Skip to main content

Table of Contents

Data Sources

All UK company data is sourced from the Companies House API, the official public data API operated by Companies House — the UK executive agency responsible for incorporating and dissolving limited companies. Companies House traces its origins to 1844, when the Joint Stock Companies Act first enabled companies to be incorporated by registration. There is a single data source for all UK entities. No priority chain or fallback logic is needed — all data flows through one unified API.

All company types

  • Companies House Public Data API (api.company-information.service.gov.uk) — Provides structured company profile data including company name, status, legal form, registered address, SIC codes, officers (directors and secretaries), and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs). This is our sole source for all UK company information (company profile, officers, PSCs, establishments).
  • Companies House Document API (document-api.company-information.service.gov.uk) — Used to retrieve the actual PDF content of filed documents from the filing history (accounts, incorporation documents, confirmation statements, resolutions, etc.).
The Companies House API is a free, open API. All company data and documents are available at no charge. Rate limits apply (600 requests per 5 minutes per API key).

How data is fetched

For a company profile request, the system makes three parallel API calls to Companies House:
  1. Company profile (/company/{number}) — name, status, legal form, address, SIC codes, jurisdiction, previous names
  2. Officers (/company/{number}/officers) — directors, secretaries, and other officers (up to 2,000 per request)
  3. Persons with Significant Control (/company/{number}/persons-with-significant-control) — individuals and corporate entities with significant control
These are combined and mapped into the unified Topograph data model, then enriched with AI-powered parsing for standardization of status, legal form, activity codes, and officer roles.

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Company TypeFormatExampleNotes
Standard UK companies8 digits12345678Includes Ltd, PLC, LLP, etc.
Overseas companiesFC + 6 digitsFC022268Foreign companies registered in the UK
UK establishmentsBR + 6 digitsBR011501UK branches of overseas companies
Scottish companiesSC + 6 digitsSC123456Companies registered in Scotland
Northern Ireland companiesNI + 6 digitsNI012345Companies registered in Northern Ireland
All company numbers are 8 characters. Numeric-only numbers are zero-padded (e.g., 03789983). Prefixed numbers use 2-letter prefix + 6 digits.

Identifiers in API Response

Identifier TypeFormatExampleNotes
companiesHouseNumber8 characters03789983Always present — the primary identifier
jurisdictionStringengland-walesJurisdiction within the UK (when available)
The UK does not use VAT numbers as company identifiers in the Companies House register. UK VAT numbers (format: GB + 9 digits) are managed by HMRC, not Companies House.

Search Capabilities

Search TypePatternExampleMatch TypeExpected Results
By Company Number8 digits03789983ExactSingle company (1 result)
By NameText string (2-160 chars)"TECHNOLOGY UK LIMITED"FuzzyMultiple results (active companies only)
Search uses both live API lookups and pre-built indexes. Company number searches perform a live lookup against the Companies House API for exact matching. Name searches query the Companies House search endpoint which returns active companies by default.
Use company number searches for best performance and exact matching. Name searches are restricted to active companies by default (restrictions: active-companies).

Quirks & Gotchas

QuirkDetails
Name format is SURNAME, FirstnameCompanies House returns officer names in “SURNAME, Firstname” format. The system parses this automatically, splitting on the comma.
No direct shareholder APICompanies House does not expose a shareholders endpoint. Shareholders are AI-reconstructed from filing history documents (capital, confirmation statements, incorporation documents).
PSC = UBO (not shareholder)The PSC (Persons with Significant Control) register maps to UBOs, not shareholders. Individual PSCs become UBOs; corporate and legal-person PSCs become Other Key Persons.
Ownership in ranges, not exactPSC ownership is expressed as ranges (25-50%, 50-75%, 75-100%), not exact percentages. This is a Companies House data model limitation.
Resigned officers filtered outOnly active (non-resigned) officers are returned. Officers with a resigned_on date are excluded from the response.
SIC codes are UK-specificUK SIC 2007 codes are 5 digits and identical to NACE Rev. 2 at the 4-digit level, with UK-specific subclasses at the 5th digit. NACE and ISIC mappings are AI-inferred.
All documents are freeUnlike many other jurisdictions, all UK Companies House documents are available at no charge.
Overseas companies have establishmentsCompanies with FC prefix are foreign companies registered in the UK. They may have UK establishment branches (BR prefix). Establishments are only fetched for FC-prefixed companies.
Super-secure PSCsSome PSCs are classified as “super-secure” with protected details. These appear as “Protected Person with Significant Control” in the UBO data with no personal information.
Corporate PSCs are OKPs, not UBOsCorporate and legal-person PSCs are mapped as Other Key Persons (with role “Person with Significant Control”), not as UBOs. Only individual PSCs become UBOs.
Secretaries are OKPs, not legal repsCompany secretaries (including corporate secretaries and nominee secretaries) are classified as Other Key Persons, not Legal Representatives.
Role includes occupationWhen Companies House provides an officer’s occupation, the role localName is formatted as `“Mapped RoleOccupation”(e.g.,”DirectorManaging Director”`).
Previous company names preservedCompanies that have changed names retain their historical names in the legacyLegalNames array.

