Yes. Anyone can search the Companies House register online. You do not need to be a company director, shareholder, accountant or UK resident to search for a company. Companies House operates a public register containing information about companies and certain other registered entities in the UK. Its online search service allows members of the public to look up businesses, view company status and access many filed documents.

This transparency is an important part of the UK company system. It allows customers, suppliers, investors, lenders, journalists and members of the public to check basic information about businesses before dealing with them. However, not everything submitted to Companies House is publicly visible, and some personal information is protected or subject to restrictions.

For founders, the practical question is therefore not simply whether someone can search Companies House, but what they can see, what they cannot see, and what information becomes part of the public record when you form a UK company.

What Is Companies House?

Companies House is the UK's registrar of companies. It is responsible for incorporating companies and maintaining information that companies are legally required to file. The Companies House register includes information about companies registered in:

• England and Wales
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland

The register is designed to provide transparency about businesses and their ownership and management. You can access the official Companies House search service here: The service allows users to search by company name, company number and, in relevant cases, officer information.

Can Anyone Search Companies House?

Yes. The Companies House register is publicly accessible. You generally do not need an account simply to search for a company and view its publicly available information. For example, someone considering doing business with a UK company could search for its:

• Company name
• Company number
• Registered office
• Company status
• Incorporation date
• Directors
• Persons with significant control (PSCs)
• Previous names
• Filing history
• Accounts
• Confirmation statements
• Certain charges
• Insolvency information

This means that forming a UK limited company creates a degree of public transparency that founders should understand before incorporating.

Why Is the Companies House Register Public?

The public register exists partly to make corporate information available to people who need to assess a business. Imagine that a supplier is about to offer £50,000 worth of credit to a new customer. The supplier may want to know:

• Does the company actually exist?
• How long has it been registered?
• Who runs it?
• Who controls it?
• Has it filed accounts?
• Has its registered office changed frequently?
• Does it have outstanding registered charges?
• Has it previously operated under another name?

Companies House provides a central source for this type of corporate information. This transparency can help reduce uncertainty when people enter commercial relationships.

What Information Can Anyone See on Companies House?

The amount of information available depends on the company and the type of filing. However, a typical company profile can contain substantial information.

1. Company Name and Number

Every registered company has a unique company number. The register can show:

• Current company name
• Company number
• Company type
• Date of incorporation
• Current status

The company number remains associated with the company even if the company later changes its name.

2. Registered Office Address

The company's registered office is publicly displayed. This is the official address where certain company correspondence can be sent. For this reason, founders who do not want their home address used as the company's registered office may consider an appropriate registered office service. This is particularly relevant to non-UK residents and remote entrepreneurs who need a UK business address.

3. Directors

Companies House normally displays information about company directors, including their names and certain appointment details. The register can also show former directors and the dates they were appointed or resigned. This means that leaving a company does not necessarily erase the historical fact that you were once a director.

4. Persons With Significant Control

Companies must identify their Persons with Significant Control, commonly called PSCs. A PSC is generally an individual or legal entity that meets specific control or ownership conditions. Depending on the circumstances, this can include someone who:

• Holds more than 25% of the shares
• Holds more than 25% of the voting rights
• Has the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors
• Otherwise exercises significant influence or control

PSC information is an important part of corporate transparency and can be viewed through the Companies House register.

5. Filing History

One of the most useful sections is the company's filing history. This can show filings such as:

• Accounts
• Confirmation statements
• Director appointments and resignations
• Registered office changes
• Company name changes
• PSC filings
• Share-related filings
• Charges
• Certain resolutions

The filing history can provide a timeline of important events in a company's corporate life.

Can Anyone Search for a Person on Companies House?

Yes, but the type of information available depends on the person's role and the relevant Companies House records. People can search company records involving directors and PSCs. This means someone can potentially discover that an individual is or has been associated with particular UK companies.

For entrepreneurs with multiple businesses, this is worth remembering. For example, suppose a founder has been a director of three companies over the last decade. A Companies House search may reveal appointments and resignations across those businesses. The register is therefore not only a database of companies. It can also provide a public picture of corporate relationships.

Does Companies House Show Every Company a Person Has Ever Owned?

Not necessarily. Being a shareholder, beneficial owner, director or PSC are different concepts, and Companies House records do not provide a simple universal database of every business interest an individual has ever had. For example, a person may own shares without being a director.

Likewise, corporate structures can involve holding companies, nominee arrangements or other entities that require more detailed analysis. For serious due diligence, Companies House should be treated as an important source rather than automatically assumed to be a complete picture of someone's entire commercial activities.

Can Someone Find Your Home Address on Companies House?

