Companies House

Our main functions

The main functions of Companies House are to:

Incorporate and dissolve limited companies, examine and store company information delivered under the Companies Act and related legislation and make this information available to the public.

The Registrar of Companies

The Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, and Chief Executive of Companies House is Louise Smyth. Her office is based at Companies House in Cardiff.

The Registrar of Companies for Scotland is Lisa Davis and her office is based in Edinburgh.

The Registrar of Companies for Northern Ireland is Helen Shilliday and her office is based in Belfast.

There is also an Information Centre in London.

History

The United Kingdom has enjoyed a system of company registration since 1844. Today, company registration matters are dealt with in law, by the Companies Act 2006.