0207 608 5500
Reserve a Company Name
Protect the Company Name You Want or the Name You Trade Under
If you are thinking of starting your own business in the future and do not want to lose your proposed company name to someone else, reserve your company name now.
We will register and reserve your chosen name with Companies House and look after all statutory obligations and responsibilities of owning a limited company.
Simple process:
Once payment is made, we will send you an email with an application form attached, simply send us the completed form back via email and we will process it and submit it to Companies House. The company will be formed within 24 hours, although most formations are completed on the same day.
Important: This service is annually renewable should you wish us to continue filing the dormant accounts and Confirmation Statement. Only available to companies that will be registered in England and Wales.
Proof of ID
We have a legal obligation to check Proof of ID and Proof of Address. This is to ensure we comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) requirements. Please check our FAQs to see which documents we can accept.
Proof of ID
We have a legal obligation to check Proof of ID and Proof of Address. This is to ensure we comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) requirements. Please check our FAQs to see which documents we can accept.
Our Frequently Asked Questions
On the right, you will find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
If you still can't find the answer to your question, why not try our virtual assistant?
We’re Here To Help
Still have questions? Call us on 020 7608 5500 or contact us and our team will assist you.
If we have reserved a company name for you and you would now like to take full control of the company to trade with, please email your request to [email protected] along with your company name. In the same email, please also confirm whether you would like to continue using our address as your registered office and officer's service address or if you would like to use your own address.
Once we have received this information, we can begin the process of transferring the company to you. When the company has been transferred over to you, you will have the responsibilities of keeping up-to-date with your company's annual requirements.
It is not possible to have more than one company with the same name. If you are thinking of starting your own company but are not quite ready, by reserving a name you make sure no-one else takes the name you want.
If you are running a business as a sole trader or partnership, reserving the name (as a limited company) makes certain that a company does not set up with the same name as your business.
People may wish to "reserve a company name" in order to protect a name for a future idea/ project. A company name to represent your brand is important and no two company names can be the same.
Reserving a Company name will incorporate a limited company but we will take care of it and keep it dormant until you are ready to take it over. That way, nobody else can take your company name. We will even file your Dormant Accounts and Confirmation Statement with Companies House for you.
It will need to be dissolved at Companies House following the proper procedures. We can offer assistance with this via our Company Dissolution services.
If you have purchased our reserve a company name product or it's renewal, we will take care of the filing of the confirmation statement and dormant accounts - so you will not be responsible for these. We will continue to deliver this service as long as your services are active around the time to file.
However, because you will be the director of the company - and not us - you will be responsible for notifying HMRC of the company’s dormant status (HMRC can only discuss tax affairs with company directors).
More information on what to do and how to contact HMRC can be found here.
Please Note: You should not trade using the company while using the Reserve a Company Name service.
The people that are required to provide ID will be the account holder, the director's and the People with Significant Control (PSCs). This is line with legislation that everyone considered having significant influence or control over a company and thus are the important decision makers will need to be ID checked.
Companies House will be enforcing this as of Late 2023 through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
All officers of a company must be ID verified prior to an application (or request) being sent across to Companies House for approval.
With the help of Credas' digital ID software, our free online ID check is very simple to complete. You will just require:
- Government-issued photo ID, i.e. passport or driving licence (not expired)
- Proof of residential address issued with the last 3 months / annual statement, i.e. bank statement, utility bill, etc
- A device with the ability to take a live selfie such as a webcam or camera phone.
During the online ID verification, Credas' facial recognition technology will check if you are present and determine whether your face (selfie) matches the photo on your ID.
For a full guide please visit Proof of ID and Address Requirements [Comprehensive Guide].
We have a number of different articles available to assist you with troubleshooting any problems you may have. Please view them on the following link:
Any other queries or assistance required, please contact our ID Compliance team at [email protected].
- Select ‘I need to verify ID for someone else'.
- Enter the email address of the officer being verified and click the Send validation link button.
- An email with the validation link has now been sent to the officer’s email address. The officer must open the link and follow the on-screen instructions to verify their identity.
For a full walkthrough please visit here.
We will be unable to activate or provide any services to customers (or companies) unable to complete our ID checks.
You can view the status of your services in the "My Services" section on your account. Services that appear here are considered renewable, it will show the "renews on" date on this page too.
You will receive an email nearing the renewal date to confirm the status.
All of our renewable services are set for payment to automatically come out using the card that was previously used. You will be able to see what card is stored within the "Payment Methods" section of your account.
This is done to ensure that no services are missed and suspended so you can take full advantage of everything Companies Made Simple has to offer.
No longer need the service? No problem, simply cancel the services prior to renewal to ensure no further funds are taken.
You are able to cancel your renewable services with us at any time during your subscription period.
How to cancel:
- Log in to your Companies Made Simple account.
- Select My Services.
- Click the ‘cancel’ link next to the service that you wish to stop.
- Our system will check if there are any actions required on your part before cancelling the service.
- If all checks pass, confirm the cancellation by clicking the ‘I confirm…’ checkbox and then click the ‘Cancel the service’ button.
- You will receive an email as soon as the cancellation has been processed.
Yes you can. Simply contact us to request the upgrade/downgrade of your package and then our customer support team can advise further.
You can view the status of your services in the "My Services" section on your account. The renewal date will be shown here under the "renews on" heading. The price and recurrence of the renewal will be shown under the "Renew?" heading.
You will receive an email nearing the renewal date to confirm the date of the renewal as well as the renewal fee.