How to Incorporate a Company in 2026

Knowing how to incorporate a company gives your business a legal life of its own. The company signs contracts, owns assets and holds a bank account in its own name, and your risk is limited to what you put into the shares. Clients, banks and investors treat it as a real business from the first day.

The work sits in the choices you make before the filing. You decide the company type, the shares, the directors, the registered office and the articles, and a few of these are hard to change later. Registries such as Companies House now check every director's identity, and new deadlines start the day the company exists.

We make it easy. We incorporate the company ourselves and run each step with you: the structure, your KYC file, the constitution, the filing and the first ownership report, with the business account opened through our partners. One team, one clear price from €350, and a company formed within about a week.

We incorporate UK companies from €350 with the £100 Companies House fee inside the price, and Irish companies from €1,899 when you need a trading base inside the EU.

What Incorporating a Company Gets You

Incorporating a company creates a separate legal person that you own through shares. That gives you limited liability, a business that banks and clients take seriously, a simple way to bring in investors and a company that carries on when owners change. These are the reasons most founders incorporate rather than trade in their own name.

A Separate Legal Person

Once the registry issues the certificate, the incorporated company exists in law on its own. It enters contracts, owns property, employs staff, sues and is sued in its own name. Courts have treated a company as separate from its shareholders since Salomon v A Salomon and Co Ltd in 1897, and the rule holds even when one person owns every share.

The separation is practical too. Invoices, leases and supplier terms sit with the company, so the business builds its own records and its own history from day one. For the full definition, see what an incorporated company is.

Limited Liability for Shareholders

A shareholder's risk stops at the amount unpaid on their shares. If you hold 100 shares of £1 each and have paid for them, the company's creditors cannot come after your home or your savings when the business fails. A sole trader has no such limit, because the owner and the business are the same person in law, as our guide to sole trader vs limited company explains.

Directors still carry duties. They must act in the company's interest and stop running up debts the company cannot pay, and a personal guarantee signed for a lease or a loan puts your own money back at risk.

Credibility With Clients and Banks

Many larger clients only sign suppliers that are companies. They check the company number, the filed accounts and who owns the business before they pay an invoice. An incorporated company also opens a business account, takes card payments and registers for VAT in its own name, which keeps business money apart from personal money.

Raising Money Through Shares

Shares make ownership easy to divide and transfer. You can give a co-founder 30%, set aside shares for staff or sell a stake to an investor without changing the business itself. A UK private company cannot offer its shares to the general public, so a business that wants to raise money that way becomes a public limited company first.

A Company That Outlives Its Owners

An incorporated company carries on when a shareholder sells, a director resigns or an owner dies. Contracts, licences, the bank account and the tax record stay with the company. That makes the business easier to sell later, because a buyer takes the shares rather than every asset and contract one by one.

Read more: the advantages of incorporating a company.

Decisions Before You Incorporate a Company

Five decisions shape the company before you incorporate it: the company type, the shares, the directors and secretary, the registered office and the articles. Each one goes into the documents the registry receives. Some are cheap to change later, but the share structure and the articles need a formal resolution, so settle them first.

Company Types You Can Incorporate

Most founders incorporate a private limited company. It is called a Ltd in the UK, Ireland and Cyprus, and it fits trading companies, startups and holding companies. The other common types are the public limited company, the limited liability company and the company limited by guarantee.

For almost every commercial founder the answer is the private limited company. It gives the same liability shield as a PLC without the capital rules or the listing work. Choose a PLC only when you plan to offer shares to the public, and an LLC when the country you incorporate in uses that form. Our guides to private and public limited companies and LLC vs limited company cover the details.

Shares and Share Capital

Share capital is the money the owners agree to pay for their shares. Each share has a nominal value, such as £1 or €1, and the owner pays that amount in or owes it to the company. The UK, Ireland and Cyprus set no minimum for a private company, so a company with £100 of capital is normal.

Issue enough shares to divide later. With 1,000 shares, a 5% grant or a third founder is a simple transfer, while 1 share each turns every change into a new issue. Decide now whether you need more than one class, such as voting and non-voting shares.

Directors and Company Secretary

Every company needs at least one director to run it. In the UK that director must be a person aged 16 or over, can live anywhere and has to verify their identity with Companies House. A UK private company does not need a secretary.

