08 May 2026
Key Takeaways
If you need to check a supplier, verify a customer, research a competitor, or confirm whether a business is real, the fastest place to start is Companies House. You can find official information about any UK-registered company for free using Companies House, including registration details, directors, filing history, and legal status.
This guide shows you how to search uk company records correctly, what information you can trust, and where to look when a business does not appear on the register.
The Companies House register is the official public record for companies incorporated in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It is the main register used to check a uk company, confirm its registration status, and view official company information.
You can search by:
Companies House allows searches by company name or number, and search by company name or number for details is the simplest route for most users. The full company number is usually the best option because a company number is a unique identifier assigned at incorporation. It is commonly eight digits, or a prefix plus digits for some entity types.
Searching by company name can return similar search results, especially where a trading name differs from the registered company name. If that happens, scan the company's address, registered office address, incorporation date, and status before you select the result.
An officer name search can reveal current and resigned officers of a company. You can search for information on current and resigned officers of a company, including appointment history across multiple entities. This is useful when you want to see whether the same directors or people are connected to several companies.
The results are official company information drawn from accepted Companies House filings. The public record updates when a filing is processed and accepted, so it is reliable but not always instant.
Only incorporated entities recorded at Companies House will appear when you search a UK company. Companies must be registered to be legally recognized in the UK as companies.
The main entity types you can check include:
| Entity type | Common use |
|---|---|
| Private limited companies | Most common UK company structure |
| Public limited companies | Larger companies that may offer shares publicly |
| Limited liability partnerships | Professional firms and partnership-style businesses |
| Limited partnerships | Investment and partnership structures |
| Overseas entities | Non-UK entities that own relevant UK land or property |
These companies incorporated in the UK must keep core information up to date, including directors, registered office address, accounts, and confirmation statements.
When you search the register, you can check whether a company is:
This makes it easier to confirm that the business exists, view its legal status, and see a snapshot of its history.
Charities and community interest companies can also appear on Companies House, but they may have additional records with the Charity Commission, the CIC Regulator, or another regulator. If you are making informed decisions about a regulated organisation, check both sources.
In 2024/2025, 801,864 new companies were incorporated in the UK. During the same period, 726,735 companies were removed from the register in 2024/2025, which shows why checking a company’s current status matters.
The “Find and update company information” service is the main free tool for searching UK company information in 2026. You can access it through the official GOV.UK Companies House service, rather than relying on unofficial copies of the same data.
A simple search works like this:
For basic searches, users can enter full or partial company names. If the search results include several similar businesses, refine your choice by checking:
Searching by company number bypasses ambiguity. If the number is entered correctly, it takes you straight to the correct company profile and avoids confusion with similar names.
Officer search lets users input an individual’s full name to see current and past appointments. This helps when you want specific information about directors, PSCs, or an officer connected to more than one company.
From the profile page, you can view tabs or links for:
Older Companies House Direct and WebCHeck users should note that the transition message “Companies House services will close on 30 November 2023” referred to legacy services being replaced by the newer company information service and update company information service on GOV.UK.
A UK company profile page provides core legal and financial data.
Basic company details include registration date and company type. Company details include status, registered office address, and date of incorporation. You can usually find:
The registered address is the official location for statutory documents. This address may not be the same as the trading address or shop location, so it is important to check what kind of address is being shown.
The nature of business is classified using Standard Industrial Classification codes. These SIC codes help users understand what the company says it does, although they are broad categories and may not capture every activity.
Companies House provides access to company filing histories. Companies House provides access to filing history and documents, and you can view a company's filing history on Companies House. Filing history includes documents such as annual accounts and confirmation statements. Filing history includes free PDFs of accounts and annual returns, including historical annual returns where applicable.
The filing history can include:
Most PDFs can be opened for free, allowing users to check dates, addresses, signatures, and filing details. Companies House provides access to financial accounts and director information, which makes it an important first stop for verification.
The “People” section lists directors, secretaries where used, and persons with significant control. The Persons With Significant Control register shows individuals with significant shares or voting rights, usually more than 25%, along with the nature of control and the date it began.
You may also find charges, such as mortgages or debentures, plus law events. The Gazette records official company law events like insolvencies and strike-offs, and it can be a useful companion source when reviewing company history.
Advanced search within the Find and update company information service helps narrow large result sets when you search a UK company. Companies House introduced an advanced search function in November 2021, and the advanced search function was introduced in November 2021 to make filtering easier for users.
Companies House advanced search allows filtering by status and type. You can refine results by:
Date filters are useful if you want to find companies formed during a specific month or year. For example, you could search for active private limited companies incorporated in 2025 in London.
Advanced search can also filter by filing history category. This helps if you want to find companies that have recently filed accounts, confirmation statements, or other documents.
You can download a spreadsheet of up to 5000 companies, which is useful for market research, competitor analysis, local business mapping, or data projects. For larger datasets, Companies House and data.gov.uk company information resources provide details about bulk data options.
A practical example: If you want to find all active private limited companies incorporated in 2025 in Manchester with recent accounts filed, use advanced search, choose status “active,” type “private limited company,” set the location, enter the incorporation date range, and filter by filing category.
Since 2022, the UK has maintained a Register of Overseas Entities owning UK land, hosted within Companies House services.
You can use advanced search with company type set to “overseas entity” to browse the register. You can also combine this with incorporation date filters or search by company name, registered office address, or jurisdiction if you already know part of the owner’s details.
Profiles for overseas entities may show:
The Register of Overseas Entities guidance explains the rules for overseas entities that own, buy, sell, or transfer UK property. Users can view snapshots, order certified documents, and follow these entities for updates in a similar way to UK-incorporated companies.
