Privacy Shield vs Basic Setup: Which Non-Resident Package Is Right for You?

Choose Basic Setup if you want standard incorporation and accept that your address details appear publicly. Choose Non-Resident Privacy Shield if you want stronger protection of personal and address details on the public register. Both routes incorporate a UK limited company for non-UK residents.

What information does the Companies House register show publicly?

Companies House publishes the registered office address, director service addresses, officer names, month and year of birth, and shareholder details. Directors' home addresses sit on a protected record, accessible only to specified public authorities and credit reference agencies.

Every UK company appears on a public register. Anyone can search it online for free. Companies House also releases the data in bulk, so third parties copy, index, and republish it.

The registered office must be a physical address in the UK where official post is delivered. Companies House has enforced this "appropriate address" rule since March 2024. A non-UK resident cannot use an overseas address as the registered office.

Directors choose a service address for the public record. The service address can be in the UK or abroad. Persons with significant control also appear publicly, with name, nationality, country of residence, and nature of control.

Your package choice decides which addresses fill these public fields. That makes address handling the central difference between the two options.

What does the Basic Setup package include?

Basic Setup covers the core incorporation steps: submitting the application to Companies House, appointing directors and shareholders, completing identity checks, and delivering your Web Filing Authentication Code through the company summary page.

A UK limited company requires five items at incorporation. These are a company name, a UK registered office address, at least one director aged 16 or over, at least one shareholder, and a statement of share capital. Non-UK residents can hold all of these roles. The law sets no UK residency condition for directors or shareholders.

Identity verification forms part of every application. Directors and persons with significant control verify their identity through Companies House's approved routes. Passport and biometric checks are two common methods. Verified identity links each officer to a real person on the register.

Basic Setup files your details as you supply them. You provide the addresses, and Companies House publishes them. Owners who already hold a suitable UK address and accept public display of their service address find this route complete.

What does Non-Resident Privacy Shield add to the formation?

Non-Resident Privacy Shield adds privacy protection to the standard formation. It places business addresses on the public register in place of your personal addresses, so your home details stay off searchable company records.

The standard formation publishes whatever addresses you submit. If you list an overseas home address as your service address, that address becomes public. Search engines and data aggregators then index it. Unsolicited mail and marketing contact follow from that exposure.

How does Privacy Shield protect the registered office?

The registered office appears on the company's public profile, on every Companies House filing, and on the certificate of incorporation. Privacy Shield assigns a business address to this field. Your personal location never enters the record.

How does Privacy Shield protect director details?

Director service addresses display publicly beside each officer's name. Privacy Shield substitutes a business address there as well. Owners who want to protect their personal details from day one can review Non-Resident Privacy Shield and confirm what the package covers.

Privacy applies at the moment of filing. That matters because Companies House keeps historic filings visible. Correcting an address after publication does not remove earlier records. Choosing address protection before incorporation avoids that permanent exposure.

How do Privacy Shield and Basic Setup compare on compliance duties?

Both packages carry identical legal duties. Every UK company files a confirmation statement every 12 months, files annual accounts, registers for Corporation Tax, and keeps statutory registers current. The package changes privacy exposure, not compliance obligations.

Four annual obligations apply to every UK limited company. The confirmation statement verifies that the register is accurate. Annual accounts for a private company are due nine months after the accounting year-end. The Corporation Tax return is due 12 months after the accounting period ends. Payment is due nine months and one day after the period ends.

A UK-incorporated company is UK tax resident, regardless of the owner's country of residence. That rule applies to both packages. Non-UK resident owners also consider tax obligations in their own country of residence.

Companies House also requires a registered email address. The email address stays off the public register. It serves as the channel for official notices. Both packages require it.

The comparison therefore reduces to one variable. Basic Setup publishes the addresses you provide. Privacy Shield publishes business addresses instead. Everything else follows the same statutory framework.

Which package fits your situation?

Basic Setup fits owners who already hold a UK business address and accept public display of their details. Privacy Shield fits owners who want personal addresses kept off public search results from the first filing.

Who is Basic Setup right for?

Basic Setup suits owners who meet three conditions. They hold a UK address that qualifies as an appropriate registered office. They accept their service address appearing on the public register. They plan to manage statutory filings themselves.

This route also suits owners who already use a business address abroad as their service address. That address is already public in their commercial life. Publishing it adds no new exposure.

Who is Privacy Shield right for?

Privacy Shield suits owners whose home address would otherwise fill the service address field. It also suits directors who prefer to separate personal residence from business records. Evaluation at this stage compares exposure against convenience.

Readers still mapping the privacy question can start with what a privacy-focused UK company formation includes. That guide lists the components of address protection before you compare packages.

The choice depends on one question. Does your personal address belong on a searchable public record? If the answer is no, Privacy Shield applies. If the answer is yes, Basic Setup covers the formation.

Does your package choice change how fast you form the company?

No. Both routes complete in as little as 3 working hours when you submit complete, accurate information and finish all legal and ID checks. Companies House processing times apply, exclude weekends and bank holidays, and determine the final timing.

The process follows four stages. You submit company details, officer details, and addresses. You complete identity checks for each director and person with significant control. Companies House reviews the application. Your Web Filing Authentication Code then appears online through your company summary page.

Delays arise from three causes. Incomplete information stalls review. Incorrect information, such as mismatched names or malformed addresses, triggers rejection. Technical or application-related complexities add processing time.

Preparation removes most of these delays. Gather government-issued photo ID for every director and person with significant control. Confirm the exact spelling of each name against the passport. Choose the company name and SIC code before you submit. A complete application moves through Companies House without correction cycles.

Weekends and bank holidays pause Companies House processing. A submission on Friday evening therefore completes on the next working day.

When your package choice is settled, you can order Non-Resident Privacy Shield and review everything included before you begin.

What is the right choice between Privacy Shield and Basic Setup?

Basic Setup delivers standard incorporation with publicly displayed addresses. Privacy Shield delivers the same incorporation with business addresses on the register. Compliance duties and formation speed stay identical. Address privacy is the deciding factor.

The comparison rests on facts. Companies House publishes registered office addresses, service addresses, and officer details. Both packages file the same application, complete the same identity checks, and trigger the same annual duties. The only variable is which addresses become public.

Non-Resident UK Company Formation delivers both routes exclusively for non-UK residents. Each package follows the formation process that international owners face: complete information, verified identity, and Companies House processing. Basic Setup serves owners comfortable with public addresses. Non-Resident Privacy Shield serves owners who want personal details protected from the first filing.

Match the package to your privacy requirement, confirm your documents are complete, and submit accurate information. That sequence produces the fastest compliant incorporation.