Other countries add roles. An Irish LTD must have a secretary, and a sole director cannot also be the secretary. Ireland also requires one director resident in the European Economic Area, or a €25,000 bond that runs for at least 2 years, as our page on Irish non-resident director rules explains. Cyprus companies need a secretary too. Founders abroad can read our guide to setting up a company as a non-resident.

Registered Office Address

The registered office is the company's official address for letters from the registry, the tax office and the courts. It must be in the country of incorporation. In the UK it has had to be an appropriate address since 4 March 2024, which means post sent there reaches someone, and a PO box alone does not qualify. Every UK company must also give Companies House a registered email address. See the UK registered office rules for the options.

Articles of Association and Articles of Incorporation

The articles are the company's rulebook. They set how shares are issued and transferred, how directors are appointed and how decisions are made. In the UK and Cyprus the founding documents are the memorandum and articles of association, and Ireland combines them into one constitution for an LTD. In the US the document filed with the state is called the articles of incorporation, or the certificate of incorporation in Delaware.

UK companies can adopt the government's model articles. They suit a company with one owner, but they have no vesting, no leaver terms and no deadlock rule for two equal founders. Changing the articles later needs a special resolution backed by 75% of the votes.

How to Incorporate a Company Step by Step

The steps for how to incorporate a company are the same in most countries: check the name, prepare the constitution, verify every director and owner, file with the registry and receive the certificate of incorporation. With a complete file the incorporation process takes about a week with us, and Companies House usually finishes its part within 24 hours.

Check and Reserve the Company Name

The name must be free and must follow the registry's rules. A UK private company name ends in Limited or Ltd, and words such as Bank or Royal need approval before they can be used. Cyprus checks names in advance: the Registrar charges €10 per proposed name and holds an approved name for 6 months. We check the name before anything else is drafted.

Prepare the Memorandum and Articles

Next come the founding documents: the memorandum, the articles or constitution, the share details and the officers' consents. We draft them around your owners and your plans instead of using a template by default. In Cyprus a lawyer must sign the application, form HE1, and swear it before a court, so legal work is part of every Cyprus company incorporation.

Verify Every Director and Owner

Identity checks now come before the filing. Since 18 November 2025 every new UK director must verify their identity with Companies House, free through GOV.UK One Login, before the company can be incorporated. Elsewhere the check sits in the KYC file: passports, proof of address and source of funds for each director and each owner above 25%. We tell you what to send and build the file once. Our list of documents you need to set up a company has the full set.

File With the Company Registry

We file the application and deal with the registry's questions. Companies House charges £100 for a digital incorporation, which sits inside our UK price, and usually registers the company within 24 hours. Ireland's CRO charges €50 online, and Cyprus charges €165, or €100 more for express registration. Directive (EU) 2019/1151 asks EU registries to complete online formation within 5 working days where individuals use the state's templates, and 10 working days in other cases.

Registries do not always meet that. On 7 October 2026 the CRO was processing ordinary online incorporations it had received on 24 September, so plan for about 2 weeks in Ireland, as our Ireland registration process guide explains. Our guide to how long it takes to set up a company compares the timelines.

Receive the Certificate of Incorporation

The certificate of incorporation is the company's birth certificate. In the UK it shows the company name and number, the date of incorporation, whether the company is limited and private or public, and where the registered office is. Section 15 of the Companies Act 2006 makes it conclusive evidence that the company is duly registered.

Banks, landlords and clients will ask for it, so keep the digital copy with the memorandum, articles and registers. Quote the company number on contracts and invoices, because names can change and numbers do not. See how to get a UK certificate of incorporation.

Read more: how to register a company online and whether you can incorporate a company yourself.

What Happens After Company Incorporation

After company incorporation the deadlines start straight away. The company records its beneficial owners, registers for tax, opens a business account and files a return to the registry every year. None of these waits for the first sale, so put the dates in a calendar on the day the certificate arrives.

Register the Beneficial Owners

The UK, Ireland, Cyprus and the UAE all keep a register of the people who own or control incorporated companies. This follows the FATF's revised Recommendation 24 of March 2022, which asks countries to hold accurate information on who really owns a company. Every register has its own deadline for a newly incorporated company.

The UK collects these details at incorporation, so there is nothing to chase later. Ireland, Cyprus and the UAE give a window, and that is where new companies slip, because nobody owns the deadline once the certificate arrives. We file the first ownership report as part of the incorporation, so the window never opens. Changes have their own clock: Cyprus wants updates within 45 days and the UAE within 15 days.

