What's the best UK company structure for a non-resident startup?

A plain limited company with round-number share allocations, such as 100 ordinary shares, is easiest to explain to banks, investors and HMRC, and cheapest to administer. Overcomplicating the structure before there is revenue or investment usually creates cost without benefit.

Appointing a UK resident director alongside yourself is not legally required but can materially improve bank account approval odds and day-to-day dealings with UK suppliers, so many non-resident founders add one even where they retain full control through share ownership.

A UK holding company above the trading company can make sense before fundraising, an exit, or where multiple ventures need separating, since it can hold shares, IP or property and pay dividends between UK companies free of tax. Setting one up before it is needed just adds filing and cost.

Multiple share classes matter once you take on investors, want to reward employees with growth shares, or need to separate voting from economic rights, but a straightforward single class works fine for a founder-only company in its first year or two.

Our fixed monthly packages for a UK limited company start at £89 plus VAT and run to £169 and £289 plus VAT as bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and reporting are added. One-off filings are sold at fixed prices, and the Companies House fees we pay for you are charged at cost with no VAT added. Overseas owners are quoted on exactly the same published prices as UK-resident clients.

Rates, thresholds and deadlines here reflect the 2026/27 UK position and current Companies House and HMRC guidance. Check GOV.UK, or ask us, before relying on them for your own company.