Introduction The sine quo non for setting up a company in the United Kingdom is to have relevant documents to be filed with the Companies House and to receive permission from the Registrar of Companies to commence business. Without the necessary registration of the proposed company with Companies House, it is not legally possible to commence business in this country. “A business cannot operate as a limited company until it has been incorporated as a company at Companies House. Incorporation is the process by which a new business or an existing sole trader or partnership becomes a limited company.” (Companies act 2006 guidance: Incorporation and names – GP1, 2009, para.3). Sine quo non questions The sine quo non-questions that have to be asked from a solicitor or expert on company formation would be as follows:  1. What are the main documents that would have to be filed with the Companies House before formally incorporating a company?  2. What should be contained in the Memorandum of Association of the Company?  3. What are the proposed content of the Articles of Association of Company?  4. What are the Registration fees that would have to be paid in order to effectuate the Registration of the Company?  5. How much time after receiving the documents by the Companies House does it take to incorporate a company?  6. What are the norms relating to online filing and how could it be operated?  7. What are the genres of documents that could be filed online?  8. Could documents be filed manually and online too? What are the rules regarding the filing of online documents in the Companies House?  9. What are the rules regarding name choice for the business? Once a name has been registered with Companies House, could it be altered by the company and the mode by which this could be done? 10. Is it true that a private company needs to have one director as an individual? What are the minimum restrictions and qualifications for becoming a director of a company in the UK? 11. Is it true that the filing responsibilities of Companies require that “Directors must prepare and file documents required under the Companies Act 2006, including the annual accounts and annual returns.” (Directors and secretaries, n.d, para.6). 12. What are the prescribed rules with regard to the Registered Office of the Company and how are these rules enforced? Sources of funding of new business Perhaps one of the major issues of a business enterprise in the context of the UK would be with respect to gaining and usage of funds. It is seen that public share issues or IPO (Initial Public Offer) would be a good way of funding the company. “There are many sound reasons for wanting to go public. For instance, equity capital obtained from an initial public offering is considered a permanent form of capital since there is no interest to be paid on the equity, and it is not repayable like debt.” (Due diligence (know your client) requirements, 2006, para.7). The future questions that need to be asked from the attorney in charge of company formation would be in terms of the appointment, reappointment and retirement of directors, both whole time and part-time directors. The appointment and reappointment of statutory auditors and the contractual obligations of such auditors also need to be known. Constitution of share capital Another important area would be in terms of the constitution of the share capital of the company and its structure. Shares could be of two types-