How to check a company director in the UK

The short answer

You can check a UK company director for free in about fifteen minutes using four public registers: the Companies House officer search, the disqualified directors register, the Individual Insolvency Register and The Gazette. The order that works best:

1. Find the director on the Companies House register and open their appointments list.
2. Check the disqualified directors register.
3. Check the Individual Insolvency Register (and the Scottish or Northern Ireland equivalent if relevant).
4. Search The Gazette for insolvency notices linked to their companies.
5. Look at the history of their other companies: dissolved, struck off, overdue, loss-making.
6. Check who owns the company through the PSC register.

Key facts:

• The Companies House register is free to search without registering, and covers current and resigned officers and companies dissolved since January 2010, which are kept for 20 years from dissolution (GOV.UK, Searching the Companies House register).
• A director can be disqualified for up to 15 years, and breaking a ban can lead to up to 2 years in prison (GOV.UK, Company director disqualification; Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, s.13).

Step 1: Find the director on Companies House

Start with the officer search on the Companies House service "Find and update company information", the free source that lists every company a person is or was an officer of. Type the name, choose "Officers" in the results, and open the matching person.

Each officer page shows the total number of appointments and, for each, the company name and number, role, appointment and resignation dates, and the company's status. Confirm you have the right person with:

• Month and year of birth. For directors appointed after 10 October 2015, only the month and year are public (GOV.UK, Your personal information on the Companies House register).
• Service address. A correspondence address, often the registered office or an accountant, not necessarily the director's home.
• Nationality and country of residence.

One person can appear as two or more officer records if their name or address was entered differently on different appointments. Search with and without middle names, and compare the month and year of birth before treating results as the same person.

Step 2: Read the appointments list

The appointments list answers the question "what other companies is this director involved in?", and the pattern matters more than the count. Open each company, current and past, and note its status.

A reassuring list is a handful of companies, mostly Active, filing on time. What deserves a question:

• Several companies dissolved after a compulsory strike-off, which usually means filings stopped.
• More than one company in liquidation or administration within a few years.
• A string of short-lived companies in the same trade, each closing as the next opens (sometimes called "phoenixing").
• Dozens of current appointments, which can mean a professional nominee rather than the person running the business.
• Resignation shortly before a company entered insolvency.

One failed company is not a red flag on its own; a repeated pattern is. Our Companies House red flags guide covers the company-level signs in more detail.

Step 3: Check the disqualified directors register

The disqualified directors register, kept by Companies House, is the definitive free list of people currently banned from acting as a director in the UK. Search it by name from GOV.UK ("Search for disqualified company directors").

The record shows the person's name, why they were disqualified, when the disqualification began, how many disqualifications they have had, whether a court has given them permission to act for particular companies, and other details such as address and date of birth where available. It includes disqualifications by the courts, the Insolvency Service, the Competition and Markets Authority, and sanctions-based disqualifications from the FCDO and HM Treasury (OFSI) (GOV.UK).

Records are removed when the disqualification ends, so a clean search does not mean the person was never banned. The Insolvency Service also publishes short summaries of recent cases, including the unfit conduct, for a limited period (GOV.UK, Unfit conduct: our disqualification and restrictions search facilities).

A disqualified person who manages a company commits a criminal offence (Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, s.13), and under s.15 becomes personally liable for company debts incurred while acting, jointly with anyone who knowingly acts on their instructions.

Step 4: Check bankruptcy and insolvency registers

An undischarged bankrupt cannot act as a director, or take part in forming or managing a company, without the court's permission (Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, s.11). The same applies to people subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order or undertaking, or a debt relief restrictions order.

Search the Individual Insolvency Register, run by the Insolvency Service, from GOV.UK ("Search the bankruptcy and insolvency register"). It covers England and Wales and lists bankruptcies, debt relief orders, individual voluntary arrangements, and bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions orders and undertakings. Scotland and Northern Ireland keep separate registers, linked from the same GOV.UK page.

Records are usually removed within 3 months of a case ending (GOV.UK), so this check tells you about the present, not the past.

Step 5: Search The Gazette

The Gazette is the UK's official public record, and it publishes corporate insolvency notices such as winding-up petitions, the appointment of liquidators and administrators, and strike-off notices. Search it by the names and numbers of the director's companies, not just the person's name. A winding-up petition against a company the director still runs is a strong warning, even while the company is listed as Active.

Step 6: Check ownership through the PSC register

Directors run a company; people with significant control own or control it, and they are not always the same people. The PSC tab on Companies House lists anyone who holds more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of the directors, or otherwise has significant influence or control (GOV.UK, People with significant control).

