How to find out who owns a company in the UK

The short answer

You can find out who owns most UK companies for free on Companies House, using two records: the PSC register and the shareholder information filed with the confirmation statement. The order that works:

1. Search the company on Companies House ("Find and update company information") and open the People with significant control tab.
2. If the PSC is a company, open that company's PSC tab and repeat until you reach an individual, a listed company or a foreign entity.
3. Open the Filing history and read the shareholder list and statement of capital in the confirmation statements (form CS01), plus any share allotments.
4. If the owner is an overseas entity that holds UK property, search the Register of Overseas Entities.
5. Note what the registers cannot show: nominees, trusts and owners below 25%.

Directors and owners are often different people. If you also need to know who runs the company, see how to check a company director.

Step 1: Read the PSC register

The PSC register is the quickest answer to "who owns this company", because it names the people who control it rather than every shareholder. A person with significant control is an individual who meets one or more of these conditions (GOV.UK, People with significant control):

• holds more than 25% of the shares;
• holds more than 25% of the voting rights;
• can appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors;
• has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control;
• is a trustee of a trust, or member of a firm, that meets one of these conditions, or controls such a trust or firm.

Share and vote holdings are shown in bands: over 25% up to 50%, more than 50% and less than 75%, and 75% or more. So the register tells you that someone holds "75% or more", not the exact figure.

For each PSC the public register shows the name, month and year of birth, nationality, country of residence, a service address, the date they became a PSC and the nature of control. The home address and full date of birth are not public (GOV.UK, Your personal information on the Companies House register).

Companies must report a new PSC, or a change, within 14 days of confirming it, and the register "can never be blank" (GOV.UK, PSC summary guidance). If nobody qualifies or the company cannot identify them, you see a statement instead of a name. A statement that there is no registrable person is normal for a widely held company, but unusual for a small private one.

See PSC for the definitions in full.

Step 2: Follow corporate PSCs up the chain

When the PSC is a company, the register gives its name and number, and you follow the chain yourself. A company records a parent as a PSC (a "registrable relevant legal entity") only if it is the first relevant legal entity in its ownership chain. A legal entity is relevant if it would meet a PSC condition and either keeps its own PSC register at Companies House or has voting shares traded on a regulated market in the UK, the EEA or specified markets in Switzerland, the USA, Japan and Israel (GOV.UK, Register of People with Significant Control guidance, para 2.2).

So each record shows only one step up. A real example from the register on 21 October 2026:

The chain ends at TESCO PLC, which is exempt from the PSC regime because its shares trade on a UK regulated market. For listed companies, look at the annual report and market announcements for major shareholders.

Holding structures are common. On the 1 October 2026 register, 119,904 live companies listed 64209 "Activities of other holding companies n.e.c." as their first SIC code (most common SIC codes), so expect to click through at least one parent for many trading businesses.

An unlisted foreign parent is not a relevant legal entity, so the UK company should look through it to the individuals behind it. A foreign corporate PSC on a small private company is worth a question.

Step 3: Check the shareholder list in the confirmation statement

The confirmation statement (form CS01) is where you see actual shareholders by name and number of shares, including people below the 25% PSC threshold. Every company files one at least once every 12 months (GOV.UK, Confirmation statement guidance).

What a private (non-traded) company must deliver under section 853F of the Companies Act 2006:

• the name of every person who was a member at any time during the confirmation period;
• the number of shares of each class each member held at the confirmation date;
• shares transferred during the period, by or to each member, with the dates the transfers were registered.

The catch is section 853F(4): the company only needs to send this again if it has changed. A company whose shareholders have not changed for years may file a CS01 with no shareholder list at all. To build the full picture, work back through the filing history to the last CS01 that included one, the annual returns (form AR01) before the confirmation statement replaced them in June 2016, and the incorporation documents, which name the subscribers.

Two more filings help:

• Statement of capital. Shows each share class, the number of shares and their rights. A minority by number can hold most of the votes.
• Return of allotment (SH01). Filed when new shares are issued, and shows the capital after the allotment.

Shareholder addresses are not included for private companies, and the names are as they appear in the register of members, sometimes initials only.

