The company is the first step. This page covers the rest: what you must sort out next, what each thing asks of a founder who lives abroad, and what it costs. Every figure has its source. These are the options a founder would look at. No seller pays to be on this page.
1 Form the company
Start here. We compare 11 formation agents and what each one charges.
Most UK banks and apps want every director, or at least one, to live in the UK. A founder abroad has fewer choices: Tide, Wise and Revolut say they may accept it, with conditions. Check whether the account is a bank (FSCS cover) or an e-money account (no FSCS cover).
What to know
FSCS protects deposits at UK-authorised banks, building societies and credit unions up to £120,000 per eligible person, per firm. The limit rose to £120,000 on 1 December 2025. fscs.org.uk/what-we-cover
FSCS says it cannot protect money held with e-money institutions and payment providers. The FCA regulates these firms, but you do not get FSCS compensation if the firm itself fails. fscs.org.uk/news/protection/e-money-and-fscs…
If a bank that holds an e-money firm's safeguarded funds fails, eligible customers of that firm are protected up to £120,000, whatever country they live in. Cover applies only when the funds sit in a UK-authorised bank. bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/publicatio…
Tide says people outside the UK may apply if they are directors of a company at Companies House, with extra checks in some cases. It needs a UK mobile number and a UK app store. Its help pages differ on the home address: one says a UK or overseas address, another says a UK residential address.
Wise says overseas-owned UK companies may be able to apply if the business and the account representative pass its checks and give the documents it asks for.
Revolut asks that your current legal home address is in the UK, Switzerland, the EEA, the US, Australia, Singapore or India. Another Revolut page lists only the UK, Switzerland and the EEA.
Mettle says you must be a UK resident and a UK tax resident only, with a UK phone number. It allows at most two persons of significant control and one account user.
Zempler says applicants must be 18 or over and UK residents, and the business must be based in the UK. It accepts applications made while you are abroad from UK residents, which may take longer.
HSBC says you can apply for its Business Banking Account if you are an established business and hold UK tax residency. It does not say whether a director abroad can apply.
This account suits businesses that want a relationship manager and expect to borrow more than £100,000.
Read 5 Oct 2026
We could not find: Airwallex and Payoneer state no rule on directors abroad on any page we read. We did not find an HSBC or Barclays statement on directors who live abroad beyond the quoted lines. We did not read Revolut's full UK fee PDF; plan prices come from its pricing page. Airwallex shows a Grow price of £49 in its UK fee schedule (March 2025) and a different figure on third-party pages. We could not read a current Grow price on its pricing page.
3 Take payments from customers
You need a UK bank or e-money account first, because most providers pay out to one. Card fees are a percentage plus a fixed amount. Compare in-person, online and Direct Debit rates, because they differ.
What to know
Stripe says it charges no setup fees or monthly fees. UK cards cost 1.5% + 20p for standard cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium cards. stripe.com/gb/pricing
Stripe adds 2% if currency conversion is needed, and charges 2.5% + 20p for European Economic Area cards and 3.15% + 20p for other international cards. stripe.com/gb/pricing
Stripe's document page says a passport is needed if the person's residence differs from the account country. It does not say whether a director abroad can open a UK account.
Dojo's contract for businesses under £1m card turnover is 12 months, then monthly rolling (its FAQ).
Read 5 Oct 2026
We could not find: No provider in this step states on a page we read whether a director who lives abroad can open an account, except the Stripe passport rule. Dojo's pricing page shows a 1.2% blended rate under £100,000 yearly turnover. A third-party site says Dojo changed to a £39.99 monthly plan in 2025. We used Dojo's own page; check the live quote. Zettle's payment-link rate differs between its own pages (2.5% and 1.2% + 30p), so we left it out. We could not read a Dojo monthly platform or machine fee on a page that gave one clear figure.
4 Register for tax and file on time
The company must file a Company Tax Return and pay Corporation Tax, even with no profit. Register for PAYE before the first payday. If you register for VAT, you must use Making Tax Digital software. Late filing costs a fixed penalty at once.