If the director you deal with owns nothing and the PSC is a company abroad or a stranger, ask who makes the decisions. See PSC.

Identity verification: what it means for your check

Since 18 November 2025, new directors have had to verify their identity with Companies House before they can incorporate a company or be appointed to one. Existing directors confirm their verification when the company files its next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period that started on 18 November 2025 (GOV.UK, Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025).

On successful verification a person receives a personal code, which they must give for each company role they hold. Acting as a director without being verified, once the duty applies, is an offence. In September 2026 the Insolvency Service announced its first convictions for identity verification offences against three directors (GOV.UK, 17 September 2026).

For your check, verification makes fake or stolen-identity directors harder to appoint, but says nothing about competence, honesty or finances. A company that cannot file its confirmation statement because a director has not verified will show an overdue statement, which is itself a signal (see confirmation statement overdue).

Step 7: Check the finances of the director's other companies

The quickest way to judge a director's track record is the accounts of the companies they have run. For each company number on the appointments list, check:

• Status: Active, Active - Proposal to Strike off, Liquidation, In Administration, Dissolved.
• Overdue accounts: a due date in the past with nothing filed. On 1 October 2026, 1.8% of active companies were overdue (overdue accounts study); a director whose companies are routinely late stands out.
• Strike-off proposals: 423,006 companies carried "Active - Proposal to Strike off" on 1 October 2026, and 58% of them were also overdue with accounts (strike-off study).
• Net assets: whether the balance sheet is positive and growing, or negative and shrinking. In our data, 18.8% of active companies with financial figures available showed negative net assets in their latest accounts (negative net assets statistics).

To do this quickly, paste each company number into our free company check or search it on our accounts page: each company page shows status, accounts due date, overdue flag and the multi-year trend in net assets, cash and creditors.

What our site shows and what it does not

We do not have a director or officer search. Our data is company-level: you cannot type a person's name on our site and get their appointments, and we do not hold dates of birth, disqualification records or bankruptcy data. Use Companies House and the GOV.UK registers above for the person; use our pages for the companies.

Our figures come from filed accounts, so large groups that file PDF-only accounts are not covered. For the company itself, see how to check a UK company; if you are buying a business, see due diligence when buying a small business.

Sources

1. Searching the Companies House register, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
2. Search for disqualified company directors, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
3. Company director disqualification, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
4. Unfit conduct: our disqualification and restrictions search facilities, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
5. Search the bankruptcy and insolvency register, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
6. Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, sections 11, 13 and 15, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 21 October 2026.
7. Your personal information on the Companies House register, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
8. People with significant control (PSCs), GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
9. Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
10. Directors warned to verify identities with Companies House following first Insolvency Service prosecutions, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.

FAQ

How do I check if someone is a disqualified director?

Search their name on the Companies House disqualified directors register, linked from the GOV.UK page "Search for disqualified company directors". It is free and shows why the person was disqualified, when the ban began, how many disqualifications they have had and whether a court allowed them to act for specific companies. Records are removed when a ban ends, so a clean result only covers current disqualifications.

How can I see what other companies a director is involved in?

Use the officer search on Companies House. Search the director's name, choose the officer whose month and year of birth match, and open their appointments list. It shows every company where they are or were an officer, with role, dates and the company's status. The same person can have more than one officer record, so try name variations too.

Can a bankrupt person be a company director?

Not without court permission. Under section 11 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, an undischarged bankrupt cannot act as a director or take part in managing a company unless the court allows it. The same applies to people under a bankruptcy restrictions order or undertaking. You can check current bankruptcies free on the Individual Insolvency Register for England and Wales.

Does Companies House verify directors' identities?

Yes, since 18 November 2025. New directors must verify their identity before they are appointed, and existing directors confirm verification when their company files its next confirmation statement, within a 12-month transition period. Verification confirms the person is real and who they say they are. It says nothing about their track record, so check their other companies and the disqualification and insolvency registers as well.

Can I search for a director on UK Company Data?

No. Our site has no officer or director search and holds no personal data such as dates of birth or disqualifications. Find the director's companies on Companies House first, then check each company number with our free company check, which shows status, overdue filings and the trend in net assets, cash and creditors from filed accounts.

Sources: Companies House register and accounts data (Open Government Licence v3.0), legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK guidance where linked. This page is general information, not legal, tax or credit advice. Spotted an error? Email info@globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk.