Guidance

Community interest companies: model constitutions

Bespoke model constitutions for use when forming or converting to a CIC, with memorandum of association and articles of association templates. When completing section A8 of form IN01, please only tick "option 3-bespoke articles".

Documents

CIC model constitution: company limited by guarantee - memorandum of association

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CIC model constitution: company limited by guarantee with a small membership - articles of association

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by guarantee with a large membership - articles of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by shares - memorandum of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by shares private schedule 2 with a small membership - articles of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by shares private schedule 2 with a large membership - articles of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by shares private schedule 3 with a small membership - articles of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

CIC model constitution: company limited by shares private schedule 3 with a large membership - articles of association

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

A company’s constitution is established by its articles of association and memorandum of association. When applying to form - or convert to - a community interest company (CIC), these documents must be submitted to the Office of the Community Interest Companies Regulator.

Read more about CICs’ constitutional documents.

This guidance includes ‘model constitutions’, which are template memorandum and articles of association documents. They have been prepared with the assistance of lawyers experienced in the social enterprise sector and include all the provisions required by the The Community Interest Company Regulations 2005.

The asset-locked body

Before nominating the asset-locked body in the articles of association, you might need to check its suitability with the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.

An asset-locked body is a registered CIC, charity, permitted IPS or an equivalent body established outside the UK (in which case, evidence of charity status must be provided). There is no restriction on the number of asset-locked bodies that you can specify, but a CIC can’t nominate itself. If a CIC nominates an organisation that is not an asset-locked body, and it is placed on the public record, it must remedy the situation and meet the associated cost.

Read more about the asset-locked body.

General enquiries

CIC Regulator
2nd Floor Companies House Crown Way
Cardiff
CF14 3UZ

Email cicregulator@companieshouse.gov.uk

24-hour voicemail service 029 2150 7420

Updates to this page

Published 1 August 2013
Last updated 20 March 2019 + show all updates
  1. Updated broken links

  2. Updated broken links

  3. Removing wording no longer required

  4. Changing the layout of page

  5. Info added about section A8 of form IN01- bespoke articles

  6. First published.

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