Sole traders, many traditional partnerships, and some small local businesses are not required to register with Companies House. That means they will not appear when you search a UK company there.
This does not mean the business is illegitimate. It simply means its information is stored outside the Companies House framework. For these businesses, you need to combine several independent sources to verify identity, address, and trading history.
Useful sources include:
Many unincorporated UK businesses maintain a Google Business Profile that appears when you search their name.
Search the business name plus town or postcode. This may reveal:
The map listing can help confirm the trading location and cross-check details against invoices, email signatures, or letters. Review patterns, imagery, and recent update dates can also show whether the listing appears current and authentic.
UK businesses, incorporated or not, often appear on directories such as Yell, Thomson Local, Trustpilot, or sector-specific platforms.
These listings typically include:
Search both the company or trading name and the owner’s name. This can surface multiple entries, especially for small businesses that operate under a personal name as well as a trading name.
Consistency matters. If the address, phone number, branding, and service description match across several sources, that makes the record more credible. If every listing gives different details, pause before making payment.
Many UK businesses use their own website as the main source of company information.
Check the:
These areas often provide details such as full trading name, contact address, VAT number, company number, and registered office address. Footer sections often repeat important information for incorporated companies and the main trading address for unincorporated businesses.
If a website lists a company number, check it against the Companies House register. Confirm that the number, company name, registered office, and status match the business you are dealing with.
Email footers from UK businesses often include:
Invoices, contracts, and letters can also provide details about the precise legal name, registered office, and principal place of business. Official postal documents, such as statements or engagement letters, may include regulatory numbers and other identifiers.
Match these details with online findings before sending money or signing a contract. This simple check can prevent payments going to the wrong company or to a similarly named business.
Once you search a UK company and locate its profile, the information can support credit checks, supplier vetting, customer onboarding, and compliance work. Due diligence checks assess financial stability and reputation, so you should look beyond the overview page.
Start with the filing history, accounts, and director changes. This helps build a picture of stability, growth, or warning signs such as:
Financial statements help evaluate a company's creditworthiness. Credit reports include risk scores and financial accounts, and third-party credit reports may add payment behaviour indicators, group structure data, and risk flags.
County Court Judgements (CCJs) indicate potential credit risk. If a company has unpaid or recent CCJs, that can suggest cash flow pressure or payment issues.
Company charges can also matter. A charge may show that the business has secured borrowing, such as a mortgage, debenture, or lender security over assets. That does not automatically mean the company is risky, but it is important context.
For deeper due diligence, combine Companies House records with:
Document your checks. Record the date searched, documents reviewed, and conclusions reached. This helps with internal compliance, AML, KYC, and supplier approval processes.
Companies House offers a free “Follow” service that emails users when a chosen company files key documents or changes details.
To follow a company:
Alerts can cover events such as:
This is useful for creditors, suppliers, investors, landlords, and partners who want quick updates about changes affecting their exposure. Users can manage or stop alerts at any time through the “Companies you follow” section.
Careful use of search options and a critical review of results will help avoid mistakes when identifying a UK company. Similar names are common, and the wrong result can lead to poor decisions.
Use these checks before relying on a record:
A simple rule: do not rely on one data point. The best checks match the company number, name, address, directors, website, and documents before you choose to proceed.
No payment is required for most everyday checks. The Find and update company information service is free for standard searches, viewing company overviews, checking status, and downloading most filings. Certain certified documents, ordered copies, or bulk data products may incur a fee. Always check current pricing on the official Companies House website before ordering paid documents.
Search the Companies House register to see whether your proposed company name is already in use or too similar to an existing registered name. Companies House also provides a name availability checker tool that tests names against rules on sensitive words, restricted expressions, and similarity. Check exact matches, close variations, plural versions, and alternative spellings before incorporation.
Yes, in most cases. Most UK companies must report persons with significant control, known as PSCs. The PSC section lists individuals or legal entities with significant control, such as more than 25% of shares or voting rights. It also shows the nature of control and the date that control began. Some information may be protected or withheld for security reasons, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Companies House updates the public record when filings are processed and accepted. There can be a short delay between a company submitting information and that information appearing online. Check the “last accounts made up to,” “next accounts due,” and confirmation statement dates. For critical decisions, ask the company directly to provide recent documents so you can confirm nothing important has changed since the last public filing.
UK company law requires much core company information to remain public for transparency. This usually includes company name, number, registered office, high-level officer details, and filing history. There are limited procedures to suppress or protect specific personal details where there is a serious risk of harm. These requests must follow formal Companies House procedures and are not available simply because someone dislikes the information being public.
A company credit report typically includes risk scores, recommended credit limits, County Court Judgements (CCJs), financial accounts, director and shareholder information, and details about charges or mortgages. These elements help assess the financial stability and creditworthiness of a business.
Credit reports provide insights into a company's payment history, outstanding debts, and financial health. By reviewing risk scores and credit limits, businesses can make informed decisions about extending credit and reduce exposure to bad debt.
Yes, Companies House allows users to filter search results based on company status (such as active or dissolved) and filing history categories (like confirmation statements or accounts). This helps narrow down searches and focus on relevant companies.
Company credit reports can be accessed through various online platforms that compile official data from Companies House and other sources. These reports provide detailed financial and credit information to support due diligence and risk management.
The data in credit reports is updated regularly as companies file new accounts, confirmation statements, and other documents with Companies House. However, there may be a short delay between filing and the information appearing in reports.