This is one of the most important privacy questions for company founders. Companies House distinguishes between different types of addresses. A director's service address can be publicly available. This is the address to which official documents relating to the director can be sent. A director's residential address is treated differently and is not generally made publicly available in the same way.

However, historical filings and other information can create privacy concerns, particularly where personal information has previously been filed. Companies House provides procedures for applying to protect certain personal information in qualifying circumstances. Founders with legitimate safety concerns should review the current Companies House guidance rather than assuming that every piece of personal information is automatically hidden.

Can You Hide Your Name From Companies House?

Usually, no. If you are legally required to appear on the public register as a director or PSC, you generally cannot simply choose to remain anonymous. The UK's company system is built around corporate transparency. There are limited protections available in specific circumstances, particularly where disclosure could create a serious risk of violence or intimidation.

Companies House has processes for applying to protect certain information where the legal requirements are met. The key point is that privacy protection is an exception based on statutory criteria, not a general option available to every company owner.

Can Anyone See a Company's Accounts?

Generally, yes, if those accounts have been filed and are publicly available. The amount of financial information depends partly on the company's size and filing requirements. A small company may have different reporting requirements from a larger company. This is important because people sometimes assume that incorporating a UK limited company means keeping all financial information completely private.

It does not. Certain financial information filed with Companies House becomes part of the public record. However, the public register does not normally provide access to every underlying financial document held by the company's accountant or bank. For example, Companies House may hold filed accounts, but it does not normally hold every invoice, bank statement, receipt and internal accounting record generated by the business.

Can Anyone Download Companies House Documents?

Many company documents available through the online register can be viewed and downloaded. The filing history often provides access to document images for filings that have been submitted. This can be useful when conducting:

• Due diligence
• Supplier checks
• Investor research
• Competitor research
• Corporate investigations
• Historical research

Some official certificates and specialist document services may involve fees, but ordinary searches and many publicly available filings can be accessed through the Companies House service.

Can Companies House Searches Be Traced?

Companies House is a public register, but that does not mean every search is publicly displayed as a profile of the person who searched. A person can generally search the public register without the company receiving a notification saying, for example, "John Smith searched your company today." Companies House should therefore not be treated like a social media platform where a profile owner can see who viewed them.

That said, Companies House itself operates government systems and has its own privacy, security and data-handling arrangements. The fact that a company is publicly searchable does not mean the government system has no records about how its services are used.

Why Would Someone Search a UK Company?

There are many legitimate reasons.

Customers

A customer may want to confirm that an online business is a real registered company.

Suppliers

A supplier may check a company's status before offering credit.

Investors

An investor may investigate the company's directors, ownership and filing history.

Banks and Financial Institutions

Banks and payment providers may use corporate information as part of their business onboarding and verification processes.

Journalists

Journalists can use Companies House records to investigate corporate structures, ownership and business histories.

Entrepreneurs

Founders can research potential partners, competitors, suppliers and acquisition targets.

Job Seekers

Someone considering employment with a small business may use Companies House to confirm basic corporate information.

Can You Search a Company Without Knowing Its Company Number?

Yes. The Companies House search service allows searches using a company name. However, searching by company number is generally more precise. Company names can be similar or can change over time. For example, searching "Global Trading Ltd" could produce multiple results or make it difficult to identify the exact business you are researching. If you know the company number, use it.

What If the Company Has Changed Its Name?

The company number remains an important identifier. Companies House records previous company names, so you can often trace the history of a company even after a name change. This is particularly useful during due diligence. A company that currently operates as "ABC Technology Ltd" might previously have been registered under another name. Looking at its filing history can reveal that change.

Can You Search a Dissolved Company?

Yes. Dissolved companies can remain visible on Companies House for many years. Companies House currently retains records of dissolved companies for 20 years from the date of dissolution, although the retention policy is under review as of 2026. This means that closing a company does not immediately erase its Companies House history. A search can potentially reveal:

• Previous company names
• Directors
• PSC information
• Filing history
• Incorporation date
• Dissolution date
• Historical documents

For entrepreneurs, this is an important consideration when deciding whether to close a company or maintain it.

Does Companies House Show Who Owns a Company?

It can show information about shareholders and PSCs through the relevant filings. However, "ownership" and "control" are not always identical. A company could have several shareholders, while one person may have significant control through voting rights or other arrangements.

The PSC register is specifically designed to identify people or entities with significant control. For complex structures, you may need to examine several Companies House filings rather than relying on a single company profile.

Is Companies House Information Always Accurate?

