Every director appointment in England and Wales generates a public record at Companies House. That record names the individual, states the date of appointment, and links the person to a registered company. What it does not do is confirm who instructs that director, who holds economic interest, or whether the appointment reflects actual control. The gap between the filed record and the control question is the subject of this page.
What the record showsDirector name, service address, date of birth (month and year only), nationality, country of residence, date of appointment, and any date of resignation. Source: Companies House register · verified 2026-10-01 Access conditionThe register is publicly searchable without registration. Document downloads are subject to Companies House tariffs; no exact fee is stated here because tariffs are set by the registrar and published in its schedule. What the record does not showBeneficial ownership, shareholder instructions, shadow director relationships, or any undisclosed person with significant influence. Source: Companies House register · verified 2026-10-01 PSC registerA separate Persons with Significant Control register is filed alongside the director record. It names individuals or entities meeting the statutory threshold. Post-CJEU C-37/20, access conditions for PSC data should be verified with a local adviser before reliance. Source: Companies House register · verified 2026-10-01Companies House holds the statutory register of directors under the Companies Act 2006. Every appointment, change of service address, and resignation must be filed. The register is continuous: historical appointments remain visible after a director leaves office.
The record establishes:
Filing is the company's obligation. Companies House does not verify the accuracy of what is filed. A discrepancy between the filed record and an external source is itself a finding.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-10-01
The director record answers one question reliably: who holds the legal authority to bind the company at the date of appointment. It does not answer who exercises that authority in practice.
England and Wales company law recognises the concept of a shadow director — a person whose instructions the board is accustomed to follow. Shadow directors are not required to file at Companies House. Their existence is inferred from conduct, not from the register.
A nominee director arrangement is lawful. The nominee appears on the register; the instructing principal does not. Nothing in the director record flags a nominee relationship.
The PSC register addresses part of this gap. It requires disclosure of individuals or legal entities that hold more than 25 percent of shares or voting rights, or that otherwise exercise significant influence or control. Where the PSC register names a corporate entity rather than an individual, the chain continues upward and may cross jurisdictions.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-10-01
The director record and the shareholder record are separate filings. Confirmation statements filed at Companies House include a statement of capital and a list of shareholders, but the level of detail depends on the company type and filing history.
What the shareholder record establishes:
What it does not establish is whether a named shareholder acts for their own account. A nominee shareholder arrangement is lawful. The beneficial owner of the shares may be a different person entirely.
The articles of association, also filed at Companies House, govern what a shareholder can enforce against the board. Weighted voting rights, reserved matters, and consent thresholds are set in the articles. Reading the director record without reading the articles gives an incomplete picture of who can remove a director and under what conditions.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-10-01
The Companies House register is a filing system, not a verification system. Every fact in it was placed there by the company or its agents. The registrar does not independently confirm identity, address, or the accuracy of declared nationality and residence.
Four structural limits apply to any analysis based solely on this source:
Nominee arrangements. A director who acts on instructions from an undisclosed principal is indistinguishable from an independent director in the register. The filing looks identical.
Shadow directors. No filing obligation exists for shadow directors. The register is silent on their presence by design.
Beneficial ownership above the PSC threshold. The PSC register captures individuals and entities above the 25 percent threshold. Interests structured to remain below that threshold, or distributed across connected persons, may not appear.
Corporate PSC chains. Where a PSC is itself a company, the chain continues. That company may be registered in a jurisdiction where beneficial ownership is not publicly disclosed. The analysis reaches the boundary of the English register and stops.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. An Extended report names the point at which the chain becomes opaque and identifies the jurisdiction responsible for the gap.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-10-01
A director record and a third-party commercial database may show different appointment dates, different service addresses, or a different spelling of the director's name. These discrepancies arise because commercial databases aggregate filings at intervals; the Companies House register is the primary source.
Where the filed service address differs from an address appearing in another official document — a court filing, a regulatory submission, a foreign registry entry — that discrepancy is recorded in the report. It is not resolved by preferring one source over the other. Both are stated.
Where a resignation date in the register postdates a document signed by the same individual in a capacity that required active directorship, the gap is noted. The report does not characterise the gap; it states the dates and the document.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-10-01
| Tier | Price | What is included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €1,350 | Current director record; PSC register extract; confirmation statement (most recent); articles of association (filed version); service address verification against register; identification of any corporate PSC with jurisdiction noted | Historical appointment chain; cross-referencing against foreign registries; analysis of articles for control provisions; shadow director indicators from filed documents |
| Standard | €2,850 | Everything in Signal; full historical appointment chain for all current and former directors; cross-reference of PSC chain to first identifiable natural person or opaque-jurisdiction boundary; review of filed accounts for director-related party transactions; identification of discrepancies between register and available third-party sources | Verification of foreign registry entries; legal characterisation of findings; court record searches |
| Extended | €6,300 | Everything in Standard; cross-border PSC chain traced through available foreign registries to natural person or stated opacity point; review of filed accounts across available periods for control-relevant transactions; discrepancy analysis across all sources with source-by-source attribution; written statement of the ceiling reached and the jurisdiction responsible for any gap | Legal advice; shadow director determination; enforcement strategy; any fact not derivable from official registers and public filings |
Does the Companies House register show the full date of birth of a director? No. The public register shows month and year of birth only. The full date of birth is held by Companies House but is not disclosed in the public record. This is a statutory protection under the Companies Act 2006 as amended.
Can a director appear on the register without being an active officer of the company? Yes. A resignation must be filed, but filing is the company's obligation. A director who has ceased to act may remain on the register until the company files the relevant form. The report notes the filed appointment and resignation dates; it does not confirm whether the individual was active at any date between them.
Does the PSC register always name a natural person? No. The PSC register may name a corporate entity as the person with significant control. Where that entity is registered in England and Wales, its own PSC register is a further public filing. Where it is registered abroad, the chain continues into a foreign jurisdiction. The Extended report traces that chain to the point where a natural person is identified or the chain enters an opaque jurisdiction, and states which.
Is the Companies House register the only official source for director information? For the statutory register of directors, yes. Court records, regulatory filings, and foreign registries may contain additional information about the same individual. The Standard and Extended reports cross-reference available sources and record discrepancies.
What does 'service address' mean in practice? A service address is the address at which documents may be served on the director. It is not required to be a residential address. Many directors use the company's registered office or a professional address. The service address in the register does not establish where the director lives or operates.
Sources:
Companies House — https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk — extracted 2026-10-01
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