UK Companies House

Business structures, such as public limited companies (PLCs), private limited companies (Ltd), limited partnerships (LPs), and limited liability partnerships (LLPs), are required to register with the UK Companies House. However, general partnerships or sole proprietorships are not required to keep records on Companies House. 

Companies with foreign directors and overseas firms that have a UK establishment also need to comply with the register rules.

A Company Registration Number (CRN) is a unique (never changes, even if you change the entity’s name) eight-digit number assigned as an identifier to every company or LLP when it is incorporated at Companies House. It helps look up a company faster and confirm its identity, especially when using some sort of KYB software or keeping an internal database. 

You can see how it appears in this real example for iDenfy here. 

Some limitations that are known to be linked to Companies House and the process of verifying UK firms are:

• Data gaps, especially when verifying smaller companies. For example, micro-entities show limited financial detail.
• Cross-border KYB. If the business is registered outside of the UK, you’ll need to check not only Companies House, but also other corporate registries. 
• Self-reported approach, since details like PSC data are logged by the company and might not always disclose the true beneficial owners, especially in cases when tactics like nominee directors, trusts, or layered corporate structures are used to obscure ownership. 

A confirmation statement (form CS01) is an annual filing that every UK company must submit to Companies House. Its goal is to confirm that the details on the register are accurate and updated. 

It contains:

• The company’s current director list
• Shareholder information and their ownership percentages
• PSC register entries

For analysts working with applicants and KYB verification, the confirmation statement in the UK market is an important document that needs to be reviewed because it shows ownership information, which is a mandatory requirement for Business Verification (you need to do KYC on individuals, even if you’re onboarding another company).