How to Open a London Office

Opening an office in London has many advantages. Clients from Europe are often more comfortable conducting business with an office located within the European Union.
Having a London office also provides a gateway to the London Stock Exchange, making it easy for small businesses to become publicly traded companies.
Being in an ancient city such as London offers cultural advantages: historic sites, great museums and the arts are all outside your office window. You may even be able to acquire office space in an historic building such as the Inns at Court. Follow these steps to open your office in London.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Registration forms from Companies House Money for filing fees Budget for office rental

How to Open a London Office

1. Find the location of the office building where you would like to open your business. The easiest way is to use the services of a professional office scout (see Resources below). It is important to find and lease the location that will be used as your business office, because you will be asked for the address on the company registration papers. If you are unable to locate an office in a timely manner, contact a solicitor (or attorney) to ask about using their address on your paperwork temporarily, and then amending the documents when you have found a permanent office location.

2. Obtain Form 10 and Form 12 from Companies House, the official government registrar of businesses in the United Kingdom. Form 10 is used to identify who the directors of the company are, and also lists the address of your business office, as obtained in Step 1. Form 12 is a certification that you company will abide by the regulations of the Companies Act, and must be signed in the present of a solicitor, notary public, Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Oaths.

3. Write the Memorandum of Association. This is a document that declares the company name and address of the business office you are forming in London, as well as the current assets and liabilities of that office. You can obtain a template for the Memorandum of Association from any solicitor in London, or from a legal stationer.

4. Write the Articles of Incorporation for your business office. This document describes how your business office will be structured, who the shareholders are and what the policies will be that control the daily operations of the business. As with the Memorandum of Association, you can obtain a template for drafting the Articles of Incorporation for your business by visiting any Solicitor's office or a legal stationer.

5. Gather all the forms and documents that you created in Steps 2, 3 and 4. These items should be mailed, along with the appropriate filing fee, to Companies House in the United Kingdom. The filing fee is £20 (Pounds Sterling, about $30 US Dollars) for standard service. This will have your company registered within 10 business days. If you would like the express service, which registers your company the same day, the filing fee is £50 ($70 US Dollars).

Tips & Warnings

• There are many ways to structure your business. A limited liability company (LLC) is the most popular, because it indemnifies the officers of the company from being held personally responsible for the liabilities of the business.

Resources

• Executive Offices Group
• Companies House

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