US founders can register a UK limited company online, from anywhere in the States, without visiting the UK. Many do it to trade in the UK and Europe, work with UK clients, or set up a recognisable European entity. Here's how it works, including how a UK "Ltd" compares to the LLC you might be used to.

The process is more familiar than you'd expect. If you've formed an LLC back home, you already understand the shape of it: pick a name, name the owners, give an official address, file, pay a fee. The UK adds one step Americans don't always plan for, and it's the address. We'll come back to that, because it's the part most US founders get stuck on.

Can a US citizen register a UK company?

Yes. The UK doesn't require directors or shareholders to be UK residents or citizens (gov.uk). You form the company online from the US, and the key extra step is arranging a UK registered office address, since the company must have a UK address.

That means a founder in New York, Austin or San Francisco can own 100% of a UK company without holding a visa, a UK bank account or a British passport. Nationality isn't the gate. The company simply has to be anchored to a real UK address that Companies House and HMRC can write to. A US person can be the sole director and sole shareholder. There's no need for a UK partner or a local nominee.

If you'd like more detail on who's eligible to run the company, see can a non-UK resident be a UK company director.

Do I need to visit the UK to register?

No. The entire formation runs online, and that includes the newer identity-verification step. You can pick the name, file the documents, verify who you are and receive your incorporation papers without leaving the US. There's no embassy appointment and no in-person signing.

This is the single biggest worry we hear from US founders, and it's an easy one to put to rest. Companies House is a digital filing service. The same is true of the registered office: a good service handles the UK address and scans your post to you, so distance stops being a problem. You run a UK company from your desk in the States, the same way you'd run a Delaware LLC from another state.

UK Ltd vs US LLC — what's the difference?

A UK private limited company (Ltd) is, broadly, the UK counterpart to a US LLC or corporation: a separate legal entity that limits the owners' personal liability. The mechanics and tax treatment differ, though: a UK Ltd pays UK Corporation Tax, and your US tax position is separate. It's worth getting both US and UK advice before you choose, but for most founders an Ltd is the natural UK structure.

Let's slow down on the parts that matter. "Separate legal entity" means the company is its own legal person. It can sign contracts, hold a bank account and own assets in its own name, distinct from you. "Limited liability" means that, in normal trading, your personal money isn't on the hook for the company's debts. Those two ideas will feel familiar from your LLC, and that's why the comparison holds.

Where they part ways is tax. A US LLC is often a pass-through, with profit landing on the owner's personal return. A UK Ltd is taxed as a company in its own right, through UK Corporation Tax. The two systems sit side by side when a US person owns a UK company, and how they interact depends on your circumstances. We won't guess at it here, and you shouldn't either. This is the one place to bring in an accountant who handles US and UK matters before you commit to a structure.

Why US founders choose a UK Ltd anyway

A UK Ltd gives you a credible, recognisable European base. A "Ltd" suffix reads as established to UK and EU customers, suppliers and platforms in a way a foreign entity sometimes doesn't. For founders selling into Britain or Europe, or hiring there, a local company can simply open more doors. Picture an American SaaS founder who wants UK and EU clients to invoice a British entity, in pounds, with a London address on the contract. A UK Ltd does exactly that job.

What address do I use as a US-based founder?

You need a UK registered office address: the official UK address where Companies House and HMRC send statutory post. Your US home or office can't be it, because the registered office must be in the UK. This is the step that catches most American founders off guard, and it's why a registered office service exists.

A registered office is public. It appears on the open register at Companies House, so anyone can look it up. That's a strong reason not to use a relative's UK flat or a borrowed address even if you have one. A proper service gives you a real, professional UK address that's built for the job. For the full picture, see our guide to a registered office address for non-UK residents.

This is where MVOS fits in. We give you a London registered office at 20 Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, then scan your post and send it to you in the US, so nothing important sits unread in a UK letterbox. You get a real Belgravia address and a digital copy of every letter, wherever you are. See our registered office service for how that works.

The steps

  1. Pick and check your company name at Companies House. It has to be unique and not too close to an existing name. Have a backup ready in case your first choice is taken.
  2. Arrange a UK registered office address, the official UK address for Companies House and HMRC. MVOS gives you a Belgravia address and scans your post to you in the US: see our registered office service.
  3. Provide director and shareholder details and your share structure. For a simple setup that's often one person as sole director and sole shareholder, holding all the shares.
  4. Complete identity verification. Directors and people with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House, which you can do from the US (gov.uk). An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), an agent approved to verify identities, can handle this step for you. MVOS is ACSP-registered, so we can verify you from the States. You can read more in MVOS as a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP).
  5. File and pay £100. Companies House charges £100 to register online (as of 1 February 2026) (gov.uk); complete applications are usually registered within about 24 hours.

A quick note on identity verification. It's a check on who you are, not where you live, so being in the US doesn't block it. Doing it through an ACSP is often the smoother route for an overseas founder, because the agent guides you through the right documents. If you'd like to compare how this works in different countries, our guide on how to register a UK company from India walks through the same steps from another non-resident angle.

After incorporation

You'll get your company number and incorporation documents. Then consider a UK business bank account and your cross-border tax position: an accountant familiar with US–UK matters is worth it here.

A few practical things tend to follow. UK business banking from overseas can take a little longer to set up than a domestic account, so start it early. Keep your registered office details current, since that address stays public and statutory post will keep arriving there. And keep your US and UK tax advisers in the loop from day one, rather than after the first filing deadline. None of this is hard. It just rewards a bit of planning before you press file.

If you want to weigh up the options before you start, compare our non-UK resident formation packages, or look at the company formation service and Companies House identity verification on their own.