Register a UK Company from Nigeria

Companies House, Not the CAC

A UK limited company is registered with Companies House, the UK registrar, and appears on the UK public register with its own company number. It has nothing to do with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which registers Nigerian companies. Several guides mix the two up, which leaves founders unsure which forms to file.

For most Nigerian founders the UK company is all they need: you trade through it, invoice through it and, once it is registered, it can apply for UK business tools in its own name. You would only deal with the CAC as well if you want a separate Nigerian company, or if the UK company is going to set up a branch or a place of business in Nigeria. That is a question for a Nigerian lawyer, not something the UK registration covers.

Why Nigerian Founders Form a UK Company

• Freelancers and agencies billing clients in the UK and Europe, who want to invoice from a UK company with a UK address.
• E-commerce sellers who want a UK entity for marketplaces and payment providers that work with UK companies.
• Software and online businesses that want access to payment processors and platforms that require a UK or European company.
• Founders raising money from investors who prefer a familiar UK structure.

A UK company is not a shortcut around payment-provider checks. Providers such as card processors still check the company, its directors and its business, and they set their own rules for directors who live in Nigeria.

Identity Verification With a Nigerian Passport

Since 18 November 2025, Companies House will not register a company until every director has verified their identity. This is the step that most often slows Nigerian founders down:

• Passports without a chip. The GOV.UK One Login app can only read a passport with a chip. Older Nigerian passports, and some renewals, do not work in the app.
• Name order and middle names. Your passport may list surname first, or include middle names you do not normally use. The name on your company application has to match your verified identity, so a person checks this before filing.
• No UK bank account or UK address history. The GOV.UK routes that use bank details or a Post Office visit are for people in the UK only.

CorpAssist avoids these problems: you upload your passport through a secure link, a person checks it, and the verification is submitted through our Companies House-registered ACSP partner. Companies House then emails you an 11-character personal code, which is used in your company application. More detail is in the Nigerian passport verification guide.

How It Works, Step by Step

1. Choose a name. Check it with our company name checker. It must not match an existing UK company.
2. Order online. Tell us what the company will do (SIC codes), who the directors and shareholders are, and how many shares each holds. About 10 minutes.
3. Verify your identity. Each director who is not yet verified gets a secure link to upload their passport.
4. We file the company. Once every director is verified, the application is filed. Companies House usually registers it within 24 hours.
5. Receive your documents. Certificate of incorporation, articles of association and share certificates by email. Official letters to your London address are scanned and emailed to you in Nigeria.

What You Need

• A valid passport for each director (with or without a chip)
• A home address for each director and shareholder. It can be in Nigeria, and it is kept off the public register
• An email address and phone number. A UK phone number is not needed
• A short description of what the company will do
• A UK registered office: included in the International package

What It Costs

Paying From Nigeria

You pay once, in pounds, through a secure Shopify checkout that accepts international debit and credit cards and PayPal. Some Nigerian bank cards have limits on foreign currency spending, so check your card’s limit before you pay, or use a card designed for international payments. If a payment is declined, message us on WhatsApp and we will help.

After Your Company Is Registered

• HMRC posts the company’s Corporation Tax reference (UTR) to the registered office, usually within a couple of weeks. We scan and email it to you.
• Register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade.
• File a confirmation statement every 12 months and annual accounts; the first accounts are due 21 months after incorporation.
• Any person who owns more than 25% of the shares must verify their identity within 14 days of formation if they have not already.

A UK company does not give you the right to live or work in the UK. It lets you trade as a UK company from wherever you are.

Verifying with a passport from Nigeria: read Companies House verification with a Nigerian passport. All options for founders abroad are on UK company formation for non-residents.

Already have a UK company? CorpAssist also handles Companies House identity verification for existing directors and PSCs, and a London registered office address for companies that need one. How verification works at incorporation is explained in identity verification when forming a company. Once the company is registered, see which providers open a UK business bank account for non-residents.

Other country guides: Pakistan · India · UAE · Türkiye (Türkçe)