United Kingdom

This guide is outdated and will be removed on 1 November 2026. The up-to-date United Kingdom reference is on the United Kingdom country page.

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This guide contains public integration notes for United Kingdom. Use it for identifier formats, search behavior, and country-specific caveats. The live source of truth for coverage, pricing, data sources, documents, legal forms, roles, and status values is the pricing page.

United Kingdom coverage, pricing, and sources

Open the current catalog for supported datapoints, documents, sources, identifiers, and availability.

Country details below are preserved as integration notes. If a table or example conflicts with the live pricing page, use the pricing page as the source of truth and contact support.

Data Sources
Company Identifiers
Search Capabilities
Quirks & Gotchas
Mappings
Data Availability
Example API Responses

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 register — Structured company data: company name, status, legal form, registered address, SIC codes, officers (directors and secretaries), Persons with Significant Control (PSCs), and the UK establishments of overseas companies. This is our sole source for all UK company information.
Companies House filing history — The PDF documents filed at Companies House (accounts, incorporation documents, confirmation statements, resolutions, etc.).

How data is organised

Company data (company, legalRepresentatives, otherKeyPersons, establishments) covers the company profile (name, status, legal form, address, SIC codes and previous names) and its active officers. Establishments apply to overseas companies (FC prefix) only.
Beneficial owners come from the PSC register, through the separate ultimateBeneficialOwners datapoint.

Status, legal forms, declared activity codes and known officer roles use deterministic mappings. Unknown role labels and legal forms may need AI enrichment in verification mode.

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Company Type	Format	Example	Notes
Standard UK companies	8 digits	`00445790`	Most companies in England and Wales. Leading zeros are part of the number
Overseas companies	FC + 6 digits	`FC027926`	Foreign companies registered in the UK
UK establishments	BR + 6 digits	`BR001902`	UK branches of overseas companies
Scottish companies	SC + 6 digits	`SC132832`	Companies registered in Scotland
Northern Ireland companies	NI + 6 digits	`NI677453`	Companies registered in Northern Ireland
Other prefixed numbers	2 letters + 6 digits	`OC303675`, `CE026411`	Other Companies House prefixes, such as LLPs (`OC`)
Less common shapes	8 letters and digits	`R0000390`, `IP03289R`, `RS0001FI`	One letter and 7 digits, or letters at both ends

Every company number is exactly 8 characters: uppercase letters and digits, with no spaces. Numeric-only numbers keep their leading zeros (e.g. 03789983). Most numbers with letters use a 2-letter prefix and 6 digits, but letters can also appear elsewhere, so validate the length and the character set rather than a list of prefixes.A 6- or 7-digit number that lost its leading zeros is accepted and zero-padded (9611950 becomes 09611950), and lowercase letters are uppercased.

Identifiers in API Response

Identifier Type	Format	Example	Notes
`companiesHouseNumber`	8 characters	`03789983`	Always present — the primary identifier

companiesHouseNumber is the single key for a UK company number wherever it appears in a response. The queried company, related companies (corporate officers and persons with significant control), and reconstructed corporate shareholders all expose their number under identifiers.companiesHouseNumber. The same key is used in a search result’s matchReason.identifier. There is no companyNumber key for UK entities.The one exception is a reconstructed corporate shareholder whose number we read off a filing but could not confirm against Companies House. That number is not necessarily a Companies House number — it is often a foreign register’s, or another UK register’s — so it is returned under the generic identifiers.registrationNumber instead. companiesHouseNumber on a shareholder always means Companies House confirmed it. See Shareholders.

The UK does not use VAT numbers as company identifiers in the Companies House register. UK VAT numbers (GB + 9 digits, or 12 digits for some branch registrations, e.g. GB220430231) are managed by HMRC, not Companies House. They are not returned, and search does not accept them: search by company number or name instead.

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

GLEIF is the supplementary data source for this identifier. company.identifiers.lei is optional. It is returned when the Companies House number matches a registration or validation reference in GLEIF and identifies a single LEI. The LEI has 20 uppercase letters and digits, ending in two digits. Coverage varies by entity; a missing LEI does not establish that the company has none. Lapsed or retired LEIs can still be returned. Annulled LEIs are excluded, so the presence of this identifier does not establish current LEI registration status.

Search Capabilities

Search Type	Pattern	Example	Match Type	Expected Results
By Company Number	8 letters and digits	`03789983`, `SC132832`	Exact	Exact match returned first (matchType: id); other results may follow
By Name	Text string (2-160 chars)	`"TECHNOLOGY UK LIMITED"`	Fuzzy	Multiple results, dissolved companies included

Search queries Companies House live. Exact company-number matching applies to every company number shape, numeric or with letters (e.g. 03789983, SC132832, R0000390, IP03289R), and to a 6- or 7-digit number that lost its leading zeros. Name search returns dissolved companies too, as the Companies House website does.

Use 8-digit company number searches for best performance and exact matching.

Active companies only

Search can return companies that are no longer active. Each result carries the register’s status, so activeOnly=true removes the inactive ones, from name searches and registration-number lookups alike.

Quirks & Gotchas

Quirk	Details
Name format is SURNAME, Firstname	Companies House returns officer names in “SURNAME, Firstname” format. The system parses this automatically, splitting on the comma.
No direct shareholder API	Companies 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. Currently active individual PSCs become UBOs. Corporate and legal-person PSCs are intermediaries and are not returned.
Ownership in ranges, not exact	PSC 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 out	Only active (non-resigned) officers are returned. Officers with a resignation date are excluded from the response.
SIC codes are UK-specific	UK 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. ISIC Rev. 5 codes are AI-matched from SIC, and NACE Rev. 2.1 codes are derived from ISIC.
Overseas companies have establishments	Companies 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 PSCs	Some PSCs are classified as “super-secure” with protected details. These appear as “Person with significant control (protected)” in the UBO data with no personal information.
Corporate PSCs are not returned	Corporate and legal-person PSCs are intermediaries. They are not returned as UBOs or as Other Key Persons. Only currently active individual PSCs and protected (super-secure) PSCs become UBOs.
Secretaries are OKPs, not legal reps	Company secretaries (including corporate secretaries and nominee secretaries) are classified as Other Key Persons, not Legal Representatives.
Role includes occupation	When Companies House provides an officer’s occupation, the role `localName` is formatted as `“Mapped Role	Occupation”`(e.g.,`”Director	Managing Director”`).
Previous company names preserved	Companies that have changed names retain their historical names in the `legacyLegalNames` array.

Mappings

Company Status

Company status is determined deterministically from the Companies House status — no AI inference is involved.

Local Status	Standardized Status	Notes
`active`	Active	Company is currently active
`active` (proposal to strike off)	Pending Dissolution	Active company with an open strike-off proposal — see below
`open`	Active	UK establishment (branch of an overseas company) currently open
`registered`	Active	Registered entity types such as assurance companies and ICVCs
`dissolved`	Closed	Company has been dissolved
`closed`	Closed	UK establishment that has been closed
`converted-closed`	Closed	Company has been converted or closed
`removed`	Closed	Entity has been removed from the register
`liquidation`	Closed	Company is in liquidation
`administration`	Under Insolvency Proceeding	Company is in administration
`receivership`	Under Insolvency Proceeding	Company under receiver action
`voluntary-arrangement`	Under Insolvency Proceeding	Company under a voluntary arrangement
`insolvency-proceedings`	Under Insolvency Proceeding	Company is subject to insolvency proceedings

Every value of the published Companies House status list is mapped deterministically, including the open/closed pair used for UK establishments (BR-prefixed numbers). The localName field preserves the original Companies House status value, and status.active is true for the Active rows above. For a company with an active strike-off proposal, the register status stays active while localName carries the more specific active-proposal-to-strike-off, and the standardized status detail is Pending Dissolution. The full list of possible status values is published on the pricing page.

