How long did your last director verification take? Ten minutes? Thirty minutes? Longer?
How many browser tabs did you have open? Company website, LinkedIn, Google, maybe a few “people finder” sites that wanted £20 for partial information?
What if the complete, verified information you needed was free and accessible with a simple Companies House Director Search?
It is. And in the next 9 minutes, you’ll learn exactly where to find it and how to use it for AML checks, client onboarding, and due diligence.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Companies House offers free, unlimited searches with no registration required to view company information
- Companies House does not verify the accuracy of filed information, which makes independent due diligence critical for accountants
- Director records display appointment dates, resignations, correspondence addresses, and nationality information
- Identity verification due dates are now visible on director profiles following the new Economic Crime Act requirements
- The “Follow company” feature automatically sends email alerts whenever new filings are accepted
- You can search by company name, number, or officer name across all registered UK companies
- Advanced filters let you narrow results by incorporation dates, company status, and business type
Why UK Accountants Need to Search Company Directors
Before accountants take on new clients, they’re required to know their customers and perform due diligence based on their risk levels. This involves Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), PEP screening, and identifying and verifying beneficial ownership and Persons with Significant Control.
Director searches matter for three reasons:
- You need verified identity information for AML compliance
- You need to prevent conflicts of interest across your client base
- You need accurate director details for filing tax returns and preparing statutory accounts.
Without verified director information, you’re building client relationships on assumptions rather than facts.
Director checks also prevent conflicts of interest that damage client relationships. That new client director might sit on the board of your existing client’s competitor. Or they might be a director of three dissolved companies in the past two years. You’ll catch these patterns immediately when you search by officer name.
Where to Find Company Directors in the UK
Companies House provides a free, public register where you can search for director information across all UK companies. The official service is called “Find and update company information”, and it’s available at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
This is the only authoritative source for UK company director records. No registration is required to view information. The service is maintained by Companies House, which means you’re accessing the same database that companies file their information to, updated in real time as new filings are accepted.
When you search for company directors through this portal, you’ll find current and resigned officers, their appointment dates, correspondence addresses, and whether they’ve verified their identity with Companies House. If that identity verification deadline has passed without action, you’ve spotted your first compliance issue before you’ve even sent the engagement letter.
You can search by company name or number to see complete officer lists, or search by officer name to find every directorship that person holds across the UK register.
The Follow feature helps you monitor filing deadlines so you can spot overdue markers before they become crisis calls. When your client asks about a potential business partner or acquisition target, the director’s search history shows the patterns that matter for informed advice.
How to Search for Company Directors
How to Search for Company Directors
Step 1: Access the Companies House Search Service
Navigate to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. You’ll see a simple search box with no login required. This is your gateway to over 5 million company records.
Step 2: Enter Your Search Terms
Type “FigsFlow” into the search box. You can search by company name, company number, or officer name.
The search accepts partial matches and isn’t case-sensitive.
Step 3: Select the Company from the Results
The search returns “FIGS FLOW LIMITED” with company number 15655148, incorporated on 17 April 2024. Click the company name to view full details.
Step 4: Review the Company Overview
The overview tab shows company type (Private Limited Company), nature of business (62012 – Business and domestic software development), and critical compliance dates. For FigsFlow, first accounts are due 30 April 2025, with a filing deadline of 17 January 2026.
Overdue markers appear here if filings are late. This tells you immediately whether a company is compliant.
Step 5: Access Director Information
Click the “People” tab to see all current and resigned officers. For FigsFlow, you’ll find one director: Raju Gajurel, appointed 17 April 2024.
The director’s record shows role, date of birth, nationality, country of residence and correspondence address.
The identity verification date is new under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
Step 6: Use Advanced Search Options
Click “Advanced company search” from the main search page to access detailed filters. Search by registered office address, incorporation date range, company status, nature of business, company type, or dissolved date.
You can also find all the companies where a person serves as a director. For this, just enter his name in the main search box. Companies House returns all his current and resigned directorships across the UK register.
Advanced Features of Companies House Director Search
Companies House director search offers advanced features like automatic company monitoring, advanced search filters, cross-company officer searches, and API access for practice management integration.
Follow companies for automatic monitoring
The “Follow this company” button appears on every company record. Click it once, and you’ll receive email alerts whenever that company files anything.
