Converting a company from one type to another

Under UK law a company can be converted from one type to another by re-registration within the terms of the Act. There are procedures for re-registration from a private company to a public company and vice versa and from a private company limited by shares to an unlimited company and vice versa. On re-registration the company keeps its original company number and remains the same corporate identity. Re-registration does not affect any existing rights or liabilities of the company. There are restrictions on a company which has previously changed from limited to unlimited or vice versa changing back again.

There is no provision for a company limited by shares to be re-registered as one limited by guarantee or for the reverse process, it would be necessary to register a new company of the required type and transfer the assets of the old company to the new one. As each company is required to have a different name from every other registered company, it may be necessary to change the existing company name first, so that the new company can be registered in the original name. The old company can then be dissolved, or may be retained as a dormant company, for example. 

Company Law Solutions can prepare all the documentation required for all such matters and will attend to the re-registration, preparation of new articles of association, appropriate for the new type of company, etc.