Move or expand into Britain

Plan your route into BritainStart with what you need, not a postcode.

For overseas founders, companies and research teams considering a British base, a UK team or a collaboration with British capability. This is orientation, not immigration, tax or legal advice.

Open the setup checklist →Partner with UK innovation →

Proposed by UKIZ · independent · not a government designation

The relocation sequence

Britain can be a company base, a research partner, a source of specialist capability or a route to international markets. Work through the parts that apply to your plan and check each regulated point with the responsible body.

  1. 01, Start a company

    UK incorporation is fast, inexpensive and done online through Companies House. Most venture-backed companies are private companies limited by shares.

    • There is no UK residency requirement for a director or shareholder, though a registered office address in the UK is required.
    • Company information, including directors and persons with significant control, is publicly available.
    • Corporation Tax registration, and often VAT and PAYE registration, follow incorporation.
    • Where the company will claim tax-advantaged investment schemes, the UK permanent establishment condition matters. Check it before you structure the group.

    Official sources

  2. 02, Build your team

    Britain's technical talent and specialist capability are distributed across distinctive clusters, each with different strengths.

    • University spin-out and research-adjacent talent is concentrated around Oxford, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
    • Employing anyone in the UK requires PAYE registration, employer National Insurance, pension auto-enrolment and employers' liability insurance.
    • Share option schemes are widely used in UK start-ups; the tax treatment differs substantially between scheme types.

    Official sources

  3. 03, Develop technology

    Access to universities, research organisations and shared specialist infrastructure is one of the clearer British advantages.

    • UK universities routinely collaborate with companies through sponsored research, consortia and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
    • The Catapult network provides specialist facilities in areas such as high-value manufacturing, compound semiconductors, offshore renewables and cell and gene therapy.
    • Innovate UK runs competitive grant funding open to UK-registered companies.
    • R&D tax relief may reduce the cost of qualifying development work; the rules changed materially in recent years.

    Official sources

  4. 04, Raise capital

    Britain has the deepest early-stage venture market in Europe, and a thinner market for growth capital, a pattern UKIZ documents rather than glosses over.

    • Angel syndicates, seed funds and specialist deep-tech investors are concentrated in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh.
    • The British Business Bank supports the market indirectly through funds rather than investing in companies directly.
    • Scale capital at Series B and beyond is a recognised weakness; many British companies raise later rounds from US investors.

    Official sources

  5. 05, Find your place

    Location should be shaped by the capabilities that genuinely benefit from proximity, including research, specialist facilities, talent and repeated collaboration. Suppliers and manufacturers should be selected by capability, quality and access across Britain, not simply distance.

    • UKIZ maps British innovation clusters by capability rather than ranking cities.
    • Complementary strengths matter more than a single location: many companies use one place for research and another for manufacturing.

  6. 06, Access government support

    Support is real but fragmented across national agencies, devolved administrations and regional bodies.

    • Innovate UK grants and programmes are the main national route for innovation funding.
    • The Department for Business and Trade supports inward investment and can make regional introductions.
    • Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and English regions run their own agencies with distinct offers.

    Official sources

  7. 07, Enter the UK

    Immigration is a matter for the Home Office. UKIZ points to the official routes and nothing further.

    • The Innovator Founder visa is the main route for founders establishing a new business, and requires endorsement by an approved body.
    • The Global Talent visa is available to those recognised as leaders or potential leaders in eligible fields, including digital technology, science and engineering.
    • The UK Expansion Worker route covers sending a senior employee to establish a UK branch of an overseas business.
    • Requirements, fees and endorsement bodies change. Check the official pages before relying on any of this.

    Official sources

  8. 08, Scale internationally

    Britain is most useful to a founder as a base with reach: legal system, language, time zone and capital markets that connect to both directions.

    • A working day that overlaps Asian afternoons and US mornings.
    • English-language contracting and English law used widely in international commercial agreements.
    • London capital markets and a concentration of international corporate headquarters and buyers.

    Official sources

Access before proximity

You do not need to move to Britain to use every part of its innovation economy. Research, testing, manufacturing and commercial partnerships are often accessed nationally.

Relocation earns its place when repeated interaction, a shared facility, a local team or a particular market makes a British base materially more useful.

Official routes

UKIZ does not decide whether Britain is right for you and does not arrange inward investment. Requirements, fees and eligibility change, so use the current official source before acting.

Investment and doing business with the UK →Work visas and immigration →Setting up and running a business →

Every figure on this page last verified against GOV.UK on 15 August 2026 · verification record

This is educational orientation, not tax, legal or immigration advice, and not an HMRC determination. Eligibility depends on the full circumstances of the company, the investor and the share issue under the rules in force at the time. Always check current HMRC guidance and take professional advice.

Keep exploring

Why Britain →Explore the missions →See jobs by place →