smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

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Q: I am interested in buying an existing small business in the UK. I am not a British citizen, can you give me advice on what I need to find out/do to proceed?

Aug 17 2005

Answered by: Philip Wilkinson Ask a question

Some initial assistance as to how to proceed and what you need to find out may be obtainable via the following websites:

Business Link, which gives practical advice for businesses - www.businesslink.gov.uk
UK Trade and Investment, which is a government organization helping international businesses to realize their potential - www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

However, for more detailed advice, the best starting point would be to make contact with an English solicitor and/or an English accountant for advice. To find an English lawyer a useful website would be www.lawsociety.org.ukome.law, there are also separate sites for Scotland and Ireland. To find an English accountant you can visit http://www.icaew.co.uk/

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