Set up follows for all your clients and key business partners. The alerts link directly to filed documents, letting you review submissions without additional searches.
Advanced Search Filters
Companies House offers advanced search filters where you can combine eight different categories to answer specific questions. Filter by registered office address to find all companies at a location. Filter by incorporation date to see recently formed companies. Combine status and nature of business filters to find dissolved companies in specific industries.
Each filter accepts partial matches and date ranges, making complex queries manageable. You can search for all private limited companies with specific words in their name by combining company type and name filters.
Search by Officer Name Across All Companies
When you need to find every company where someone serves as a director, enter their name in the main search box and select the “Officers” tab.
Companies House returns all their current and resigned appointments, showing company names, appointment dates, and current status. This cross-company view reveals whether someone simultaneously directs competing businesses, holds directorships in dissolved companies, or maintains appointments in companies your client plans to partner with.
API access for practice management integration
Companies House offers a free API for automated data access. If your practice management software supports it, you can pull company and director data directly into your systems without manual searches.
FigsFlow, the complete client onboarding platform, integrates with Companies House to automate director verification and company lookups. This lets FigsFlow users verify client details instantly during onboarding, automatically check company status and director appointments, and pull filing history without leaving the platform. For practices handling high volumes of new client onboarding or ongoing compliance monitoring, this integration eliminates repetitive manual searches.
Important Limitations & Disclaimers
- Companies House Does Not Verify Information
Accuracy Documents are accepted if properly completed and signed. Directors can file false information. Companies House records are your starting point, not proof. Always conduct independent verification for AML compliance.
- 20-Year Retention Creates Historical Complexity
Dissolved company records are now retained for 20 years. Director searches return old appointments. A dissolved company from 2010 carries less weight than one from last month. Context matters.
- Data Protection Affects What’s Shown
Directors can restrict home address disclosure for safety reasons. You might see service addresses instead of residential addresses. Collect actual addresses directly from clients for AML verification.
- Identity Verification Is Self-Certified
Directors verify their own identity through GOV.UK One Login or Companies House. This confirms someone can prove their identity, not that they’re the legitimate director. Your due diligence must verify that the person you’re dealing with matches the verified director. - Filing Delays Mean Records Aren’t Real-Time
Companies House shows what’s been filed, not what’s current. A director might have resigned yesterday, but still appears active until the form TM01 is filed. For time-sensitive matters, get current confirmation directly from the company.
Helpful Resources
- Companies House Advanced Search Function: Using the Companies House advanced search function – Companies House
- Getting Started with Companies House API: Get started with the Companies House API
- Guidance on Searching the Companies House Register: Searching the Companies House register – GOV.UK
- UK Sanctions Screening Guide: Sanction Screening UK Guide 2025/26 | FigsFlow
- Guide to AML Risk: Complete Guide to AML Risk for Accountants | FigsFlow
Conclusion
Companies House director searches are free, comprehensive, and essential for AML compliance. The interface is straightforward if you know what you’re looking for.
Start with the “Follow” feature for existing clients. Build director searches into every new client onboarding. The 5 minutes you spend now prevent compliance failures later.
Search Company Directors in Seconds
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Visit the Companies House search service at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. You can search by entering either the company name, company number, or the director’s name directly in the search box. Click the search icon, and you’ll see results showing all matching companies or directors. No registration is required to access this information.
A director is someone appointed to manage a company’s business and affairs. Every registered UK company must have at least one director. Directors are legally responsible for running the company, ensuring it meets its statutory obligations, and making key business decisions on behalf of the company.
Search for the person’s name on the Companies House register. The search results will show every current and historical directorship that person holds or has held across all UK companies. You’ll see their appointment dates, resignation dates if applicable, and which companies they‘re associated with.
Company ownership information is publicly available through Companies House. Search for the company and look at its latest confirmation statement, which lists all shareholders. If no confirmation statement has been filed yet, shareholder information appears in the original incorporation documents. You can also find People with Significant Control (PSCs) who own more than 25% of the company or exercise significant influence.
Yes. Director information is publicly available on the Companies House register. This includes their name, appointment date, correspondence address, date of birth (month and year only), nationality, country of residence, and identity verification status. Anyone can access this information for free without needing to register or pay.
