Setting Up a London Office as an International Startup: What You Actually Need

A non-UK resident can form a UK limited company without living in the UK or holding a UK visa. The practical requirements are different: a UK registered office, at least one verified director, tax registration once the company starts trading, and a realistic plan for banking before the team begins operating from London.

This guide is for international founders who are looking at a London office after, or alongside, UK company formation. It explains what has to be handled through Companies House, HMRC, banks and immigration advisers, and what sits separately under office-space planning.

If you are already past the formation stage and only need workspace, read our guide to a first startup office in London. For deeper detail on legal addresses and business structures, see our UK business address guide and our sole trader vs limited company guide.

Can a non-UK resident actually form a UK company?

Yes. Company law sets no nationality or residency requirement for directors or shareholders of a UK limited company, and the only age rule is that a director must be 16 or over (GOV.UK). You can incorporate from outside the UK using Companies House’s online service or a formation agent acting on your behalf, and you do not need to visit the country, already hold a UK bank account, or have a right to work here to do it.

What you cannot do is skip the parts that make the company operable once it exists on the register: a UK registered office, at least one director who has completed identity verification, and a route to register for and pay UK tax on anything the company earns here. Those three requirements sit underneath everything else in this article.

Registered office, trading address and director’s service address

A UK company can involve several different addresses, and they should not be treated as interchangeable. The registered office is the company’s official legal address. It must be a physical UK address in the same jurisdiction as incorporation, England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, and it becomes permanently visible on the public register the moment it is filed (GOV.UK). A director’s service address is separate: it can be anywhere in the world, including your home country, and is also public. Your actual trading address, where the business really operates day to day, is not a Companies House filing at all.

Our UK Business Address Requirements guide, linked above, covers what makes an address “appropriate” for registered-office use in full, including why a PO box or an unstaffed mailbox does not qualify, and whether a workspace provider’s address can be used at all. Read it before you file anything, since getting this wrong can put the company’s registered office at risk of being moved or struck off.

Directors, shareholders and the new identity-verification rule

An overseas founder can act as both director and shareholder of the same UK company. What has changed recently is the paperwork around confirming who they actually are. Since 18 November 2025, every director and every person with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House, either directly through GOV.UK One Login using a passport or biometric residence permit, or through an authorised corporate service provider such as an accountant or formation agent acting for them.

For existing companies, the timing can depend on the company’s next confirmation statement. For new companies and new appointments, identity verification needs to be treated as part of the setup process, not as an afterthought. If you are using a formation agent or accountant, confirm whether they are authorised to complete verification for you.

Corporation Tax, VAT and business banking

Companies House registration does not complete the company’s tax setup. A company that becomes active and falls within the scope of Corporation Tax must tell HMRC within three months of the start of its tax accounting period. Business activity can include buying and selling, advertising, renting property or employing staff; incorporation alone does not necessarily mean that trading has begun.

VAT needs more careful assessment. The standard registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover, measured over a rolling 12-month period, or where the business expects to exceed that amount in the next 30 days. However, different rules can apply if HMRC treats the business as a non-established taxable person. An international founder should therefore confirm the company’s VAT position with a UK tax adviser rather than relying on the threshold alone.

Banking is a separate application. Banks and regulated payment providers carry out their own identity, ownership, source-of-funds and business-activity checks. Eligibility varies: some accept companies with overseas directors, while others require a stronger UK connection or additional documentation.

Prepare the company documents, ownership information, business plan, expected transaction pattern and proof of address before applying. It is sensible to compare several suitable providers instead of assuming that incorporation guarantees approval for a particular account.

Company formation does not provide immigration permission

Registering or owning a UK company does not give a founder the right to live or work in the country. A person can direct and own the company from abroad, but relocating to the UK to run it in person is an immigration matter governed separately from Companies House.

The appropriate route depends on the founder’s circumstances and the work they intend to perform. The Innovator Founder visa, for example, requires an approved endorsing body to assess the business or business idea. The applicant must also meet the route’s other eligibility requirements; company ownership by itself is not enough.

Immigration decisions should be taken before committing to a relocation date or a long office agreement. A qualified immigration adviser or solicitor can assess the route that applies to the founder and any employees moving with the business.

Choosing London office space once the company exists

Once the formation, tax and immigration position is clear, the company can choose an office based on how the team will actually use it. A founder working alone may begin with a coworking membership or fixed desk. A small team may prefer a private serviced office, while a larger business with stable headcount may consider a managed office or conventional lease.

International teams should check more than the monthly headline price. Ask what is included, how the deposit is calculated, what identification and company documents the provider requires, whether the agreement can expand with the team and whether the address can be used for any official purpose. Do not assume that access to office space includes registered-office or mail-handling services.

For practical comparisons, see the guides to a first startup office in London and coworking for small London teams.

Who handles each part of the setup?

No single provider normally covers company formation, tax, immigration, banking and office space. The table below shows where each requirement usually begins.

Requirement	Who handles it	Where to confirm
Company incorporation	Companies House, or a formation agent acting for you	Company name, directors, shareholders, PSCs and SIC code
Registered office address	The company or an authorised address provider	Permission to use the address and compliant handling of official post
Director identity verification	Companies House, via GOV.UK One Login or an authorised corporate service provider	The deadline and personal code required for each role
Corporation Tax and VAT registration	HMRC, usually with support from an accountant	When the company becomes active and which VAT rules apply
UK business bank account	A bank or licensed e-money institution	Eligibility for overseas directors and required due-diligence documents
Permission to live or work in the UK	UK Visas and Immigration, with professional advice where needed	The correct immigration route before relocation
Fixed desks, private offices and coworking	An office-space provider or adviser	Total price, term, deposit, inclusions and address permissions

The safest order is to confirm the legal structure and address first, identify the tax and immigration requirements, begin banking checks and then sign for office space that matches the operational plan. Once those foundations are in place, explore coworking and office space across London to compare locations, office types and price points.

Frequently asked questions