Corporate secretarial in the UK

A UK private limited company does not need a company secretary, yet corporate secretarial work still exists: keeping the registers, filing the confirmation statement, recording changes of director or address, tracking people with significant control and holding the statutory records. Foreign-owned companies often ask a firm to do this because the filings have fixed dates and carry penalties for lateness.

When you compare firms, ask which filings are included in a fixed fee and which are charged each time, whether the firm offers a registered office address, how it handles the identity verification that directors and significant owners now need, and whether it is registered as an authorised corporate service provider. In a profile, look at the entity types handled, the licences declared and the working languages. The UK country guide covers the filings that happen at incorporation.

176 firms offer corporate secretarial services in the United Kingdom: 162 accounting firms and 14 corporate services providers. Small practices make up most of the list (133 small, 36 medium and 7 large network). Construction, e-commerce, charities and healthcare are the sectors named most often. For a local firm, open London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. A free quote request reaches suitable firms without a separate search.

Firms offering corporate secretarial services in the UK

1Office UK

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +5 more

Languages: English · Estonian · Finnish · Latvian …

View profile of 1Office UK

Hawksford

Corporate services provider · International network

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +6 more

Languages: English · Chinese

View profile of Hawksford

Taxd

Accounting firm · Boutique firm

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +2 more

Languages: English

View profile of Taxd

152 more firms offering corporate secretarial services in the UK

Frequently asked questions

Does a UK limited company need a company secretary?

No, a private limited company does not need one. The statutory filings and registers still have to be maintained by the directors, so many owners ask a firm to look after them, particularly when they live abroad.

What does corporate secretarial work include?

Typically the confirmation statement, changes of director, address or shareholders, the statutory registers, records of people with significant control and the minutes of formal decisions. Ask which of these are included in the firm's regular fee.

Can the firm provide the registered office address?

Many can, but the address must be a physical UK address where post reaches someone acting for the company, and a PO box is not accepted. Ask what the address costs, how post is handled and how quickly you are told when something arrives.

Other services in the UK

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Setting up a company in the UK: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.