Tax and VAT Registration

Tax registration is often a separate step from incorporation. A UK company that did not register for Corporation Tax when it was formed must do so within 3 months of starting to do business, and buying, selling, advertising or hiring all count. A UAE company must register for corporate tax within 3 months of incorporation under FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024, and late registration carries an AED 10,000 penalty.

VAT follows turnover. A UK company must register once its taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months, and each EU country sets its own threshold.

Annual Returns and Accounts

Every incorporated company files a yearly return and accounts. A UK company files a confirmation statement at least every 12 months for £50, and its first accounts are due 21 months after registration. An Irish company's first annual return is made up to 6 months after incorporation, with no accounts attached, and is due within 56 days of that date. Our partners can keep these dates and file for you.

Business Banking for an Incorporated Company

A new company needs a business account before it can invoice, pay staff or take card payments. The certificate opens the door, but the bank decides how fast you get in. With a complete file and the right partner, an account in days is the normal result for a newly incorporated company.

Why Local Banks Take Longer

A new company has no trading history, no accounts and often an owner who lives in another country. A traditional bank reviews each of those points, may ask to meet the directors and can take several weeks to open a corporate account. Monthly fees, minimum balances and currency charges come on top, and a refusal rarely comes with a reason. Our guide to why banks reject business account applications lists the usual causes.

Banks ask for the same core file each time: the certificate, the constitution, the registers, an ownership chart, identity and address documents and a clear business description. Our list of documents needed to open a business bank account sets it out.

Accounts in Days Through Our Partners

Our banking partners are licensed payment and e-money institutions built for international companies, not traditional banks. They open business accounts in days to about a week and set out their fees before you apply. We prepare the account file while we incorporate the company, so the certificate, registers and ownership chart reach the partner as one pack.

An EMI account covers what a new company needs: receiving client payments, paying suppliers and moving money across borders. A local bank can follow once the company has a year of accounts. Read more: company formation with a bank account.

Top Jurisdictions to Incorporate a Company

Four jurisdictions cover most founders who want to incorporate a company with us: the UK, Ireland, Cyprus and the UAE. We incorporate in all four within about a week. They differ on tax, on who must sit on the board and on whether the company is inside the EU single market.

The UK is the cheapest company to incorporate and the lightest to run. Ireland is the EU trading choice, with 12.5% on trading profits, but it asks for an EEA-resident director or a bond. Cyprus suits holding and IP structures inside the EU. The UAE charges nothing on the first AED 375,000 of profit, which suits founders who live in or trade with the Gulf.

UK Company Incorporation

The UK suits consultants, online businesses and holding companies with clients in many countries. There is no residency rule and no minimum capital, and Companies House usually registers a company within 24 hours. We incorporate it from €350 with the £100 fee included. The catch is the rate on larger profits, 25% above £250,000, and the UK sits outside the EU single market. See our UK company registration guide.

Ireland Company Incorporation

Ireland suits companies that trade into the EU, sell software or hold EU contracts. Trading profits pay 12.5%, the CRO charges €50 to file online and our price starts from €1,899. The catch is the board: you need an EEA-resident director or a €25,000 bond, a separate secretary if there is one director, and about 2 weeks at the CRO on its October 2026 processing dates. Read the Ireland company formation guide.

Cyprus Company Incorporation

Cyprus suits holding companies, IP owners and EU businesses that want a legal system based on English common law. Corporate tax rose to 15% on 1 January 2026, and for financial years starting on or after 6 February 2026 a small company under €300,000 turnover can use a review instead of a full audit. We incorporate from €1,200. The catch is the paperwork: a lawyer must file, a secretary is required, and the company should be managed from Cyprus to stay tax resident there. See holding company formation in Cyprus.

UAE Company Incorporation

The UAE suits founders who live in the Gulf or sell into the region. Foreign owners can hold 100% of most companies, profits up to AED 375,000 pay 0% and qualifying free zone income stays at 0%. We incorporate from €1,899. The catch is substance: tax residence and banking follow real management in the UAE, and a free zone company must keep audited accounts to keep its 0% rate. Read about company formation in the UAE.

