Register a Company Name - Companies House, Company Formations FAQs

For more information about any aspect of company names including those requiring the approval of the Secretary of State, you should:

• visit our website at www.companieshouse.gov.uk;
• contact us by telephone on 0303 123 4500; or
• write to Companies House at the following offices.

You can also get advice about the use of particular words and expressions from the relevant bodies whose names and addresses are listed in the Appendices A-C.

The safest and most secure way to send statutory information to Companies House is to use our online filing services. For more information and registration details please visit our website www.companieshouse.gov.uk

You may deliver documents to the Registrar by hand (personally or by courier), including outside office hours, bank holidays and weekends to our offices in Cardiff, London and Edinburgh.

You may also send documents by post, bythe Document Exchange service (DX), or by Legal Post (LP) in Scotland. If you send documents, please address them to:

Companies House will only acknowledge receipt of documents if you provide a stamped addressed envelope. If you are sending documents by post, courier or Document Exchange Service (DX) and would like a receipt, Companies House will provide an acknowledgement if you enclose a copy of your covering letter with a pre-paid addressed return envelope. We will barcode your copy letter with the date of receipt and return it to you in the envelope provided.

Please note: an acknowledgement of receipt does not mean that a document has been accepted for registration at Companies House.

Please note: Companies House does not accept accounts or any other statutory documents by fax.

Generally documents sent to the Registrar must be filed in English. However, documents relating to Welsh companies may be drawn up and delivered in Welsh.

The following documents can be delivered in other languages if they are accompanied by a certified translation into English:

• Resolutions and agreements affecting a company's constitution;
• Contracts allotting shares for a consideration other than cash;
• For companies included in accounts of larger EEA or non-EEA groups, the group accounts and parent undertaking annual report; and
• Charge instruments (or copy charge instruments).

Companies may also file voluntary certified translations of any document subject to the Directive disclosure requirements. This includes:

• Constitutional documents such as the memorandum and articles of association;
• Directors appointments, changes in particulars or resignations;
• Accounts, reports and annual returns;
• Notification of any change in a company's registered office;
• Winding up documents;
• Share capital documents (public companies only);
• Documents relating to mergers and divisions (public companies only); and
• Documents relating to overseas companies

The voluntary translation must relate to a document delivered to the registrar on or after 1 January 2007. Voluntary translations can only be filed in an official language of the European Union and must be accompanied by Form 1106.

Statutory forms and guidance are available, free of charge from Companies House. The quickest way to get them is through this website or by telephoning 0303 123 4500.

Forms can also be obtained from company law stationers, accountants, solicitors and company formation agents - addresses can be found in business directories.