Filing compliance signals

Companies House publishes a few filing-compliance signals on every company profile. We surface them in two places. Pending strike-off. A company with an active proposal to strike off is still reported by the register as active, so status.active stays true. The standardized status.statusDetails.status is set to PENDING_DISSOLUTION so you can tell it apart from a plainly active company, status.localName carries the register’s active-proposal-to-strike-off detail, and there is a short status.statusDetails.additionalInfo note. Once the strike-off completes, the company moves to Closed. Compliance signals. Companies House publishes five standing signals on every company profile, surfaced on the cross-country complianceFlags object:

Key	`active: true` means
`accountsOverdue`	The statutory annual accounts are overdue
`annualFilingOverdue`	The confirmation statement (annual return) is overdue
`registeredCharges`	The register records charges or mortgages over the company’s assets
`insolvencyHistory`	The register records insolvency proceedings in the company’s history
`liquidated`	The company has been through liquidation

Each flag object has:

Field	Description
`active`	The register’s own answer
`dueDate`	The date the filing was due and missed. Overdue flags only, and only while `active` is `true`
`source`	The register that reported the signal

Companies House states all five both ways, so for the UK active: false is a formal clearance (“Companies House says this company has no registered charges”), not a default. A key is absent only where the payload genuinely omits the field, which happens on some older records. insolvencyHistory is historical: a company currently in proceedings is reported through status.statusDetails.status.

{
  "status": { "localName": "active", "active": true, "statusDetails": { "status": "ACTIVE" } },
  "complianceFlags": {
    "accountsOverdue": { "active": true, "dueDate": "2024-09-30", "source": "companies_house" },
    "annualFilingOverdue": { "active": false, "source": "companies_house" },
    "registeredCharges": { "active": true, "source": "companies_house" },
    "insolvencyHistory": { "active": false, "source": "companies_house" },
    "liquidated": { "active": false, "source": "companies_house" }
  }
}

Statutory filing calendar. The UK is the most complete implementation of the cross-country statutoryFilings field: Companies House publishes the full calendar for both obligations, the statutory accounts and the confirmation statement.

{
  "statutoryFilings": {
    "accounts": {
      "financialYearEnd": "03-31",
      "lastFiled": { "periodStart": "2024-04-01", "periodEnd": "2025-03-31" },
      "next": {
        "periodStart": "2025-04-01",
        "periodEnd": "2026-03-31",
        "dueDate": "2026-12-31",
        "overdue": false
      },
      "source": "companies_house"
    },
    "annualFiling": {
      "cadence": "annual",
      "lastFiled": { "periodEnd": "2025-10-25" },
      "next": { "periodEnd": "2026-10-25", "dueDate": "2026-11-08", "overdue": false },
      "source": "companies_house"
    }
  }
}

financialYearEnd is the Companies House accounting reference date as MM-DD. It recurs every year, so it is not a full date. lastFiled.periodEnd is the “made up to” date. See Compliance Signals & Statutory Filings for the full field reference and the country availability matrix.

Legal Forms

Legal forms are mapped deterministically from the Companies House registered company type to human-readable English descriptions. Since the UK is an English-speaking country, the localName and englishTranslation fields are identical. The standardized type and the ISO 20275 code come from the same static table, so they are deterministic too. Where Companies House refines the type with a company_subtype that has its own ISO 20275 code (Community Interest Companies, private fund limited partnerships), the subtype wins.

Key Business Forms

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`ltd`	Private limited company	Limited Liability Company	H0PO
`ltd` + `community-interest-company`	Community Interest Company (CIC)	Limited Liability Company	17R0
`plc`	Public limited company	Corporation	B6ES
`private-unlimited`	Private unlimited company	Other	57V7
`private-unlimited-nsc`	Private unlimited company without share capital	Other	60IF
`private-limited-guarant-nsc`	Private limited by guarantee without share capital	Limited Liability Company	4GJI
`private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption`	Private Limited Company by guarantee without share capital, use of ‘Limited’ exemption	Limited Liability Company	4GJI
`private-limited-shares-section-30-exemption`	Private Limited Company, use of ‘Limited’ exemption	Limited Liability Company	H0PO
`old-public-company`	Old public company	Corporation	ZQ6S
`converted-or-closed`	Converted / closed	Other	-
`unregistered-company`	Unregistered company	Other	Q0M5
`other`	Other company type	Other	-

Partnerships & LLPs

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`llp`	Limited liability partnership	Partnership	Z0EY
`limited-partnership`	Limited partnership	Partnership	ID30
`limited-partnership` + `private-fund-limited-partnership`	Private Fund Limited Partnership (PFLP)	Partnership	4HTX
`limited-partnership` + `spflp`	Scottish Private Fund Limited Partnership (SPFLP)	Partnership	4HTX
`scottish-partnership`	Scottish qualifying partnership	Partnership	NBTW

