Get the company decisions straight before you start filling in the Companies House form.

Polar Company Launch helps UK founders prepare the information needed to form a private limited company — company name, directors, shareholders, people with significant control, registered office, SIC code and the practical decisions surrounding incorporation.

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Companies House preparation Directors, shares and PSCs Clear setup journey

Inside Polar · Company Launch Example

COMPANY LAUNCH

Ready to form the company?

Work through the key information before moving into formal registration.

COMPANY PREPARATION

Northway Services Ltd

1 Director

1 Shareholder

1 PSC

✓

Company name Ready

✓

Registered office Ready

✓

Director & shareholder Ready

SIC code Choose

Next company-launch step: choose the SIC code that best describes the company’s main business activity.

Set up a limited company

Company formation becomes much easier when you know the answers before the form asks the questions.

Registering a company involves more than choosing a name. You need to know who is running and owning the company, where it is officially registered, what the company does and how ownership is structured.

Prepare the company

Decide the name, address, business activity and people involved.

Understand the roles

Know who the directors, shareholders and people with significant control are.

Move into registration

Use the prepared information when completing the formal Companies House process.

How to register a limited company

Work through the decisions in the same logical order the company needs them.

Polar keeps company formation understandable by separating the process into manageable decisions rather than presenting a founder with one giant legal-looking form.

Confirm limited company is right

Make sure the structure decision has already been considered before incorporation begins.

Choose the company name

Check that the proposed company name meets the relevant rules and is available.

Choose directors

Identify the person or people who will be legally responsible for running the company.

Choose shareholders

Decide who will own shares in a company limited by shares.

Identify PSCs

Identify people who own or control a significant part of the company.

Choose the registered office

Decide which qualifying UK address will become the company’s official registered address.

Choose the SIC code

Select the classification code that describes the company’s business activity.

Prepare formation information

Understand the shares, company rules and other information required for incorporation.

Verify identities where required

Make sure relevant directors or other individuals complete current Companies House identity requirements.

Register with Companies House

Complete the official incorporation process using the information prepared.

Limited company name

The business name becomes part of a public company record, so check it properly.

A limited company name must follow Companies House rules and should also be checked against existing company names and relevant trade marks.

A good brand name is not automatically an available company name.

Company-name rules and existing registrations matter separately from whether the name simply sounds right for the business.

Polar principle:
check the name before building everything else around it.

Is the name available? Check the Companies House register for existing company names.

Is it too similar? Names that are too close to existing companies can create problems.

Does it follow naming rules? Limited companies normally use “Limited” or “Ltd” as part of the registered name.

Are there trade-mark issues? Company-name availability does not automatically mean a brand is free from trade-mark issues.

Directors shareholders and PSCs

Running the company, owning the company and controlling the company are related — but not identical.

Understanding the different roles makes the incorporation process easier, particularly where more than one person is involved.

Director

A director is responsible for running the company and meeting director responsibilities.

Shareholder

A shareholder owns shares in a company limited by shares.

PSC

A person with significant control is somebody who owns or controls the company in specified ways.

One-person company

In a simple company, the same founder can be director, shareholder and PSC.

Starting a company on your own

A limited company does not need a boardroom full of people.

A company limited by shares can have one director and one shareholder, and the shareholder can also be the director.

One founder can wear several company hats.

A simple owner-managed company might look like this.

Director Alex Morgan Responsible for running the company.

Shareholder Alex Morgan Owns 100% of the issued shares in this example.

PSC Alex Morgan The same founder also controls the company in this simple example.

Shares and shareholders

Decide who owns the company before registering the ownership.

Companies limited by shares need at least one shareholder. Where there are multiple founders, the share structure deserves careful thought rather than being treated as another registration field.

Who owns shares?

Identify every initial shareholder in the company.

How many shares?

Decide how company ownership will be represented by the shares issued.

What does ownership mean?

Understand voting, control and economic ownership before splitting shares between founders.

People with significant control

Know who ultimately owns or controls the company.

Companies House requires companies to identify people with significant control. A common example is somebody holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, although other forms of significant influence or control can also apply.

Ownership and control need to be understood, not guessed.

In a very simple one-owner company the answer may be obvious. With several founders, investors or unusual arrangements, it can become more complicated.

Shares Significant ownership of company shares may create PSC status.

Voting rights Significant voting control can also be relevant.

Other control Some people can qualify because of wider significant influence or control.

Registered office address

Choose the company address knowing it becomes part of the official record.

The company needs a registered office address. Founders should understand the address requirements and the public nature of company information before automatically using a home address.

Official company address

This is where official correspondence for the company can be sent.

Public record

A registered office address appears on the public Companies House record.

Think before using home

Consider privacy and suitability before using a residential address as the registered office.

SIC code for a limited company

Tell Companies House what the company actually does.

