Contact us — UK and Irish companies
Write to us in your own words — what comes back is read and answered by a person, normally before the next working day is out.
Most contact pages tell you nothing beyond an address. This one sets out what actually becomes of an enquiry once you have sent it: who opens it, what we do with it, how long that takes, and which few details decide whether you get a holding reply or an answer you can work with.
- Read by a person, not sorted by a queue
- One contact from the first reply onwards
- Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing
- United Kingdom and Ireland from one desk
Tell us what you have in mind
Everything you set out here saves a round of questions later. The message field carries the most weight: three sentences about what the business does and where its customers are will get you further than any tick box.
If you would sooner talk it through, tick the box for a call and give us a day and a time. We ring you at that hour rather than trying to catch you at random.
It is only about a name so far
If all you want to know is whether your preferred company name is still free at Companies House or at the Irish register, use the shorter form. It asks for less and comes back just as quickly.
You would rather be rung
Give us a day, an hour and the number to dial. Calls are free of charge to you, Monday to Friday, and we prepare beforehand so that the call is spent on your case and not on formalities.
What happens after you press send
Nothing about the next few hours is automated beyond the receipt itself. Here is the sequence, so that you know what to expect and when to chase us.
- A receipt lands immediatelyIt confirms that the message arrived and repeats what you wrote. If that receipt does not reach you within a few minutes, something went wrong at the mail end — please try again from a different address rather than waiting.
- A colleague picks it up, not a rotaEnquiries are assigned by subject and by country, and whoever takes yours stays with it. The name at the foot of the first reply is the name you write back to.
- We look things up before we answerWhere a company name is involved we search the register first. Where an existing company is involved we look at its filing history. That is why an answer takes hours rather than seconds — a reply written without looking would not be worth much.
- You get either an answer or a questionIf your enquiry contains enough to work with, the reply sets out the route, the papers and the cost. If it does not, the reply asks for the missing pieces and nothing else, so that one exchange is all it takes.
- If we are not the right people, we say soSome enquiries belong with a solicitor, an accountant or a regulator. We would rather tell you that on the first day than keep a file open. Where we can name someone suitable, we do.
Enquiries that arrive on a Saturday or on a bank holiday are dealt with on the next working day. Anything urgent is better raised on the telephone; the numbers are at the foot of this page.
What we need before we can say anything useful
Five things decide whether a reply is worth reading. None of them takes long to write down, and all of them can be changed later without cost.
- What the business will actually doTrading, consultancy, holding property, holding shares in another company — the activity governs almost everything that follows, from the company type to the questions the bank will ask.
- Where you are residentNot because it restricts you, but because it determines which papers we need for the identity checks and how the post has to reach you.
- Who will hold the sharesOne founder, several, or an existing company as parent. The number of people involved changes the paperwork more than any other single factor.
- United Kingdom or IrelandIf you are undecided, say so and give us the reason you are considering each. That is a question we are glad to answer, and it is easier answered before anything is filed.
- When you want to be tradingA date in three weeks and a date in six months lead to different advice about sequence — which is to say, about what to arrange first and what can wait.
What we form, and where
Through this office you can incorporate in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, and we look after the company afterwards — the annual filings, the registered office and the post that arrives there.
| Company type | Register | Typically chosen for |
|---|---|---|
| Private limited company (Ltd) | Companies House | The ordinary case. Shares are not offered to the public; one director and one shareholder are enough, and they may be the same person. |
| Public limited company (PLC) | Companies House | Where a larger circle of shareholders is intended, or where the standing of the form matters. A minimum share capital and a second officer apply. |
| Limited liability partnership (LLP) | Companies House | Partnerships of professionals and joint ventures. Profits are attributed to the members, and at least two members are required. |
| Irish private limited company (LTD) | CRO, Dublin | An establishment within the European Union and the euro area, with a name that can be reserved in advance — the only one of these registers where reservation exists. |
| Irish public limited company (PLC) | CRO, Dublin | The Irish counterpart to the PLC, for the same reasons and with comparable capital requirements. |
You do not have to live here
Neither citizenship nor residence in the United Kingdom or in Ireland is asked of a director or of a shareholder. People who live in Austria, Germany, Switzerland or anywhere else form and run companies in both countries as a matter of routine, and we work in German and in English throughout.
