Information needed to register a private company limited by shares

To register your company we need information from you about the company and its directors, shareholders and (if the company is to have one) the company secretary. We collect this information through our on-line ordering service. There are a lot of details to complete and you will probably want to collect all the information before you begin.

The information required to register your company is:

1. Company name
2. Registered office
3. Directors
4. Company secretary (if any)
5. Shareholders and issued shares

1. Company name

The full company name. There are very detailed rules about what company names may be used. For this type of company the name must end in "Limited" or "Ltd."

2. Registered office

The address of the proposed company's registered office (including postcode).

3. Directors

Details of each of the directors, and shareholders. The company must have at least one director. For each director you will need their:

• Full name
• Service address (which will go on the public record)
• Residential address (available to public authorities and credit reference agencies only)
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Present occupation
• Details of any other registered company of which they are a director
• Any former names (does not apply when a woman has changed her name on marriage)
• The number of shares (if any) the director is to have in the company

Because the information is being registered electronically, without the directors, etc signing any paper forms, Companies House also insists on any three of the following pieces of security information:

Director's service address

This was brought in on 1st. October 2009 so that directors' home addresses would not be available on the public file. The address must be one at which the director can be contacted. It may be the director's home address, but need not be. If the company has business premises, that address is the obvious one to use. If the business is being run from the director's home, then that will probably be the company's registered office address anyway, so there is not much point in using a service address that is different from the home address. We offer a company registered office service and a director's service address service if you want to use our address.

4. Company secretary (optional)

A private company need not have a secretary but may do so.
Slightly less information is required for the company secretary than is the case for a director:

• Full name
• Service address
• Date of birth
• The number of shares (if any) the secretary is to have in the company.
• Security information (as for a director - see above)

If the company secretary is also a director, the information can be put in at the same time.

5. Shareholders and issued shares

In many cases the directors and company secretary will be shareholders in the company. If so, the number of shares they are to have is stated when putting in their details as a director or secretary. A director does not have to be a shareholder, however, and there may be shareholders who are not directors. For a shareholder who is not a director, the information required is:

• Full name
• Address (including postcode, but it need not be a residential address)
• The number of shares the shareholder is to have in the company.
• Security information (as for a director - see above)

If you have any questions about the information required please contact us by email or by telephone at any time, Monday - Friday, 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.