The Private Limited Company
Incorporated at Companies House under the Companies Act 2006. A separate legal person from you — it signs the contracts, holds the bank account and issues the invoices.
A UK company, ready to trade in the UK and EU.
The UK company is the fastest, most credible way into the UK and EU market. We file it under nominee at Companies House and hand it over with a ready virtual bank account in the company's name — with a payment processor or a traditional UK bank added on request.
- Same-week incorporation at Companies House
- Ready virtual bank account on day one
- Payment processor on request
- Traditional UK bank on request
5–10
Live in · days
GBP
Rails · · EUR · USD
Fast to set up
Companies House filing in 5–10 business days
UK & EU trade
Recognised by every European counterparty
Virtual bank included
GBP sort code + SEPA IBAN in the company's name
Processor on request
UK acquirers or a traditional UK bank
01The case for the UK
Why a UK company is a fast, credible route into UK and EU trade.
The UK company is one of the oldest continuously used corporate forms in the world. European banks, card acquirers and marketplaces have been onboarding UK companies for a century — the paperwork is standard, the register is public, the credibility is baked in.
That makes it a fast route into the market. A UK company trades cleanly with UK customers, invoices B2B into the EU without friction, and is instantly recognised by counterparties from Frankfurt to Singapore. Under nominee, none of that changes — what changes is whose name appears on the public record.
We deliver every UK company with a virtual bank account in its name on day one. If your model needs card processing or a traditional high-street bank, we add those on request as part of the same engagement.
02Anatomy
What sits inside the setup.
Every piece required by the local code, assembled by our local team and handed over as one clean pack.
The nominee director
A UK-resident individual director appointed to the board and filed at Companies House. The name that appears in every public search and on every filing. Not yours.
The nominee shareholder
Our UK-registered nominee entity holds the share of record. A Declaration of Trust in your favour is signed on day one — economic ownership stays entirely with you.
The registered office
A London registered office is included for the life of the company. Statutory mail is scanned and forwarded the same day. HMRC and Companies House correspondence never lands at your home.
The virtual bank account
A ready business account in the company's name — GBP sort code + account number, plus SEPA IBAN for EUR and a USD wallet. Live from day one.
Optional: processor or high-street bank
On request we introduce an acquirer matched to what you sell, or open a Barclays / HSBC / NatWest business account. Both add-ons run in parallel with the setup.
03The acquirer advantage
If your model touches cards, a UK company opens the widest door.
A UK company has access to Stripe UK, Worldpay, Elavon, Checkout.com, Trust Payments and every specialist acquirer worth naming. Deep, established acquirer relationships that make onboarding predictable.
We are not an acquirer and take no cut of your processing. Once the company is trading, we introduce you to the partner that fits what you sell and your volume — from mainstream Stripe onboarding to reserve-based high-risk facilities.
04Banking, specifically
Delivered in the company's name.
A ready virtual bank account ships with every UK setup. Card processing and a traditional UK bank are optional add-ons.
Virtual bank (included)
Airwallex UK or Revolut Business — GBP sort code + account number, SEPA IBAN for EUR and a USD wallet, all in the company's name. Faster Payments, BACS, SEPA and SWIFT live from day one.
Payment processor
We introduce a UK acquirer matched to what you sell and your volume — Stripe UK, Worldpay, Checkout.com or a specialist high-risk partner. You keep the processing relationship; we take no cut.
Traditional UK bank
Barclays, HSBC or NatWest business account. 8–14 weeks to open with a heavier KYC file — suited to structures with real UK substance and counterparties that insist on a high-street IBAN.
06Why a UK nominee company
A first-class UK entity — with your name off the public record.
01
Why the UK: a UK company is one of the most recognised corporate vehicles in the world. Banks, card acquirers, marketplaces and counterparties across the UK and the EU onboard it as a first-class entity, the paperwork is standard everywhere, and the deep acquirer market means card processing is realistic for almost every model.
02
Privacy by design: our nominee director and nominee shareholder sit in front of the company at Companies House, so the register, the PSC filing and the confirmation statement show them — not you. Your ownership is protected by a private declaration of trust and disclosed only to the bank.
03
Ready fast, delivered end-to-end: Companies House filing is next-day and the virtual bank in the company's name is live in 5–10 business days. Vaulted has filed 500+ nominee setups since 2021 — one senior advisor from our London office owns the file from incorporation through banking and yearly maintenance.
"For most European founders, the UK company is simply the fastest route to a working entity. Filed on Monday, banked by Friday, invoicing across the EU the week after."
07Answers
What we get asked most often.
Next step
File your UK company with our London office.
One senior advisor. Companies House filing, nominee cover, virtual bank account — 5 to 10 business days. Processor or high-street bank added on request.
Companies House filing Nominee director + shareholder GBP / EUR / USD banking
