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August 30, 2026
What Documents Do You Receive After Registering a UK Company?
After registering a UK limited company, you will normally receive a certificate of incorporation and have access to the company’s memorandum, articles of association and incorporation details.
Other important items, including the company’s Corporation Tax Unique Taxpayer Reference and Companies House authentication code, may arrive separately after incorporation.
Some records, such as share certificates and the register of members, are not automatically issued by Companies House. The company or its formation agent must prepare and maintain them.
The certificate of incorporation is the main document issued when Companies House approves the company registration.
It confirms that the company legally exists and normally shows:
If the company is registered online, the certificate will normally be provided electronically.
If the application is made through a formation agent, the agent may send the certificate by email or make it available through an online portal.
A postal incorporation may result in physical documents being returned by post.
The certificate may be requested when:
The original electronic document should be stored securely.
The company registration number is shown on the certificate of incorporation and Companies House record.
It is a permanent identifier for the company and does not normally change if the company changes its name, directors, shareholders or registered office.
The number may be required on:
The format depends on the company type and jurisdiction.
The memorandum of association records the initial subscribers’ intention to form the company.
For a company limited by shares, it confirms that the original subscribers agreed to become members and take at least one share each.
The memorandum generally contains:
If the company is registered online, the memorandum is normally generated automatically from the information submitted.
No. The memorandum is a historical incorporation document and cannot normally be amended after registration.
Changes to shareholders or share ownership are instead recorded through stock transfer forms, allotment documents, the register of members and Companies House filings.
The articles of association contain the rules for managing the company.
They may cover:
A company may use:
If model articles were adopted, the company may be given a copy or directed to the applicable version. If bespoke articles were filed, a copy should appear in the company’s filing history.
Banks, investors, solicitors and potential buyers may request the articles to understand:
Directors must act within the powers granted by the articles.
A company limited by shares provides a statement of capital and initial shareholdings during incorporation.
This information forms part of the registration application and normally includes:
The statement of capital is not the same as the company’s market valuation.
For example, a company with 100 shares of £1 each has nominal share capital of £100, but the business could be worth more or less than that amount.
It can normally be found in the company’s incorporation filing on the Companies House register or within the formation documents supplied by the registration service.
The directors should check that it matches the share certificates and register of members.
The incorporation application contains the information submitted when registering the company.
Depending on the filing method, the document or filing record may include:
The filed document may be available through the company’s public filing history, although private information such as full residential addresses and the registered email address will not normally appear publicly.
The Companies House authentication code is a six-character alphanumeric code used to authorise online company filings.
It performs a similar function to an officer’s electronic signature and may be needed to file:
The authentication code is different from:
The code is sent by post to the company’s registered office after it is requested. Delivery can take several working days.
The company should not wait until its first filing deadline to request the code.
Anyone who knows the authentication code may be able to submit changes to the company’s public record.
The code should only be shared with trusted directors, employees or professional advisers who are authorised to make filings.
A personal code is issued to an individual after they successfully complete Companies House identity verification.
Unlike the company authentication code, the personal code belongs to the individual and not to the company.
It may be needed when the individual:
A person who is a director or PSC of several companies generally uses the same personal code for their verified identity, subject to the applicable filing process.
Companies House explains that the personal code is unique to the verified individual.
The personal code may be obtained before incorporation rather than received as part of the company’s formation pack.
HMRC issues the company with a ten-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference, commonly called a UTR.
The Corporation Tax UTR is different from the UTR of an individual director or shareholder.
It may be needed to:
HMRC normally sends the UTR separately to the company’s registered office after incorporation.
If it does not arrive within the expected period, the company can request it online. HMRC advises companies to request the UTR if it has not arrived within 15 working days.
The registered office should therefore be monitored carefully.
When the company adds Corporation Tax services to its business tax account, HMRC may send an activation code and instructions to the registered office.
This code is used to activate the online Corporation Tax service. It is separate from the company’s:
Activation codes may expire, so they should be used promptly after receipt.
Share certificates provide evidence of the shares registered in each shareholder’s name.
A share certificate normally shows:
No. Companies House does not normally issue share certificates.
The company’s directors or formation agent must prepare them.
If a formation agent provides a corporate documents pack, share certificates may be included. The directors should check that the certificates match the incorporation filing and register of members.
The register of members is the company’s legal record of its registered shareholders.
It should include:
No. The company must create and maintain its own register of members.
Shareholder information on the Companies House register does not replace the company’s obligation to keep this statutory record.
Depending on the company and the requirements in force, it may need to maintain records concerning:
Some formation agents provide a statutory-register template, but the directors remain responsible for keeping it accurate.
Companies House does not automatically issue first board minutes.
The company should prepare a record of its initial director decisions, which may cover:
A sole director should still record important decisions in writing.
After the company account is opened, the provider may issue:
These documents are not issued by Companies House, but they should be retained as part of the company’s financial records.
If the company registers for VAT, it will receive confirmation of its VAT registration and VAT number.
If it registers as an employer, HMRC will provide PAYE references and related payroll information.
These documents are only issued if the company completes the relevant tax registrations. Incorporation alone does not mean that every company is automatically registered for VAT or PAYE.
A formation agent may provide a company pack containing:
The contents vary between providers.
Receiving a professionally prepared company pack does not remove the directors’ responsibility to check that every document is accurate.
The following are not normally issued automatically simply because a company has been registered:
These must be requested, prepared or applied for separately where needed.
A certificate of good standing is different from the standard certificate of incorporation.
It may confirm that the company remains incorporated and that Companies House is not currently taking action to remove it from the register.
It may be requested for:
It is not normally included automatically after incorporation and may need to be ordered from Companies House.
Standard electronic documents are often sufficient for UK business purposes.
Certified or apostilled copies may be required when documents will be used:
Certification and legalisation are separate processes and are not normally included in the standard incorporation.
After registration, the company should have or arrange:
The main document received immediately after registering a UK company is the certificate of incorporation. The memorandum, articles and incorporation filing provide the company’s constitutional, ownership and management details.
The Companies House authentication code and Corporation Tax UTR normally arrive or are requested separately. Share certificates, statutory registers and initial board records must generally be created by the company or its formation agent.
All documents should be checked for accuracy, stored securely and kept available for banking, tax, compliance and future company changes.
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice.