Non-Profits & Charities

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`charitable-incorporated-organisation`	Charitable incorporated organisation	Nonprofit Organization	7T8N
`scottish-charitable-incorporated-organisation`	Scottish charitable incorporated organisation	Nonprofit Organization	STX7

European & International Forms

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`european-public-limited-liability-company-se`	European public limited liability company (SE)	Corporation	-
`united-kingdom-societas`	United Kingdom Societas	Corporation	468Q
`eeig`	European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)	Other	-
`eeig-establishment`	European Economic Interest Grouping Establishment (EEIG)	Branch or Representative Office	-
`ukeig`	United Kingdom Economic Interest Grouping	Other	VYF8

Overseas & Branch Offices

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`oversea-company`	Overseas company	Branch or Representative Office	-
`registered-overseas-entity`	Overseas entity	Other	-
`uk-establishment`	UK establishment company	Branch or Representative Office	-

Investment & Financial Entities

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`investment-company-with-variable-capital`	Investment company with variable capital	Corporation	VV0W
`icvc-securities`	Investment company with variable capital	Corporation	VV0W
`icvc-warrant`	Investment company with variable capital	Corporation	VV0W
`icvc-umbrella`	Investment company with variable capital	Corporation	VV0W
`assurance-company`	Assurance-company	Corporation	8CF0
`protected-cell-company`	Protected cell company	Corporation	TT2H

Other & Regional Forms

Companies House Code	Legal Form (localName)	Standardized	ISO 20275
`royal-charter`	Royal charter company	Corporation	9B78
`industrial-and-provident-society`	Industrial and Provident society	Cooperative	XLZV
`registered-society-non-jurisdictional`	Registered society	Cooperative	XLZV
`northern-ireland`	Northern Ireland company	Other	4A3J
`northern-ireland-other`	Credit union (Northern Ireland)	Cooperative	JTCO
`further-education-or-sixth-form-college-corporation`	Further education or sixth form college corporation	Other	-

Every field is deterministically mapped from the Companies House registered company type and subtype codes using a static lookup table. ISO 20275 codes are the active GLEIF codes for the United Kingdom; a form with no active code returns no iso20275Code. A company type that Companies House adds later and the table does not yet know is standardized with AI in verification mode. In prefill mode, localName carries the Companies House open-data category instead (for example Private Limited Company), with the same standardized type and code. Source: Companies House API enumerations.

Legal Representatives

Active officers are read from Companies House. The registered office determines the role classification. Secretaries, limited partners, supervisory-only officers and persons authorised only to accept service are returned under otherKeyPersons. Directors, LLP members, general partners and permanent representatives are returned under legalRepresentatives. The published office code supplies the standardized value; a separate occupation does not change it. 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.

Director & Management Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`director`	Director	Most common role for UK companies
`corporate-director`	Director	Corporate entity serving as director
`nominee-director`	Nominee Director	Director appointed on behalf of another
`corporate-nominee-director`	Nominee Director	Corporate entity as nominee director
`cic-manager`	CIC Manager	Community Interest Company manager
`managing-officer`	Managing Officer	Used for overseas entities
`corporate-managing-officer`	Managing Officer	Corporate entity as managing officer

LLP Member Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`llp-designated-member`	LLP Designated Member	Designated member of an LLP
`corporate-llp-designated-member`	LLP Designated Member	Corporate entity as LLP designated member
`llp-member`	LLP Member	Member of an LLP
`corporate-llp-member`	LLP Member	Corporate entity as LLP member

Partnership Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`general-partner-in-a-limited-partnership`	General Partner in a Limited Partnership	Active management partner
`corporate-general-partner-in-a-limited-partnership`	General Partner in a Limited Partnership	Corporate general partner

European / SE Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`member-of-a-management-organ`	Member of a Management Organ	SE company management organ
`corporate-member-of-a-management-organ`	Member of a Management Organ	Corporate entity in management organ
`member-of-an-administrative-organ`	Member of an Administrative Organ	SE company administrative organ
`corporate-member-of-an-administrative-organ`	Member of an Administrative Organ	Corporate entity in administrative organ
`manager-of-an-eeig`	Manager of an EEIG	EEIG manager
`corporate-manager-of-an-eeig`	Manager of an EEIG	Corporate entity as EEIG manager

