UK business account for non-residents

GoSolo supports global residents in setting up a UK limited company and UK business account without a personal UK address.

Open a GoSolo Business Account

Everything you need to start and run your business in the UK

An all-inclusive package to start a UK business for international founders:
  • Formation of a UK Limited company
  • GBP Business Account for non-residents with sort code
  • Virtual MasterCard® GoSolo Debit Card
  • Virtual business address
Everything you need to start and run your business in the UK
Available for free in the WEB app, on iOS and Android.
Choose your preferred platform.
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Open your business account for non-residents in the UK

  • Get going in minutes, registration is fast and simple
  • No personal proof of a UK address required
  • Trusted by founders from over 20 countries
  • Standard document ID and compliance checks apply
Open your business account for non-residents in the UK
The cost of starting your UK business journey
UK Business Account
GBP Business Account with Sort Code
MasterCard Debit Card
Payments in and out in GBP
Time to open
Third party access to business accounts for teams
Model Articles of Association
Model Shareholders Agreement
Time to open
UK Virtual Business Address
Business Trading Address
Registered Company Address
Personal Proof of Address in the UK
Use your personal address outside of the UK
Price
First Year Costs (all inclusive)
Second Year Costs (recurring per year)
Global Founder
Package
£ 499.00
Free
Online
Free
Online
Free
Not required
 
£ 499.00
£ 249.00
VS
Solicitor or Law Firm
Extra cost
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Over 2 weeks
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Over 2 weeks
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Extra Cost
Not available
 
£ 2000-3000
£ 1000-2000
Why the UK?
The UK is one of the best places globally to launch your tech startup. Here are some benefits and advantages that matter:
Market
Market
UK is the 5th largest economy in the world with 67m population – "Gateway to the Rest of the World"
Taxes
Taxes
UK taxes are one of the lowest in Europe. R&D tax incentives allow to claim back most of the research and development costs
Legal System
Legal System
UK has one of the most transparent, trusted and robust legal systems in the world
Investment
Investment
UK is the top place to raise funding. UK companies raised $39.8bn of VC Investment (2021); more than Germany & France combined
Growth
Growth
UK has highest number of IPOs & more unicorns than anywhere in Europe. UK is in the Top-10 list of countries globally for ease of doing business

FAQ for international clients

How much does it cost to open a business account? What fees do you charge?

You can choose from different GoSolo plans based on the features you need. For current and most up-to-date details about the costs, please refer to our pricing page.

Can I open a UK business account from overseas?

Yes, you can. GoSolo is available to founders and entrepreneurs from around the world. 

GoSolo provides the UK company formation and a business account for non-residents. Here, you can read more about how it works.

We are currently accepting users from:

  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Guernsey
  • Hong Kong  
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Italy
  • Jersey
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania  
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland  
  • Ukraine

Can I pay internationally or accept payments from abroad?

We are working hard to bring international payments and currency exchange directly to the GoSolo app, but at the moment, these features are not available.

, you can use alternative services such as Payoneer, Paysend, or Wise to send and accept payments from abroad.

What do I need to open a GoSolo business account?

Opening a business account is simple with GoSolo. All you need is the following documents:

  • A valid government-issued photo ID document (passport, driving licence, BRP)
  • Proof of your address (council tax, utility bill, bank statement), issued in the last three months

The process is very easy:

1. Fill out the application form (takes less than 10 minutes).

2. Our team will review your documents and respond to you as soon as possible with our decision.

3. Once your application is approved, you will have immediate access to a GoSolo business account and a Mastercard debit card.

Can you guarantee that you will get me a UK business account?

GoSolo has its own policy and makes a final decision based on multiple factors, so we cannot guarantee that your application will be successful.

But if you applied for a paid service and we could not open you an account, we will make a full refund unless the application was fraudulent.

What countries does GoSolo support?

GoSolo offers business accounts only for UK-based and UK-registered companies.

If you're living abroad and want to set up a business in the UK, we can register a limited company for you. You will get a virtual business address and a virtual debit card for all your business transactions, quick and easy.

Our current pricing plans are here.

Can I open a business account if I don’t have a passport or a driving licence?

In order to open a business account, banks are required to verify the identity/identities of the director(s) of a company. This is done in order to make sure that you are who you say you are. Similarly, GoSolo requires directors of a company to complete ID verification checks. As we are 100% digital, we ask you to complete ID verification online. We currently only accept passports, driving licences, and identity cards as valid ID documents. If you do not have any of these documents, we suggest applying for a business account in one of the UK high-street banks that can accept other ID documents (such as Barclays, Lloyds Bank, HSBC, etc.).

Can I pay myself?

GoSolo only opens business accounts. Please bear this in mind: your account is not a personal one. 

We recommend that you consult with your accountant on ways you, as an owner or director, can get paid from a GoSolo business account.

What follows may not, under any circumstances, be treated as official advice from us. We do not accept any liabilities.

As a general rule, there are several ways a company can pay its individual owner:

  1. Pay a salary
  2. Pay a dividend
  3. Lend a loan

Each option requires careful consideration from the tax and legal points of view, especially if the individual is not a UK resident. There is no general rule that can cover all possible scenarios.

What are my options as a non-UK resident to open a business account?

No legal restrictions prohibit non-UK residents from opening a business account in the UK. But many banks may not accept applications without proof of address within the UK. Traditional financial institutions will also require a face-to-face meeting before providing the business account, in which you will sign a bank mandate to avoid fraud concerns.

An alternative option is to open a virtual business account, but you will need to order a company registration service from a special provider. So it could take some time and additional expenses.

With GoSolo, you can register an LTD company in the UK, open a business account, get a virtual company address, and get a debit card—all in one place, spending less than 10 mins on onboarding.

And you won’t need proof of address within the UK.

Can I connect PayPal / Amazon account?

You can connect your GoSolo account to PayPal and Amazon.

You can connect your account to any service or platform that uses a GBP account & sort code or a debit card.

How quickly can I set up a business account?

Opening a business account in GoSolo takes less than 10 minutes of your time, then your details will be sent for verification. If everything is ok, you will get a business account the same or the next day.

If you're opening a business account and creating a new company at the same time, the verification might take a little bit longer because we'll be sending your claim to Companies House.

Is it easy to open a business account in the UK?

In GoSolo we made the business account opening process quick and simple, even for non-UK residents.

If you live in the United Kingdom, you need a valid government-issued photo ID document (passport, driving licence, BRP) and proof of your UK address (council tax, utility bill, bank statement).

For non-UK residents, you can check our dedicated page for international clients.

What to do if I don’t receive a text message with a one-time code on my phone?

If you do not receive a text message with a one-time code to your phone, please check:

  • Have you entered your phone number correctly?
  • Is your phone online and able to receive SMS messages?
  • Have you tried to re-send a one-time code by clicking “Re-send code” on the app?
  • Have you allowed at least 60 seconds to pass?

If you’ve checked all of these already and still cannot receive a one-time code, do not hesitate to contact GoSolo customer support via the contact form or email.