What to do after registering a UK company: the first 90 days checklist for Arab directors

Formation agents make registering a UK company look easy — and it is. In minutes online, you have a company number, a certificate of incorporation, and a Memorandum and Articles of Association. What they do not tell you is what happens next. The Companies House clock starts immediately. HMRC expects registrations. Deadlines begin accumulating. For Arab directors based outside the UK, missing the first steps creates problems that are expensive and slow to fix. Here is what to do.

Week 1 — Register for Corporation Tax with HMRC. You must notify HMRC that your company exists within 3 months of starting to trade (or of incorporation, if you have not started trading yet). You do this at gov.uk by registering for Corporation Tax. HMRC will issue your company's Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) — a 10-digit number sent by post to your registered office. If your registered office is unmanaged, this letter will never reach you. Make sure your registered office address has professional mail forwarding in place before you do anything else.

Week 1–2 — Set up your registered office. If you used a formation agent's address as your registered office, check whether it includes ongoing mail forwarding or whether it was a one-time registration address. Many formation agents charge separately for mail handling or cancel it after a short free period. A professional registered office service scans all official mail — from Companies House and HMRC — and emails it to you the same day it arrives. This is the single most important operational decision for a non-resident director.

Week 2–4 — Open a business bank account. You need a UK business bank account to receive payments, pay expenses, and receive any HMRC tax repayments. Do not waste time on HSBC or Lloyds as a non-resident director — apply for Wise Business or Revolut Business instead. Both can be opened online from anywhere within days. Have your certificate of incorporation, company number, and registered office address ready before applying.

Month 1–2 — Appoint an accountant and set up bookkeeping. Your first Corporation Tax return (CT600) is due 12 months after your accounting year end, with payment due 9 months after. That may seem distant, but the books need to be maintained from day one. Choose accounting software — Xero or QuickBooks are the most common for small UK companies — and ensure every transaction is recorded. If you are using Fileminder, we handle this as part of your annual accounts service.

Month 2–3 — Director identity verification. The requirement has applied since 18 November 2025. New directors verify before appointment; existing directors provide their personal code with the next confirmation statement. Non-resident directors can use GOV.UK One Login with a current biometric passport from any country or choose an authorised ACSP.

Ongoing — Know your filing calendar. Every UK company must file: a confirmation statement (annually, within 14 days of the review period end — fee £50, raised from £34 on 1 February 2026); annual accounts (9 months after the accounting year end for private companies); a Corporation Tax return (12 months after the accounting year end); and pay Corporation Tax (9 months and 1 day after the year end). Set calendar reminders for all of these. Missing any one of them starts a penalty clock.