Europe · Ltd
Cost to register a company in United Kingdom
The UK is cheap to incorporate but not free to run. The government fee is just £100 online, and there is no notary and no minimum capital to lock up — so the headline barrier is trivially low. The real annual cost for a non-resident is the support stack you can't skip from abroad: a UK registered-office/service address, the £50 confirmation statement, and an accountant to handle statutory accounts plus the CT600. There is no nominee/resident director cost because the UK doesn't require one — a genuine saving versus Singapore, Ireland or Australia.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Topic
- Cost breakdown
- Reviewed
- June 2026
By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research
| Item | One-time | Recurring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government incorporation fee | $130 | — | £100 online digital filing from 1 February 2026 (was £50). Paper IN01 and same-day services cost more. |
| Notary / apostille | — | — | Not required — UK incorporation needs no notarial deed, unlike a Dutch BV or German GmbH. |
| Registered office / service address | — | $40–$160 | £30–£120/yr from a formation agent; mandatory UK address for Companies House and HMRC mail. |
| Nominee / resident director | — | — | Not required — a single non-resident can be the sole director, so there is no nominee cost. |
| Confirmation statement (annual) | — | $65 | £50/yr online from 1 February 2026 (was £34); confirms the register details to Companies House. |
| Accountant — annual accounts + CT600 | — | $800–$2,400 | £600–£1,800/yr typical for a small non-resident-owned company; covers statutory accounts and the corporation tax return. |
| VAT registration & returns | — | $0–$600 | Registration is free; ongoing cost is the accountant's fee for quarterly MTD VAT returns, only if you must register. |
| Identity verification | $0–$60 | — | Free via GOV.UK One Login; a formation agent (ACSP) may bundle a small fee to verify you. |
| Formation agent package (optional) | $60–$250 | — | Bundles name check, filing, registered office and ID verification — what most non-residents actually buy. |
Realistic all-in first year
$300 – $2,800
After year one the £100 incorporation fee drops away, so recurring cost settles into the registered office (~$40–$160/yr), the £50 confirmation statement (~$65/yr) and the accountant (~$800–$2,400/yr). Budget roughly $900–$2,600 a year ongoing — call it $2,400–$7,500 over three years all-in. The absence of any resident-director or nominee cost keeps the UK materially cheaper to maintain than Singapore, Ireland (with its non-EEA bond) or Australia.
Frequently asked questions
What's the absolute minimum it costs to start a UK company?
£100 for the online Companies House filing, plus a UK registered-office address (from ~£30/yr) since you can't use a foreign address. Identity verification is free via GOV.UK One Login. So a bare-bones DIY incorporation is around £130 / ~$170 — but realistically add an accountant once you're trading.
Are there hidden recurring fees I should expect?
The unavoidable ones are the £50 annual confirmation statement and your UK registered-office renewal. The big variable is accounting: statutory accounts and the CT600 are mandatory, and most non-residents pay £600–£1,800/yr for them. There is no franchise tax, no annual government 'licence' fee, and no resident-director cost.
Do I have to deposit any share capital?
No. There is no minimum paid-in capital. The standard structure is a single £1 ordinary share — a nominal figure, not cash you must wire to a UK account before incorporating. This is a real advantage over jurisdictions like Germany, where a GmbH requires €25,000 (half paid up).
Is using a formation agent worth the extra cost?
For a non-resident, usually yes. A £50–£200 agent package bundles the name check, the IN01 filing, the mandatory UK registered office, and (as an ACSP) your identity verification into one remote flow. Doing it yourself saves the agent margin but means handling GOV.UK One Login and a separate registered-office provider on your own.
Sources
- Companies House — fees are changing from 1 February 2026 (GOV.UK)
- GOV.UK — Register a private or public company (IN01)
- GOV.UK — Corporation Tax rates and reliefs
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT (and non-established businesses)
- HMRC International Manual INTM120170 — company residence: individual directors
- PwC Tax Summaries — UK corporate income tax (19%/25%)
- PwC Tax Summaries — UK withholding taxes (no WHT on dividends)
- Deloitte Taxscape — UK tax rates 2026/27
- ICAEW — significant hikes to Companies House fees in 2026
More on United Kingdom
Comparing United Kingdom with other countries?
See United Kingdom next to 12 other startup-friendly jurisdictions — fee, tax, capital and the resident-director catch — in one table.
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