The application form itself is short. Most applicants complete it in well under fifteen minutes when they have the basics to hand — the bulk of that time is spent connecting a business bank account, not typing.
Where the minutes go
You enter a few company details, confirm what the finance is for, and connect your business account so we can assess affordability. The connection step is where Open Banking earns its keep: instead of digging out and uploading months of PDF statements, you authorise a read-only feed in a minute or two. That is why how Open Banking speeds up your application matters so much to the overall time.
Filling in the form and getting a decision are two different clocks. The form is minutes; the decision that follows is covered in how quickly will I get a decision.
What can slow the form down
Almost always it is a missing detail — not having your business banking login to hand, or being unsure of the exact registered company name. Getting those ready first, per the pre-application checklist, keeps it to a single sitting. If you do need to step away, whether you can save your application and finish later.
When you are ready, begin your application.
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee, and this is business finance outside the consumer-credit regime — as an exempt lender under Article 60B of the Regulated Activities Order we sit outside FCA consumer-credit regulation, so the Financial Ombudsman Service and FSCS do not apply.
See also: What should I have ready before I start an application?, How quickly will I get a decision?, Whether you can save your application and finish later.