centaurtrust.com

General information

Located in western Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France. The population is approximately 60,943,912. The official language is English and the currency used is the UK Pound (£). The legal system used is English law. The UK is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliamentary system headed by an elected Prime Minister. 

Types of company 

The companies most commonly used for international trade and investment are the Private Limited Company (Ltd) and the Public Limited Company (Plc). 

Company names 

Names that are identical or similar to an existing company or any names which are considered offensive or suggest criminal activity are not allowed. Names that suggest patronage of the Royal Family or which imply an association with Central or Local Government of the United Kingdom are also not allowed. Words such as assurance, bank, benevolent, building society, Chamber of Commerce, fund management, insurance, investment fund, loans, municipal, reinsurance, savings, trust, trustees, university or their foreign language equivalents require approval and/or licensing. 

Restriction on activities 

Restrictions exist for activities such as banking, insurance, financial services, consumer credit and related services. 

Approval of names & time required to incorporate a company 

The approval of names and the incorporation of companies can be done on-line on the same day.

Share capital & government license fee 

The standard authorised share capital is £1,000 and the minimum paid up capital is £1. There is no government license fee.  The share capital may be divided into different classes and can be denominated in any recognised hard currency.  

Company officers 

Shareholders: minimum of one which can be a physical person or a corporate entity. 

Directors: minimum of one which can be a physical person or a corporate entity. The director(s) can be of any nationality. 

Company Secretary: This is required and can be a physical person or corporate entity, of any nationality. 

Registered Office & Registered Agent 

A registered office must be maintained within the UK.  

Corporate records & public filings 

UK companies must keep registers of the company officers (shareholders, directors, company secretaries) and the registered offices at the registered office. A register of charges must also be kept at the registered office. The disclosure of the beneficial owner(s) is not required, but may in certain circumstances be required for accounting purposes. All UK companies are required to file accounts with the Registrar of Companies and the Inland Revenue. Companies under certain requirements may qualify for an Audit Exemption. In such cases they are not required to file independently audited accounts but the accounts must be self-certified by the directors. 

Corporate taxation 

UK companies are subject to corporation tax based upon their accounts, which are submitted to the Inland Revenue and the Registrar of Companies at the end of the company's financial year. Companies can choose their financial year-end.