How to register a company name in the UK

1. Check the company name

First, you’ll need to check that the company name you want hasn’t already been taken.

You can do this by using the Company Name Availability Checker to make sure your ideal name isn’t already being used or is too similar to another company.

If the name is available, simply click the link below to register it.

Your registered company name doesn’t have to have the same name that you trade with; the latter is known as your “business name”. This means that while your registered company name is the official name under which your business is incorporated and recognised legally, you have the flexibility to use a different name for trading purposes.

For example, a company might be registered as “EXAMPLE Enterprises Ltd”, but may choose to operate and market itself under a different name, such as “EXAMPLE Solutions”. This allows businesses to create a brand identity that resonates more with their target audience, while still complying with legal requirements by having a different registered name.

What can my company name not include?

You must not include the words Ltd, Limited, Limited Liability Partnership, LLP, PLC or Public Limited Company if none of these are true.

Moreover, be careful about using punctuation, special characters or words commonly found in UK company names. For example, symbols like “@” or “#” can make your name difficult to process or register.

Words like “Company”, “Services” or “Solutions” are also widely used in business names, so it’s important to choose a unique name that can help you stand out and avoid potential confusion with existing companies.

Watch out for choosing a name that’s too similar to another business’s name as well, especially if it’s in the same industry. If your name sounds or looks almost the same as that of another business, it could cause confusion or even lead to legal trouble, especially if the other business has the name trademarked.

5. Outline your proposed company share structure

Limited companies are made up of shares and you will need to provide information about these shares when registering your company; this is known as a “statement of capital”.

In this section, you’ll need to list the number of shares for each type. There are generally nine classes (or types of shares) that are recognised in the UK, each with different rights and benefits. These include:

• Ordinary Shares: The most common type that gives shareholders voting rights and dividends.
• Preference Shares: Shareholders receive dividends before ordinary shareholders but typically without voting rights.
• Cumulative Preference Shares: If dividends are missed, they accumulate and must be paid out before any dividends to ordinary shareholders.
• Redeemable Shares: These can be bought back by the company at a future date.
• Non-Redeemable Shares: On the flip side, these cannot be bought back by the company.
• Convertible Shares: These can be changed into another type of share (usually ordinary shares), under certain conditions.
• Non-Voting Shares: This does not give the shareholder any voting rights.
• Deferred Shares: Dividends are paid only after shareholders have received theirs.
• Alphabet Shares: These allow the company to assign different rights (e.g. dividend payments or voting rights) to different groups of shareholders.

There is no maximum amount of shares and you can apply any value to an individual share, as well as noting the specific rights each share has (e.g. full rights in the company with respect to voting, dividends and distributions).

Once you’ve determined the aggregate nominal value (ie the initial value of the company), you’ll have to confirm if there is any money left unpaid to the company for this nominal value. If no amount is left unpaid, simply enter zero.

6. Choose your company shareholders or Persons of Significant Control

Since limited companies are made up of shares, you must have at least one shareholder, or ‘subscriber’. If you are the only one who owns shares in the company, then you own 100% of the company.

You will need to add an address for each subscriber that appears on the public record, plus any three security details to act as an online signature (e.g. your mother’s maiden name or the first three letters of your eye colour).

Under UK law, if a subscriber (or any shareholder) holds more than 25% of the shares in a company, they must be listed as a Person with Significant Control (PSC). This has been in place since the introduction of the PSC register in 2016.

Most companies will have at least one person with significant control or influence over the company, and you’ll need to select the nature of that control. For example, ownership of shares, voting rights and/or the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.

As with step four, you’ll need to confirm that each subscriber knows that their details are being provided as part of this company formation.

8. Pay a company formation fee

Unfortunately, nothing comes for free in this world. As a final step, you’ll have to pay a fee to register your company online.

How much does it cost to register a business name?

The fees for registering and incorporating your business are £50 online and £71 by paper. To register a limited liability partnership (LLP), it costs £50 to register through software and £71 by paper.

You can also check the Companies House fees page for more information.

Don’t forget that once you’ve completed your company registration, you’ll also need to:

• Open a business bank account
• Register your company for corporation tax within three months of trading