- The Companies House register is free and public, and it’s the first place to verify any UK company’s registration, status, directors, and filing history.
- Since 18 November 2025, directors and people with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House, so an unverified record is now a signal worth noting.
- The register confirms what’s been filed, but it can’t tell you whether a company is solvent, actually trading, or a good business to deal with.
To verify a UK company as a foreigner, start with the free Companies House register, which shows every company’s registration number, status, directors, and full filing history. That public record is the single most reliable source, and you can search it from anywhere in the world at no cost.
It confirms what a company has filed, but it won’t tell you whether the business is solvent, trading, or worth dealing with. If you’re setting up your own UK entity from overseas, UK company formation is where that public record begins.
How to check a UK company is genuine
The quickest way to check a UK company is genuine is to search its name or registration number on the Companies House register and confirm it exists, is active, and matches the details you’ve been given. Everything else builds on that first result.
Work through these checks in order:
- Search the company name or number on the Companies House register.
- Confirm the company status reads “active”, not “dissolved” or “proposal to strike off”.
- Check the registered office address and directors match what you’ve been told.
- Open the filing history and look at whether accounts and confirmation statements are up to date.
- Note whether the directors and people with significant control have verified their identity.
Each check either builds confidence or gives you a reason to pause. None of them costs anything, and you don’t need a UK account to run them.
What the Companies House register shows you
The Companies House register shows the core facts a UK company has filed about itself. Reading each field properly is the heart of any verification.
The company number is a unique eight-character identifier assigned at incorporation and never reused. It’s the anchor for everything else, and what a company registration number tells you can flag problems on its own.
Numbers starting with SO belong to Scottish companies, NI to Northern Irish ones, and FC to overseas companies with a UK establishment. Anything that doesn’t match a valid format is either a trading name or fabricated.
The company status tells you whether the company is active, dormant, or heading for dissolution. “Active – proposal to strike off” means someone has begun closing it, which is worth questioning before you commit.
The incorporation date shows how long the company has existed. A brand new entity signing large contracts deserves a closer look.
The registered office is the official address for legal correspondence. It’s a real address, though it doesn’t have to be where the business actually operates.
The directors and PSCs section lists who runs and controls the company. The people listed here, and the registered office address rules behind that address, should line up with whoever you’re dealing with.
Reading a filing history: what good and bad look like
A company’s filing history is the clearest evidence of whether it’s being run properly. It shows every document filed and whether deadlines were met.
A clean history with accounts and confirmation statements filed on time is a strong positive signal. Watch for these patterns in the record:
- Overdue accounts or confirmation statements. Late filings suggest the company isn’t being maintained, or is in trouble. Every active company must file a confirmation statement each year, and confirmation statements explained covers what that filing confirms.
- A compulsory strike-off notice. This means Companies House has started removing the company from the register, usually for missed filings. Deal with a company under active strike-off only with real caution.
- Dormant accounts. These show the company hasn’t traded in the period. A dormant company presenting itself as an active supplier is a contradiction worth raising.
- A dissolved-then-restored history. Companies can be legitimately restored, but the pattern is worth understanding before you rely on the entity.
Don't just check that filings exist. Check the dates, because on-time filing tells you far more than the mere presence of a document.
What director and PSC identity verification tells you
Identity verification is now a legal requirement, so whether a director or PSC has verified their identity has become a genuine signal.
Since 18 November 2025, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, directors and people with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House.
The rollout runs on a 12-month transition to 18 November 2026. New directors must verify before appointment, while existing directors provide their unique personal code when their company files its next confirmation statement.
Not every record is verified yet, so an unverified director in early 2026 isn’t automatically a red flag. What it does tell you is direction of travel.
Once a company’s confirmation statement date has passed and its directors still aren’t showing as verified, that’s a filing gap worth noting.
For the mechanics of the process, see Companies House identity verification, and where an agent handles it on a company’s behalf, authorised agent identity verification explains that route.
What the register won’t tell you
The register confirms what a company has filed, but it can’t confirm the company is a safe or sensible business to deal with. Knowing this honest limit stops you over-trusting a clean record.
The register won’t tell you:
- Whether the company is solvent right now. Filed accounts can be months old and say nothing about today’s cash position.
- Whether it’s actually trading. A company can be active on the register and doing no business at all.
- Whether it’s any good. The register carries no reviews, no performance data, and no judgement on quality.
- Whether the registered office is a real place of business. It’s often just a mail-forwarding or agent address, not the company’s premises.
Treat the register as evidence of what was filed, not as certification that everything a company claims is true.
Warning signs worth pausing over
Certain patterns on the register should make you slow down before you commit money or sign anything. None of these proves wrongdoing on its own, but each is a prompt to dig further.
- A registered office shared by hundreds of other companies, with no separate trading address anywhere.
- A very recent incorporation date combined with unusually large contracts or upfront payment requests.
- Repeated company name changes over a short period.
- Overdue accounts or confirmation statements sitting unresolved.
