Company registration number lookup

Why the number beats the name

Company names change, repeat and get reused across group structures. Registration numbers do none of those things. A CRN is issued at incorporation, stays with the entity for its whole life, and is not reissued after dissolution.

That makes the number the safest way to confirm an entity. If a supplier gives you a name and a number and they do not match the same record, that mismatch is worth resolving before money moves.

UK company number formats

Most numbers are eight characters. Older English and Welsh companies may have fewer digits, in which case leading zeros are added to make eight.

• England and Wales — eight digits, for example 01234567 or 12345678
• Scotland — SC followed by six digits
• Northern Ireland — NI followed by six digits
• Limited liability partnership — OC, SO or NC prefixes
• Limited partnership — LP, SL or NL prefixes
• Other prefixes exist for less common entity types

Where to find a company registration number

• The footer of the company's website
• The bottom of an invoice, order confirmation or receipt
• Business letterheads and email footers
• Terms and conditions or privacy policy pages
• Contracts, leases and purchase orders

What the lookup shows free

• Registered company name
• Company registration number
• Company status, such as active or dissolved
• Incorporation date
• Company type
• Jurisdiction
• Registered office address
• Previous company names
• Nature of business and SIC codes

Common problems with number lookups

• A number with fewer than eight digits usually needs leading zeros
• The letter O and the digit 0 are easy to confuse in SC and OC prefixes
• A VAT number is not a company number — VAT numbers begin with GB
• A charity number is a separate identifier from a different register
• A number that returns nothing may simply be mistyped; check it character by character

Where the data comes from

Lookups query the Companies House public register through the official public data service, so you see what is recorded at the moment you search.

Company Search UK is an independent service. It is not Companies House, it is not part of the UK Government, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by either. The same underlying public data is available directly from Companies House free of charge. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

When a PDF record of the number is useful

If you are recording a counterparty's registered details in a file, a dated PDF is more useful than a note. The optional UK Company Information Report puts the company name, number and retrieval date on every page, alongside the wider register sections.

• Everything in the free company summary
• Current and former officers, with appointment and resignation dates where recorded
• Persons with significant control recorded on the register
• Accounts and confirmation statement dates and filing position
• Registered charges, and whether they are outstanding or satisfied
• Insolvency information where it exists
• A filing history summary
• A dated, formatted A4 PDF you can download, print, email and keep

Free website search compared with the paid PDF report

Searching this site and viewing a company summary is free. The optional PDF report is paid, and what you are paying for is convenience: retrieval, formatting, a dated snapshot and a document you can download and keep. The underlying information is public and is also available directly from Companies House at no charge.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• Company Number SearchSearch by UK company registration number to find the exact company on the public register free of charge, including SC numbers for Scotland and NI numbers for Northern Ireland.
• Free UK Company SearchSearch any UK registered company free of charge. View company status, registration number, registered office, incorporation date and SIC codes with no account and no sign-up.
• Company Details SearchFind the registered details of a UK company: legal name, registration number, status, incorporation date, company type, registered office and SIC codes, free of charge.
• Is a Company Registered?Check whether a company is registered in the UK. Confirm it exists on the Companies House register, see its number, status and registered office, and learn what to do if it is missing.
• Company reportsThe optional downloadable PDF report and what it costs.
• Sample Company ReportSee the structure of the UK Company Information Report PDF section by section, page by page, so you know exactly what you receive before you order one.