Register a UK Company from India: Founder Guide

Can an Indian Founder Register a UK Company Without Visiting the UK?

Yes. There is no UK residency or nationality requirement for directors or shareholders. One person can be the sole director and sole shareholder. The minimum director age is 16. The entire filing is online, so you never fly to the UK. A UK Ltd permits 100% foreign ownership and has no minimum share capital.

Which Business Structure Is Best for Indian Founders: Ltd, LLP, or PLC?

A Private Limited Company (Ltd) is the right structure for almost every Indian founder. It needs one director and one shareholder, caps your liability, and is recognised by banks and payment processors. A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) needs two designated members and pushes UK Self Assessment onto non-resident individuals. A Public Limited Company (PLC) needs £50,000 capital and is overkill.

A private company does not need a company secretary. Under the Companies Act 2006, section 270, that duty falls only on public companies. Directors handle those filings themselves.

When Should You Set Up a UK Subsidiary of Your Indian Company Instead?

Use a directly owned UK Ltd when you personally invoice Western clients and want a clean, credible billing entity. Use a UK subsidiary of your Indian company when the Indian entity must own the contracts, intellectual property (IP), or revenue. A subsidiary is a restructure that needs treaty and foreign-exchange advice before you file.

An Indian company investing into a UK subsidiary triggers Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) reporting under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), so confirm the current ODI route and limits with your banker before remitting funds. One risk sits under all of these. A UK company run day to day from India can be pulled into Indian tax residence under India’s place of effective management rules. See the tax-residence section before you decide who signs off decisions and where.

What Documents Do You Need to Register a UK Company from India?

Online incorporation needs no apostille and no notarization; non-English documents need only a certified English translation. You need a passport scan, Indian proof of address, and full director and shareholder details, plus a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, share capital details, and Person with Significant Control (PSC) information. Banks may later ask for apostilled copies, but Companies House filing does not.

Checklist:

• Passport scan for each director and shareholder
• Indian proof of address (utility bill or bank statement)
• Director and shareholder details: name, date of birth, nationality, occupation, residential address
• A UK registered office and a registered email address
• SIC code describing the business activity
• Statement of capital (number, value, and class of shares)
• PSC declaration for anyone holding more than 25%
• Certified English translation of any non-English document

How Do You Register a UK Company from India Step by Step?

Pick a name, secure a UK registered office and registered email, appoint your director and shareholder, identify the PSC, then file Form IN01 with the memorandum and articles online at Companies House and receive your certificate of incorporation. The steps below expand each stage.

Step 1: Check the company name

Search the Companies House name availability checker to confirm your name is not identical or too similar to an existing one. Check the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) trademark database to avoid infringement. The name must end in “Ltd” or “Limited.” You can run a fast availability check with the Commenda company name checker.

Step 2: Appoint directors, shareholders, and identify the PSC

Appoint at least one natural-person director and one shareholder; the same person can hold both roles. Identify your PSC. A 100% Indian owner is a Person with Significant Control, defined as holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, and goes on the public register. A company secretary stays optional for a private company.

Step 3: File Form IN01, memorandum, and articles

Form IN01 carries the name, registered office, officers, PSC, statement of capital, and SIC code. Companies House model articles are the default, and you can adopt bespoke articles instead. On electronic incorporation, Companies House generates the memorandum of association automatically.

Step 4: Receive your certificate of incorporation

Companies House issues the certificate of incorporation, an 8-character Company Registration Number (CRN), and an authentication code for online filings. New directors must complete identity verification before appointment. The next section explains how to do that from India.

What Is Companies House Identity Verification and How Do You Complete It from India?

Since 18 November 2025, Companies House identity verification (IDV) is mandatory under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). New directors must verify before appointment and new PSCs within 14 days, per the Companies House identity verification rollout. Verification runs free through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised corporate service provider, both available remotely.

Existing directors and PSCs have a 12-month transition to verify, due by around 18 November 2026 or before their next confirmation statement, whichever is earlier, per GOV.UK guidance. The process is document-based and does not require a video call, which suits founders filing from India. Verify once, then reuse your verified status across every company you join.

What Counts as a UK Registered Office Address for Non-Residents?

Every UK company needs a physical “appropriate address” in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland where documents can be delivered and acknowledged. A PO box alone fails this test under ECCTA 2023. Non-residents use a registered address service, a legitimate and common solution. The chosen jurisdiction is fixed at incorporation and the address is public.

Directors can use a separate service address to keep their Indian residential address off the public register. Every company must also keep a registered email address, mandatory for new companies since 4 March 2024 under ECCTA. Companies House uses it for correspondence, and it is not published on the public register.

