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- Companies House charges £100 to register a UK private limited company online and £50 a year for the confirmation statement. Non-residents pay the same fees as residents.
- A non-resident also needs a UK registered office address. Identity verification is free through GOV.UK One Login with a biometric passport from any country.
- Late accounts cost £150 to £1,500 and a late Company Tax Return starts at £200. Living overseas is not accepted as grounds for appeal.
Companies House charges £100 to register a private limited company online and £50 a year for the confirmation statement. Those fees are the same wherever the owner lives. What changes the cost of a UK company for non-residents is what you add on top: a UK registered office address and, sometimes, an agent for identity checks and certified documents. All fees below were checked on 10 November 2026.
This page covers cost only. If you want the step-by-step process, read our guide to UK company registration for non-residents. Here, you'll find what you pay, what you pay every year after that, and where missed post or late filings turn into real money.
How much does a UK company cost a non-resident?
The headline figures are short. You pay £100 to register online and £50 a year for the confirmation statement. Year one costs £100 in official fees. The first confirmation statement, due within 14 days after the first anniversary, adds £50.
These fees have applied since 1 February 2026. If a guide quotes £50 to register or £34 for the confirmation statement, it is out of date.
It helps to split the total cost into three groups:
- Official fees (fixed): what Companies House charges. Everyone pays the same.
- Tax on profit (not a fee): Corporation Tax depends on what the company earns, not where you live.
- Provider fees (vary): registered office address, accountants, software and agents. Always ask for a fixed quote.
There is no residency requirement for directors or shareholders. You can own and run a UK company from abroad, and Companies House charges the same fees. If you're still weighing structures, compare a US LLC or UK company for a non-resident before you commit.
Companies House fees to set up the company
The table below shows what Companies House charges to form and change a company.
| Filing | Online | Software | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incorporation | £100 | £100 | £124 |
| Same-day incorporation | Not offered | £156 | Not offered |
| Confirmation statement (once a year) | £50 | £50 | £110 |
| Change of company name | £20 | £20 | £30 |
| Same-day change of name | £85 | £85 | Not offered |
| Annual accounts | No fee listed | No fee listed | No fee listed |
| Voluntary strike off (closing the company) | £13 | Not offered | £18 |
You have three ways to register, and the price depends on the route:
- Online (£100): usually registered within 24 hours. This is the cheapest and fastest route for most people.
- Software filing through an agent (£100, or £156 same day): same-day incorporation is only available through software filing.
- Paper form IN01 (£124): postal applications take 8 to 10 days. There's little reason to choose this from abroad.
The £100 online registration usually sets the company up for Corporation Tax at the same time, which saves a separate step. The rules on structure are light. Shares can be any value, for example £1 each. You need one director aged 16 or over, and you don't need a company secretary.
The other changes on the register carry small fees: a change of name costs £20 online (£30 on paper), or £85 same day. Closing the company by voluntary strike off costs £13 online or £18 on paper.
Many non-residents also pay for documents that a foreign bank or authority asks for. The table below lists these optional official costs, including certified copies of the certificate of incorporation, an apostille, courier delivery and the ICO data protection fee if your company processes personal data.
| Item | Who charges it | Official fee | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified certificate or certified copy, standard | Companies House | £22 (£44 for incorporation documents) | Sent within about 10 working days |
| Certified certificate or certified copy, express | Companies House | £65 (£130 for incorporation documents) | Same day if ordered before 11am |
| Apostille, paper | FCDO Legalisation Office | £45 per document plus courier | Usually up to 25 working days |
| Courier for a paper apostille, per 1.5kg | FCDO Legalisation Office | £6 UK, £32 Europe, £42 rest of the world | Added to the paper service |
| e-Apostille | FCDO Legalisation Office | £35 per document | Up to 2 working days |
| Data protection fee, if the company processes personal data and is not exempt | Information Commissioner's Office | £52 (tier 1) or £78 (tier 2) a year; £5 less by direct debit | Yearly |
Registered office and identity checks for non-residents
Two things are unavoidable when you set up a UK company from abroad, and both affect cost.
