Every legal form in the United Kingdom, each with its abbreviation, the kind of entity it is, liability and typical use where they are well established, and the values the Prometiam company object returns.
This guide lists the 31 legal forms the Prometiam dictionary knows for the United Kingdom: what each is called, how it is abbreviated, what kind of entity it is and how it appears in the company object. Use it to read the legal_form of a company registered in the United Kingdom, or to decode a form you meet in a contract or on an invoice. It is a general reference, not legal advice.
| Form | Abbreviation | Kind | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private limited company | Ltd, Ltd. | Private limited company | A private company limited by shares: members’ liability is limited to the unpaid amount on their shares. There is no minimum share capital and it may not offer shares to the public. The most common UK company form. |
| Private company limited by guarantee without share capital | Ltd, Limited | Private limited company | A private company limited by guarantee: no shares; the members promise a fixed sum if it is wound up. Used by non-profits, clubs and associations. |
| Private unlimited company | Unlimited | Private limited company | A private company whose members’ liability has no limit. |
| Public limited company | PLC, P.L.C. | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | A public company limited by shares. It needs at least GBP 50,000 of allotted share capital with at least 25% paid up and a trading certificate before it trades, at least two directors and a company secretary. It may offer shares to the public; a stock-exchange listing is optional. |
| Limited liability partnership | LLP, L.L.P. | Limited liability partnership | A limited liability partnership: a separate legal person whose members’ liability is limited, taxed like a partnership, with at least two members. Common among professional firms. |
| Limited partnership | LP, L.P. | Limited partnership | A limited partnership: at least one general partner with unlimited liability, and limited partners liable up to their contribution. |
| Community interest company | CIC | Private limited company | A limited company that must serve a community purpose, with an asset lock that keeps its assets and profits for that purpose. |
Every company object carries four legal-form fields: legal_form (the standard abbreviation, null when the form is not mapped), legal_form_family (the cross-country family, so a private limited company compares across countries), local_legal_form (the register’s own value or code as stored) and local_legal_form_name (the register’s name for it, where it publishes one). Each form below shows the values the API returns for it.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=GB&name=<company name>" # each result carries, for example: # "legal_form": "Ltd" # "legal_form_family": "private_limited_company"
Private limited company: a company with its own legal personality whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable for its debts and whose shares are not offered to the public.
A private company limited by shares: members’ liability is limited to the unpaid amount on their shares. There is no minimum share capital and it may not offer shares to the public. The most common UK company form.
Ltd, Ltd., Limitedlegal_form Ltd, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form LTDA private company limited by guarantee: no shares; the members promise a fixed sum if it is wound up. Used by non-profits, clubs and associations.
Ltd, Limited, CLGlegal_form Ltd, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form LTD-GUARA private company whose members’ liability has no limit.
Unlimitedlegal_form Unlimited, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form UNLTDA limited company that must serve a community purpose, with an asset lock that keeps its assets and profits for that purpose.
CIClegal_form CIC, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form CICLLClegal_form LLC, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form LLCPublic limited company (joint-stock company): a company with its own legal personality and share capital whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable; the family of forms that can usually raise money from the public.
A public company limited by shares. It needs at least GBP 50,000 of allotted share capital with at least 25% paid up and a trading certificate before it trades, at least two directors and a company secretary. It may offer shares to the public; a stock-exchange listing is optional.
PLC, P.L.C., P L Clegal_form PLC, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form PLClegal_form Old public company, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form OLD-PLCSElegal_form SE, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SElegal_form United Kingdom Societas, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form UK-SELimited liability partnership: a partnership in which the members’ liability is limited.
A limited liability partnership: a separate legal person whose members’ liability is limited, taxed like a partnership, with at least two members. Common among professional firms.
LLP, L.L.P., L L Plegal_form LLP, legal_form_family limited_liability_partnership, local_legal_form LLPGeneral partnership: the owners run the business together and, as a rule, answer personally for its debts.
legal_form Scottish qualifying partnership, legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form SPLimited partnership: at least one partner answers without limit for the debts, the others only up to what they contributed.
A limited partnership: at least one general partner with unlimited liability, and limited partners liable up to their contribution.
LP, L.P., SLP, PFLPlegal_form LP, legal_form_family limited_partnership, local_legal_form LPCooperative: an organisation owned and run by its members.
legal_form Registered society, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form REG-SOClegal_form Industrial and provident society, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form IPSlegal_form Credit union (Northern Ireland), legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form NI-CREDIT-UNIONEconomic interest grouping: members cooperate in a shared activity while staying independent businesses.
EEIGlegal_form EEIG, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form EEIGUKEIGlegal_form UKEIG, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form UKEIGFoundation: assets set aside for a purpose, with no owners.
CIOlegal_form CIO, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form CIOSCIOlegal_form SCIO, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form SCIOBranch of a foreign company: an establishment or registration of a company incorporated abroad.
legal_form UK establishment company, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form UKElegal_form Overseas company, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form OVERSEAInvestment fund or investment company.
ICVC, OEIClegal_form ICVC, legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form ICVClegal_form Investment company with variable capital (umbrella), legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form ICVC-Ulegal_form Investment company with variable capital (securities), legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form ICVC-Slegal_form Investment company with variable capital (warrant), legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form ICVC-WPublic body: a state, local-authority or other public-law entity.
legal_form Further education or sixth form college corporation, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form FE-COLLEGEOther entity type.
legal_form Northern Ireland company, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form NI-COlegal_form Royal charter company, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form RClegal_form Overseas entity (Register of Overseas Entities), legal_form_family other, local_legal_form OVERSEA-ENTPCClegal_form PCC, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form PCClegal_form Assurance company, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form ASSURANCESee the the United Kingdom company data API guide for the register behind these records and the free Companies House lookup to try an identifier. For the register states that go with these forms, read company status in the UK. All countries: company legal forms.
Side by side: Ltd vs PLC in the UK: Differences Explained.
Search by name or identifier and read legal_form, legal_form_family and local_legal_form on every result, or filter a bulk list by family.
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