Public Company Formation & Company Incorporation in the UK:
UK public company formation and company registration for the formation of a public company has never been easier. Public company registration with a full set of company documents for as little as £120.00. We have a public company formation service to suit everyone's needs, please see below. Coddan Companies Formation Agent LTD: packaged online public company formations for occasional users, with payment by credit card or wire transfer.
Whichever formation option you choose, you'll find that using Coddan Companies Formation Agent LTD is:
You'll be ready to trade usually within the same day** using our fully electronic service.
Whether online or over the phone, the process takes just a few minutes. Our online data capture screens are ordered in a logical process, with helpful features and our telephone personnel are experienced and supportive
Our formations are forms-free, so we don't have to send you statutory paperwork to sign. In addition, our free company name check facility is - we believe - the best in the business for accuracy and functionality, alerting you to name availability and any "sensitive words", which will require written permission
Our formation options are designed to suit all needs, volumes and budgets. There are no minimum order quantities or subscription charges and our comprehensive packages contain no hidden extra charges
We offer ongoing business support via our company secretarial, legal, accounting, business information and intellectual property protection services.
** Subject to Companies House but guaranteed within 24 hours.
Our electronic custom public company registration service offers a fast, simple economy incorporation service. Please enter your details below followed by the details of the company, the officers and shareholders. Every public company must have at least two directors, one secretary and one shareholder. Your documents will be promptly filed electronically with Companies House and we will send you your Memorandum & Articles by email as a PDF file. Incorporation will usually be completed within 24 hours and your certificate of incorporation will also be emailed to you as a PDF file. If you have an account with us your order will be processed immediately otherwise orders will not be processed until we receive payment. This service is priced at £120.00.
We will form your new company with your intended directors, company secretary, registered office and shareholders all in place and recorded at Companies House at the time of incorporation, although we can of course still use our nominees for registration purposes if you prefer.
We complete all the minutes, statutory registers and official documents on your behalf, and ensure that all necessary forms and resolutions are correctly filed with the Registrar of Companies.
The basic document package we provide will not differ significantly from that available at a major corporate law office. Form a company online in minutes at lawyer-free prices. Coddan was developed by expert attorneys with experience at the most prestigious law firms in the country. We've helped over 50,000 satisfied customers, and our know-how allows us to prepare legal documents quickly and efficiently.
Coddan lets you take care of common legal procedures without ever leaving your home or office. We're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our research area contains plenty of helpful guidance. Simply answer an easy-to-understand questionnaire, and Coddan takes care of the rest - no need to download, no need to print. You will receive the completed legal documents printed on quality acid-free paper.
How the process works. We have introduced a new, faster way of completing the public companies incorporation process. You can register your company and nominate your director and secretary online. The process is simple and straightforward, but we have put together some helpful tips below in case you need any pointers.
There is also an email address at the foot of this page if we have missed anything. You can start contracting using your new company once you have received your Certificate of Incorporation - usually within 3 working hours of submitting your order.
Our system allows you to nominate your directors and secretaries up front. Other firms registering companies, do not offer this on-line service therefore, you would need to complete several forms to achieve the same end result, extending the time your company would be out of operation, to at least three weeks. Using our system, your company will be registered with the directors and secretaries of your choice without delay.
Here's what you need to do: the online process will take you through the steps of purchasing your chosen name and on to a new area of the system with an ONLINE Form 288a to nominate your chosen director and secretary. As you complete each step of the process you will be sent emailed confirmation - e.g. that your order has been placed and that your request for that company name has been sent to Companies House. Your Memorandum and Articles of Association will also be sent to you by email.
As a Companies House E-Filing partner we deliver documents electronically so there are no paper forms to sign and post, simply enter all the information within our web based system and obtain a result in hours. Coddan is a leading provider of company formations to all businesses and professional intermediaries. Since 1993, Coddan has delivered high quality services to those requiring company registration.
Our tailor made company formation service allows you to choose the name of your new firm, subject to availability. Because we now submit the vast majority of new incorporations electronically to Companies House, your limited company will normally be incorporated within 6-8 working hours* of ordering (*If ordered before 11:00 and Companies House permitting. Companies House in Belfast (CHB) normally takes 7-10 working days to register a new company).
Applying with us online is very easy. Follow the 1-step approach to searching and registering your company with Companies House, without the need for extensive paperwork; all of it is covered by Coddan. By providing 100% of the details online using a simple, well laid out process, you don't have to get tied up with complicated forms. After submitting, just sit back and wait for our email notification.
You will be registered as the founding director and shareholder of the company, this means that you can open your doors for equity or debt financing from other sources since the company is actually registered in a real persons name who is responsible for the operations of the company. Not only is you application processed faster, it is much more accurate and you can even modify any of the previously entered details; and it is very economical too.
Other agents form companies using agent director then resign and transfer the shares to your directors. The presence of these agent directors and shareholders leads to confusion and delay when
opening bank accounts, or anything involving credit transactions for your company like opening a merchant account or lease arrangements.
We accept phone orders during normal business hours. If you call and receive voicemail, just leave your name and number, as clearly and as possible, and we will call you back as soon as possible.
We have many
ready made companies (off-the-shelf), which are ready to trade, and can be transferred to you within hours. All shelf companies are immediately available and come with full professional documentation. Shelf companies are known by a number of terms; i.e. aged companies, seasoned companies or combinations of terms. Irrespective of the term, a shelf-company offers unique opportunities. Perhaps the leading reason for acquiring an aged entity in general is credibility. An answer to the most common question, yes you may merge your history with an aged entity. Business relationships are frequently influenced by the length of time a company has been in existence. This is often true when establishing financial and client/vendor relationships i.e. "Since 1998".