What to know
A VAT-registered business must keep VAT records and send VAT returns using Making Tax Digital compatible software. HMRC signs up newly registered businesses automatically. gov.uk/government/collections/making-ta…
You must register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday, even if the only person you pay is you as the sole director. You cannot register more than 2 months before you start paying people. gov.uk/register-employer
Company Tax Return: file 12 months after the accounting period ends. Pay Corporation Tax 9 months and 1 day after the period ends. (Companies House accounts: 9 months after the financial year ends.) gov.uk/prepare-file-annual-accounts-for…
Late Company Tax Return penalties: £200 after 1 day, another £200 at 3 months, then 10% of unpaid tax at 6 months and another 10% at 12 months. If the return is late 3 times in a row, each £200 becomes £1,000. gov.uk/company-tax-returns/penalties-fo…
A dormant company must still file a confirmation statement and annual accounts with Companies House. If it is dormant for Corporation Tax, you can tell HMRC and stop filing Company Tax Returns unless HMRC asks. gov.uk/dormant-company/dormant-for-corp…
We could not find: We left the VAT registration threshold and corporation tax registration to the formation notes. No accountant or software seller states on a page we read whether a non-UK-resident owner is accepted. Crunch's own pages show both £94 and £90 for Limited Company Pro. Its instant-quote page shows no price. Mazuma's pricing page does not say which business type its four plans cover; we cite its article for the £45 limited company Standard price. Xero's plan names did not appear next to prices on the pages we read. We could not read a current Ember price on Ember or Starling pages. A price for Osome UK (Grow plan) that we could read again on its page. A price for QuickBooks Online UK (Essentials plan, Plus plan) that we could read again on its page.
5 Keep a registered office and service address
Your company needs a UK registered office, and each director needs a service address on the public register. A founder abroad cannot use a home address abroad as the registered office. Pay only for the address you need.
What to know
The registered office must be a physical address in the UK, in the same country as the company is registered. It must also be an 'appropriate' address: someone acting for the company must see the post, and the sender must be able to get proof of delivery. gov.uk/limited-company-formation/compan…
Each director gives Companies House a service address, which is public, and a usual residential address, which is kept on a private register. The service address can be the same as the registered office. gov.uk/guidance/your-personal-informati…
1st Formations says its registered office service cannot be used as a director's service address. A director must buy a separate service address, and one purchase covers one director for one company. 1stformations.co.uk/service-address-service Third party
We could not find: We could not read a clear price on The Formations Company or Your Virtual Office London, so they are not listed. No provider here states on a page we read whether its address service works for the formation notes' non-resident case, except Your Company Formations. We did not check each provider's mail-forwarding charges.
6 Buy the insurance you need
Employers' liability insurance is the one cover the law requires, and only once you have staff. Public liability and professional indemnity are not compulsory, but clients often ask for them. Prices depend on your work and turnover, so the figures below are starting prices only.
What to know
You must have Employers' Liability insurance as soon as you become an employer, for at least £5 million, from an authorised insurer. gov.uk/employers-liability-insurance
You can be fined £2,500 every day you are not properly insured. You must display the certificate, or you could be fined £1,000. gov.uk/employers-liability-insurance
You do not need Employers' Liability insurance if you employ only close family or only people based outside England, Scotland and Wales. gov.uk/employers-liability-insurance
We could not find: No seller states on a page we read whether a company with a director abroad can buy cover. These are marketing starting prices, not quotes. We did not request quotes. Hiscox's two pages show £8.00 and £8.50 for professional indemnity starting prices. PolicyBee's public liability price differs between its pages (£4.20 and £8.40), so we left it out.
7 Pay yourself or a first employee
Register for PAYE before the first payday, even if only you are paid. For 2026 to 2027, employer National Insurance starts at £5,000 a year. A company does not give a founder abroad the right to work in the UK.
What to know
Register as an employer with HMRC when you start paying staff, even if you only pay yourself as the sole director. If you pay before you get your PAYE reference, run payroll, store the full payment submission and send a late one to HMRC. gov.uk/register-employer
2026 to 2027: employer National Insurance is 15% on earnings above the secondary threshold of £5,000 a year (£96 a week). The employee primary threshold is £12,570 a year. gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-fo…
Employment Allowance cuts an employer's Class 1 National Insurance bill by up to £10,500 a year. If the company has only one director, that director must not be the only employee liable for secondary Class 1 National Insurance. gov.uk/claim-employment-allowance/eligi…
With staff you must follow workplace pension duties, even if no one needs enrolling. You must enrol workers aged 22 to State Pension age who earn over £10,000 a year (2026 to 2027). The minimum is 8% of earnings, with at least 3% from you. thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/employers/new-employers/im-an-em…
Owning a UK company gives no right to work in the UK. A Standard Visitor can sign contracts and attend meetings, but needs a work visa for other paid or unpaid work. gov.uk/standard-visitor/visit-on-busine…
The BrightPay page is undated; check the price before you buy.
Read 5 Oct 2026
We could not find: The rules about which visa suits a founder who wants to work in the UK are outside this step; we found only the Standard Visitor limits. We left out payroll providers that do not publish a price (for example Deel). We did not check the Xero plan names against the payroll allowances.
Setup Costs