UK PLC from formation to listing
You are thinking bigger. We handle the side where most PLCs stumble: capital, registers, resolutions, deadlines and the groundwork for a trading venue.
| Minimum capital | £50,000 or €57,100, at least a quarter paid up |
| Starting to trade | only once the trading certificate is issued (new companies) |
| Officers | at least two directors and a qualified company secretary |
| Deadlines | accounts and AGM within six months of the year end |
| Identity verification | required for directors and PSCs since 18 November 2025 |
| Venues | Main Market, AIM, Aquis Growth Market, PISCES |
What a PLC is, and who it is for
A PLC is a company whose certificate of incorporation states that it is a public company, and whose name ends in "public limited company" or "p.l.c.". That is more than a label. The law asks for minimum share capital of £50,000 (or €57,100), two directors instead of one, a qualified company secretary and tighter deadlines than a private company. In return, only a public company may offer its shares to the public. A private limited company may not.
So who needs one? Founders preparing a London listing or a share trading event on PISCES. Groups that want a UK parent with public company status. And owners of an existing PLC who have noticed that running one got stricter after the Companies House reforms. If all you need is a holding company with no market plans, the UK Holding Company usually fits better. The side-by-side comparison is in PLC or Ltd.
Your PLC, with Sebastian at your side
Sebastian started out in London in 2006 and knows PLCs from the side that rarely makes it into a prospectus: capital changes, registers, board and general meeting minutes, the clean-up before a listing. That is where we come in. We settle the structure with you, prepare every document and keep the deadline calendar.
Our PLC services
Four products, depending on where your company stands today.
Formation, capital and company law
What the law asks of a PLC before it does its first deal.
Administration, registers and tax
The running duties that keep a PLC in good standing.
Trading venues and going public
Where a PLC can trade today and the rules that apply there.
Sebastian Sauerborn
Founder of St Matthew, since 2006
With PLCs, my work has mostly been behind the scenes: setting companies up so a nominated adviser or sponsor has nothing to object to, putting registers in order, preparing general meetings and keeping deadlines. That is where a listing is won quietly or lost loudly.
Today I run St Matthew from Austin as part of Perspektive Ausland. You have one person to talk to.
Questions about the UK PLC
Is a PLC automatically listed?
No. PLC only means the company is registered as a public company and may offer its shares to the public. Whether and where its shares trade is a separate decision with its own rules.
Can I form a PLC if I live outside the UK?
Yes. Directors and shareholders may live abroad. Since 18 November 2025, though, every director and every person with significant control has to verify their identity with Companies House. That works from any country.
Do you help find investors?
No. Raising money from investors is tightly regulated in the UK, and we do not offer it. We get the company ready and coordinate the team responsible for admission and the documents.
Your PLC, with one person leading
In a UK Tax Consult we work out whether a PLC suits your plans, which route to a trading venue is realistic, and which papers you should start putting in order now.