United Kingdom: Companies House search, owners and certified copies

What the free search shows

The Companies House register is available worldwide for the public to search online free of charge ². The GOV.UK service page lists these free details ¹.

• Company information, such as registered address and date of incorporation ¹
• Current and resigned officers ¹
• Document images ¹
• Mortgage charge data ¹
• Previous company names ¹
• Insolvency information ¹

Directors and persons with significant control

For directors, the public record shows details including name, nationality, and month and year of birth. Directors give a service address, which is public ². The home address is kept on a private register. Companies House shares it only with credit reference agencies and specified public authorities ².

Most information on persons with significant control is public, apart from home address and full date of birth ². Usual conditions for being a person with significant control are holding more than 25 percent of shares or voting rights, being able to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or being able to influence or control the company ³.

People can apply to remove some personal details from the register. From 21 July 2025 they can apply to remove business occupation ².

Identity verification rules

Identity verification is a requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. It applies to anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a UK company ⁶. Voluntary verification opened on 8 April 2025 ⁷.

• From 18 November 2025 verification is compulsory for new directors and new persons with significant control ⁷.
• Existing directors confirm their verification with the next confirmation statement during a 12 month transition period ⁷.
• Existing persons with significant control have a 14 day window. For a person who is a director, it runs from the company confirmation statement date. For others, it starts on the first day of their birth month as shown on the register ⁷.
• People verify through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider ⁶.
• Rules for limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate persons with significant control start later, with no date given ⁷.
• Checks on people who file at Companies House are planned for no earlier than November 2027 ⁶.

Certified copies and certificates

Order online by searching for the company and using the More tab in the Find and update company information service, or call the Companies House contact centre on 0303 1234 500 ⁴. You can order a company certificate with certified facts or a certified copy of a document held on the register ⁴. Certificates cannot include information on persons with significant control ⁴.

Standard orders are sent by Royal Mail Second Class within 10 working days. Same day orders must be placed before 11am ⁴.

What changed in 2024 and 2025

From 4 March 2024 all companies had to give Companies House a registered email address ⁷. Companies House said on 18 November 2025 that more than 1.5 million people had verified their identity since the voluntary service opened ⁷.