Enter the UK market with the operating structure already connected.
Britvex helps overseas businesses organise the UK-side company, address, accounting, payroll, VAT and compliance work that can arise when they begin trading, employing people or establishing a presence in the United Kingdom.
There is more than one way to enter the UK market.
The right starting point depends on whether you want a new UK company, a UK place of business for an existing overseas company, direct UK sales without a physical base, or a UK employer operation.
Form a UK Limited Company
Create a separate UK company with its own Companies House, accounting and Corporation Tax obligations.
Company Formation →Open a UK Establishment
An overseas company with a physical UK place of business may need to register that establishment with Companies House.
Discuss UK establishment →Trade Without a UK Base
A company can have UK tax or VAT questions even where no UK establishment needs to be registered with Companies House.
VAT →Employ Staff in the UK
Hiring can create PAYE, payroll, pension, insurance, employment and wider operating obligations that should be considered before the first payday.
Payroll →Answer the operating questions before choosing the filing route.
A useful market-entry review starts with how the business will trade, employ, invoice, hold contracts and maintain a UK presence — not simply with the fastest registration option.
Will there be a separate UK company?
Decide whether UK activity sits in a new UK limited company or continues within the existing overseas company.
Will the overseas company have a physical UK base?
A place of business or branch can trigger overseas-company registration with Companies House.
What will be supplied in the UK?
Goods, services, customer type and where the supplier is established can materially affect VAT treatment.
Will anyone be paid through UK payroll?
Hiring employees or paying directors through PAYE can create employer-registration and payroll obligations.
Where will the UK accounting record live?
Build the bookkeeping process before transaction volume grows and year-end work becomes a reconstruction exercise.
Who will own each UK deadline?
Companies House, HMRC, payroll and VAT obligations need a clear responsible process after the market-entry project is complete.
Map → Establish → Operate → Maintain.
Market entry becomes easier to manage when the UK-side obligations are mapped before the company or establishment starts generating transactions and deadlines.
Understand the proposed UK activity.
Company structure, physical presence, customers, people, property and the expected flow of UK business are considered first.
Put the required UK registrations in place.
Formation or establishment registration, address arrangements and relevant tax/employer registrations are organised as required.
Build the recurring UK accounting process.
Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and management information can be connected around the way the UK activity actually operates.
Keep year-end and compliance work connected.
Annual accounts, Corporation Tax and Companies House obligations continue from the records created during the year.
A UK establishment is not another name for a UK subsidiary.
A new UK limited company is a UK entity. A UK establishment is a place of business or branch of an overseas company in the UK.
Current Companies House guidance says an overseas company must register if it sets up a place of business in the UK or usually carries on business from somewhere in the UK. The registration must generally be filed within one month of opening the UK establishment.
Do not wait for the first UK invoice to decide whether VAT matters.
VAT depends on where the business is established, what is supplied, who the customer is and how the transaction is treated under UK VAT rules.
If the UK operation will employ people, set up payroll before the first payday.
HMRC says employers normally need to register before paying staff for the first time. PAYE registration, payroll software, employee information and Real Time Information reporting then become part of the recurring operation.
Employment law, right-to-work, immigration, insurance and pension duties can also be relevant. Britvex’s core role is the UK accounting and payroll side, with specialist advice used separately where required.
Market entry becomes an accounting cycle as soon as trading begins.
Once the UK activity has customers, suppliers, payroll or tax registrations, the recurring records should be designed to support the later reporting and year-end work.
UK market entry can involve specialist areas beyond accountancy.
Britvex should be clear about the UK accounting, tax and company work it handles and avoid implying that one service resolves every regulatory issue.
Visa and sponsorship matters
Company formation does not by itself create immigration permission, sponsorship approval or a right to work in the UK.
Bank-account approval
A UK company does not guarantee that a bank or payment provider will approve an account.
Contracts and regulated activity
Commercial contracts, licensing and sector-specific legal requirements may need separate legal or regulatory advice.
Overseas tax and reporting
UK accounting does not replace tax, legal or reporting advice required in the business’s home jurisdiction.
A UK operating relationship that remains accessible from overseas.
Britvex connects onboarding, company documents, accounting and client communication through a UK practice and secure online portal.
Before you start trading in the UK.
These are general UK-side starting points. The correct structure and tax treatment depend on how the overseas business will actually operate.
Do I need a UK company to sell into the UK?
No single rule requires every overseas business selling into the UK to form a UK company. The correct structure depends on the activity, physical presence, contracts, VAT position, tax exposure and wider commercial requirements.
When must an overseas company register a UK establishment?
Companies House says an overseas company must register if it sets up a place of business in the UK or usually carries on business from somewhere in the UK. The registration is normally due within one month of opening the UK establishment.
If we have no UK physical base, can UK tax still apply?
Yes. Companies House registration and HMRC obligations are separate questions. An overseas business without a UK establishment can still have UK VAT, Corporation Tax or other tax issues depending on the facts.
What is the standard UK VAT registration threshold?
The standard taxable-turnover threshold is currently £90,000 for businesses within the normal threshold rules. Different VAT registration rules can apply to businesses established outside the UK.
Can an overseas business have to register for UK VAT below £90,000?
Yes. HMRC applies different rules to non-established taxable persons. An overseas business making taxable supplies in the UK can have a VAT registration obligation without relying on the normal £90,000 threshold.
When should we register as a UK employer?
HMRC says an employer normally needs to register before the first payday. PAYE registration cannot normally be completed more than two months before the business starts paying people.
Does Britvex handle the business after the market-entry setup?
Yes. Britvex can connect bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, annual accounts, Corporation Tax and company compliance around the ongoing UK operation.
Tell us how you plan to operate in the UK — before you choose the registration.
Start with the proposed UK activity: entity, physical presence, customers, employees and expected transactions. Britvex can then map the company, accounting, payroll, VAT and compliance work that should sit around it.