How to search company information for free on Companies House
The UK's Companies House register is one of the most open corporate databases in the world. Directors, ownership, charges, filing history, insolvency records — all publicly accessible at no cost. This guide explains what you can find, how to search it effectively, and how to use the data for due diligence, KYC compliance, and market research.
2026 note: Identity verification is now mandatory for UK directors and PSCs. This means the register is becoming more accurate — the people named as directors are now verified individuals. For due diligence purposes, this makes Companies House data more reliable than it has ever been.
Why search Companies House
Whether you are assessing a potential supplier, checking the background of a business partner, performing anti-money laundering checks, or simply confirming that a company exists, Companies House provides a starting point that no other UK source matches for accessibility and breadth.
Companies House serves as the official register for all UK incorporated entities — private limited companies, public limited companies, limited liability partnerships, and certain overseas companies with a UK establishment. The obligation to file is attached to the company regardless of whether it has traded, making the register comprehensive rather than selective.
The key advantage is cost. Unlike many jurisdictions where corporate records carry access fees, the UK register is freely searchable by anyone — no account required for basic searches, no charge per record. The search tool is available at the official Companies House service and supports searches by company name, registration number, officer name, and PSC name.
What information is freely available
The register holds a substantial volume of information across several categories. Not all data is equally detailed for every company — smaller private companies have reduced disclosure requirements — but the following is available for all active, dormant, and recently dissolved entities.
Company status and registration
Company name, registration number, date of incorporation, registered office address, and current status — active, dormant, dissolved, or in liquidation. SIC codes showing declared business activities.
Current and resigned officers
Names, roles, nationality, month and year of birth, and appointment and resignation dates for all current and former directors and company secretaries. Resigned officers remain on the record.
Persons with Significant Control
The name, nationality, country of residence, and nature of control for individuals or entities holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising significant influence. PSC data is now linked to verified identities following the November 2025 reforms.
Document images and filing history
PDFs of filed documents — incorporation papers, confirmation statements, annual accounts, director appointments and resignations, changes to share capital. Most documents are available to download free.
Mortgage charges and secured lending
Details of charges registered against the company's assets, including lender names, creation dates, and whether charges have been satisfied or remain outstanding. An indicator of borrowing exposure.
Previous company names
A full history of name changes with dates, useful for tracing corporate lineage, identifying rebranding following poor performance, and establishing continuity of entity across different trading names.
Insolvency records
Liquidation, administration, receivership, and voluntary arrangement entries are shown in the filing history and company overview. A company entering insolvency proceedings will show this status immediately.
Share capital and shareholdings
Total authorised and issued share capital from confirmation statements and incorporation documents. Allocation of shares by class and shareholder where declared. More detailed for larger entities.
How to search for a company
The main search tool is the Find and Update Company Information service, accessible via the Companies House website. No account is needed to browse most records. Enter a company name, registration number, officer name, or PSC name in the search bar and select from the results.
When searching by name, be aware that multiple companies can have similar or nearly identical names, particularly in common sectors. Always cross-reference the registration number to confirm you have the right entity — the registration number is unique and cannot be confused. For due diligence purposes, starting with the number rather than the name eliminates ambiguity.
The company overview page is divided into tabs: Overview, Filing history, People, Charges, and Insolvency. The People tab lists current and resigned directors with their appointment history. The Charges tab shows secured lending. Most filed documents are available as PDF downloads from the Filing history tab, typically at no cost.
An officer search allows you to enter an individual's name and see all their current and previous directorships. This is particularly useful for identifying whether a person has connections to dissolved or insolvent companies, or holds multiple directorships across related entities — a common indicator of complex ownership structures worth investigating further.
Free email alerts
One of the most underused features of Companies House is the free email alert system. By creating a user account and following a company, you receive notifications each time it files a document or updates its records. This requires no payment and no ongoing manual checking.
Alerts are triggered by events including changes to the registered office address, appointment or resignation of directors, filing of annual accounts or confirmation statements, and changes to the company's legal status. For compliance teams monitoring supplier or counterparty risk, this provides a real-time feed of corporate changes without manual effort.
For companies monitoring their own records — a common but underappreciated use case — alerts provide immediate notification if an erroneous filing has been made, or if the company is subject to unwanted activity. Given that Companies House now has powers to query and correct false information, being aware of what is on the register matters more than it previously did.
How the data is used in practice
Due diligence and supplier checks
Before signing a contract or extending credit, reviewing a company's filing history, accounts timeliness, and charge register provides a low-cost picture of financial health and compliance culture. Late accounts and outstanding charges are notable signals.
AML and KYC verification
Regulated firms — law practices, accountants, financial services — use Companies House to cross-reference client-supplied data against the official record. PSC data and director histories help establish beneficial ownership and flag discrepancies for further investigation.
Market and competitive research
Incorporation trends, share capital growth, directorship connections, and competitor filing patterns are all visible on the register. For sector analysis, Companies House data provides verifiable, non-promotional information about how companies develop over time.
How identity verification changes the register
From November 2025, the people named as directors and PSCs on the register are verified individuals. Previously, the register relied entirely on self-reported information — there was no mechanism to confirm that the person named actually existed or consented to the appointment. That gap created the conditions for fictitious directors and fraudulent incorporations.
The verification requirement changes this materially. Each director listed on the register from November 2025 onwards has a verified identity behind them, confirmed either through GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Existing directors are being verified progressively through the transition year to November 2026. The result is a register that is meaningfully more trustworthy for due diligence purposes than it has ever been.
For anyone using Companies House for KYC or AML checks, this is relevant context. Data quality is improving. The expectation that names on the register reflect real, identifiable individuals is now backed by enforcement rather than aspiration alone.
Limitations and what to watch for
Despite its strengths, the register has genuine limitations that anyone relying on it for due diligence should understand. Filing is self-reported — Companies House checks compliance with the obligation to file, not the accuracy of the content filed. Figures in abbreviated small company accounts provide little insight into financial health. Addresses may be virtual offices rather than operational premises.
Filing dates also matter as much as the documents themselves. A company that consistently files accounts close to or after the deadline signals something about its operational discipline and potentially its financial situation, even if the accounts themselves appear routine. The pattern of submission is as informative as the content.
The register is a starting point, not a complete picture. For higher-stakes assessments — significant contracts, investment decisions, regulated onboarding — Companies House data should be combined with credit reports, trade references, direct enquiry, and professional advice. The register provides the structural and historical framework; other sources fill in the current and qualitative dimensions.
Frequently asked questions
Making the most of a free resource
Companies House is genuinely one of the most useful free tools available to anyone transacting with UK businesses. The combination of verified director identities from November 2025 and the long-standing accessibility of the register creates a resource that few other countries can match for transparency and ease of use.
Used methodically — starting with the registration number, reading the filing history as a timeline rather than a document list, and setting up alerts for ongoing monitoring — the register provides a substantial picture of a company's structure, history, and compliance culture. Its limitations are real but manageable with supplementary sources. For expats setting up businesses, investors conducting initial screens, or professionals building compliance checks into client onboarding, it is the natural and sensible first port of call.
The register works best when used consistently rather than occasionally. Companies that appear routinely compliant over several years present a different picture from those with intermittent filing gaps, frequent address changes, or director turnovers that cluster around regulatory deadlines. The pattern of behaviour over time is as revealing as any single document.
This article provides general information about Companies House and its publicly available data as at April 2026. It is not legal, compliance, or financial advice. For regulated due diligence obligations, consult a qualified professional. Search the register directly at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.