Companies Act 2006

Registration of particulars

1046 Duty to register particulars

(1) The Secretary of State may make provision by regulations requiring an overseas company—

(a) to deliver to the registrar for registration a return containing specified particulars, and

(b) to deliver to the registrar with the return specified documents.

(2) The regulations—

(a) must, in the case of a company other than a Gibraltar company, require the company to register particulars if the company opens a branch in the United Kingdom, and

(b) may, in the case of a Gibraltar company, require the company to register particulars if the company opens a branch in the United Kingdom, and

(c) may, in any case, require the registration of particulars in such other circumstances as may be specified.

(3) In subsection (2)—

• “branch” means a branch within the meaning of the Eleventh Company Law Directive (89/666/EEC);

• “Gibraltar company” means a company incorporated in Gibraltar.

(4) The regulations may provide that where a company has registered particulars under this section and any alteration is made—

(a) in the specified particulars, or

(b) in any document delivered with the return,

the company must deliver to the registrar for registration a return containing specified particulars of the alteration.

(5) The regulations may make provision—

(a) requiring the return under this section to be delivered for registration to the registrar for a specified part of the United Kingdom, and

(b) requiring it to be so delivered before the end of a specified period.

(6) The regulations may make different provision according to—

(a) the place where the company is incorporated, and

(b) the activities carried on (or proposed to be carried on) by it.

This is without prejudice to the general power to make different provision for different cases.

(7) In this section “specified” means specified in the regulations.

(8) Regulations under this section are subject to affirmative resolution procedure.

1047 Registered name of overseas company

(1) Regulations under section 1046 (duty to register particulars) must require an overseas company that is required to register particulars to register its name.

(2) This may be—

(a) the company’s corporate name (that is, its name under the law of the country or territory in which it is incorporated) or

(b) an alternative name specified in accordance with section 1048.

(3) Subject only to subsection (5), an EEA company may always register its corporate name.

(4) In any other case, the following provisions of Part 5 (a company’s name) apply in relation to the registration of the name of an overseas company—

(a) section 53 (prohibited names);

(b) sections 54 to 56 (sensitive words and expressions);

(c) section 65 (inappropriate use of indications of company type or legal form);

(d) sections 66 to 74 (similarity to other names);

(e) section 75 (provision of misleading information etc);

(f) section 76 (misleading indication of activities).

(5) The provisions of section 57 (permitted characters etc) apply in every case.

(6) Any reference in the provisions mentioned in subsection (4) or (5) to a change of name shall be read as a reference to registration of a different name under section 1048.

1048 Registration under alternative name

(1) An overseas company that is required to register particulars under section 1046 may at any time deliver to the registrar for registration a statement specifying a name, other than its corporate name, under which it proposes to carry on business in the United Kingdom.

(2) An overseas company that has registered an alternative name may at any time deliver to the registrar of companies for registration a statement specifying a different name under which it proposes to carry on business in the United Kingdom (which may be its corporate name or a further alternative) in substitution for the name previously registered.

(3) The alternative name for the time being registered under this section is treated for all purposes of the law applying in the United Kingdom as the company’s corporate name.

(4) This does not—

(a) affect the references in this section or section 1047 to the company’s corporate name,

(b) affect any rights or obligation of the company, or

(c) render defective any legal proceedings by or against the company.

(5) Any legal proceedings that might have been continued or commenced against the company by its corporate name, or any name previously registered under this section, may be continued or commenced against it by its name for the time being so registered.