Mappings

Company Status

Company status is determined deterministically from the Companies House API company_status field — no AI inference is involved.
Local StatusStandardized StatusNotes
activeActiveCompany is currently active
dissolvedClosedCompany has been dissolved
liquidationClosedCompany is in liquidation
administrationUnder Insolvency ProceedingCompany is in administration
voluntary-arrangementUnknownCompany under voluntary arrangement
converted-closedUnknownCompany has been converted or closed
insolvency-proceedingsUnknownCompany is subject to insolvency proceedings
registeredActiveOverseas company registered in the UK
removedUnknownCompany has been removed from the register
openActiveOpen (used for some company types)
closedClosedClosed
The mapping logic: active maps to Active; statuses containing liquidation or dissolved map to Closed; statuses containing administration map to Under Insolvency Proceeding; all others map to Unknown. The localName field always preserves the original Companies House status value.
Legal forms are mapped deterministically from the Companies House company_type field to human-readable English descriptions. Since the UK is an English-speaking country, the localName and englishTranslation fields are identical. Standardization to Topograph types and ISO 20275 codes is AI-enriched.
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
ltdPrivate limited companyLimited Liability CompanySQXV
plcPublic limited companyCorporationGKFN
private-unlimitedPrivate unlimited companySole Proprietorship-
private-unlimited-nscPrivate unlimited company without share capitalSole Proprietorship-
private-limited-guarant-nscPrivate limited by guarantee without share capitalLimited Liability Company-
private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemptionPrivate Limited Company by guarantee without share capital, use of ‘Limited’ exemptionLimited Liability Company-
private-limited-shares-section-30-exemptionPrivate Limited Company, use of ‘Limited’ exemptionLimited Liability Company-
old-public-companyOld public companyCorporation-
converted-or-closedConverted / closedOther-
unregistered-companyUnregistered companyOther-
otherOther company typeOther-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
llpLimited liability partnershipPartnership8VXR
limited-partnershipLimited partnershipPartnership-
scottish-partnershipScottish qualifying partnershipPartnership-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
charitable-incorporated-organisationCharitable incorporated organisationNonprofit Organization-
scottish-charitable-incorporated-organisationScottish charitable incorporated organisationNonprofit Organization-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
european-public-limited-liability-company-seEuropean public limited liability company (SE)Corporation-
united-kingdom-societasUnited Kingdom SocietasCorporation-
eeigEuropean Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)Other-
eeig-establishmentEuropean Economic Interest Grouping Establishment (EEIG)Other-
ukeigUnited Kingdom Economic Interest GroupingOther-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
oversea-companyOverseas companyBranch or Representative Office-
registered-overseas-entityOverseas entityBranch or Representative Office-
uk-establishmentUK establishment companyBranch or Representative Office-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
investment-company-with-variable-capitalInvestment company with variable capitalOther-
icvc-securitiesInvestment company with variable capitalOther-
icvc-warrantInvestment company with variable capitalOther-
icvc-umbrellaInvestment company with variable capitalOther-
assurance-companyAssurance-companyOther-
protected-cell-companyProtected cell companyOther-
Companies House CodeLegal Form (localName)StandardizedISO 20275
royal-charterRoyal charter companyOther-
industrial-and-provident-societyIndustrial and Provident societyCooperative-
registered-society-non-jurisdictionalRegistered societyOther-
northern-irelandNorthern Ireland companyOther-
northern-ireland-otherCredit union (Northern Ireland)Other-
further-education-or-sixth-form-college-corporationFurther education or sixth form college corporationGovernment-Owned Entity-
The localName field is deterministically mapped from Companies House company_type codes using a static lookup table. The standardized type and iso20275Code are AI-enriched and may evolve. Source: Companies House API enumerations.
Legal representatives are extracted from the Companies House officers endpoint. The classification of an officer as legal representative vs. other key person is deterministic: all secretary roles are Other Key Persons; all other active officer roles are Legal Representatives. The role localName is built by combining the mapped officer role with the occupation field (when available) using a " | " separator. For example, if the officer role is director and the occupation is Managing Director, the localName will be "Director | Managing Director". Both individuals and corporate entities can hold officer roles. Corporate officers are detected by the presence of an identification field.