Standard Industrial Classification — SIC — codes identify the nature of the company’s business activities.

A SIC code is a classification, not your marketing tagline.

The objective is to select the code or codes that best describe the activity of the company.

Polar principle:
describe the real business activity rather than trying to make the classification sound impressive.

What does the company mainly do? Start with the business activity that produces or is expected to produce the work.

Which official code best describes it? Use the recognised SIC classification rather than inventing a description.

Does the company have several activities? More than one code may sometimes be relevant where the company genuinely carries out different activities.

Company formation documents

Understand the legal paperwork behind incorporation without turning yourself into a company-law expert.

Company formation includes documents governing the formation, ownership and operation of the company.

Memorandum of association

The initial subscribers agree to form the company. When registering online, the standard memorandum is created as part of the process.

Articles of association

These are the rules about how the company is run. Standard model articles can suit many straightforward companies.

Statement of capital

Companies limited by shares provide information about shares and shareholders during formation.

Companies House identity verification

Identity verification is now part of the modern company-registration journey.

Relevant individuals may need to verify their identity and use their Companies House personal code as part of current incorporation requirements.

Do the identity step before it becomes the thing stopping the application.

The exact requirements depend on the people involved, so founders should check the current Companies House process when preparing to register.

Verify identity Complete the official Companies House identity-verification process where required.

Receive personal code Verified individuals receive a Companies House personal code.

Use during company setup Relevant personal codes may be needed as part of the registration process.

Companies House registration

When the information is ready, move into the official registration process.

Polar helps organise the preparation journey. Formal incorporation is completed through Companies House or another authorised registration route.

Ready to register?

Before starting the official application, make sure the core company information is consistent.

Company name Checked and suitable for registration.

Director details The people legally responsible for running the company are known.

Shareholder details The initial ownership of the company has been decided.

PSC information The people who ultimately own or control the company have been considered.

Registered office The official company address has been chosen with public visibility in mind.

SIC code The company’s business activity can be described using the relevant classification.

After registering a limited company

The certificate of incorporation is the beginning of the company — not the end of the setup.

Once the company legally exists, there are further business, tax, financial and administrative jobs to work through.

The company exists. Now make it ready to trade.

Incorporation creates the legal company, but the founder may still need to deal with tax services, banking, insurance, licences, record keeping and the practical setup of the business.

Possible next steps

Company tax setup Understand the company’s Corporation Tax and HMRC responsibilities.

Business banking Keep company finances properly separated from personal finances.

Insurance Check what cover the business needs before or during trading.

Licences and permissions Check whether the business activity or location requires additional approval.

Company records Keep the company and accounting records required as the business operates.

From company formation to business launch

Keep going after Companies House says yes.

Polar keeps company formation inside a wider startup journey so the founder moves from choosing a structure to forming, setting up and ultimately launching the business.

Business Structure → Company Launch → Registration Checklist → Business Setup → Tax Starter → Insurance → Launch

Company formation support

Polar helps you prepare the company. Companies House creates the company.

Keeping that distinction clear means the founder knows when they are using Polar for guidance and preparation and when they are completing an official legal process.

Prepare information

Polar helps organise the decisions and information needed before registration.

Understand the journey

Polar explains what the different company details mean in plain English.

Use the official service

The legal act of incorporating the company is completed through Companies House or another authorised route.

Limited company registration FAQs

Questions about setting up a limited company in the UK.

How do I register a limited company in the UK?

You need to prepare the required company information and incorporate the company through Companies House or another permitted registration route. Information commonly includes the company name, directors, shareholders, PSCs, registered office and SIC code.

Do I need a director to start a limited company?

Yes. A private limited company needs at least one director.

Do I need a shareholder?

A company limited by shares needs at least one shareholder, and the shareholder can also be a director.

What is a person with significant control?

A person with significant control, or PSC, is somebody who owns or controls a company in specified ways. Holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights is one common example.

What is a SIC code?

A SIC code is a Standard Industrial Classification code used to describe the company’s business activities.

What is a registered office address?

It is the company’s official registered address and forms part of the public company record.

Can I use my home address as my registered office?

A home address can sometimes meet the requirements, but founders should understand that a registered office address is publicly available and consider privacy before using a residential address.

Do directors need to verify their identity?

Companies House has introduced identity-verification requirements, so relevant directors and other individuals should check the current requirements before registration.

Does Polar register my company with Companies House?

Polar Company Launch is designed to help prepare and organise the company information and guide the founder through the setup journey. Formal legal incorporation is completed through Companies House or another authorised registration route.

What happens after the company is registered?

The founder may need to deal with company tax, banking, insurance, licences, records and other practical business setup requirements before or during trading.

Polar Company Launch

Know the company before you register the company.

Prepare the name, directors, ownership, people with significant control, registered office and business activity, then move into the formal Companies House process with the important decisions already made.

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