Buy a Shelf Company

If the company name is not suitable, we highly recommend purchasing the Company Name Change service separately here after we have transferred the company over to you.

Yes, it is safe to buys a Shelf Company. A shelf company is a dormant company with no trading history, so you can rest assured that the company is financially clean and there are no outstanding burdens.

You do not have to use your own address or office if you do not want to. Company Formation MadeSimple can provide a Registered Office Service with a prestigious London N1 address.

Our Premium Shelf Company services include the use of our address for 1 year which can be renewed annually should you want (or need) to continue protecting your address and receiving your mail at our address. 

A Shelf Company (also known as a ready made company) is a company that has been formed but never traded. They’re ideal if you require a company number extremely quickly or if you need to operate as an older company.

All of our shelf companies are up to date with their Dormant Company Accounts and Confirmation Statement filing obligations.

There are many reasons as to why somebody may want to purchase a Shelf (or Ready Made) company rather than forming a brand new company. These include:

Simplicity

The process is quick and easy with a company number available straight away. Changing particular details on a company can be a lot quicker than starting from scratch and the processing times are generally quicker too. 

Feel confident that the company has been set up correctly as it would have been done by an expert in company formations. 

Longevity 

This can boost investor or consumer confidence. Some jurisdictions actually require that a company be in business for a certain length of time before signing contracts.

It has been psychologically proven that most people will have more faith and trust in a business that appears to have been running longer than a brand new company. 

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:

ID Troubleshooting

Any other queries or assistance required, please contact our ID Compliance team at id@madesimplegroup.com.

• 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. 

If your new company name contains a sensitive word, for example "King", you will not be able to change the company name with online filing. Instead, you will need to use a paper submission along with the necessary supporting documents. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer assistance with paper submissions.

As soon as Companies House has accepted the name change, the new company name is entered on the register in place of the old name and a 'Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name' is available to download from your online account. This certificate states both the previous and new company name and the date that the new name came into effect. The company number remains the same.

You will need to update HMRC with your new company name (Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE). You will also need to update your bank, customers, suppliers, service providers, relevant authorities and other business contacts. Finally, don't forget to update your company stationery, signage, website and domain name as well.

We highly recommend that you check the availability of your new company name via our company name search tool before placing an order. If, however, the company name is submitted but not approved by Companies House, you can resubmit another company name at no additional fee.

For more information, please click here.

There are many reasons why a company will need to transfer shares, for example:

• The retirement or death of a shareholder
• Recouping investment
• Changing the business structure
• The shareholder(s) are leaving the business

If you transfer shares from one person/ company to another then you are essentially removing the shareholder from the company as they are left with no shares.

Our Transfer of Shares service is if you want to transfer existing share/s from one shareholder to another and require the transfer process to be documented on paper. You must receive consent from all members of your company prior to completing a transfer.

What do I receive?

• J30 Stock Transfer Form
• Meeting Minutes
• Blank Share Certificate
• Confirmation Statement to inform Companies House of share transfers.

These documents act as a receipt for your new shareholder. Maximum number of transfers are subject to the service that your purchased (transfers must be for the same company). If you would like to make more than 3 transfers please read the following article: "I need to make more than 3 Transfers".

If applicable, stamp duty fee is not included.

For shares over £1,000, the J30 stock transfer form is required to be stamped by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The payment for this is known as stamp duty and is currently 0.5% of the share amount, rounded to the nearest £5. 

For example, to transfer shares valued at £1,800, 0.5 x 1800 = £9.00 so a £10 stamp duty fee is payable.

To process a share transfer we require:

• Company Name
• The name and address of the person who is transferring the shares
• The name and address of the person who is receiving the shares
• The number of shares being transferred

This will be requested with your purchase confirmation email of our Transfer of Shares service so please feel free to simply reply to that email with the requested information as swiftly as possible to ensure a quicker turnaround for completion. 

If you've purchased one of our share services, such as the Transfer of Shares or Issue of Shares, we will prepare the necessary documents for you. These documents will be uploaded to your account for easy access.

To access these documents:

1. Log into your online account: https://www.companiesmadesimple.com/login.html
2. Once logged in, go to the "My Companies" section.
3. Select the relevant Company
4. Scroll to the "Other Company Documents" section.

In this section, you can view, download, or manage the documents as needed.