It is possible to appoint a company to be one of the two partners in a limited liability partnership? I am aware that there is a requirement for at least one natural person to be appointed when registering a new limited company and that other directors can be corporations. Do identical rules apply during a limited liability partnership formation and if so are there any further restrictions to be aware of?

A recent development in the world for business incorporations has been the introduction of online limited liability partnership formations. Whilst manual facilities for registering and setting up LLPs still remain, the vast majority of limited liability partnership set-ups are now conducted electronically via an online system.

Whilst it is true to state that limited liability partnership incorporations are not as commonplace as company formations, the availability of the online option brings the LLP type of registration inline with the other main vehicles used in starting a business.

Commentators report that forming a limited liability partnership electronically can provide the same high levels of data validation and integrity as that which those registering a UK company have enjoyed for many years. The requirements for two partners and a UK registered office address can be enforced before sending the application to Companies House by the local software and thus increase the incidences of a successful LLP registration.

The prices of the new online limited liability partnership formations vary according to the incorporation agents used. Generally, a standard same day LLP incorporation costs approximately £80 whereas a guarantees same day limited liability partnership registration can be closer to £120.

Considering the time and ease with which they can be setup, these costs, whilst higher than their equivalent UK company formation cousins, still represents good value and an efficient mechanism for registering a UK limited liability partnership.