To register a company in Northern Ireland, you must submit an incorporation application to Companies House Belfast. It’s an incredibly quick, simple, and affordable process that you can carry out online. Below, we explain what information you need to provide and how to file your completed application form to the Registrar of Companies in Northern Ireland.
Register a company in Northern Ireland
Following the commencement of the Companies Act 2006 on October 1st 2009, a single company law regime governs all UK companies. The Companies Registry Northern Ireland (CRNI) was integrated with Companies House as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This means that all Northern Irish companies are now incorporated at Companies House Belfast.
There are three ways that you can set up a company limited by shares or limited by guarantee in Northern Ireland:
- using the services of an online company formation specialist like Rapid Formations
- online using Companies House Web Incorporation Service (only available if setting up a limited by shares company with Ordinary shares)
- by post to Companies House using Form IN01 ‘Application to Register a Company’
The quickest and easiest way to form a new company is through an online formation agent. This process takes up to 24 hours. The other two options can take between 2-10 days. Your new company will be incorporated at Companies House Belfast and will be ready to begin trading immediately. Using an agent is also the most cost-efficient way to register a company in Northern Ireland or any other part of the UK.
Whichever method you decide to use, you will need:
- at least one director
- at least one shareholder (or guarantor)
- a registered office address
- information about People with Significant Control (PSCs)
- SIC code(s) to explain what your business does
- a service address for each director, company secretary, subscriber (shareholders or guarantors who set up the company) and PSCs. This is where they will receive their statutory mail
- articles of association – you can use the ‘Model’ articles or you can provide your own bespoke articles
All of the information you provide will be displayed on the central public register at Companies House, with the exception of home addresses and days of birth (the month and year elements will be disclosed) of directors and PSCs. However, please be aware that your home address will be displayed if you use it as a registered office or service address.
Choosing a suitable registered office address
The registered office of a limited company must be situated in the same UK where it is incorporated. Therefore, if you register a company in Northern Ireland, your registered office must also be situation there. It must be a full, physical postal address, not a PO Box number. You can use your home address, but you should note that it will appear on the public record. To protect the privacy of your home, we recommend using an alternate address – one that is non-residential/commercial. This will also create a more professional image for your company.
The location of your registered office does not dictate where you run your business from. It is simply an address used by UK governing agencies (such as Companies House and HMRC) for official mailing purposes, and for the storage and inspection of statutory company registers. As a director or shareholder of a limited company, you can choose to live anywhere in the world and you can run your business from any location you want, but the registered office must always remain in the country of registration.
Form a company via Rapid Formations
Rapid Formations offers a wide range of company formation packages that will enable you to register a company in Northern Ireland in under 24 hours. Prices start at just £2.99 (not including the Companies House filing fee of £50.00). We are unable to provide a registered office service in Northern Ireland, but you can simply choose a suitable alternate address for this purpose and enter the details during the registration process.
We can, however, provide Professional Service Addresses in London and Glasgow that can be used by company directors, the company secretary, subscribers, or PSCs at the time of registration or at any time thereafter, All statutory mail received at the service address will be scanned and emailed to the named individual within 24 hours of receipt.
The digital products on this site are absolutely captivating.
Thank you for your high praise, Stacy. We’re glad you like the products we offer.
Kind regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Hi
I’m looking to register my business in the north. I’m from the south and don’t yet have a business address up north but have a house address that I’ll be moving to. Will this suffice for registration purposes?
Hi Linda, thanks for the question.
Yes, that’s absolutely fine to use the address as the registered office (if you happen to be renting, you will need the permission of the landlord).
It’s worth considering a few things.
– The registered office is on the Companies House register, so the address will be freely available for anyone to view
– Correspondance will be sent to the address very shortly after incorporation, so it would be a good idea to wait until you have full access to the house (if you don’t already)
We hope that helps.
Regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Good afternoon, I’m looking to form a limited company in Northern Ireland as a holding company for property north or south only need vat registered can the assets be keep private
Thank you for your kind enquiry, Martin.
We can certainly help you form a limited company in Northern Ireland, and assist you with VAT Registration.
Please check out our limited company packages here: https://www.rapidformations.co.uk/compare-packages/
If you need any assistance forming your company, our Customer Service Team are available to help you by phone (020 7871 9990), live chat or email (support@rapidformations.co.uk).
Regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Hi there,
I have a business partnership registered in England, but have relocated to Northern Ireland. If I register in Northern Ireland too, will I have to submit my annual tax returns (and maybe other requirements) to both Northern Ireland and England? Or should I ‘move’ it from England to Northern Ireland? It seems unnecessary when its still part of the UK, but some local funding requires it. I don’t want to lose English funding either, as I am operating on both geographical land masses (Ireland and England).