Companies House records are based largely on information submitted to the registrar by companies and other relevant parties. This means that the register should not automatically be interpreted as an independent verification of every factual statement made by a company. Companies House has increasingly been given stronger powers to identify, query and act on potentially inaccurate information, particularly following reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Even so, due diligence should involve judgement. For example, if a company reports a particular business activity, that does not necessarily mean Companies House has independently audited the company's operations.

A Better Way to Use Companies House

Think of Companies House as a corporate information source, not a complete background-check service. For important decisions, combine it with other evidence such as:

• Company website
• Financial information
• Contracts
• Credit checks
• Regulatory registers
• Professional references
• Industry databases
• Direct verification

This approach gives you a more realistic picture of the business.

What Should Founders Know Before Registering a UK Company?

If you are considering forming a UK company, understand that incorporation creates a public corporate footprint. That is not necessarily a disadvantage. For many businesses, transparency can increase credibility.

A customer can verify that the company exists. A supplier can check its details. An investor can investigate the management structure. But founders should be deliberate about the information they provide. Before incorporation, think about:

Your registered office

Will you use your own address or an appropriate professional registered office service?

Your director service address

Would you prefer a professional service address rather than making a personal address part of the public-facing corporate information?

Your company name

Is the name suitable for your long-term business plans?

Your PSC structure

Do you understand who will appear as a person with significant control?

Your filings

Do you understand that information submitted to Companies House may become publicly accessible? For global founders, these questions are particularly important because managing a UK company from another country requires careful planning around addresses, correspondence and compliance.

IncorpUK is a UK company formation and management platform for global founders that combines company formation with services and resources such as registered office support, company management tools, banking guidance and payment gateway guidance. For an overseas entrepreneur, understanding how the public register works should be part of the incorporation decision rather than an afterthought.

How to Search Companies House: A Simple Process

If you want to check a company, the process is straightforward.

Step 1: Open the Companies House Search Service

Go to the official Companies House company information service.

Step 2: Enter the Company Name or Number

Use the exact company name if you know it. Better still, use the company number.

Step 3: Select the Correct Company

Compare the registered office, company number and status to make sure you have the right business.

Step 4: Review the Company Overview

Check:

• Status
• Incorporation date
• Registered office
• Company type
• SIC code

Step 5: Review Officers and PSCs

Look at current and former directors and the available PSC information.

Step 6: Examine Filing History

Look for accounts, confirmation statements, changes and other filings.

Step 7: Investigate Further if Necessary

For serious commercial decisions, use Companies House as one component of a broader due-diligence process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Companies House public?

Yes. Companies House operates a public register of companies, and members of the public can search company information online.

Can anyone search a company on Companies House?

Yes. You do not generally need to be a director, shareholder or UK resident to search the public register.

Can I search Companies House for free?

Yes. Basic company searches and access to many publicly available company records are available through the online Companies House service without a search fee.

Can someone see that I searched their company?

Companies House does not operate like social media where a company receives a visitor notification when someone views its profile.

Can I search for a person on Companies House?

You can search Companies House information relating to company officers and other registered corporate roles. The information available depends on the person's relationship with companies and the applicable filings.

Can I hide my name from Companies House?

Generally, no. Directors and PSCs who are legally required to appear on the register normally cannot choose anonymity. Certain information can be protected where specific legal conditions are met.

Can anyone see my company's directors?

Yes. Director information is generally publicly available on the Companies House register.

Can anyone see my company's shareholders?

Relevant shareholder information is filed with Companies House and can be publicly accessible. The precise information available depends on the filings and company structure.

Can you search a dissolved company on Companies House?

Yes. Dissolved companies can remain on the register for many years. Under the current policy, Companies House retains dissolved company records for 20 years from dissolution, although the retention policy is currently under review.

Conclusion

Yes, anyone can search Companies House. That public accessibility is one of the defining features of the UK's corporate registration system. It allows customers, suppliers, investors, lenders, journalists and entrepreneurs to investigate companies and understand who operates and controls them. A Companies House search can reveal much more than a company's name and registration number. Depending on the business and its filing history, you may be able to see its directors, PSCs, registered office, previous names, accounts, confirmation statements, charges and other corporate documents.

For founders, this transparency is something to plan for from the beginning. Choosing an appropriate registered office and understanding which personal and corporate information becomes public can help you manage your company's privacy while still meeting UK company law requirements. At the same time, Companies House should not be treated as a complete guarantee that every piece of information about a business has been independently verified. For significant commercial decisions, combine Companies House research with other forms of due diligence.

Ultimately, the best approach is simple: know what information becomes public, keep your company's filings accurate and up to date, and use the Companies House register as a valuable source of corporate information rather than the whole due-diligence process.