Why UK company formation just got dramatically easier

Every year, over 800,000 new companies are registered in the UK. For the vast majority — solo founders, freelancers, consultants, and international entrepreneurs — the process has always involved more friction than it needed to. You filled in everything from scratch. Director details, share capital, SIC codes, registered office address — one field at a time, every time.

We rebuilt this from the ground up inside My1Office. The new Streamlined application method prefills everything that does not require your individual input and preselects every standard that works for the vast majority of solo founders. What is left? Two decisions: your company name and your business activity field. That is genuinely it.

The result is a company formation application that takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. Once submitted, it goes to Companies House via our direct API connection. Most companies are incorporated the same working day.

What makes the Streamlined method different

The speed is not the product. The speed is the result of a deliberate design decision: we did the work before you logged in.

Here is what that means in practice. A standard company formation form asks you to input your director's full legal name, date of birth, nationality, address, consent to act as director, share allocation, share capital amount, share class, Articles of Association type, SIC code selection, and registered office address. That is a lot — and most people making their first application have no idea what half of it means.

In the Streamlined flow, we already know your details from your My1Office account. We know that £100 share capital with 100 ordinary shares is the right default for 99% of solo founders. We know which Articles of Association are appropriate. We know your registered address. None of this needs to be re-entered, re-decided, or researched. You just confirm the two things that are genuinely yours to decide.

Streamlined vs Detailed: which one do you need?

My1Office offers two application methods for UK company formation. They share the same package prices and the same outcome — a properly incorporated UK limited company. The difference is in who they are designed for.

If you are the only person involved in your company, Streamlined is almost certainly the right choice. The default setup — £100 share capital, 100 ordinary shares, single director-shareholder — is the most common company structure in the UK for a reason. It works, it is clean, and it is trivially easy to change later if your needs evolve.

The full application process, step by step

• 1

  Choose your company name

  My1Office checks availability against the Companies House register in real time and flags names that are too similar to existing companies before you proceed. Your name must be unique and cannot be identical or near-identical to an existing registered company. This is one of only two decisions you make in the Streamlined flow.

  Under 1 minute
• 2

  Select your activity field (SIC code)

  Choose the Standard Industrial Classification code that best describes your business activity. This determines how your company is categorised in the Companies House register and affects HMRC registration and certain banking onboarding processes. My1Office guides you through the selection. This is the second and final decision.

  Seconds
• 3

  Submit — we handle Companies House

  Your completed application is sent to Companies House via our direct API connection. No re-entry, no manual processing, no queuing. You will receive your Certificate of Incorporation by email once Companies House approves the application. Most companies are incorporated the same working day — although this depends on Companies House processing volumes, which is outside our control.

  One click

This works from anywhere in the world — including the UK

1Office's UK formation service is used by international founders from over 80 countries. But it is equally relevant — and equally fast — for UK residents setting up their first company. Whether you are a freelancer in Manchester going limited for the first time, a consultant in London who has been putting it off, or a founder in Dubai building a UK-facing product, the Streamlined application works the same way.

There is no residency requirement to form a UK limited company. You do not need to visit the UK, hold a UK bank account, or be a British citizen. The entire application is completed online. Your registered office address in the UK is included in the package.

What happens after your application is submitted

Once Companies House approves your application, you will receive your Certificate of Incorporation by email. This document confirms your company's legal existence, registration number, and incorporation date. At this point your company is real — but there are a few post-formation steps worth completing promptly.

HMRC is notified automatically when a new company is incorporated. You will receive a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) by post to your registered office address within 10 to 14 working days. You must register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade.

If you expect taxable turnover above £90,000, VAT registration is mandatory. Many founders register voluntarily before reaching this threshold to reclaim VAT on business expenses and signal credibility to larger clients. Employer registration with HMRC is required before paying any salary — including your own if you choose to pay yourself as an employee.

Frequently asked questions