EU Inc vs UK Ltd
EU Inc is a proposed regulation (COM(2026) 321), not yet adopted. EU Inc figures are from the proposal and may change. UK Ltd figures reflect current UK practice.
On this page
The UK Ltd (private company limited by shares) is fast, cheap and familiar — but since Brexit it sits outside the EU single market. On cost and speed it is already close to EU Inc’s proposed figures, so the real question here is not price but which market you incorporate into.
The comparison
| Criterion | EU Inc (proposed) | UK Ltd |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Proposed regulation, COM(2026) 321. Not adopted. | Established UK form; available now. |
| Availability | Not before ~2028. | Available now, typically same-day. |
| Registration cost | Capped at €100 (proposed). | Low online fee at Companies House. |
| Registration time | Under 48 hours, fully digital (proposed). | Often within 24 hours. |
| Minimum capital | None (proposed). | None (£1 possible). |
| EU single market | Recognised across all 27 member states (proposed). | Outside the EU since Brexit. |
| Taxation | Not harmonised beyond option timing; corporate tax stays national. | UK corporation tax (national, outside EU rules). |
| Stock options | EU-ESO: harmonised timing, taxed at sale; rates national. | Mature UK schemes (EMI etc.), UK-specific. |
| Investor recognition | Unproven. | Strong with UK and global investors; established case law. |
Reading the table
On cost and speed the UK Ltd and EU Inc are close, so those metrics do not decide the choice. The UK Ltd’s strengths are maturity — familiar to investors, backed by established case law and option schemes like EMI. Its structural limitation is EU access: post-Brexit, a UK Ltd is a third-country company for single-market purposes. EU Inc’s entire pitch here is the inverse — a single registration recognised across all member states without leaving the European framework, plus EU-ESO for cross-border option grants.
As always, EU Inc is proposed, not law: its single-market recognition is a promise until the regulation is adopted. Track progress on the tracker.
Who should consider which
- Stay with the UK Ltd if your operations, customers or investors are UK- or globally oriented rather than EU-centric, you value mature schemes and case law, or you need to incorporate now.
- Watch EU Inc if EU single-market access is central to your plan and you want to stay inside the European framework rather than operate into the EU as a third-country company — accepting that it is not yet available.
For founders whose decisive question is US venture capital, the sharper comparison is EU Inc vs Delaware C-Corp.
→ Background: what is EU Inc · options: EU-ESO · status: tracker.