How to Register a Company in the UK — What's the Actual Process?

[stellapenso]

I am about to go through the process of registering a company and wanted to actually understand how to register a company in the UK properly before just clicking through the Companies House website without knowing what each step actually means. Here is what I have pieced together so far, would appreciate anyone correcting me or adding context.

From what I understand, the core process involves a handful of decisions and steps. Choosing a company structure comes first, most early stage founders go with a private limited company, since it offers limited liability and is the structure most investors expect to see later during fundraising. Choosing a company name is next, which needs to be unique and not too similar to an existing registered company, and cannot include certain restricted words without special permission.

Registering with Companies House itself requires a registered office address, at least one director, details of shareholders and their share allocations, and a statement of capital showing how many shares are being issued and at what value. There is also a memorandum and articles of association required, most founders use the standard model articles rather than drafting bespoke ones at this very early stage, though some choose to customise them if they already know they want specific provisions in place. Registering for corporation tax with HMRC usually needs to happen separately shortly after incorporation, since Companies House registration and HMRC tax registration are not automatically linked.

What I am still trying to understand is how much thought should actually go into the initial share structure and shareholder agreements at the point of registration versus treating it as a formality that can be revisited properly once there are co-founders or investors involved, since I have read that getting the cap table wrong early can create real headaches later.

Has anyone here actually gone through registering a company in the UK recently? Curious what surprised you, what you wish you had understood before starting, and anything that turned out to matter more than expected.

Came across a useful writeup on Entrepreneur Plus UK on this exact topic a little while ago, worth a look if you want another take.