The fact that Coddan's
off-the-shelf entities have never operated, that all stock or member shares remain intact, gives intrinsic value to that entity. The limited existence of shelf companies should, therefore, not be unexpected. Coddan's ready-made companies date from 1998 to 2005.
We offer substantial consulting in completing the proper merging and organisation of a shelf company. Annual return dates, duties and company account return dates are dependent on the original date of incorporation not the purchases date. Please note that all our ready-made companies are formed with General Commercial objects and are therefore able to conduct any nature of business.
What is a Public Limited Company?
The key difference between public and private companies is that a public company may offer to sell its shares to the public. It may be quoted on the Stock Exchange or the Alternative Investment Market, but does not have to be. Out of 13,000 public companies registered in Great Britain only 2,100 are quoted on the London Stock Exchange.
Public companies would have extra measures introduced for their formation. Certificates of trading would need to be sought as well as a certificate of incorporation. The certificate of trading would be needed before the public entity could start any kind of trade of financing activities. The obtain such a document certain key share capital requirements would have to be met relating to the minimum amounts both issued and paid for.
Prior to the 1985 Companies Act, the only way that a company could offer its shares to the public to raise capital was by admission to one of the official stock markets. This was limited to a relatively small number of substantial companies and excluded the small to medium-sized enterprise in need of capital. The 1985 Act created the PLC and made the procedure to acquire public company status much simpler. British public limited company is a company which is registered as such and complies with the following:
It must state that it is a public limited company both in its memorandum and in its name. The memorandum must contain a clause stating that it is a public limited company and the name must end with 'Public Limited Company' or 'PLC' (or if it is a Welsh company, the Welsh equivalents 'Cwmni Cyfyngedig Cyhoeddus' or 'CCC'). The memorandum must be in the form specified. It must have an authorised share capital of at least £50,000. Before it can start business, it must have allotted shares to the value of at least £50,000. A quarter of them, £12,500, must be paid up. Each allotted share must be paid up to at least one quarter of its nominal value together with the whole of any premium. For example, if a share with a nominal value of £1.00 is sold for £6.00, then it is said to have a premium of £5.00. This premium must be paid to the company, together with a minimum of a quarter of the nominal value of each share. That is £0.25p plus £5.00, making a total payment of £5.25. For UK and Scottish Public Limited Companies you must appoint a minimum of TWO directors (plus a Company Secretary).
UK PLC must have an issued share capital of not less than fifty thousand pounds of which a minimum of 25% must be fully paid up. Shares cannot be issued for an undertaking to do work or perform services; payment for shares may only be by 'cash' or a 'non cash' consideration. The latter method would normally be in respect of a property or other tangible asset and completed within 5 years of the allotment. A PLC is not obliged to float its shares or offer them for sale, and it can remain as private as the shareholders wish and as with private limited companies if the shares have been fully paid there is no shareholder liability. A PLC enjoys increased status because of the larger capital base. English and Scottish PLC requires two shareholders and two directors one of whom may also be the company secretary. A company registered as a public company on its original incorporation cannot commence business or exercise its borrowing powers unless the Registrar has issued it with a certificate of entitlement to do business and borrow (the trading certificate) which normally takes approximately two weeks to process.
Can a PLC Issue Shares in Another Currency?
Yes, if it has passed the necessary resolutions to adopt that currency as part of its authorised capital and given the directors the authority to allot that capital. However, it must always have at least the authorised minimum of £50,000 sterling in issued capital, irrespective of what other currency it uses. A company may use as many currencies as it wishes for its share capital provided that they are true currencies.
When Can a PLC Start Business?
A newly formed PLC must not begin business or exercise any borrowing powers until it has a certificate issued under section 117 of the Companies Act 1985 confirming that the company has issued share capital of at least the statutory minimum. You can get this certificate from Companies House by completing Form117. Once issued, the certificate is proof that the company is entitled to do business and borrow. We will normally post you the certificate, but we can fax a copy for collection at any Companies House office if you ask for this when you deliver Form 117 for registration.
Are There any Other Restrictions on a PLC?
Yes. There are four main restrictions: a PLC must have at least two members and at least two company directors. The secretary (or each joint secretary) must also be a person who appears to the directors to have the necessary knowledge and ability to fulfil the functions and who:
Held the office of secretary or assistant or deputy secretary on 22 December 1980; or for at least three of the five years before their appointment, held the office of secretary of a non-private company; or is a barrister, advocate or solicitor called or admitted in any part of the United Kingdom. Or is a person who, by virtue of his previous experience or membership of another body, appears to the directors to be capable of discharging the functions of secretary; or is a member of any of the following bodies: - the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales; the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland; the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland; the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators; the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants; the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (formally known as the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants), or the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
A PLC normally has only seven months after the end of its accounting reference period to deliver its accounts to the Registrar. A civil penalty will be incurred if it delivers accounts to Companies House after the statutory time allowed for filing. UK PLC cannot take advantage of many of the provisions and exceptions applying to private companies under the Act, such as audit exemptions for small private companies. A PLC cannot apply for voluntary strike-off under section 652A, Companies Act 1985.
What Then is the Advantage of a Public Company?
A PLC has access to capital markets and can offer its shares for sale to the public through a recognised stock exchange. It can also issue advertisements offering any of its securities for sale to the public. In contrast, a private company may not offer to the public any shares in itself.
Do These Rules Apply to an Oversea PLC?
Most of the above rules do not apply to a public company formed abroad. On establishing a branch or place of business in Great Britain, such a company is governed by Part XXIII of the Companies Act 1985, just as any other overseas company is. However, besides Part XXIII of the Act, they are also governed by regulations in their country of incorporation, by certain parts of the Financial Services Act 1986, and by the City Code on Take-overs and Mergers.
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