Other Key Persons

Secretary roles and corporate PSCs are classified as Other Key Persons. Secretary Roles:
Companies House CodeMapped RoleStandardized
secretarySecretarySecretary
corporate-secretarySecretarySecretary
nominee-secretaryNominee SecretarySecretary
corporate-nominee-secretaryNominee SecretarySecretary
Corporate PSCs (from the PSC register):
PSC KindMapped RoleStandardized
corporate-entity-person-with-significant-controlPerson with Significant ControlOther
legal-person-with-significant-controlPerson with Significant ControlOther
The secretary classification is deterministic — any officer role containing “secretary” in the officer_role field or occupation field is classified as an Other Key Person with standardized role Secretary. Corporate and legal-person PSCs are always Other Key Persons; only individual PSCs become UBOs.

Shareholders

The Companies House API does not provide a dedicated shareholders endpoint. Shareholders are extracted from filing history documents using AI-based reconstruction. Extraction Logic:
Source Document CategoryWhen UsedData Extracted
Capital documentsShare allotments, capital changesShare structure and allottees
Confirmation statementsAnnual returns with shareholding infoCurrent shareholders
Incorporation documentsArticles of association, initial subscribersInitial shareholders
Resolution documentsShare-related decisionsShare transfers and changes
The system:
  1. Filters available documents to categories likely to contain shareholder information (capital, annual-return, incorporation, resolution)
  2. Downloads the selected PDFs (all free from Companies House)
  3. Extracts shareholders using AI parsing
  4. Returns reconstructed shareholder data with share percentages and ownership details
Ownership Fields:
FieldDescriptionSource
sharePercentageOwnership percentageAI-extracted from documents
typeIndividual or CompanyDetermined from name patterns
numberOfSharesNumber of shares heldAI-extracted from documents
Shareholder data is AI-reconstructed from filing history documents and is best-effort. For ownership transparency, the PSC register provides complementary information about individuals and entities with significant control (25%+ ownership or voting rights).

Activity Code Mapping

UK companies use UK SIC 2007 (UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 2007) codes as returned by Companies House. UK SIC 2007 is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is identical to NACE Rev. 2 at the 4-digit level, with UK-specific 5-digit subclasses.
SIC 2007 (UK) → NACE Rev. 2 (European) → ISIC Rev. 4 (International)
ClassificationSourceExampleAI Inferred?
SICCompanies House API (sic_codes)62012No (official)
NACEAI-mapped from SIC6201Yes
ISICAI-mapped from SIC6201Yes
SIC codes are formally parsed (never AI-inferred). The isAIInferred flag is always false for SIC codes. NACE and ISIC classifications are AI-enriched from the SIC codes since there is no deterministic mapping table in the system. Companies can have multiple SIC codes.

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Data TypeRegular UK CompaniesOverseas Companies (FC)UK Establishments (BR)Notes
Company Profile✅ Async✅ Async✅ AsyncFrom Companies House Public Data API
Legal RepresentativesActive directors from officers endpoint
Other Key PersonsSecretaries + corporate PSCs
Shareholders✅ (AI-reconstructed)⚠️ LimitedReconstructed from filing documents
Ultimate Beneficial Owners⚠️ LimitedFrom PSC register (individuals only)
EstablishmentsN/AUK branches of overseas companies (FC prefix only)
Activity Codes (SIC)⚠️SIC codes from Companies House
Documents⚠️ LimitedFree PDFs from filing history
Legend: ✅ Available | ❌ Not Available | ⚠️ Conditionally Available | Async = Asynchronous processing

