Who Can See Your Details on the Companies House Register?

Anyone can see your name, correspondence address, nationality, country of residence, occupation, and birth month and year on the Companies House register. Your full date of birth and home address stay private, unless you list the home address as your service address.

What Information Does the Companies House Register Show Publicly?

The public register displays company details, officer details, and persons with significant control. Records cover the company name, number, registered office, directors, shareholders, filing history, and accounts. Anyone can search these records online at no cost.

Companies House operates the UK's public register of companies. The Companies Act 2006 requires this disclosure. Lenders, suppliers, and regulators use it to verify who runs a company. The register holds records for more than 5 million companies.

Three record groups appear publicly. Company records list the name, company number, incorporation date, registered office address, and SIC codes. Officer records list directors and secretaries. Persons with significant control (PSC) records list anyone holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or the power to appoint directors.

Filed documents are public too. Incorporation applications, confirmation statements, annual accounts, and officer change notices show shareholder names, shareholdings, and appointment dates. Searches run online without an account.

Third parties reuse this data. Business information platforms, credit agencies, and journalists download records through the Companies House API and bulk data products. A public entry therefore spreads beyond the register itself.

Who Can See Your Home Address and Date of Birth?

The public sees only your birth month and year. Your full date of birth stays on the protected register. Your residential address stays protected when you file a separate service address for the public record.

Officer records display a name, correspondence address, nationality, country of residence, occupation, and birth month and year. Companies House withholds the day of birth from public view. The same rule applies to PSC records.

Residential addresses follow a split system. Every director gives Companies House a usual residential address and a separate service address. The service address appears publicly. The residential address sits on the protected register.

One exception exists. Directors who enter their home as the service address publish it. Companies House then displays it on the public record and in the filing history. Directors who listed a home address in earlier filings apply to Companies House to remove it from those documents.

Public visibility has limits you control. Our guide on what overseas directors can and cannot hide compares each data field against its disclosure rules.

Who Can Access the Protected Register Details?

Public authorities and credit reference agencies access the protected details. Public authorities include the police, HMRC, and the Financial Conduct Authority. Credit reference agencies include Experian and Equifax. No other third party receives them.

Each group has a defined purpose. Authorities investigate crime and enforce tax and financial regulation. Credit reference agencies validate identity and assess credit risk for lenders.

Directors facing a risk of violence or intimidation apply to Companies House to block credit reference agency access to their residential address. Applicants provide evidence that supports the risk. Companies House reviews each application individually.

Companies House also holds a registered email address for every company. Neither the email nor the protected residential address appears on a public search.

Can Overseas Directors Use a Service Address on the Public Register?

Yes. Directors choose a service address for the public record. The address is a business address, a care-of address, or a provider address. It receives official mail. Companies House holds your residential address separately on the protected register.

A service address is where officers receive official documents. Companies House accepts a service address in any country. Overseas directors therefore list a business address abroad or a provider's address instead of a residential one.

The registered office works differently. It sits in the UK nation where the company registers: England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Since 4 March 2024, the registered office must be an appropriate address, where documents addressed to the company are received and acknowledged.

Two addresses therefore appear on the public record: the registered office and the service address. Privacy protection for non-resident directors keeps both addresses separate from your personal home address from the first filing.

How Does the Non-Resident Privacy Shield Limit Public Exposure?

The Non-Resident Privacy Shield replaces your personal address with a provider's address on the public register. It protects your residential address from appearing in public records. It does not remove names, nationality, or birth month and year.

The Non-Resident Privacy Shield applies at incorporation. Your application lists a UK registered office address and a service address from the first filing. The public register never displays your residential address.

The shield does not hide statutory data. Names, nationality, country of residence, occupation, and birth month and year stay public. Shareholder names and PSC details stay public as well. UK law requires this transparency.

Formation runs online. A company incorporates in as little as 3 working hours when you submit complete, accurate information and all legal and ID checks finish. Companies House processing times exclude weekends and bank holidays.

Delays occur when information or documents are incomplete or incorrect. Technical or application-related complexities also add processing time. Your Web Filing Authentication Code appears online on your company summary page after incorporation. The code authenticates your online filings, so only authorised persons hold it.

How Does Identity Verification Affect What Others See?

Identity verification confirms your identity to Companies House. It does not publish your passport or biometric data. Directors and persons with significant control complete verification, and Companies House keeps the evidence off the public register.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced mandatory identity verification. It became compulsory for directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025. Existing officers complete verification within the transition period Companies House sets.

Two routes exist. Individuals verify through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Both validate a passport or other government-issued ID against the individual.

Verification supports compliance, not publication. Companies House uses verified data to detect fraud and share intelligence with law enforcement. Passport details and biometric data stay off the public register.

How Do You Check Your Own Companies House Entry?

Search your company name or your own name on the Companies House website. Open the officers tab, the people with significant control tab, and the filing history. Each page shows exactly what the public sees.

Start with the officers tab. It lists each director's name, correspondence address, nationality, country of residence, occupation, and birth month and year. Confirm the address shown is your service address, not your home.

Open the PSC tab next. It shows the same personal fields plus the nature of control, such as share ownership percentage bands. Then review the filing history. Each document opens as a PDF, so you verify historic filings for any home address entered before you set up a service address.

Repeat this check after every filing. Confirmation statements and officer change notices each add records to the public file.

What Is the Bottom Line for Overseas Directors?

The public register shows names, nationality, occupation, birth month and year, and service addresses. Protected details reach only public authorities and credit reference agencies. Overseas directors control exposure by choosing service and registered office addresses at incorporation.

Companies House publishes statutory data and protects residential data. Directors who file a separate service address keep their home address off the public record. Identity verification adds compliance without adding public disclosure.

Non-Residents UK Company Formation delivers this structure through the Non-Resident Privacy Shield. The service sets the registered office and service address at incorporation, so the public record reflects your chosen privacy position from day one.