Before a shareholders agreement is signed, the question of control is not abstract. Who holds the shares, who directs the company, and who is registered as a person with significant control — these are matters of public record in England and Wales. The sources are official. The path to them is not always direct.
Companies House is the primary register. It holds the confirmation statement, the persons with significant control register, and filed accounts. The PSC register was introduced under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and has been mandatory since April 2016. What it shows, and what it does not, is the first thing to establish before any agreement is drafted.
What the register showsNamed directors, registered shareholders with share classes and nominal values, and persons with significant control. Source: Companies House — verified 26.09.2026 PSC registerMandatory since April 2016 under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. Entries are self-reported by the company. Source: Companies House — verified 26.09.2026 Access conditionThe Companies House register is publicly accessible without registration. Filed documents are available per-document. Source: Companies House — verified 26.09.2026 What the register does not showBeneficial ownership beyond the PSC layer, shareholder agreements, voting arrangements, and trust structures. Source: Companies House — verified 26.09.2026Source: Companies House · verified 26.09.2026
This register is public and free of charge. What the report covers is the removed path: locating the correct company number, reading the full filing history, cross-referencing confirmation statements across periods, identifying gaps in PSC entries, and translating the structural picture into a format usable before signing.
What Companies House discloses about ownership and control
The confirmation statement (formerly the annual return) lists every shareholder by name, the number and class of shares held, and the date of any transfer. It is filed at least once every twelve months. Between filings, the register may not reflect a recent transfer.
The PSC register names any individual or legal entity that holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights, has the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or exercises significant influence or control. The threshold is 25%, not a majority. A company with four equal shareholders of 25% each will show all four as PSCs.
Filed accounts disclose the company's financial position. For small and micro-entity companies, the filed accounts are abbreviated. Profit and loss statements are not always included. For large and medium companies, full accounts including a directors' report are filed.
The register of directors shows current and resigned directors, their service addresses, and dates of appointment and resignation. Service addresses are public; residential addresses are not.
| Document | What it shows | Filing frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation statement | Shareholders, share classes, PSC entries | At least annually |
| PSC register | Persons with significant control (>25% threshold) | On change |
| Filed accounts | Financial position; scope depends on company size | Annually |
| Register of directors | Current and resigned directors, appointment dates | On change |
| Articles of association | Constitutional rules, share rights, voting mechanics | On incorporation or amendment |
The PSC layer: what it establishes and where it stops
The PSC register establishes the first layer of control. It does not establish the full picture where a corporate entity sits above the registered company. If a PSC entry names a company rather than an individual, the chain continues upward. Companies House does not automatically trace that chain.
For a UK-registered holding company named as PSC, the same register applies one level up. For a foreign holding company, the chain exits the Companies House system entirely. The foreign entity's home register — its disclosure rules, its access conditions, its language — governs what can be established at that level.
This is the structural limit of the England and Wales register when the ownership chain crosses a border. The chain can be traced, but each jurisdiction adds its own access conditions, turnaround, and cost.
PSC entries are self-reported. A company that fails to identify its PSCs or files an incorrect entry is in breach of the Companies Act 2006. The register records what was filed, not what is accurate. A discrepancy between the PSC entry and the actual control structure is itself a material finding.
Shareholder agreements: what the register does not contain
The shareholders agreement is a private contract. It is not filed at Companies House and is not publicly accessible. Its existence may be noted in the articles of association or in board minutes, but its terms are not disclosed.
The articles of association are filed and public. They set out share classes, voting rights attached to each class, pre-emption rights on transfer, and drag-along and tag-along provisions if included. Where the articles are silent, the Companies Act 2006 default rules apply.
The gap between the articles and a shareholders agreement is where control arrangements are most often structured. A shareholder holding 20% of ordinary shares may hold a class of shares with weighted voting rights. The articles will show the class; the agreement may govern when those rights are exercisable. The register shows the first; it does not show the second.
Timeline: what drives turnaround
Companies House filings are available immediately after acceptance. The filing history for a company can be retrieved the same day. The confirmation statement reflects the position as at its made-up date, not the date of retrieval.