What ECCTA changes, and what has not started yet

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) will require companies to give Companies House the full names of all shareholders and a one-off full shareholder list with their next confirmation statement. Traded companies will report only holders of 5% or more, and DTR5 issuers are excluded. As of October 2026 Companies House says it will announce when this starts, so it is not yet in effect (Changes to UK company law: confirmation statement changes).

Already in force: since 26 January 2026 companies can no longer use the central register election to keep their register of members only at Companies House, and PSCs must verify their identity and provide a Companies House personal code.

Step 4: Inspect the register of members

The company's own register of members is the legal record of who holds the shares, and anyone may ask to inspect it. Under section 116 of the Companies Act 2006, members inspect free and anyone else pays a prescribed fee. The request must give your name and address, the purpose and whether the information will be passed on. The company has five working days to comply or apply to court, and the court will stop the request if it is not for a proper purpose (section 117).

It is slower, but gives current holdings when the CS01 history is patchy.

Step 5: Overseas owners and the Register of Overseas Entities

If a foreign entity owns UK land or property, its beneficial owners should appear on the Register of Overseas Entities, kept by Companies House since 1 August 2022. Overseas entities that buy, sell or transfer UK land must register their beneficial owners or managing officers, using the same 25% and control tests (GOV.UK, Register an overseas entity and its beneficial owners).

Home addresses, full dates of birth and trust information are not public, though trust details may be shared with HMRC. Entities must file an update statement every year.

It covers property-owning entities only. For a foreign parent with no UK land, use the PSC tab and the parent's home-country registry.

What the registers will not tell you

The public record has known gaps:

• Nominees. A nominee must not be registered as a PSC; the company must look through to the person they act for (PSC guidance, para 5.4). The shareholder list, though, shows the legal holder, which may be a nominee company.
• Trusts. Trustees, or individuals who control the trust, are registered as PSCs. Beneficiaries are generally not named, and trust details on the overseas entities register are not public.
• Holdings of 25% or less. Four unrelated holders of 25% each produce no individual PSCs, only a statement.
• Protected PSCs. People at serious risk of violence or intimidation can apply to have their PSC details withheld from the public register.
• Accuracy. Companies House records what companies file; if something looks wrong, check the register of members.

Ownership and finances: what our site adds

Our data does not include PSCs or shareholder lists, so use Companies House for ownership. Once you have the company numbers in the chain, check each one on our accounts page for status, filing deadlines and the multi-year trend in net assets, cash and creditors from filed accounts. If you are buying the company, combine both in due diligence when buying a small business.

Sources

1. People with significant control (PSCs), GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
2. Summary guidance for companies: register of people with significant control, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
3. Register of people with significant control: guidance for companies (PDF), GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
4. Your personal information on the Companies House register, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
5. Confirmation statement guidance, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
6. Confirmation statement changes, Changes to UK company law (GOV.UK campaign), accessed 21 October 2026.
7. Companies Act 2006, section 853F and sections 116 and 117, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 21 October 2026.
8. Register an overseas entity and its beneficial owners, GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.

FAQ

Can I find out who owns a UK limited company for free?

Yes. Companies House is free to search. Open the company's People with significant control tab to see anyone with more than 25% of the shares or votes or other control, then read the shareholder lists in its confirmation statements under Filing history. You can trace a whole ownership chain this way without paying.

Why does a company show no people with significant control?

Usually because nobody holds more than 25% or otherwise controls it, or because the company is listed on a regulated market and exempt, as TESCO PLC is. The register should then show a statement or exemption instead of a name. A small private company with no PSC and no explanation deserves a direct question.

Are shareholders' names public in the UK?

For private companies, yes: the confirmation statement includes the names of members and their shareholdings, but only when the list changes, so you may need older filings. Addresses are not included. Under ECCTA, companies will have to file full names and a one-off full list, but Companies House has not yet announced when that starts.

How do I find the owner behind a parent company?

Open the corporate PSC's own Companies House record, read its PSC tab, and repeat. Each company records only the first parent in its chain, so you click through one level at a time until you reach an individual, a listed company or a foreign entity. For a foreign parent, check its home registry, and if it owns UK property, the Register of Overseas Entities.

Does UK Company Data show shareholders or PSCs?

No. Our data is company-level: register status, filing dates and figures from filed accounts, with no PSCs, shareholder lists or personal details. Use Companies House to identify the owners and the company numbers in the chain, then check each company's finances on our accounts page.

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.