How Much Does It Cost to Register a UK Company from India?

Online incorporation costs £100, effective 1 February 2026, and that is the only mandatory government fee. The £100 figure replaced the £50 fee that ran from 1 May 2024, which itself replaced the old £12 fee, so ignore any guide still quoting £12 or £50 as current. Your realistic first-year total adds an address service and accounting on top.

There is no minimum share capital, and £1 nominal shares are common.

How Long Does It Take to Register a UK Company?

Online applications are usually approved within 24 hours, often the same day, per GOV.UK. Paper filing takes 8 to 10 days. A non-resident director who has not yet completed Companies House identity verification must do so before appointment, which can add a step, so verify through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised provider before you file.

How Do You Register for Corporation Tax and Get a UTR Number?

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) posts a 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) to your registered office, typically within about 14 days of incorporation. You must register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade, not 3 months of incorporation. The annual return is the CT600. Missing the deadline triggers penalties even with no revenue.

When Does a UK Company Need to Register for VAT?

Register for Value Added Tax (VAT) when taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months, a threshold raised from £85,000 on 1 April 2024. Voluntary registration below the threshold is allowed and lets you reclaim input VAT. Check the VAT registration rules on GOV.UK before you decide.

A founder with no UK establishment may be a non-established taxable person (NETP). NETPs can face a nil registration threshold and must register from the first UK taxable sale, so verify the current NETP rule on GOV.UK against your own supplies before assuming the £90,000 threshold protects you.

Do You Need PAYE If You Have No UK Employees?

No. Pay As You Earn (PAYE) registration is only required when the company pays UK employees. A non-resident founder-director who takes nothing through UK payroll does not need it. If you do employ someone, register as an employer before the first payday. Once registered, Real Time Information (RTI) reporting runs each pay period.

How Do You Open a UK Business Bank Account from India?

Fintech providers are the practical route: Wise Business, Revolut Business, and Payoneer onboard non-resident directors remotely and issue UK account details. Traditional banks like HSBC and Barclays usually want a UK-resident representative or an in-person visit, and often decline fully non-resident-controlled companies. Treat account opening as the hardest practical step.

Weigh the trade-off plainly. Electronic money institution (EMI) balances at fintechs lack Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) deposit protection, while traditional accounts are harder to open but are full banks. Eligibility turns on the director’s country of residence, so an India-resident director should confirm current acceptance before applying.

Can You Invoice Clients in GBP from India with a UK Company?

Yes. A UK Ltd invoices clients in GBP and can access Stripe UK, subject to Stripe’s own verification. This is the core reason most Indian founders set up a UK entity: a credible local invoice and Western payment rails. Payouts require a GBP account.

Your GBP payout account comes from the banking step above: open a Wise Business, Revolut Business, or Payoneer account remotely, connect it to your payment processor, and receive GBP directly. Line up your certificate of incorporation and CRN first, because processors verify the company before releasing payouts.

Will You Be Taxed in Both India and the UK?

Not on the same income twice. The India-UK Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) provides relief through a foreign tax credit. The real risk is different: a UK company effectively managed from India can become an Indian tax resident under India’s place of effective management (POEM) rules and owe Indian tax on its global income.

The POEM test sits in section 6(3) of India’s Income-tax Act, 1961. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) guidance limits routine POEM assessment to companies above a turnover threshold, so confirm the current figure and circular numbers on incometaxindia.gov.in before you rely on it. The practical mitigation is genuine substance: board decisions and key management exercised outside India, with records to prove it.

What Are the Ongoing Compliance Requirements After Incorporation?

Every UK company files an annual confirmation statement and annual accounts with Companies House, a CT600 with HMRC, plus VAT returns and PAYE reports if registered. Missing filings brings penalties and eventually strike-off from the register.

A shared Commenda compliance calendar tracks these deadlines by entity so nothing slips.

How We Help You Register a UK Company from India

Commenda handles UK company formation for non-resident founders end to end. Its incorporation service covers the registered office address, HMRC registrations, and the post-incorporation filings that trip up first-time founders, so you never assemble the maze yourself. Its entity management platform then tracks every Companies House and HMRC deadline, giving you certainty that each confirmation statement, CT600, and VAT return is filed on time.

Weighing the UK against other markets? Compare our guides to registering a company in the USA, UAE, Australia, and Singapore from India.

Book a demo to get a UK incorporation and compliance checklist mapped to your structure, whether that is a standalone Ltd or a UK subsidiary under your Indian company.