UK Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a UK Business

TL;DR. The United Kingdom’s official business registry is Companies House, a UK Government executive agency. Most company records, filing history, and person of significant control (PSC) data are free to search and download with no account required. The registry offers a public REST API at no cost. Certified copies cost up to GBP 15 (~USD 19). The interface is fully in English.

What is the official UK business registry?

Companies House is the executive agency of the UK Government responsible for incorporating companies and maintaining the public register under the Companies Act 2006. The primary public search portal is the Find and Update Company Information service at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Companies House operates from Cardiff, Wales, and registers entities for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own Companies House offices but share the same central register.

The legal basis for the registry is the Companies Act 2006, as amended by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023). The 2023 Act introduced a suite of reforms: identity verification for directors, expanded powers for Companies House to query and reject suspicious filings, and changes to the Register of Overseas Entities.

Companies House covers limited companies (private and public), limited liability partnerships (LLPs), limited partnerships (LPs), community interest companies (CICs), and registered overseas companies. Sole traders and general partnerships are not required to register with Companies House. The registry holds records dating from 1844 for some entity types, making it one of the historically deepest commercial registers in the world.

What can you search?

The Companies House search portal and API support searches by:

• Company name (partial match supported)
• Company number (the primary identifier, formatted as 8 characters: numeric or with a 2-letter prefix for Scottish companies, e.g., SC123456, or Northern Ireland, e.g., NI123456)
• Officer name (returns companies where the individual is listed as a director or officer)
• Person of significant control (PSC) name

Data available per entity at no charge: company name, company number, registered office address, date of incorporation, nature of business (SIC code), status (active, dissolved, in liquidation, etc.), list of current and former officers (directors and company secretaries), filing history with links to each filed document, and the full PSC (beneficial ownership) register.

Data freshness is event-driven. Companies House processes filings electronically and updates the register within 24 hours of acceptance for most filing types.

How much does it cost?

Prices for certified copies are as of May 2026 per the Companies House fee schedule at companieshouse.gov.uk. GBP/USD conversion used: 1.27 (approximate as of May 2026; verify at point of purchase). The vast majority of data and documents available on Companies House is free to download, including all annual returns, accounts, director filings, and the PSC register. Certified documents are the primary paid item.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No. The Companies House public search portal and API are fully open to anonymous access. No account registration, UK address, UK company, or identity document is required to search the register or download filed documents. An account is only required when filing documents on behalf of a company (a different use case from compliance search).

For API access, a free API key is required. API key registration at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk requires an email address only; no identity verification or UK address is needed. The API key is issued instantly.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The Companies House portal is fully in English. Wales has a statutory requirement for Welsh language access to public services; Companies House provides a Welsh-language version of its portal at beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. All entity data, filing labels, and status indicators are available in English. Company names are registered in English, Welsh, or both; all are searchable via the standard search interface.

What’s the turnaround time?

Free document downloads from Companies House are instant. Certified copies, which require the Companies Registry seal for legal proceedings, are ordered online and typically processed within 1-3 business days by post or as electronic certified copies. Same-day certified copies are available for an additional fee.

For standard compliance and KYC purposes, the uncertified PDF downloads from Companies House are accepted by most counterparties and regulators as sufficient primary-source documentation.

Is there an API?

Yes. Companies House operates a free public REST API at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk. The API provides structured JSON access to company profiles, officer lists, filing history, document metadata, and the PSC (beneficial ownership) register. Authentication is via a free API key obtained by registering on the developer portal.

Rate limits apply: as of May 2026, the standard rate limit is 600 requests per 5 minutes per API key. Higher rate limits for enterprise integration can be negotiated; contact Companies House directly. The API is RESTful, uses OAuth 2.0 for account-level operations, and requires the API key passed via HTTP Basic Auth for public data endpoints. Full documentation and sandbox environment are available on the developer portal.

This is one of the most accessible free registry APIs in the world and is widely used by KYC platforms, legal tech firms, and compliance teams for automated entity verification.

What you legally cannot do

Companies House data is published under the Open Government Licence (OGL), which permits free reuse including commercial use, subject to attribution. This is more permissive than most registries globally. However, the following restrictions apply:

• Personal data of individuals (director names, addresses, dates of birth) obtained from Companies House must be processed in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Companies House partially suppresses personal data in some fields (e.g., date of birth is shown as month and year only in public filings).
• The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced restrictions on certain uses of registered officer address data where individuals have applied for a protection order.
• Using Companies House data to generate unsolicited marketing communications targeting company officers is prohibited under UK direct marketing regulations.

For AML and KYC purposes, UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c) (legal obligation) and Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests) are the standard lawful bases. Document the purpose at the point of data collection.

