Short answer. Search the exact registered name if you have it, otherwise search a distinctive fragment rather than the full brand. Then confirm the match on two independent facts, usually the registered office and the incorporation date, before relying on the record.
Search by number when you have one
A registration number is exact and never shared between two companies. Type it with its leading zeros and any letter prefix intact: 00445790, SC123456, NI654321. Stripping a zero gives you a different company or nothing at all. Our company number lookup handles both forms.
Search by name carefully
- Use a distinctive fragment. Words such as limited, group, holdings and services appear in tens of thousands of names.
- Brands are not entities. The company that invoices you may be named nothing like the shopfront.
- Groups register similar names deliberately. Several near-identical results is normal, not an error.
- Names are reused over time. A dissolved company's name can be taken by a new one.
Confirm the match before you rely on it
Check at least two facts you can verify independently: the registered office address and the incorporation date are the usual pair. A recent name change recorded as a previous name is another strong confirmation. Where you need to weigh two candidates, put them side by side with our comparison tool.
If nothing is found
The business may be a sole trader or ordinary partnership, which are not registered at Companies House. It may be registered under a different legal name, or it may be a branch of an overseas entity recorded under a different registration type. Dissolved companies stay searchable, so an empty result is not proof that a company never existed.
What a result does not tell you
Finding an active record tells you a legal entity exists and has filed what the registrar has received. It says nothing about turnover, solvency or reliability. See what is on the register.
This guide is general information about public company records, not legal, tax or financial advice. Independent service. Not affiliated with Companies House or GOV.UK.