Search Registry
Verified Data Guidance and policy documentation for corporate registry compliance.

Guidance and Policies

About the Registry

We provide access to incorporated and dissolved limited company records. We process company information and make it available to the public to promote corporate transparency and secure business operations.

Our main responsibilities are to:

  • Maintain accurate records of incorporated and dissolved limited companies.
  • Examine and store company information delivered under national corporate legislation.
  • Make this verified information available to the public and enterprise sectors.

Set up a private limited company

To set up a private limited company in the UK, you must register it with the official national registry. This process is known as 'incorporation'.

Before you register, you will need:

  • A suitable company name (it cannot be exactly the same as another registered company).
  • An official UK registered office address.
  • At least one director and one shareholder.
  • To identify people with significant control (PSC) over your company.
Once registered, the entity will be issued an 8-character Company Registration Number (CRN). This is the official identifier for all corporate correspondence.

Director responsibilities

As a director of a limited company, you must:

  • Follow the company’s rules, shown in its articles of association.
  • Keep company records and report changes to the national registries and relevant tax authorities.
  • File your accounts and your Company Tax Return accurately and on time.
  • Pay the necessary Corporate Taxes.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (for example, an accountant), but you are still legally responsible for your company’s records, accounts, and performance.

File your confirmation statement

Every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file a confirmation statement at least once a year. It confirms that the information held on the register about your company is up to date.

You must check and confirm:

  • The details of your directors and secretary.
  • Your registered office address.
  • Your standard industrial classification (SIC) code.
  • Your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC).
Failure to file your confirmation statement on time may result in severe financial penalties, and the company may be struck off the register.

Closing a limited company

If your company is no longer needed, you can choose to close it. How you close it depends on whether it can pay its bills or not.

If the company can pay its bills (is solvent), you can:

  • Apply to get the company struck off the Register of Companies.
  • Start a members' voluntary liquidation.

If it cannot pay its bills (is insolvent), you must arrange a creditors' voluntary liquidation.

Privacy & Cookies

We collect and process data to fulfill our duties as a corporate database. This includes details of company directors, secretaries, shareholders, and persons with significant control. By law, much of this information must be made available on the public register.

We use essential cookies to make this service work. We also use analytics cookies to understand how people use the service so we can improve it. You can manage your cookie preferences in your browser settings.

Terms and conditions

By using this registry public search portal, you agree to the following terms of acceptable use:

  • The data provided is for public verification and transparency purposes.
  • You must not systematically scrape, extract, or bulk-download data without explicit authorization.
  • Information found on the register must not be used to facilitate fraud, identity theft, or harassment.

Any abuse of this service may result in your IP address being permanently blocked.