Hi John,
Thank you for your kind enquiry,
It is not possible to move a limited company from one legal jurisdiction within the UK to another – i.e from England to Northern Ireland. Once a company is formed within a legal jurisdiction, it must remain in that jurisdiction. Please note it is possible to have a company registered in England but trade from Northern Ireland, as Northern Ireland constitutes part of the United Kingdom. With regards to local funding, this may be in relation to supporting local businesses only. If this is the case, we would suggest you consider forming a new company in Northern Ireland and transferring the assets from the English company to the Northern Ireland company, in order to allow you to become eligible for this funding. We would suggest given you also want to receive English funding, that you consider operating two separate companies – one in Northern Ireland and one in England, which would enable you to be eligible for local funding for both companies – unfortunately this will require you to file annual returns for both companies; however the legalities of doing this are the same whether you are in England or Northern Ireland.
I trust this information is of use to you.
Kind regards,
Rachel
Hi there,
Corporation tax is lower in Northern Ireland than it is in England. If I do some work for an English consultancy in England, but my company is registered to my address in Northern Ireland, does my company pay English tax or Irish? Are there any other complications I should be aware of?
Thanks,
Ronan
Dear Ronan,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately we are not able to advise on taxation matters are we are not accountants. I would suggest you seek professional advice regarding your position.
Best regards,
Rapid Formations Team
I want to register a trading name for a Self Employed business. Is that possible on this site.
Gerry.
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Hi Gerry
Thank you for your comment.
As sole trader you can trade under your own name, or you can choose another name for your business. You do not need to register your business name. You must include your name and business name (if you have one) on official paperwork, for example invoices and letters.
If you want to reserve a business name with Companies House, to stop someone using it to name a limited company, you will have to form your own limited company to do so. You should also inform HMRC that your limited company is not trading, i.e. it is dormant, and you will not be expected to make a Corporation Tax return. You can form a limited company on our website using any of our limited company packages: https://www.rapidformations.co.uk/compare-packages/
Kind regards,
Graeme
I want to set up a CIC limited by guarantee based in Belfast. Do I use the uk CIC form or an
N I one?
Hi Andy,
You should complete form IN01 in accordance with this guidance and sent it to Companies House in Belfast for approval: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-interest-companies-business-activities/cic-business-activities-forms-and-step-by-step-guidelines
Best wishes,
Rachel
Hi is it possible to set up a bank account from a registered company address that i would pay for online?? Or anyway i can open a bank account without being tied to my home address, if i open it with a registered address will a bank accept that??
Hi Caren,
You should be able to register your company’s business bank account at your official company address – I don’t see why that would be an issue. But I cannot guarantee that your bank will accept it. They all have different rules. Regardless of which address the account is registered at, you will still need to provide the bank with proof of your UK home address for credit-check purposes.
I hope this helps.
Best of luck,
Rachel
Hi, we’re looking to set up a company based in Northern Ireland but we don’t want to use a residential address to register the company, is this one of the services you could provide?
Thanks
Hello,
I’m afraid we don’t offer a registered office address in Northern Ireland. However, you can certainly incorporate your new company online using our registration services, and our director’s service address and business address services in London and Glasgow can be used for a company that is registered in Northern Ireland.
Sorry I cannot be of more help with this query but please do contact me if you have any more questions.
Best wishes,
Rachel
I run a small internet based business and I’m moving back to NI for family reasons in June. How do I transfer my registration from companies house in the mainland to companies house in Belfast? Will a standard change of address form be enough? Thanks
Hi Ryan,
You cannot transfer your company registration to a different jurisdiction so it will have to remain registered in England and Wales or Scotland (wherever it is set up at the moment). This is nothing to worry about. You can run your company from NI but you just have to keep your registered office in the country it is in just now.
I’d suggest setting up a registered office service if you haven’t already got one, then you can get your statutory mail delivered there and forwarded to your home or business address in NI. It would also be a good idea to set up a business address in NI to establish a presence there. Your service address can be anywhere so you can move it to NI.
I hope this helps. All the best.
Rachel
I am returning to Northern Ireland and wish to register a business but am yet to find a location. Does this mean I have to secure a location first?
Dear Judith
Thank you for your message.
You can register the business in Northern Ireland at a company address provider if you want to set it up before you have your own premises and can trade from the premises you currently use outside Northern Ireland.
Kind Regards
if i purchase an “off the shelf company” can I change the company name ( Northern Ireland )
Hi John
Thanks for your message. You are able to change the name of any company. It can be changed online or by post. he name can be changed by submitting a resolution or new Articles of Association for the company. The cost to change the name for standard service is £8 (online) and £10 by post. There is a special same day service online for £30.
Kind Regards
Hello
I wish to set up my own care agency and need advice before I go about setting up the company name online as to which is best for me. Thank you
Hi Mary
Thanks for your message.
There is no specific answer as to what is best for a company based on its activities. The main pointers as to what package would be best for you are as follows:
1) Do you require your company documents to be posted out to you or are you happy to receive them by e-mail.
2) Do you require the address of the company’s Registered Office and company director(s) to be protected from the public record.
3) DO you require the company to be registered for PAYE and/or vat?
The answers to these questions will dictate which package would be best for you.
If I can be of specific help, please let me know.
Kind Regards
Rachel