The first is the registered office. It must be a physical UK address in the same part of the UK where the company is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland). It must be an appropriate address under section 86 of the Companies Act 2006, so a PO Box won't do. It appears on the public register. You also need a registered email address, which is not public.
Why does an address matter for cost? Because official post goes there. Companies House posts the company authentication code to it, so allow up to 10 working days. HMRC posts the Corporation Tax activation code there within 10 days, or 21 days if you live abroad. Penalty notices go there too. If nobody opens your post, missed letters become penalties. With no UK premises, you'll need a provider's address: provider fees vary, so ask for a fixed quote and check whether mail scanning is included.
The second is identity verification. It has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025 for every director and person with significant control (PSC). Each director's Companies House personal code is needed to incorporate, and a new PSC provides theirs when added or within 14 days.
Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login. The app route accepts a biometric passport from any country, so most non-residents can verify at no cost. The Post Office and bank-detail routes are for people who live in the UK. If the app doesn't work for you, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) can verify you from any country and may charge a fee. Our guide to Companies House identity verification covers the steps.
Yearly costs: filings, corporation tax and penalties
The UK company annual cost is mostly about filing on time. The table below shows what a UK company files each year.
| Filing | Goes to | Deadline | Official fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmation statement | Companies House | Within 14 days after each 12-month review period ends | £50 online |
| Annual accounts | Companies House | First set: 21 months after incorporation. After that: 9 months after the financial year end | No fee listed |
| Company Tax Return (CT600) with accounts and computation | HMRC | 12 months after the accounting period ends | No filing fee listed; commercial software needed since 1 April 2026 |
| Corporation Tax payment | HMRC | 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period ends | 19% to 25% of taxable profit (a tax, not a fee) |
The confirmation statement costs £50 online or by software (£110 on paper). You file it at least once every 12 months, within 14 days after the review period ends. Annual accounts have no Companies House fee listed. First accounts are due within 21 months of incorporation, and later accounts 9 months after the financial year end. The Company Tax Return goes to HMRC within 12 months of the end of the accounting period, and the tax itself is due 9 months and 1 day after it ends for profits up to £1.5 million.
Software is now a real cost. HMRC's free online filing service closed on 31 March 2026, so since 1 April 2026 the tax return needs commercial software. From 1 April 2028, Companies House accounts must also be filed with commercial software. Software and accountant costs are provider fees, and they vary.
Corporation Tax is 19% on profits of £50,000 or less and 25% above £250,000, with marginal relief in between; thresholds are reduced for associated companies. A UK-incorporated company is UK tax resident wherever its owner lives. See our guide to registering an overseas company for UK corporation tax for the registration side, and our article on a UK VAT number for non-residents if you're near the £90,000 threshold that applies to UK-established businesses.
A dormant company still files a confirmation statement and dormant accounts. Not trading doesn't stop the paperwork.
Late filing is where costs climb. The table below shows the penalties.
| What is late | How late | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Annual accounts (private company) | Up to 1 month | £150 |
| Annual accounts (private company) | 1 to 3 months | £375 |
| Annual accounts (private company) | 3 to 6 months | £750 |
| Annual accounts (private company) | More than 6 months | £1,500 |
| Annual accounts, late two years running | Any of the above | Double the penalty |
| Company Tax Return | 1 day | £200 |
| Company Tax Return | 3 months | Another £200 |
| Company Tax Return | 6 months | 10% of the unpaid tax, on HMRC's estimate |
| Company Tax Return | 12 months | Another 10% of any unpaid tax |
| Company Tax Return, late three times in a row | 1 day and 3 months | £1,000 each instead of £200 |
| Confirmation statement | Not filed | No automatic late fee. An offence: fine of up to £5,000, possible strike-off, and Companies House financial penalties from £250 to £2,000 |
Late accounts for a private company cost £150 up to 1 month late, £375 for 1 to 3 months, £750 for 3 to 6 months and £1,500 over 6 months, doubled if late two years running. A late Company Tax Return costs £200 at 1 day, another £200 at 3 months, then 10% of unpaid tax at 6 months and another 10% at 12 months; each flat penalty rises to £1,000 if you're late three times in a row. There's no automatic late fee for the confirmation statement, but filing late is an offence: you can be fined up to £5,000 and the company may be struck off, and Companies House can issue penalties from £250 to £2,000 after a 28-day warning notice. Failing to keep accounting records can mean a £3,000 fine or disqualification.
