Private limited company incorporation

Before you begin

Define the proposed objects, founder holdings, capital structure and registered office before preparing the incorporation package. Name approval and incorporation are separate from permission to conduct a regulated activity.

Prepare a founder decision sheet showing proposed ownership, who will act as director, how the initial funding will be provided and which activities the company intends to undertake. Reconcile differences in names and addresses across supporting records before they enter a filing package.

What the engagement covers

We coordinate founder information, constitutional documents, incorporation forms and the first compliance handover. The output is an organised formation record and a list of follow-on actions, rather than a promise that every operating licence is covered.

1. Confirm the formation brief and identify unresolved ownership, office or activity questions.
2. Organise the supporting documents and signature sequence, with the founders confirming factual information.
3. Coordinate the agreed application work and keep a record of submissions, payments and any requests for correction.
4. Assemble the issued documents and a dated follow-on action list once the application outcome is known.

A submitted application is tracked separately from approval. If the authority requests clarification, the response should use the same agreed facts and retain the revised document version.

Records to prepare

• Founder identity and address evidence
• proposed names and activity description
• office occupation evidence and owner consent
• intended shareholding and director details.

Where a subscriber is another entity or documents originate overseas, identify that at the outset so the evidence and execution requirements can be assessed. Share identity documents through the agreed private channel; an initial enquiry only needs a description of the proposed setup.

A decision worth resolving early

An investor-ready setup may need founder vesting, IP assignment and a shareholders agreement beyond the incorporation documents. These are separately scoped so a basic formation package does not obscure the commercial decisions.

For example, two founders may agree equal initial holdings but expect one to contribute software already developed personally. Record who owns that software and how its use or transfer will be documented. The shareholding table and incorporation record alone do not resolve that commercial arrangement.

Scope and fees

The written proposal identifies applications, drafting, follow-up and post-setup actions covered. Government charges, stamp duty and specialist advice are addressed separately. Timing depends on complete records, signatures and the authority’s process.

The handover should identify the custodian of formation records, the people responsible for banking and accounting setup, and the actions requiring a separate engagement. Use the first-year company guide to organise the next stage. Operating licences, founder agreements, accounting and later funding transactions are included only where the proposal expressly covers them.