How to Register a UK Company From Europe: A Non-Resident’s Guide

Do you need a UK address to register a company from Europe?

You do need a UK address to register a company from Europe, because every UK company must have a registered office in its country of incorporation. A residential address in Germany, France or any other European country will not satisfy this requirement.

The registered office is the official address for statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC, and it appears on the public register. It must be a physical UK address, not a PO box.

European founders typically solve this with a registered office service in London, Manchester or another UK city. Many formation and accounting providers, Sleek included, can supply a compliant UK address as part of setup.

You can also use a separate service address to keep your residential address abroad off the public record. Our guide to the different types of UK company address explains how each one works.

How to register a UK company from Europe: step by step

Registering from Europe follows the same online route as a UK-based founder, with extra attention on the address and identity verification. The process below is fully remote.

1. Choose a unique company name. Check it against the Companies House register and avoid names that are the same as or too similar to existing ones, plus sensitive or protected words.
2. Appoint at least one director and one shareholder. You can be both. Provide each person’s name, date of birth, nationality, occupation, and residential and service addresses.
3. Secure a UK registered office address. This is mandatory and must be a physical UK address.
4. Set your share structure and PSC details. A common setup is 100 shares at £1 each. Anyone with more than 25% control is a person with significant control.
5. Complete identity verification. All new directors and PSCs must verify their identity, covered in the next section.
6. Submit the application and pay the fee. File online and pay £100, or £156 for same-day processing.
7. Receive your certificate of incorporation. Most online applications are approved within 24 hours.

After incorporation, you move on to tax registration and banking, which both have non-resident wrinkles worth understanding.

Do EU founders need to verify their identity at Companies House?

EU founders do need to verify their identity, because identity verification is now compulsory for all new directors and people with significant control. This applies to every new appointment regardless of nationality or where the person lives.

The requirement became mandatory for new directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025. Existing officeholders have until 18 November 2026 to verify through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised agent.

For European founders, verification is done remotely. You can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider that handles the check on your behalf. Our explainer on Companies House identity verification walks through the routes in detail.

How do you register for tax after forming a UK company from Europe?

After forming your company, you register for Corporation Tax with HMRC within three months of starting to trade, and this duty applies to non-resident directors in exactly the same way. Missing the window can trigger penalties, so it is one of the first jobs after incorporation.

VAT is separate and only becomes compulsory once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period. You can register voluntarily below that threshold to reclaim input VAT, which can suit founders with UK supplier costs.

The core registrations to plan for are:

• Corporation Tax, registered with HMRC within three months of trading.
• VAT, compulsory above the £90,000 threshold and optional below it.
• PAYE, only if you employ staff or pay yourself a UK salary.
• An EORI number, if you move goods between the UK and the EU.

Our guide to registering for Corporation Tax covers the HMRC process and deadlines for new companies.

What is the difference for EU versus non-EU European founders?

The company formation process is identical whether you are based inside or outside the EU, so an applicant from Spain and one from Switzerland or Norway follow the same Companies House steps. The genuine differences sit in trade and tax treatment, not in how you incorporate.

Since Brexit, the UK treats all EU and non-EU European countries as third countries for trade purposes. That means the old intra-EU VAT simplifications no longer apply automatically to UK-EU sales.

In practice, the post-Brexit position has converged. An EU founder no longer gets smoother UK trade access than a non-EU one, which surprises many applicants who expect EU membership to still ease the path.

Can you open a UK business bank account from Europe?

You can open a UK business account from Europe, though traditional high street banks often require a UK visit or UK-resident signatories. Many non-resident founders use digital banking platforms that onboard remotely instead.

Providers such as Wise and Tide are commonly used by European founders because they accept remote applications and handle multi-currency payments. Expect enhanced due diligence checks, so prepare your passport, proof of address and a clear business description.

A UK account is not legally required to incorporate, but it makes invoicing UK clients and receiving GBP far simpler. Our guide on setting up a business bank account covers what to prepare.

What ongoing compliance applies to a non-resident UK company?

A non-resident UK company carries the same annual obligations as any UK company, including a confirmation statement, annual accounts and a Corporation Tax return. Living in Europe does not reduce or change these duties.

Be aware of one tax trap specific to non-resident directors. If your company is centrally managed and controlled from your home country, that country may treat it as tax-resident there under “place of effective management” rules. This can create dual residency, so it is worth professional advice early.

Your recurring filings include:

• Confirmation statement, filed annually for £50.
• Annual accounts, filed with Companies House.
• Corporation Tax return (CT600), filed with HMRC.

Late filings risk penalties and, eventually, strike-off, so a non-resident company’s Corporation Tax position is best mapped out before you start trading.

How Sleek helps with registering a UK company from Europe

Forming the company is the easy part. Keeping it compliant from another country, across Corporation Tax, VAT, confirmation statements and annual accounts, is where most European founders want support.

Sleek handles the full lifecycle: incorporation, a UK registered office, tax registrations and ongoing filings, all managed remotely. That removes the time-zone friction and guesswork of dealing with HMRC and Companies House yourself.