How long does company registration actually take?
Registering a UK limited company is genuinely one of the faster bits of bureaucracy you’ll deal with as a founder, assuming your application is straightforward.
The typical timeline
Filing online directly with Companies House, most straightforward applications are approved within 24 hours, sometimes just a few hours. Paper applications take considerably longer, often several days to a couple of weeks, so online is worth choosing unless you have a specific reason not to.
What can slow things down
A company name that’s too similar to an existing one, or that includes a restricted word requiring special permission, will get rejected or flagged for review rather than approved instantly. Incomplete or inconsistent director and shareholder details cause the same problem. Checking your name is genuinely available before you file (our free name checker on the homepage does exactly this) avoids the most common cause of delay.
Bank-bundled formation
Going through Tide, ANNA, or similar tends to follow a similar timeline to direct registration since they’re filing with Companies House through the same system, the main difference is the guided app experience rather than a faster approval.
What to do while you wait
Use the short window to sort your business bank account (if not bundled), register for Corporation Tax once approved, and get your basic accounting setup decided. There’s no reason to sit idle for the day or two it takes.
Some links here are referral links, if you sign up we may earn a fee at no cost to you, it never changes the order we list things in. Fees and terms change, always check Companies House and the provider’s own site for the current numbers. This is information, not legal advice.