Documents by Company Type

All UK company documents are sourced from the Companies House filing history and are free of charge.
Document CategoryAPI TypeFormatSKUAvailabilityNotes
Trade Register ExtracttradeRegisterExtractPDFGBR_REGISTER_EXTRACT✅ All companiesOfficial Companies House report (generated via HTML-to-PDF)
Incorporation DocumentsarticlesOfAssociationPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedArticles of association and incorporation documents
Annual AccountsfinancialStatementsPDFGBR_FINANCIAL_STATEMENTS✅ When filedAnnual accounts and financial statements
Capital DocumentsOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedShare capital and structure changes
Officer ChangesOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedDirector and secretary appointments/terminations
Confirmation StatementsOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedAnnual confirmation statements (formerly annual returns)
ResolutionsOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedCompany resolutions
Address ChangesOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedRegistered office address changes
Charges / MortgagesOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedCharges and mortgages registrations
MiscellaneousOtherPDFGBR_STATUS✅ When filedOther company filings
All UK company documents from Companies House are free. There is no per-document cost for retrieving any filing history documents or the trade register extract.
The Trade Register Extract is always available for all companies and is generated by fetching the company page HTML from Companies House and converting it to PDF. Filing history documents are fetched from the Companies House Document API with pagination support (up to 2,000 documents, 100 per page).

Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data. Query: POST /company with { "id": "<id>", "countryCode": "GB", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }
{
  "company": {
    "id": "12345678",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "12345678", "jurisdiction": "england-wales" },
    "legalName": "EXAMPLE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED",
    "legacyLegalNames": ["EXAMPLE SOLUTIONS LIMITED"],
    "registrationDate": "2020-06-15",
    "status": {
      "localName": "active",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": { "status": "ACTIVE" }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "Private limited company",
      "englishTranslation": "Private limited company",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "SQXV"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC": [{ "code": "62012", "description": "Business and domestic software development", "isAIInferred": false }],
      "NACE": [{ "code": "6201", "description": "Computer programming activities", "isAIInferred": true }],
      "ISIC": [{ "code": "6201", "description": "Computer programming activities", "isAIInferred": true }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "10 Innovation Drive",
      "city": "London",
      "postalCode": "EC2A 1AB",
      "countryCode": "GB"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "Director", "englishTranslation": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "SMITH, John Robert", "firstName": "John Robert", "lastName": "SMITH" },
        "birthDate": { "month": 3, "year": 1980 }
      },
      "startDate": "2020-06-15"
    },
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "Director", "englishTranslation": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "JONES, Sarah", "firstName": "Sarah", "lastName": "JONES" },
        "birthDate": { "month": 11, "year": 1985 }
      },
      "startDate": "2021-01-10"
    }
  ],
  "otherKeyPersons": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "Secretary", "standardized": "Secretary" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "WILLIAMS, David", "firstName": "David", "lastName": "WILLIAMS" }
      }
    }
  ],
  "ultimateBeneficialOwners": [
    {
      "name": { "fullName": "Mr John Robert Smith", "firstName": "John", "lastName": "Smith" },
      "birthDate": { "month": 3, "year": 1980 },
      "nationality": "GB",
      "residenceAddress": { "addressLine1": "10 Innovation Drive", "city": "London", "postalCode": "EC2A 1AB", "countryCode": "GB" },
      "control": {
        "types": ["ownership-of-shares", "voting-rights"],
        "description": "Person with significant control: ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent",
        "details": [
          { "type": "shares", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 } },
          { "type": "voting-rights", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 } }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}
{
  "company": {
    "id": "00987654",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "00987654", "jurisdiction": "england-wales" },
    "legalName": "OLD INDUSTRIES PLC",
    "registrationDate": "1998-02-20",
    "status": {
      "localName": "dissolved",
      "active": false,
      "statusDetails": { "status": "CLOSED" }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "Public limited company",
      "englishTranslation": "Public limited company",
      "standardized": "Corporation",
      "iso20275Code": "GKFN"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC": [{ "code": "28110", "description": "Manufacture of engines and turbines", "isAIInferred": false }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "1 Industrial Park",
      "city": "Birmingham",
      "postalCode": "B1 1AA",
      "countryCode": "GB"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": []
}
Note: Dissolved companies have active: false and may have no active officers. Resigned officers are filtered out, so a dissolved company may return an empty legalRepresentatives array.
{
  "company": {
    "id": "OC345678",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "OC345678", "jurisdiction": "england-wales" },
    "legalName": "EXAMPLE CONSULTING LLP",
    "registrationDate": "2018-04-01",
    "status": {
      "localName": "active",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": { "status": "ACTIVE" }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "Limited liability partnership",
      "englishTranslation": "Limited liability partnership",
      "standardized": "Partnership",
      "iso20275Code": "8VXR"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC": [{ "code": "69201", "description": "Accounting and auditing activities", "isAIInferred": false }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "20 Chancery Lane",
      "city": "London",
      "postalCode": "WC2A 1PL",
      "countryCode": "GB"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "LLP Designated Member", "englishTranslation": "LLP Designated Member", "standardized": "Partner" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "BROWN, Alice", "firstName": "Alice", "lastName": "BROWN" },
        "birthDate": { "month": 7, "year": 1975 }
      },
      "startDate": "2018-04-01"
    },
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "LLP Member", "englishTranslation": "LLP Member", "standardized": "Partner" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "TAYLOR, Michael", "firstName": "Michael", "lastName": "TAYLOR" },
        "birthDate": { "month": 2, "year": 1982 }
      },
      "startDate": "2018-04-01"
    }
  ]
}
Note: LLPs use Designated Member and Member roles instead of Director. No secretary role in LLPs.
{
  "company": {
    "id": "FC022268",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "FC022268" },
    "legalName": "GLOBAL CORP SARL",
    "registrationDate": "2005-11-01",
    "status": {
      "localName": "registered",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": { "status": "ACTIVE" }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "Overseas company",
      "englishTranslation": "Overseas company",
      "standardized": "Branch or Representative Office"
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "50 Oxford Street",
      "city": "London",
      "postalCode": "W1D 1BS",
      "countryCode": "GB"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "Director", "englishTranslation": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "MUELLER, Hans", "firstName": "Hans", "lastName": "MUELLER" }
      }
    }
  ],
  "establishments": [
    {
      "name": "GLOBAL CORP UK BRANCH",
      "creationDate": "2005-11-01",
      "address": {
        "addressLine1": "50 Oxford Street",
        "city": "London",
        "postalCode": "W1D 1BS",
        "countryCode": "GB"
      }
    }
  ]
}
Note: Overseas companies (FC prefix) may include UK establishments. The establishments array lists UK branches/offices of the foreign parent company. Only companies with FC prefix trigger the establishments fetch.
Query with "dataPoints": ["ultimateBeneficialOwners"]:
{
  "ultimateBeneficialOwners": [
    {
      "name": {
        "fullName": "Mr John Robert Smith",
        "firstName": "John",
        "lastName": "Smith",
        "middleNames": ["Robert"]
      },
      "birthDate": { "month": 3, "year": 1980 },
      "nationality": "GB",
      "residenceAddress": {
        "addressLine1": "10 Innovation Drive",
        "city": "London",
        "postalCode": "EC2A 1AB",
        "countryCode": "GB"
      },
      "control": {
        "types": ["ownership-of-shares", "voting-rights", "appoint-and-remove-directors"],
        "description": "Person with significant control: ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent, right-to-appoint-and-remove-directors",
        "details": [
          { "type": "shares", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 } },
          { "type": "voting-rights", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 } }
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "otherKeyPersons": [
    {
      "type": "company",
      "company": {
        "id": "87654321",
        "legalName": "HOLDING GROUP LIMITED",
        "countryCode": "GB",
        "identifiers": { "registrationNumber": "87654321" },
        "legalForm": { "localName": "Private limited company" },
        "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "1 Finance Street", "city": "London", "postalCode": "EC1A 1BB", "countryCode": "GB" }
      },
      "role": { "localName": "Person with Significant Control", "standardized": "Other" }
    }
  ]
}
Note: UBOs come from the PSC register. Individual PSCs become UBOs with ownership/voting percentage ranges. Corporate and legal-person PSCs appear as Other Key Persons. Super-secure PSCs appear with fullName: "Protected Person with Significant Control" and no personal details.
Documents are returned when "dataPoints": ["documents"] is requested.Always available:
API CategoryDocumentNotes
tradeRegisterExtractCompanies House company reportFree, always available
From filing history (when filed):
Filing CategoryAPI TypeNotes
incorporationarticlesOfAssociationIncorporation documents and articles
accountsfinancialStatementsAnnual accounts
capitalOtherShare capital changes
officersOtherOfficer appointments/terminations
annual-returnOtherConfirmation statements
resolutionOtherCompany resolutions
addressOtherRegistered office changes
mortgageOtherCharges and mortgages
change-of-nameOtherCompany name changes
liquidationOtherLiquidation documents
miscellaneousOtherOther filings
All documents are free (no per-document cost).