One detail catches overseas owners out. Companies House lists "the directors live or were travelling overseas" among reasons that will not win a penalty appeal.
Year-one and yearly totals from official fees
Here's what the official fees add up to in three common cases. The table below shows the workings.
| Scenario | What is included | Sum of official fees |
|---|---|---|
| Year one, online route | Incorporation £100; identity verification through GOV.UK One Login £0 | £100 |
| Year one, same-day route | Same-day incorporation by software £156; identity verification through GOV.UK One Login £0 | £156 |
| Year one with documents for a bank outside Europe | Incorporation £100; certified certificate £22; paper apostille £45; courier £42 | £209 |
| First confirmation statement | Due within 14 days after the first anniversary: £50 | £150 running total on the online route |
| Each later year | Confirmation statement £50; annual accounts no fee listed | £50 |
| Not included in any total | Registered office address, agent identity checks, bookkeeping, accounts and tax return preparation, software, and tax on profit | Provider fees vary; ask for a fixed quote |
- Online route: £100 in year one, then £50 each later year. Sum of official fees, not a quote.
- Same-day route: £156 in year one. Sum of official fees, not a quote.
- Year one with paperwork for a foreign bank: online registration plus a certified certificate, a paper apostille and courier outside Europe comes to £209. Sum of official fees, not a quote.
These totals are deliberately narrow. They leave out the registered office address, any agent identity check, bookkeeping, accounts and tax return preparation, software, and tax itself. For most non-residents, those items will be larger than the government fees, so get fixed quotes before you register.
How Cosmos helps
Cosmos is an AI-native platform with named specialists. We arrange the UK registered office through licensed partners and identity verification through our UK authorised partner. Our own team does the bookkeeping, annual accounts, corporation tax and VAT work, so every filing date sits in one place. We quote a fixed fee upfront.
Book a demo to see how Cosmos can run your UK company admin for you.
FAQ
How much does it cost to set up a UK company from abroad?
It costs £100 in Companies House fees to register online, the same as for UK residents. Same-day registration through software filing costs £156, and paper registration costs £124. On top of that, budget for a UK registered office address if you have no premises; provider fees vary, so ask for a fixed quote.
Do I need a UK address or a UK resident director?
You need a UK registered office address, but you do not need a UK resident director. The address must be a physical address in the part of the UK where the company is registered, not a PO Box. One director aged 16 or over is enough, living anywhere, and no company secretary is required.
Is Companies House identity verification free for non-residents?
Yes, it is free through GOV.UK One Login. The app route accepts a biometric passport from any country, so most non-residents verify at no cost. If you can't use the app, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider can verify you from any country, though it may charge a fee for doing so.
What does a UK company cost each year if it is not trading?
A dormant company pays £50 a year for the confirmation statement in official fees. It must still file dormant accounts each year, which carry no Companies House fee. You'll also keep paying for a registered office address if you use a provider, and late filing penalties apply exactly as they do for trading companies.
What happens if I file late because I live overseas?
You still pay the penalty, starting at £150 for accounts up to a month late and £200 for a late Company Tax Return. Companies House states that directors living or travelling overseas is not a reason that will win an appeal. Using a registered office service that scans your post helps you avoid this.
Can I register a UK company in one day?
Yes, same-day incorporation costs £156, but only through software filing, usually via an agent. Standard online registration costs £100 and is usually completed within 24 hours, so for most people the cheaper route is nearly as quick. Paper applications take 8 to 10 days.
