- 8 minutes read
- Certificate of Incorporation. What is it and how to get?
- What is a certificate of incorporation?
- How to get a certificate of incorporation?
- Preparing to receive certificate of incorporation
- Instructions for receiving certificate of incorporation
- What does a certificate of incorporation look like?
- FAQ
Certificate of Incorporation. What is it and how to get?
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What is a certificate of incorporation?
- name and registration number of the legal entity;
- date of registration of your business;
- the type of business that is registered: a company with limited or unlimited liability. If the company is limited, whether it is limited by shares or limited by guarantee;
- is it a private or public legal entity;
- whether the registered office of the firm is located in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland;
- Royal Coat of Arms.
How to get a certificate of incorporation?
Preparing to receive certificate of incorporation
- company formation: complete the legal entity formation process. You can set up a firm on your own or seek the help of a company formation agent.
- choose a business name: choose a unique and appropriate “name” for your business. The name must not be identical or too similar to existing firm names and must not contain prohibited words. Also, you need to make sure that the name you choose complies with the rules set by Companies House, the registrar of companies in the UK.
- register an office: You must have a registered office address in the UK where official legal entity documents can be sent. This can be either your business address or the provider’s registered office address. Remember that the address will be publicly available on the Companies House register, so choose your office carefully.
- draw up a Memorandum of association and Articles of association. These documents define the firm’s structure, goals and internal regulations.
- complete and submit Form IN01 – application to register business to Companies House. This form includes information about the firm, it’s directors, shareholders and share capital. Before submitting the form, carefully double-check all the information you provided.
- pay the Registration Fee: When you submit Form IN01, you will be required to pay the applicable registration fee. The amount of the fee depends on the submission method you choose and the processing speed.
- wait for the necessary registration deadlines: after the application is submitted, the processing time for obtaining a certificate of registration may vary. Online applications usually take around 24 hours. At the same time, applications in paper form are considered for several days. The Companies House will review the application and, if everything is in order, issue a certificate of incorporation.
Instructions for receiving certificate of incorporation
Way 1
- detailed information about the directors and secretaries of the business, indicating their full names, date of birth, address of residence, business address, nationality and occupation. Please, NOTE that the aforementioned proposed directors and secretaries must meet the minimum age of 16 years, not be bankrupt and not be disqualified by any government agency or court from serving as a director of the firm;
- information about subscribers (shareholders and their shares);
- Memorandum and Articles of Association;
- 2 – 3 proposed business names;
- office address.
Way 2
you can also submit an application using the postal services. To do this, you will need to download the relevant forms from the Companies House portal, fill in the relevant information and send to the appropriate address as follows:
Way 3
you can use the experience of a formation agent to register your firm, rather than submit documents yourself to Companies House. Formation agents are familiar with the requirements of Companies House and can handle the registration process efficiently and without delay.
- proposed business name(s);
- legal address;
- information about the directors and secretaries of the legal entity;
- information about shareholders and their shares.
What does a certificate of incorporation look like?
1. Title
2. Registrar Information
3. Information about the business, namely
a. business name: the registered name of the legal entity displayed in a conspicuous place and confirming the fact of the official registration of business;
b. company number: this is a unique business registration number assigned by Companies House. This number serves as a company identifier and is used in the future in all official correspondence (when opening accounts, concluding contacts, etc.).
c. date of incorporation: indicates the official date of incorporation your business.
4. Legal Statements
5. Signatures
FAQ
How Do You File a Certificate of Incorporation?
The process of filing a Certificate of incorporation is usually done through Companies House, which is the official state registrar of companies. To file the Certificate of incorporation, the following steps must be taken:
- choose a suitable (unique) name for your business that complies with the naming rules established by Companies House. The business name you choose must not infringe trademarks or existing company names;
- determine the legal address of your firm, where all official correspondence will be sent;
- appoint a director/s and a company secretary;
- decide on the share capital (share structure of your business) and determine the number and value of shares to be issued;
- prepare the Memorandum of Association, which will set out the purpose and scope of the firm, as well as the Articles of Association, which will indicate the internal rules and regulations of the business;
- apply for registration through the Companies House website;
- pay the business registration fee.
If the application and all the accompanying documents that you submitted were completed correctly, the Companies House will issue a Certificate of incorporation, which confirms the legal existence of your business.
How Much Does It Cost To File for Incorporation?
How Do You Get a Copy of Your Certificate of Incorporation?
- Physically (offline) from the Companies House
You can order a certificate of incorporation directly from Companies House by calling their contact center or by visiting one of their information centers. Alternatively, you can receive digital copies of this certificate by e-mail. - Online through the service of the Companies House
The Companies House Service provides free online access to legal entity information and documents. To do this, you need to enter the name of your firm in the search field, select your company, go to “Filing History”, open a document labeled “Incorporation” and click “View PDF”. Alternatively, you can download a scanned copy of your original registration certificate. - Through your company formation agent
If, when registering a business, you contacted a company formation agent, you can get a new digital or paper copy of your Companies House certificate of incorporation by contacting him/his again.
What information is required in a certificate of incorporation
The company Certificate of Incorporation contains the following information:
- registered company name;
- company registration number (CRN);
- place of registration firm (England and Wales, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland);
- date of incorporation;
- type of business (limited by shares, limited by guarantee, LLP, Public Limited Company, etc.);
- issuing Registrar (Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast);
- the law under which the legal entity was established (e.g. Companies Act 2006, LLP Act 2000);
- the official seal of the Registrar of Companies (Companies House);
- royal coat of arms.