Where Most Founders Should Incorporate

For most founders with clients in several countries, the best first step is to incorporate a company in the UK: from €350, about a day at the registry and the lightest yearly filings. Choose Ireland when your customers are in the EU and the company will trade, Cyprus when it will hold shares or IP, and the UAE when you live in or run the business from the Gulf.

Read more: the best countries to set up a company and the cheapest countries to set up a company.

Common Mistakes When Incorporating a Company

Most costly mistakes happen in the hour before the filing, not at the registry. These four come up again and again, and each one is easy to avoid.

Issuing One Share Per Founder

Two founders often incorporate with 1 share each. It looks tidy, but it leaves no way to give an adviser 2% or a new partner 10% without issuing new shares and working out every stake again. A new issue means resolutions, filings and sometimes tax questions about the price paid. Issue 100 or 1,000 shares at a low nominal value from the start, so most splits are a simple transfer. It costs nothing extra when you incorporate your company.

Using Model Articles With Co-Founders

Model articles are written for a simple company with one owner. They have no vesting, no rules for a founder who leaves and no way out of a 50:50 deadlock. When two equal founders fall out, neither can pass a resolution, and changing the articles needs 75% of the votes, which neither holds alone. Agree the leaver terms, vesting and a deadlock rule before incorporating your company, and put them in the articles or a shareholders' agreement.

Signing Contracts Before the Company Exists

Founders often sign an office lease or a supplier deal in the company's name a week before it is registered. Under section 51 of the UK Companies Act 2006, a contract made for a company that does not yet exist binds the person who signed it, unless the contract says otherwise. That can leave you personally liable for a 3-year lease. Wait for the certificate, which takes about a day in the UK, or have the company take the contract over by novation once it exists.

Missing the First Filing Deadlines

The first deadlines arrive sooner than most founders expect. An Irish company that files its annual return late pays €120 plus €3 a day, up to €1,200, and loses its audit exemption for 2 years. A UAE company that registers late for corporate tax faces an AED 10,000 penalty. Set every date on the day of incorporation, or let our partners keep the calendar. Our list of company formation mistakes to avoid covers more.

Bottom Line on Company Incorporation

How to incorporate a company comes down to decisions more than forms, and company incorporation is quick once they are made. Pick the company type, issue enough shares, name the right officers, use articles that fit your owners and choose the country around your customers and your bank. The filing itself then takes days, not months.

For most founders that means a UK company from €350, or Ireland, Cyprus or the UAE when the EU or the Gulf matters more. We incorporate the company ourselves, file the first ownership report, open the account with our partners and keep the yearly deadlines in view. You deal with one team from the first call to a working company. For the wider picture, see how to set up a company.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Companies House fees (updated 25 September 2026)
• GOV.UK, Register your company
• GOV.UK, Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025 (5 August 2025)
• GOV.UK, People with significant control (updated 30 July 2026)
• GOV.UK, Prepare and file annual accounts for a limited company
• GOV.UK, Corporation Tax rates
• NI Business Info, Register for Corporation Tax
• GOV.UK, When to register for VAT
• GOV.UK, Audit exemptions for private limited companies
• Companies House blog, Get ready for changes to UK company law (22 January 2024)
• Companies Act 2006 on legislation.gov.uk: section 15, section 51 and section 763
• Companies Registration Office (CRO), Company fees
• CRO, Annual return date
• CRO, Information Leaflet 17, EEA resident director
• CRO, Information Leaflet 16, The company secretary
• CRO, Information Leaflet 23, Annual return and financial statement requirements
• CRO, Daily processing times (7 October 2026)
• Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO), FAQs
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Ireland corporate taxes on income (reviewed 11 August 2026)
• Cyprus Registrar of Companies, Applying to incorporate a company
• Cyprus Registrar of Companies, Choosing a company name
• Cyprus Registrar of Companies, When to enter beneficial owner details
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Cyprus corporate taxes on income (reviewed 4 August 2026)
• Mondaq, Cyprus statutory audit requirements (25 March 2026)
• UAE Government, Full foreign ownership of commercial companies (updated 6 April 2026)
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, UAE corporate taxes on income (reviewed 9 September 2026)
• PwC Middle East, FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024 on corporate tax registration timelines
• SAIF Zone Authority, UBO declaration under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023
• KPMG, Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 on audited financial statements
• FATF, Public statement on revisions to Recommendation 24 (March 2022)
• EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2019/1151 on digital tools in company law