Overseas Entity Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`person-authorised-to-represent`	Person Authorised to Represent	Representing the entity
`person-authorised-to-represent-and-accept`	Person Authorised to Represent and Accept	Both roles combined

Special Roles (Legal Representatives)

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Notes
`judicial-factor`	Judicial Factor	Court-appointed factor (Scottish law)
`receiver-and-manager`	Receiver and Manager	Appointed by court or creditor

Other Key Persons

Company secretaries, limited partners, supervisory-only officers and persons authorised only to accept service are classified as Other Key Persons. Published Other Key Person Roles:

Companies House Code	Mapped Role	Standardized
`secretary`	Secretary	Secretary
`corporate-secretary`	Secretary	Secretary
`nominee-secretary`	Nominee Secretary	Secretary
`corporate-nominee-secretary`	Nominee Secretary	Secretary
`limited-partner-in-a-limited-partnership`	Limited Partner in a Limited Partnership	Other
`corporate-limited-partner-in-a-limited-partnership`	Limited Partner in a Limited Partnership	Other
`member-of-a-supervisory-organ`	Member of a Supervisory Organ	Supervisory Board Member
`corporate-member-of-a-supervisory-organ`	Member of a Supervisory Organ	Supervisory Board Member
`person-authorised-to-accept`	Person Authorised to Accept	Registered Agent

A known registered office takes precedence over occupation. A director whose occupation includes “secretary” remains a Director. A secretary may participate in joint document execution with a director under UK law; this does not establish general sole authority. Limited partners and supervisory-only officers do not obtain general representation from those offices. Corporate and legal-person PSCs are not returned as Other Key Persons.

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 Category	When Used	Data Extracted
Capital documents	Share allotments, capital changes	Share structure and allottees
Confirmation statements	Annual returns with shareholding info	Current shareholders
Incorporation documents	Articles of association, initial subscribers	Initial shareholders
Resolution documents	Share-related decisions	Share transfers and changes

The system:

Filters available documents to categories likely to contain shareholder information: capital, confirmation statements and annual returns, incorporation, resolutions, PSC filings, corrected re-filings, and re-registrations
Downloads the selected PDFs
Extracts shareholders using AI parsing
Resolves corporate shareholders to their own Companies House number where possible (see below)
Returns reconstructed shareholder data with share percentages and ownership details

Ownership Fields:

Field	Description	Source
`sharePercentage`	Ownership percentage	AI-extracted from documents
`type`	Individual or Company	Determined from name patterns
`numberOfShares`	Number of shares held	AI-extracted from documents

Corporate shareholder identifiers: Filings name corporate shareholders by legal name, and only sometimes state a registration number. For each corporate shareholder, we confirm any number read from the filing against Companies House, and otherwise search by name. What comes back depends on what we could establish:

Outcome	What you get
Confirmed against Companies House	`company.id` and `company.identifiers.companiesHouseNumber` — a real UK company number you can key, dedupe and traverse
A number was read off the filing, but Companies House did not confirm it	`company.identifiers.registrationNumber` — the number as stated in the filing, with no claim about which register issued it
Nothing to go on	Name only; `company.id` and `company.identifiers` are left undefined

The middle row is the one to plan for. A number printed on a UK filing frequently belongs to a foreign register (a US parent’s Delaware file number, an Italian or Indian company number) or to another UK register altogether — the Mutuals register and the Charity Commission both issue numbers that are not Companies House numbers. Returning those under companiesHouseNumber would dead-end an ownership chain at a company number that does not exist, so we return them generically instead. companiesHouseNumber on a shareholder means Companies House confirmed it; registrationNumber means we are passing on what the filing said. Treat the presence of a registration number on a shareholder as best-effort, not guaranteed. The companiesHouseNumber “always present” guarantee in the Company Identifiers table applies to the queried company itself, not to reconstructed shareholders.

