Setting up your company in the UK

Deciding where to locate your international business is often a long and involved process.

As the UK Government’s inward investment agency, it’s our job to know the UK’s strengths and where investment opportunities exist.

This means we can help your company research new opportunities and get a new operation up and running as quickly as possible.

UK Trade & Investment can help you with:

Doing your research
Building key contacts
Choosing your location
Setting up your new office
Growing your business internationally

Doing your research

UK Trade & Investment offers access to a wide range of information resources to help you decide whether the UK is the right location for your new venture.

If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest industry news, government announcements and inward investments, visit the OurWorld section of the website, or sign up for news alerts to receive news and other content via email.

To access general information on business in the UK, such as the economy, skills and employment, regulation and tax, visit our doing business in the UK pages.

If you’re researching market opportunities in the UK, visit the individual sector pages of this website (via the left-hand menu) to obtain background information and key data.

You can also access a range of case studies to find out about other investors that have recently set up in the UK in your sector.

Or contact your local UK Trade & Investment office to get research tailored to your company from one of our advisors.

Building key contacts

UK Trade & Investment organises and attends a wide range of industry events all over the world where you can network with other companies in your sector and discuss UK opportunities face-to-face with our staff.

Find details of upcoming events or read about events that have happened recently in our event coverage section.

We also have links with a wide range of professional advisors to help businesses coming to the UK. Search for lawyers, accountants, property consultants and a wide range of partner organisations on our UK Advisory Network for Inward Investors database.

Or get in touch with your local UK Trade & Investment office to find out how we can help you plug into a network of industry contacts, professional services and global events.

Choosing your location

When deciding whether the UK is the country best suited to your new business venture, you may need help assessing different locations and property options.

UK Trade & Investment works in partnership with 12 regional development agencies (RDAs) who each represent a different region of the UK. Explore the comparative benefits of the UK’s investment regions for your business venture.

In our commercial property section you’ll find details of the different premises available to your business as well as other options such as science parks and business incubator facilities.

Or get in touch with your local UK Trade & Investment office to get support with finding the right UK location for your company.

Setting up your new office

When you’ve made the decision to come to the UK, we can help you with the practical aspects of getting your business up and running and making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

For basic information on registering your company and getting started visit our Forming a Company page.

To access information on employing staff, regulation, tax, exporting your goods and a range of other operational advice visit our doing business in the UK pages.

Or get in touch with your local UK Trade & Investment office to get support with finding the right UK location for your company.

Growing your business internationally

Once you’re established in the UK, UK Trade & Investment can help your company to take advantage of new business opportunities and branch out to new locations – both in the UK and overseas.