Order certified documents and certificates from Companies House
How to order certified copies of certificates and documents held on the Companies House register.
We remain unable to access some areas of our office because of unforeseen building maintenance. This means we cannot satisfy orders for non-digitised information, such as missing images, archive searches and some certified documents. We’re working hard to resolve the issue and we’ll publish an update soon.
You can order:
- a company certificate with certified facts
- a certified copy of a document held on the register
How to order and costs
You can place an order by:
- using the Find and update company information service - search for the company, and order from the ‘More’ tab
- calling the Companies House contact centre on 0303 1234 500
There are 2 dispatch options for this service: standard or express dispatch.
You should note any Royal Mail industrial action or other postal delays before you order.
Standard dispatch
The standard service costs £15. Orders for incorporation documents cost £30. We aim to send these orders within 10 working days.
Standard UK orders are sent by Royal Mail Second Class post and international orders by Royal Mail International post.
We’re not responsible for any costs after you’ve received your order, such as courier or legalisation costs.
Express dispatch
The same day service costs £50. Orders for incorporation documents cost £100.
You must place your order before 11am. If you order after 11am, your order will not be sent until the next working day.
Express UK orders are sent by Royal Mail 1st Class post and international orders by Royal Mail International post.
Missing orders
If you have not received your order, you must contact Companies House within 28 days of placing your order. After 28 days, you’ll need to place a new order.
Including additional facts on a certificate
You can request to include additional certified facts on a certificate. These are:
- directors’ names, and details such as date of birth or nationality
- secretaries’ names
- registered office address
- the company’s objects
- summary statement - previously known as the good standing statement
The summary statement wording says that a company has been in continuous, unbroken existence since its incorporation and that no action is currently being taken to strike the company off the register.
We’ll only issue a summary statement if the company is up to date with its filings. It must be a:
- private limited company with at least one director who’s a natural person
- public limited company with a secretary and at least 2 directors (one must be a natural person)
You cannot order certificates with information on people with significant control (PSCs), shareholders, shareholdings or statement of capital.
Legalise a document or certificate
You can get a document or certificate legalised with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). In countries who have signed up to the Hague Convention of 1961, this gives the document the same authenticity it has in the UK.
To get a Companies House document legalised by the FCDO, it must have the original signature of a British public official. To get a document signed in person by one of our officials, you’ll need to request a certified certificate or certified copy.
Last updated 4 March 2024 + show all updates
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Good standing statement is now called a summary statement.
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Guidance added on how to report a missing order.
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The Royal Mail cyber incident has been resolved. We've started to despatch all overseas orders, but Royal Mail delivery times may take longer than usual while they work through the backlog.
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Royal Mail’s international export service is currently disrupted because of a cyber incident. Overseas orders for certificates and certified documents are suspended until further notice.
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We're unable to access some areas of our office due to unforeseen building maintenance. This means we cannot satisfy orders for non-digitised information, such as missing images, archive searches and some certified documents.
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Changed same day service to express service.
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We can now offer a same day service if you place an order through the Companies House contact centre. Orders must be placed before 11am. It costs £50. Your order will be delivered by post.
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Added information on how to use the Companies House Service (CHS) to place an order for a certified document.
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First published.