Register a UK Company from Pakistan

What Changed in 2026, and Why Older Guides Get It Wrong

Many pages written for Pakistani founders still say the Companies House fee is £50 and describe the process as filling in a form and waiting a day. Two things have changed:

• The fee is now £100. Companies House raised the online incorporation fee from £50 to £100 on 1 February 2026. Budget for the new figure.
• Directors must be verified first. Since 18 November 2025, Companies House will not register a company unless every director has verified their identity and the application includes each director's 11-character personal code. People with significant control (anyone with more than 25% of the shares) verify at incorporation or within 14 days of it.

If you follow an older video or blog, you can reach the end of the application and find you cannot submit it because no director has a personal code. CorpAssist puts verification at the start of the order, so the filing goes through first time.

Identity Verification With a Pakistani Passport

The free GOV.UK One Login app reads the chip in a passport with your phone. If your passport has no chip symbol on the cover, or your phone has no NFC, the app cannot complete the check, and the bank and Post Office routes are only for people living in the UK. Through CorpAssist, our Companies House-registered ACSP partner verifies your passport from photos you upload, so a passport without a chip is fine.

The issues we check for most often with Pakistani applicants:

• Name order and spelling. Enter your name exactly as it appears in the passport's name fields, in the same Latin spelling. Do not add your father's name or “son of” unless it is part of your name on the passport.
• Single names. Some passports show only one name, with no surname. That is accepted; our form has an option for it, and we make sure the company application matches.
• Matching the company filing. The name on the incorporation application must match the verified identity. A person checks this before anything is filed, because a mismatch is a common reason for delay.

What You Need

• A valid passport (any issue date, with or without a chip)
• Your home address in Pakistan; it stays on Companies House's private register
• A company name, which you can check with our company name checker
• What the company will do, described as SIC codes
• The names of any other directors or shareholders, and how the shares are split
• An email address you check: Companies House requires a registered email address for every company

SIC Codes for Pakistani Freelancers and Online Sellers

Many founders in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad form a UK company to invoice overseas clients or sell on international marketplaces. These are the codes most often used for that kind of business:

You can choose up to four. Search the full list with the SIC code finder.

How to Register, Step by Step

1. Choose the International package and check your company name.
2. Answer the order questions (about 10 minutes): business activity, shares and the people involved. Your answers are saved as you go.
3. Pay by card. The Shopify checkout accepts international Visa and Mastercard cards.
4. Verify your identity from the secure link we email you. Companies House then emails you your personal code.
5. We file the company once every director is verified. Companies House usually registers it within 24 hours.
6. Receive your documents by email: certificate of incorporation, articles of association and share certificates.

What It Costs

From year two, the addresses renew at £99.99 a year if you keep them, or £59.99 for the registered office and service address only. A second director or a PSC who is not yet verified is £35.99.

Bank Accounts and Payments

High-street UK banks usually expect directors who live in the UK. Several e-money and business account providers accept UK companies run from Pakistan, subject to their own checks, and their rules change often. No formation provider can promise an account. Once your company is formed, we point you to providers that currently accept directors living in Pakistan. Payment platforms such as Stripe make their own decisions too, so have your company documents and a clear description of the business ready when you apply.

After Registration

• Your company number appears on the public register straight away, and we email your certificate of incorporation, articles and share certificates.
• HMRC posts the Corporation Tax reference (UTR) to your UK registered office. Letters there are scanned and emailed to you in Pakistan.
• The first confirmation statement is due 12 months after incorporation, and the first accounts 21 months after. Missing them can lead to fines and the company being struck off.

Tax: Where Your Company Pays

A UK company is generally UK tax resident and must register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade. If you run it day to day from Pakistan, it may also be treated as resident there under Pakistani rules, because tax residence can follow where a company is managed and controlled. Take local advice before you decide how the company will operate.

Verifying with a passport from Pakistan: read Companies House identity verification with a Pakistani 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: India · Nigeria · UAE · Türkiye (Türkçe)