- A dissolved-then-restored history with little explanation of what happened.
When two or more of these appear together, that’s your cue to verify further before proceeding.
Checks you can make beyond the register
The register is the starting point, and pairing it with a few external checks gives you a far fuller picture. These are straightforward and mostly free.
Check a UK VAT number
If a company gives you a VAT number, you can confirm it’s valid and belongs to that business using HMRC’s free VAT number checking service. A VAT number that doesn’t check out, on an invoice charging VAT, is a serious warning sign.
Confirm banking and professional details
Ask for the company’s own bank details rather than accepting details sent mid-conversation, since payment redirection fraud relies on that switch. For regulated sectors, check the relevant professional body or regulator’s register too.
If you’re an overseas owner setting up your own UK entity, opening a UK business bank account is part of looking substantive to counterparties.
Request a company certificate with a summary statement
Where a counterparty needs formal proof of status, a UK company can order a company certificate from Companies House that includes a summary statement, previously known as a statement of good standing. It confirms the company is on the register and up to date with filings.
It costs £22 for standard dispatch or £65 for express through the Find and update company information service. The certificate is only issued if the company’s accounts and confirmation statement are up to date.
What a certificate of incorporation actually proves
A certificate of incorporation proves only that a company was legally formed on a given date, not that it’s trading, solvent, or reputable today. It’s a historic document issued once, at formation, and it never gets reissued.
Overseas owners sometimes treat it as a badge of legitimacy, but it says nothing about what’s happened since. A company can hold a genuine certificate and still be dormant, insolvent, or dissolved.
For what the document does and doesn’t cover, see certificates of incorporation. Always read it alongside the live register, never instead of it.
What your own company looks like to an overseas partner
If you own a UK company, the same register you’d use to check others is exactly what your counterparties see when they check you. It’s worth looking at your own record the way a cautious partner would.
Three things make a UK company look substantive on the public record:
- A real registered office. An address that clearly belongs to the business reads better than a shared formation-agent address with hundreds of companies at it.
- Filings up to date. On-time accounts and confirmation statements signal a company that’s properly run.
- Verified directors. Once your identity verification is complete and showing, your record looks current and compliant.
Getting these right isn’t cosmetic. It’s often the difference between a smooth deal and a partner quietly walking away after a five-minute search.
How Sleek helps with verifying and running a UK company
Verifying someone else’s UK company is something you can do yourself, for free, on the Companies House register, and you should. Where Sleek helps is the other side of that coin.
We make sure your own UK company is the one that passes a counterparty’s checks. That means formation, a registered office, and accounts and confirmation statements filed on time, so your public record stays clean and current.
For overseas owners in particular, that’s accounting for UK companies run by qualified in-house accountants, not outsourced, so nothing slips.
Disclaimer: The preceding information is not legal advice. This content is aimed to provide general guidance. For more formal or legal advice, contact Sleek directly.
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FAQs on verifying a UK company
How do I check if a UK company is legitimate?
Search the company’s name or registration number on the free Companies House register and confirm it exists, is active, and matches the details you’ve been given. Then check its filing history for on-time accounts and confirmation statements. For a fuller picture, add a VAT number check with HMRC and, in regulated sectors, the relevant regulator’s register.
Is the Companies House register free to search?
Yes. Searching the Companies House register is completely free and open to anyone, anywhere in the world. You can view a company’s status, directors, registered office, and full filing history without an account. Fees only apply if you order formal certified documents or a company certificate.
What does it mean if a company’s accounts are overdue?
Overdue accounts mean the company has missed its filing deadline with Companies House, which can signal poor administration or financial difficulty. It also risks penalties and, eventually, strike-off. One late filing isn’t proof of a problem, but a pattern of overdue accounts and confirmation statements is a reason to verify further before dealing with the company.
What is a compulsory strike-off notice?
A compulsory strike-off notice means Companies House has started removing a company from the register, usually because it failed to file accounts or confirmation statements. If completed, the company ceases to legally exist. Seeing an active strike-off action against a company you’re about to deal with is a strong signal to pause and ask questions first.
How do I know if a UK company is still trading?
The register can’t confirm real-time trading, so you can’t rely on it alone. An “active” status only means the company is on the register and filing as required, not that it’s doing business. Dormant accounts are a clear sign it isn’t trading. To confirm genuine activity, combine the register with VAT status, a working website, and direct contact through verified details.
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What does it mean if a director isn’t identity verified?
Since 18 November 2025, directors and PSCs must verify their identity with Companies House, on a 12-month transition to 18 November 2026. During that window, not every existing director will show as verified yet, so it isn’t automatically a red flag. It becomes a concern when a company’s confirmation statement date has passed and its directors still aren’t verified.
How do I check a UK VAT number?
You can check whether a UK VAT number is valid, and which business it belongs to, using HMRC’s free online VAT number checking service. Enter the number and confirm the name and address returned match the company you’re dealing with. A VAT number that fails this check, on an invoice that charges VAT, is a serious warning sign worth resolving before you pay.
