Is the UK register of members public?

Yes. Under CA 2006 s. 116, any person may apply to inspect the register of members on payment of a fee. Since 2016, the company may apply to court for an order excusing compliance where the request lacks proper purpose, but the default is broad public access. This is among the most transparent share-ownership regimes of any major jurisdiction.

What is a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL)?

A SAIL is a single alternative location, notified to Companies House, where a UK company may keep some or all of its statutory records (register of members, register of directors, etc.) for inspection purposes. The SAIL must be in the same part of the UK as the registered office. Many UK companies use the SAIL option to keep records at their corporate counsel's or accountant's office rather than the registered office.

How often must I file the UK confirmation statement?

At least once every 12 months. The 'review period' starts the day after the previous confirmation statement (or the date of incorporation for the first one) and runs for up to 12 months. The statement is due within 14 days of the end of the review period. £13 online, £40 paper. The confirmation statement replaced the older annual return in 2016 under s. 853A.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom · United Kingdom

United Kingdom corporate records guide

UK private companies limited by shares operate under the Companies Act 2006, the most comprehensive corporate statute among the jurisdictions we cover. Companies House holds most filings publicly; the register of members and PSC register make UK ownership unusually transparent.

Quick facts

Companies Act 2006

Registry	Companies House
Registered office	Must be in UK (England/Wales, Scotland, or NI)
Director residency	None (one director must be a natural person)
PSC register	Public via Companies House since 2016
Confirmation statement	Within 14 days of review period end, £13 online

Topic guides for United Kingdom

Four jurisdiction-specific guides covering the records you must keep and the filings you must make under CA 2006:

Minute book

Multiple statutory registers under CA 2006, register of members, directors, PSC. Kept at registered office or SAIL.

View UK statutory company records

Share certificate

Share certificates under CA 2006 s. 768; must be delivered within 2 months of allotment (s. 769).

View UK share certificate

Annual return

Confirmation statement under CA 2006 s. 853A, replaced the annual return in 2016. £13 online.

View UK confirmation statement

Share register

View UK register of members

Directors’ resolutions

Directors' written resolutions under model articles for private companies; conflict duty under CA 2006 s. 175.

View resolutions guide

Annual meeting

AGM required for public companies under CA 2006 s. 336; not required for private companies (written resolutions under ss. 281-300).

View annual meeting guide

UK transparency

UK private limited companies are among the most transparent of the jurisdictions we cover. Three features stand out:

PSC register (publicly searchable): Since 2016, every UK company maintains a register of People with Significant Control, filed with Companies House and publicly searchable. The threshold is generally 25%+ shares, voting rights, or board control.
Public register of members: Section 116 of the Companies Act 2006 allows any person to apply to inspect the register of members. With the 2016 amendments, the company may apply to court for an order excusing compliance where the request is not for a proper purpose, but the default is broad public access.
Annual accounts on the public record: Most UK private companies file annual accounts with Companies House. Small companies file abbreviated accounts, but profitability and balance-sheet basics become public.

Multiple statutory registers

UK companies maintain several distinct statutory registers:

Register of members (s. 113), the UK term for the share register
Register of directors (s. 162) and register of directors' residential addresses (s. 165, with residential addresses protected from public disclosure)
Register of secretaries (s. 275) where applicable
PSC register (Part 21A), people with significant control
Register of charges (s. 891), mortgages and charges granted by the company
Board minutes and resolutions (internal, no statutory register but maintained as part of company records)

All registers must be kept at the registered office or a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL) notified to Companies House. The SAIL is unique to UK practice, a way to keep records at the corporate services provider's office rather than the registered office.

In Octelligence

UK companies, Companies Act 2006-aligned.

Octelligence's UK structure handles all the CA 2006 statutory registers (members, directors, PSC, charges), the two-month s. 769 share certificate delivery obligation, the confirmation statement cycle, and the SAIL option for keeping records at a separate location.

See Digital Corporate Records

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