What you do need is an address in the country of registration at which documents can be delivered and receipt acknowledged. Since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, a forwarding box will not serve as a registered office in the United Kingdom; the address has to be one where a letter is genuinely received. We provide such an address, take in the post and pass it on to you.
For an Irish company there is one further point: at least one director must be resident in the European Economic Area, and where that is not the case an insurance bond stands in its place. Both routes are open to you and we arrange either — tell us in the form which of them you have in mind, or ask us which would be cheaper in your case.
From enquiry to company
You write to us
The form above, or the telephone if you prefer. No charge and no obligation at this point, and no account to open.
Our written reply
The route we suggest, the documents required of you, the timescale and the full cost including the register's own fees.
A conversation, if you want one
Some things are quicker said than written. We go through the reply with you and change what needs changing.
Your order
Once the details are settled you order online or on paper, and we file. Nothing is lodged with a register before you have said so.
Frequently asked questions
How soon will I hear back?
On a working day, usually within a few hours; at the latest by the close of the following working day. Enquiries that arrive over a weekend are answered on Monday.
Where an enquiry touches both registers, or where we have to look at the filing history of a company that already exists, the first reply may take a day longer. In that case you will hear from us anyway, with an acknowledgement telling you when the substance will follow.
Is there a charge for asking?
No. The enquiry, the reply, the search of the register and the written outline of cost are free and carry no obligation, whether or not you go on to instruct us.
Charges begin only when you place an order, and by then you will have seen the figure in writing — our fee and the register's fee separately, so that you can tell one from the other.
Must I live in the United Kingdom?
No. There is no residence requirement and no nationality requirement for the directors or the shareholders of a British company.
The requirement is an address in the United Kingdom that can receive documents, which we supply and service. For an Irish company, remember the point about a director resident in the European Economic Area, or the bond that takes its place.
What is the difference between an enquiry and formal advice?
An enquiry gets you information: what a given company type involves, what a register will and will not accept, what the papers are, how long it takes and what it costs. That is what we do, and we do it without charging you for it.
Formal advice is an opinion on your particular circumstances that you can rely on and that carries professional liability — on the tax consequences at home and abroad, on liability, on a contract, on a trade mark. That comes from a solicitor, a chartered accountant or a tax adviser whom you instruct directly. We will happily suggest people we work with.
I already have a company. Can you take it over?
Yes, and it is a good deal more common than you might think — usually because the previous agent has become hard to reach, or because filings have fallen behind.
For that case there is a separate form which asks for the company number and the current state of the filings, so that we can look the company up before we answer: service takeover. Overdue accounts or a confirmation statement in arrears are not an obstacle. A threatened strike-off is a reason to write today rather than next week.
What happens to what I write here?
Your message goes to our own server and is used to answer you. It is not sold, not passed to advertisers, and not shared with anyone beyond those who have to receive it in order to carry out an order you have placed — the register, and where applicable a bank or an agent.
You will hear from us about your enquiry and about nothing else. The newsletter is a separate tick box and stays empty unless you fill it; you can drop out of it at any time with one click. If you would like your enquiry and the correspondence about it deleted, write to us and we will do it, subject only to the retention periods that apply to a concluded engagement.
Write, or pick up the telephone
Both routes end up in the same place. Writing is better where figures, names and dates are involved; the telephone is better where you are still weighing one option against another.
Telephone UK +44 114 6972907 IRL +353 12337845 AT +43 5524 22308 DE +49 69 96759363 CH +41 58 5105770
In writing Order online Order on paper Service takeover
An enquiry and our reply to it are information, not a legal or tax opinion. We do not provide legal or tax advice. Whether a company is registered is decided by the registrar; the legal and tax assessment of your plans — including the treatment of a foreign company where you live — is a matter for a solicitor, a notary or a tax adviser whom you instruct directly. We are happy to suggest partners.