The gap between the made-up date and the retrieval date matters. A confirmation statement made up in January and retrieved in August reflects the January position. A share transfer completed in March will not appear until the next confirmation statement is filed, unless a separate notification was made.
For a company with a complex filing history — multiple share classes, a history of transfers, changes in PSC entries — a full review of the filing sequence takes longer than a single document retrieval. The timeline depends on the depth of the review, not on the speed of the register.
Cross-border chains add time at each jurisdiction. A UK company owned by a Dutch holding company owned by a Cayman entity involves three registers, three access regimes, and three turnaround windows. Each layer is sequential, not parallel, where the identity of the upper entity is not known until the lower layer is read.
The limit of what the sources allow
Companies House shows what was filed. It does not verify what was filed. The PSC register is self-reported. The confirmation statement reflects the position at its made-up date.
The following are not disclosed by any official register in England and Wales:
- The terms of a shareholders agreement
- Voting arrangements established by private contract
- Trust structures where a nominee holds shares on behalf of a beneficial owner
- Side letters or supplemental agreements modifying the articles
- Oral or undocumented arrangements between shareholders
Where a nominee arrangement is in place, the registered shareholder and the beneficial owner are different persons. The register shows the nominee. A declaration of trust is a private document. It is not filed and is not accessible through Companies House.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. The report establishes what the register shows, identifies where the chain continues beyond the register's reach, and names the point at which the official record stops.
Where the sources disagree
The PSC register and the confirmation statement may show different pictures if a change in control occurred between filing dates. A new PSC may have been notified but not yet reflected in the latest confirmation statement. The filing history resolves this, but requires reading the sequence of filings rather than the most recent document alone.
The articles of association and the filed accounts may reflect different share structures if an amendment to the articles was not accompanied by a corresponding update to the capital structure in the accounts. This is a discrepancy worth noting before any agreement is signed.
Where a company has changed its name, earlier filings appear under the previous name. The company number is the stable identifier. Searching by name alone risks missing earlier filings.
Scope and fixed price
| Tier | Price | What is included | What is NOT included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €890 | Current shareholders, share classes, PSC entries, current directors, articles of association — as filed at Companies House | Filing history review, cross-border chain tracing, accounts analysis, discrepancy mapping |
| Standard | €1,900 | All Signal content plus full filing history review, PSC sequence analysis, accounts review for capital structure, identification of discrepancies between filings | Tracing corporate PSCs into foreign jurisdictions, legal qualification of findings |
| Extended | €4,200 | All Standard content plus cross-border chain tracing for corporate PSCs (up to two foreign jurisdictions), cross-source discrepancy report, structured findings memo | Legal advice, representation, shareholder agreement drafting or review |
FAQ
What does the PSC register actually establish? The PSC register records any individual or entity that meets the statutory threshold: more than 25% of shares or voting rights, the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or significant influence or control. Entries are self-reported by the company. The register records what was filed; it does not verify accuracy.
Can a shareholders agreement be found through Companies House? No. A shareholders agreement is a private contract and is not filed at Companies House. Its existence may be referenced in board minutes or the articles, but its terms are not publicly accessible.
What happens when the PSC is a company, not an individual? The chain continues upward. If the PSC is a UK company, the same register applies one level up. If the PSC is a foreign company, the chain exits the Companies House system. Each foreign jurisdiction has its own register, access conditions, and disclosure rules.
How current is the register? The confirmation statement reflects the position at its made-up date. A share transfer completed after that date will not appear until the next confirmation statement is filed. For real-time accuracy, the filing history must be reviewed alongside the most recent confirmation statement.
What is the difference between the Signal and Standard tiers? Signal retrieves the current position as filed. Standard reviews the full filing history, maps changes in PSC entries over time, and identifies discrepancies between documents. Where the ownership structure has changed or is complex, Standard provides the fuller picture.
Sources: Companies House — https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk — verified 26.09.2026
Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 — PSC register provisions — verified 26.09.2026
Companies Act 2006 — default shareholder and director provisions — verified 26.09.2026
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Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: James Whitfield — Partner, UK & Common Law, VLO Law Firm
