Documents are among the important components that you must keep as well as refer to once your company has been successfully registered in the UK.
Currently, you can find three major company formation documents in the UK: the model articles, incorporation certificate, and memorandum of association.
Incorporation Certificate
A company, once it is successfully incorporated, operates as an independent legal body from its member(s) and can be included in the public record of companies at the official registrar.
An incorporation certificate will also be provided by Companies House detailing general information about the firm, including its incorporation date, CRN, and registered name.
The incorporation certificate validates the existence of a company along with its incorporation as per the 2006 Companies Act. You may have to use it for reference purposes on several occasions in addition to providing a copy when opening a business bank account.
Model Articles
Each limited firm is required to have model articles that act as the constitutional ‘book of guidelines’ on how your company must run. The model articles of association are sent to the registrar along with the registration application. They must be safely preserved for company shareholders and directors to refer to at any time in the future.
The majority of companies in the UK prefer model articles of association. The model articles are the original version recommended in the 2006 Companies Act. Nonetheless, you also have the option to modify the standard articles so that they meet the requirements of your company. As an alternative, you may also create an exclusive set of model articles.
People who appoint a company incorporation agent for setting up their limited organisation will most probably have the option to use ‘model articles’ as supplied by the incorporation agent or upload their individual custom articles of association to the application for registering a new firm.
Memorandum Of Association (MOA)
You must also submit your memorandum of association document to Companies House during the registration process of your company. Once the company is successfully registered, the memorandum acts as a historical document recording the identities of initial company members referred to as the ‘subscribers’.
The MOA indicates that the members agree with the formation of the company abiding by the 2006 Companies Act and become official partners by ‘guaranteeing’ at the minimum a nominal portion (in case of the company limited by guarantee) or by taking a minimum of one share (in case of a limited shares company).
How To Get Your Company Incorporation Documents?
Individuals who want to appoint a company incorporation agent will receive a copy of model articles, memorandum, as well as incorporation certificate from the agent after the company is officially registered at Companies House.
You may receive these either as hard copy by post or in a digital format via your registered email based on your chosen company incorporation package.
If you want to register without appointing a third-party agent, you’ll get an email directly from Companies House containing a soft copy of the incorporation certificate once your company is incorporated.
Storing Your Company Formation Documents
It is important to ensure the safety of your company formation documents. A number of companies prefer to keep these documents in a loose-leaf folder preserved at the SAIL address or office address.
A number of these documents are also made available to the general people for inspection, which includes the directors’ register, members register, and register of PSCs. The company incorporation documents along with the details provided in these registers are made available online to the public using the Companies House Service.
Can I Get Replacements If I Happen To Lose My Company Incorporation Documents?
If you have already appointed a third-party company incorporation agent, you may simply sign into the Online Portal for viewing/printing a copy in PDF format at no extra charge. If you would like to request a hard copy of these documents, you will need to pay a small fee to the incorporation agent.
If you would like to request digital or hard copy replacements of the company formation documents using the Companies House Service, you will need to pay a certain amount to retrieve your documents or contact their customer support desk. Lastly, a file version of the documents can be downloaded at no extra charge from the filing records of your company at the registrar.
