Test yourself

Fill in the gaps with the given words.
file; set up; force; members; director; secretary; Constitution; Memorandum; Registrar; subscribers; Articles; shareholder; House; Act;

Incorporating a company
Before your business can begin operating as a limited company, it has to be registered with the (1 p.) of Companies - Companies (1 p.) . This is known as incorporation - the process by which a new or existing business is converted into a corporate body.
You’ll need: a suitable company name, an address for the company, at least one (1 p.) to run the company, details of the company’s shares - you need at least one (1 p.) , to check what your SIC (Standard industrial classification of economic activities) code is - this identifies what your company does.
The Companies (1 p.) 2006, which came into (1 p.) in stages from January 2007 to October 2009, introduced a number of changes that affected both directors and shareholders of limited companies.
To (1 p.) as a limited company in the UK, you - or the agent acting for you - will need to (1 p.) several documents and completed forms with Companies House, or, in Northern Ireland, with the Companies Registry for Northern Ireland:

1.  a (1 p.) of Association, a statement that the (1 p.) wish to form a company, agree to become (1 p.) and, where the company is to have a share capital, to take at least one share each;

2.  (1 p.) of Association, written rules about running the company agreed by the shareholders, directors and the company (1 p.) .
The memorandum is now crucial to registering a company, but after that it no longer is "living" document, constituting a part of the Company (1 p.) .