x Close

Coddan Company Formation Agent Homepage

Company Formation FAQ - Appointments to a Private Company: Directors, Secretary and Shareholders

A private company limited by shares in England or Wales must have at least one director, one shareholder, and may have a secretary.

You need at least one person to form this type of company. If there is only one director, and that director is a natural person in your company, that director can also act as the secretary.

A company must have at least one director who is a natural person. This requirement is met if the office of director is held by a natural person as a corporation sole or otherwise by virtue of an office.

You can register a sole director' company, if you are familiar with the secretaries duties and responsibilities, because all of them belongs to a sole director.

The directors and secretary of your company can also be shareholders.

The Companies Act imposes no restriction on the minimum age of company directors. However Companies House will actively discourage the appointment of anyone under the age of 16 from taking up a company directorship on the grounds that the individuals concerned may not fully understand the legal liabilities that go with the position and for the most part will not have the experience necessary to perform the duties of a company director.

Under the Companies Act 2006, there is no restriction on any or all of the members/shareholders being from an overseas country (i.e. outside the United Kingdom in terms of residency, domicile, citizenship, place of incorporation or all or any of those concepts). Nevertheless, this general proposition may be subject to any applicable foreign investment rules which may apply from time to time.

It is a criminal offence to appoint a non-existent, not permitted for use or fake details for the company' officers appointments.