EU to UK · reviewed 10 September 2026
Setting up a UK entity as an EU climate-tech company
Written for: EU-based founders preparing a UK entry
Incorporating in the UK is one of the faster parts of a market entry. The work that follows it — tax registrations, payroll, banking, and whatever your sector regulator wants — is what takes the time.
This is the practical order most companies end up following, with the official sources for each step.
Incorporation
A UK limited company is registered with Companies House. Registration is done online, requires at least one director, a registered office address in the UK and details of shareholders, and carries a fee set by Companies House.
Company information at Companies House is public, including directors and filed accounts. Plan for that if you have investors who expect confidentiality.
Tax registrations follow the activity, not the incorporation
Corporation tax registration follows incorporation. VAT and employer registrations depend on what you actually do: making taxable supplies in the UK and employing people in the UK each trigger their own obligations.
Rules for businesses not established in the UK differ from those for UK-established businesses, particularly on VAT registration. Check the position for your situation before assuming a threshold applies to you.
People and payroll
Employing anyone in the UK means UK payroll, employer national insurance and pension auto-enrolment duties. Hiring someone who needs a visa means a sponsor licence, which takes preparation.
Many companies start with a contractor or a country manager on an employer-of-record arrangement, then move to direct employment once the pipeline justifies it.
Banking and the practical order
Bank account opening is often the slowest step for a company with no UK directors or trading history. Start it early and in parallel.
A sequence that generally works: confirm the commercial reason for the entity, incorporate, start banking, register for the taxes your activity triggers, then hire.
- Confirm what the entity unlocks — a grant route, a contract, a hire — before spending on it.
- Register the company and secure a registered office.
- Start bank account opening immediately; it gates almost everything else.
- Register for the taxes your activity actually triggers.
- Set up payroll before your first UK hire's start date, not after.
Sources
- Set up a private limited company
UK Government (GOV.UK)
- Companies House
UK Government
- VAT registration
UK Government (GOV.UK)
- PAYE and payroll for employers
UK Government (GOV.UK)
- UK visa sponsorship for employers
UK Government (GOV.UK)
What this guide does not cover: This guide does not state fees, tax rates or registration thresholds, and is not tax or legal advice. Confirm each step on the linked official guidance and take professional advice on tax structuring.
Where this guide fits
Country routes that sequence this work alongside cities, costs and the organisations to contact.
Turn this into your own plan
GreenLaunch matches open funding calls, tenders and pitching opportunities to your company, scores the cities you are weighing up, and drafts the applications and intro emails.