What is a UK company number?
A UK company number is the Companies House registration number for a company or other registered body. It is the stable identifier used to look up the record, filings, status, registered office, and company profile. UK company numbers are commonly eight characters, including jurisdiction prefixes for some entity types.
Full name: Companies House Company Registration Number
Short explanation
A UK company number, often called a company registration number, is assigned by Companies House and used to retrieve a company profile in the public register. It stays with the registered body even when names or addresses change. In data work, the company number is the source key for Companies House records, while names, registered offices, status, and filings are attributes that can change over time.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- Companies House lookup: the company number is the direct key for public company profiles, filings, registered office details, and status.
- Bulk company data: Companies House's free company data product uses CompanyNumber as the stable record identifier.
- Fonteum uses company number as the UK register key and stores changing names, statuses, offices, and filings as dated source facts.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do you look up a UK company number?
- Use the Companies House register to look up a company by name, number, or officer name.
- Does a UK company number change when the company changes name?
- No. The company number is the stable Companies House identifier for the registered body.
- Is a UK company number the same as a VAT number?
- No. The company number identifies the Companies House record. VAT numbers are separate tax identifiers.
Related terms
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