For a wider view of how registry data fits into a global compliance strategy, see the Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• The company number is the anchor identifier. UK company numbers are 8 characters: numeric for England and Wales (e.g., 12345678), prefixed “SC” for Scotland (e.g., SC123456), or “NI” for Northern Ireland. The company number never changes even if the company changes its name.
• The PSC register is public and valuable. Since April 2016, UK companies are required to maintain and file a register of Persons with Significant Control (PSC). A PSC is any individual or entity holding more than 25% of shares, voting rights, or the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors. The PSC register is free, searchable, and a primary tool for UBO identification in the UK. This is one of the most accessible UBO registers globally.
• Register of Overseas Entities (ROE). Under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, overseas entities owning UK land are required to register with Companies House and disclose their beneficial owners. The ROE is searchable via Companies House and is relevant for property-linked due diligence.
• Status field meanings. “Active” means the company is registered and not in dissolution proceedings. “Dissolved” means the company no longer exists. “In Administration” means insolvency practitioners are managing the company. “Liquidation” means winding up is underway. Each status carries different risk and counterparty implications.
• Accounts filings. All UK companies file annual accounts with Companies House; the scope varies by size. Small companies may file abbreviated accounts. Large and medium companies file full accounts including profit and loss. Micro-entities may file a balance sheet only. The filing date and accounts period are shown in the filing history.
• Name changes. UK companies can change their name without changing their company number. The filing history will show all previous names. Always search by company number to avoid missing renamed entities.

Alternatives if you cannot access Companies House directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates provides a mirror of Companies House data with a usable search UI. The data sourced directly from Companies House via the API is the authoritative version.
• Companies House API: the correct integration for platform-level access (see above).
• The Gazette (thegazette.co.uk): the official UK public record for insolvency notices, winding-up orders, and company dissolution. Use alongside Companies House for insolvency risk signals.

Local data suppliers

• Dun and Bradstreet UK (dnb.com/en-gb). Global credit bureau with deep UK coverage. Provides commercial credit reports combining Companies House data with trade payment history, court judgments (CCJs), and financial risk scoring. Target audience: banks, trade creditors, insurance underwriters.
• Creditsafe UK (creditsafe.com/gb). UK-headquartered commercial credit bureau covering over 6 million UK entities. Provides credit risk scores, director and shareholder information, and county court judgment (CCJ) data. Target audience: SME credit teams and compliance buyers.
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions UK (risk.lexisnexis.co.uk). Provides identity verification, adverse media screening, and KYC data for UK entities, layering on top of Companies House registry data. Target audience: regulated financial institutions.

Use Companies House for the authoritative legal filing record. Use a commercial bureau when you also need credit risk scoring, court judgments, or adverse media coverage.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the UK registry directly?

Yes. Companies House is fully open to international access with no account required for public search and document download. The API requires a free API key obtainable with only an email address. There are no geographic restrictions on access.

What is the company number in the UK?

UK companies receive an 8-character company registration number at incorporation, assigned by Companies House. For England and Wales, this is typically 8 digits (e.g., 12345678). Scottish companies have an “SC” prefix (e.g., SC123456), and Northern Ireland companies have an “NI” prefix (e.g., NI123456). The company number is permanent and does not change with name changes or changes of registered office.

What entity types are registered with Companies House?

Companies House registers private limited companies (Ltd), public limited companies (PLC), limited liability partnerships (LLP), limited partnerships (LP), community interest companies (CIC), charitable incorporated organisations (CIO), and overseas companies registered to operate in the UK. Sole traders and general partnerships are not required to register with Companies House; they register separately with HMRC for tax purposes.

Does the UK have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Yes, and it is one of the most accessible in the world. The Persons with Significant Control (PSC) register has been mandatory and publicly searchable since April 2016. It covers individuals or entities holding more than 25% of shares, voting rights, or significant influence or control. The PSC register is free to search on the Companies House portal and API. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 strengthened verification requirements for PSC filings. The UK also has the Register of Overseas Entities for property ownership transparency.

How current is the data in Companies House?

Data is updated on a filing-event basis, typically within 24 hours of Companies House processing a lodgment. Changes in directors, PSC entries, and registered addresses appear promptly. Annual accounts and confirmation statements (formerly annual returns) reflect the most recently filed version, which for some companies may be up to 12 months prior. The API reflects the same data as the portal.

Is the UK on the FATF grey list?

No. The United Kingdom is not on the FATF Increased Monitoring list as of May 2026. The UK is an FATF member state and was most recently evaluated in its 2018 mutual evaluation, with a follow-up report in 2022. Standard customer due diligence applies for UK counterparties. For current FATF status information, see fatf-gafi.org.

What’s the difference between Companies House and HMRC?

Companies House handles incorporation, company filing obligations (accounts, confirmation statements, officer changes), and the public register. HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) handles tax registration, VAT registration, and employer registration. A UK company will have a Companies House registration number and, separately, a UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) from HMRC. VAT registration numbers (format: GB followed by 9 digits) are maintained by HMRC and can be verified via the UK government’s VAT number checker. For compliance purposes, Companies House records are the primary source for entity structure; HMRC records are relevant for tax status verification.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Companies House (companieshouse.gov.uk), Companies House Developer API (developer.company-information.service.gov.uk), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Developer notes

If you are building a tool that needs programmatic access to United Kingdom company data, see the API directory entry for the Companies House REST API covering endpoint URLs, authentication, rate limits, and sample code.