Questions, answered properly

A UK limited company (LTD) is a separate legal entity registered with Companies House. It has its own company number, registered address and legal identity, distinct from you as a person. PayPal, Stripe and Wise all decide who they can onboard based on the country the business is registered in, not the country the owner lives in. The United Kingdom is a supported country for all three, so a UK LTD gives your business a legal home that those platforms already accept. If your own country is unsupported or heavily restricted, that single fact is usually the thing standing between you and a working merchant account.

Yes. UK company law does not require directors or shareholders to be UK residents or UK citizens. You can own and run a UK LTD entirely from abroad. What the company does need is a UK registered office address. That is the official address on the public record where Companies House and HMRC send correspondence. That address is included in every one of our packages, so being outside the UK is not a barrier to incorporation.

Not a traditional high-street bank account, no. Wise Business gives you real UK account details, a sort code and account number in your company's name, and those details are accepted by both Stripe and PayPal as a payout destination. That is why most of our clients start with Wise: it solves the payout problem without needing a UK branch visit. If you later want a conventional UK bank account, our Business bank account guidance add-on covers which providers realistically accept non-resident directors and how to prepare the application.

Company formation is usually approved by Companies House within 24 to 48 hours of us filing, assuming your ID checks are clear. Payment accounts follow the company: Wise typically takes 2 to 5 business days, PayPal 2 to 7, and Stripe 3 to 7 depending on how quickly they review your website and how much extra documentation they ask for. A realistic end-to-end expectation for the full suite is 7 to 14 business days. Delays almost always come from platform-side verification requests, not from the incorporation itself.

For incorporation: a clear colour scan or photo of your passport (or national ID), a proof of address issued in the last three months (utility bill, bank statement or government letter), and basic details for each director and shareholder: full legal name, date of birth, nationality and home address. For payment accounts we also need a working website or a description of what you sell, your expected monthly volume, and sometimes sample invoices or supplier agreements. We tell you exactly what is needed at each step; you never have to guess.

Yes. Everything we do is a standard, publicly documented process: we file your incorporation with Companies House using the information you provide, and we help you complete each payment platform's own application honestly. We do not create nominee structures to hide ownership, we do not misstate residency, and we do not submit false trading information. Your name appears on the public register as director and person with significant control, exactly as UK law requires. If a service ever promises to hide who really owns the company, walk away from it.

Three main ones. First, a confirmation statement filed with Companies House once a year, confirming your company details are still accurate. Second, annual accounts filed with Companies House. Third, a Corporation Tax return to HMRC, plus VAT registration if you cross the threshold or choose to register voluntarily. We send you reminders ahead of each deadline in your first year, and we can file the confirmation statement for you as an add-on. Accounts and tax returns should be handled by an accountant, and we are happy to introduce you to one.

Yes, at any time. Add-ons are priced the same whether you buy them on day one or a year later, and because we already hold your verified company details, adding a second or third platform is usually faster than the first. Email us or use the pricing page's 'I already have a UK LTD' view to add a platform to a company we formed.

We work the rejection with you. In most cases the platform tells us what triggered it: a missing refund policy, an unclear product description, or a mismatch between the website and the stated business activity. We fix it and reapply. Sometimes the underlying business model is one that platform genuinely will not support, and in that case we say so plainly and help you move to an alternative processor rather than keep reapplying. What we cannot do is guarantee approval: that decision belongs to the platform's own risk team, and no provider who tells you otherwise is being straight with you.

Yes. If Companies House rejects your incorporation and we cannot get it approved with a corrected filing, we refund our service fee in full. The Companies House filing fee itself is only charged if the filing goes through. Payment-account setup fees are refundable before we submit an application, and covered by our re-application policy afterwards. The full detail is in our Refund Policy.