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) → ISIC Rev. 5 (International) → NACE Rev. 2.1 (European)

Classification	Source	Example	AI Inferred?
SIC_2007 (`SIC_2007`)	Companies House	`62012`	No (official)
ISIC	AI-matched from SIC	`6219`	Yes
NACE	Derived from ISIC (formal mapping table)	`62.10`	Inherits the ISIC flag

SIC codes are formally parsed (never AI-inferred). The isAIInferred flag is always false for SIC codes. ISIC Rev. 5 codes are AI-matched from the SIC codes, then NACE Rev. 2.1 codes are derived from ISIC through a formal mapping table, so they carry the same isAIInferred flag as the ISIC code they come from. Companies can have multiple SIC codes. See Standardization for the versioned keys.

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Data Type	Regular UK Companies	Overseas Companies (FC)	UK Establishments (BR)	Notes
Company Profile	✅ Async	✅ Async	✅ Async	From Companies House Public Data API
Legal Representatives	✅	✅	✅	Active directors from officers endpoint
Other Key Persons	✅	✅	✅	Secretaries, limited partners, supervisory-only officers and service recipients
Shareholders	✅ (AI-reconstructed)	⚠️ Limited	❌	Reconstructed from filing documents
Subsidiaries	⚠️ (AI-reconstructed)	❌	❌	From the subsidiary undertakings note in filed accounts. Small and micro-entity filers are exempt from that note
Ultimate Beneficial Owners	✅	⚠️ Limited	❌	From PSC register (active individuals and protected PSCs only)
Establishments	❌	✅	N/A	UK branches of overseas companies (FC prefix only)
Activity Codes (SIC)	✅	✅	⚠️	SIC codes from Companies House
Documents	✅	✅	⚠️ Limited	PDFs from filing history

Legend: ✅ Available | ❌ Not Available | ⚠️ Conditionally Available | Async = Asynchronous processing

Subsidiaries

subsidiaries is available for the UK. It returns the equity participations the queried company holds in other entities, AI-extracted from the subsidiary undertakings / related undertakings note (Companies Act 2006 s409) in the notes to the latest annual accounts filed at Companies House. Verify the values against the filing before relying on them for compliance. Availability follows UK accounts-filing rules, not our coverage. Small companies filing filleted accounts and micro-entities (FRS 105) are generally exempt from disclosing that note, so they return no subsidiaries even when group relationships exist, and a company that has filed no accounts returns none. Overseas companies (FC) and UK establishments (BR) file no UK accounts, so they return none. subsidiaries is a separate data block from company, and it is available in verification mode only. See the Subsidiaries guide for the response shape.

Documents by Company Type

All UK company documents come from Companies House. Document pricing is listed on the pricing page. The trade register extract is included when company data is requested in the same call.

Document Category	API Type	Format	Availability	Notes
Trade Register Extract	`tradeRegisterExtract`	PDF	✅ All companies	The Companies House company report, in PDF
Articles of Association	`articlesOfAssociation`	PDF	✅ When filed	Memorandum and articles, including later amendments filed as resolutions
Certificate of Incorporation	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Other incorporation filings
Annual Accounts	`financialStatements`	PDF	✅ When filed	Annual accounts and financial statements
Capital Documents	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Share capital and structure changes
Officer Changes	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Director and secretary appointments/terminations
Confirmation Statements	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Annual confirmation statements (formerly annual returns)
Resolutions	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Company resolutions
Address Changes	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Registered office address changes
Charges / Mortgages	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Charges and mortgages registrations
PSC Filings	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Persons with significant control notifications and cessations
Corrected Filings	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Replacement re-filings of an earlier submission
Re-registrations	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Re-registration filings (e.g. Ltd to PLC)
Miscellaneous	Other	PDF	✅ When filed	Other company filings

The Trade Register Extract is always available for all companies. Filing history covers up to 2,000 filings per company.

Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data. Query: POST /v2/company with { "id": "<id>", "countryCode": "GB", "dataPoints": ["company", "legalRepresentatives"] }

Active Private Limited Company (Ltd)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "12345678",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "12345678" },
    "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": "H0PO"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC_2007": [{ "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": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_001",
      "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"
    },
    {
      "entityId": "person_002",
      "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": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_003",
      "type": "individual",
      "role": { "localName": "Secretary", "standardized": "Secretary" },
      "individual": {
        "name": { "fullName": "WILLIAMS, David", "firstName": "David", "lastName": "WILLIAMS" }
      }
    }
  ],
  "ultimateBeneficialOwners": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_001",
      "name": { "fullName": "John Robert Smith", "title": "Mr", "firstName": "John", "middleName": "Robert", "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 }, "nature": null },
          { "type": "voting-rights", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 }, "nature": null }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Dissolved Public Limited Company (PLC)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "00987654",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "00987654" },
    "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": "B6ES"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC_2007": [{ "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.

