving a job to go it alone, moving from sole trader to something more formal, or starting a new venture from scratch. Whatever brought you here, the process runs through one place: Companies House. Get the details right first time and you could be trading within a day or two. Get them wrong, and you’re waiting on a rejection while your plans sit on hold.
This guide covers exactly what Companies House asks for, the steps in order, and one change from late 2025 that catches a lot of first-time founders out. If you’d rather have someone check everything before it goes anywhere near Companies House, that’s exactly what Digitax’s company registration service is for.
What Companies House actually asks for
Before you open the application, have these ready:
- Your company name. It has to be unique and follow the naming rules: no offensive language, nothing implying a government connection, nothing too close to a name already on the register.
- A registered office address. A UK address where official post can be sent. It goes on the public register.
- Director details. At least one director, who has to be a real person aged 16 or over.
- Shareholders and your share structure. Who owns what percentage of the company.
- A SIC code. A standard number describing what your business actually does.
- Details of anyone with significant control. Usually anyone holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights.
Miss one of these, or get it wrong, and Companies House rejects the application rather than fixing it for you.
The step by step process
Here’s how to register a limited company in the UK, in order:
- Check your company name is available. Search the register first. A name too close to an existing one gets rejected on sight.
- Set your registered office and any service addresses. Your registered office is public, which is why many directors use a business address instead of their home.
- Appoint your director(s) and agree your share structure. Decide who’s a director, who’s a shareholder, and how many shares each person holds.
- Choose your SIC code. Pick the code, or codes, that best describe what the business does.
- Identify your People with Significant Control. Work out who meets the threshold and record their details accurately.
- Submit your application and pay the fee. Registering online costs £100, paid by card.
That’s the shape of it. Where people usually come unstuck isn’t step six itself. It’s making sure everything before it is actually correct.
New for 2025 and 2026: you have to verify your identity
Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been compulsory for new directors and for anyone being registered as a Person with Significant Control. A new director has to verify their identity before their appointment can even be registered. A new PSC has 14 days to do the same once their details go on the register. Companies House will reject filings from anyone who hasn’t verified.
There are two routes: verify yourself directly through GOV.UK One Login, using a passport or other biometric ID, or have it done through an accountant or formation agent authorised to verify on your behalf. Either way, it’s one more thing to get right before you file, on top of everything else on this list.
What it costs and how long it takes
Registering online through Companies House costs £100. That’s Companies House’s own fee for the filing. It doesn’t include whatever an accountant or formation agent charges for preparing and checking your application first, which is a separate cost and worth asking about upfront.
Companies House’s own guidance says a correctly submitted application is usually registered within 24 hours. The word doing the work there is “correctly.” A name clash, a mismatched address, or a missing PSC detail can turn a one-day process into a much longer one, because a rejected application goes back to the start of the queue once it’s resubmitted.
What happens once you're registered
Getting your certificate of incorporation is the start, not the finish. Within three months you’ll usually need to register for Corporation Tax. You’ll want a business bank account and proper records from day one. If your turnover looks like it will cross the VAT threshold, VAT registration becomes the next thing to sort out. And if you’re planning to take on staff, payroll needs setting up before anyone’s first payday, not after it.
None of this has to happen at once, and most of it doesn’t need sorting in week one. It’s just worth knowing what’s coming, rather than working it out halfway through your first year.
A couple of things people usually ask
Do I need an accountant to register a limited company, or can I do it myself?
You can register directly with Companies House yourself; nothing stops you. Where people usually want help is making sure the details are right before they submit, since Companies House won’t fix mistakes for you, only reject them. If your situation is straightforward, doing it yourself is fine. If you’re unsure about your SIC code, your share structure, or what counts as significant control, that’s exactly where an accountant earns their fee.
What's the difference between a registered office and a service address?
Your registered office belongs to the company. It’s where the official Companies House and HMRC post goes, and it sits on the public register. A service address belongs to a person, usually a director or PSC, and is where their personal statutory mail goes. In practice they’re often the same address, but they don’t have to be, and plenty of directors keep their home address off both.
Getting it right the first time
Companies House makes the final call on every application, and nobody can guarantee it’ll be accepted. What you can control is how well it’s prepared. That’s what Digitax does: we check your director, shareholder and PSC details before anything is filed, help you pick a SIC code that actually fits, and handle the identity verification step alongside the rest of the paperwork. You get one point of contact and plain English, not a portal and a set of instructions to work through alone.
Book a free consultation: call +44 7859 952346 or email info@digitaxconsultantslimited.com, and we’ll talk through exactly what your registration needs before anything goes near Companies House.
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