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "OC345678",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "identifiers": { "companiesHouseNumber": "OC345678" },
    "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": "Z0EY"
    },
    "activities": {
      "SIC_2007": [{ "code": "69201", "description": "Accounting and auditing activities", "isAIInferred": false }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "20 Chancery Lane",
      "city": "London",
      "postalCode": "WC2A 1PL",
      "countryCode": "GB"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_001",
      "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"
    },
    {
      "entityId": "person_002",
      "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.

Overseas Company (FC prefix) with Establishments

{
  "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": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_001",
      "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.

UBO Response (dedicated datapoint)

Query with "dataPoints": ["ultimateBeneficialOwners"]:

{
  "ultimateBeneficialOwners": [
    {
      "entityId": "person_001",
      "name": {
        "fullName": "John Robert Smith",
        "title": "Mr",
        "firstName": "John",
        "middleName": "Robert",
        "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", "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 }, "nature": null },
          { "type": "voting-rights", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 }, "nature": null }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Document availability: The PSC datapoint returns structured beneficial-owner data. There is no standalone ultimateBeneficialOwnersCertificate. Individual PSC filings, when published, appear under otherDocuments.Note: UBOs come from the PSC register. Currently active individual PSCs become UBOs with ownership/voting percentage ranges. Ceased PSCs are dropped. Corporate and legal-person PSCs are intermediaries and are not returned. Super-secure PSCs appear with fullName: "Person with significant control (protected)", no personal details, and empty control types.

Available Documents (filing history)

Documents are returned when "dataPoints": ["availableDocuments"] is requested.Always available:

API Category	Document	Notes
`tradeRegisterExtract`	Companies House company report	Always available

From filing history (when filed):

Filing Category	API Type	Notes
`incorporation`	`articlesOfAssociation` or Other	Memorandum and articles become `articlesOfAssociation` (also when filed under `resolution`). Other incorporation filings are certificates of incorporation
`accounts`	`financialStatements`	Annual accounts. The document name carries the register’s accounts variant when Companies House states one, e.g. “Annual Accounts (Dormant)” for dormant-company accounts
`capital`	Other	Share capital changes
`officers`	Other	Officer appointments/terminations
`annual-return`, `confirmation-statement`	Other	Confirmation statements (formerly annual returns)
`resolution`	Other	Company resolutions
`address`	Other	Registered office changes
`mortgage`	Other	Charges and mortgages
`persons-with-significant-control`	Other	PSC notifications and cessations
`document-replacement`	Other	Corrected re-filings
`reregistration`	Other	Re-registration filings
`change-of-name`	Other	Company name changes
`liquidation`	Other	Liquidation documents
`miscellaneous`	Other	Other filings

Document pricing is listed on the pricing page.

Europe

North America

Asia

Offshore Centers

Start here

United Kingdom coverage, pricing, and sources

Table of Contents

Data Sources

All company types

How data is organised

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

Search Capabilities

Active companies only

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Filing compliance signals

Legal Forms

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Subsidiaries

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses

​Start here

United Kingdom coverage, pricing, and sources

​Table of Contents

​Data Sources

​All company types

​How data is organised

​Company Identifiers

​Query Identifiers

​Identifiers in API Response

​Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

​Search Capabilities

​Active companies only

​Quirks & Gotchas

​Mappings

​Company Status

​Filing compliance signals

​Legal Forms

​Legal Representatives

​Other Key Persons

​Shareholders

​Activity Code Mapping

​Data Availability

​Data Availability Matrix

​Subsidiaries

​Documents by Company Type

​Example API Responses

Start here

Table of Contents

Data Sources

All company types

How data is organised

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

Search Capabilities

Active companies only

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Filing compliance signals

Legal Forms

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Subsidiaries

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses