# UK Companies House Scraper — Official API, Officers & SIC (`bovi/companies-house-uk`) Actor Search UK companies by name or number via the official Companies House API. Returns company number, name, status, type, incorporation and cessation dates, and full registered address. Optional officers/directors enrichment. No proxy. Free API key required. Pay per result. - **URL**: https://apify.com/bovi/companies-house-uk.md - **Developed by:** [Vitalii Bondarev](https://apify.com/bovi) (community) - **Categories:** Business, Lead generation, MCP servers - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $4.90 / 1,000 company records This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## UK Companies House Scraper — Official API Used by KYC analysts, M&A associates, and B2B sales teams who need live UK company status, directors, and SIC codes without managing a Companies House integration. Search and extract UK company data from the official **Companies House** API. Returns company number, name, status, type, incorporation date, registered address, SIC codes, and optionally officers (directors). Pay per result. **$5.00/1K records** (Pay Per Event). Officers add-on +$2.00/1K. First 10 results free. No proxy needed. No scraping ban risk. Government data source — authoritative, directly from the Companies House API. ### Getting your free API key 1. Go to https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk/get-started 2. Sign in or create a free account 3. Create an application — choose "Live" environment 4. Copy the **API key** (also called "key") 5. Paste it into the `apiKey` input field The key is free and gives you 600 requests per 5 minutes (enough for thousands of companies per run). ### What you get | Field | Description | |---|---| | `company_number` | Companies House company number (e.g. `00445790`) | | `name` | Full company name | | `status` | `active`, `dissolved`, `liquidation`, etc. | | `company_type` | `ltd`, `plc`, `llp`, `unregistered-company`, etc. | | `incorporation_date` | Date of formation (YYYY-MM-DD) | | `cessation_date` | Dissolution date if applicable | | `address_line_1` | Registered office address | | `address_line_2` | Second address line | | `locality` | City / town | | `region` | County / region | | `postal_code` | Postal code | | `country` | Country (`England`, `Scotland`, `Wales`, `Northern Ireland`) | | `address_snippet` | Formatted address fallback | | `sic_codes` | List of SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes | | `jurisdiction` | `england-wales`, `scotland`, `northern-ireland`, etc. | | `officers` | List of directors/secretaries (when `fetchOfficers=true`) | | `officers_count` | Total officer count | | `profile_url` | Direct link to company on Companies House website | | `query` | Which search query or company number produced this record | | `parse_confidence` | Data quality score 0–1 | | `warnings` | Machine-readable quality flags | ### Modes **Search by name** — provide `searchQueries` (e.g. `["Rolls Royce", "BP plc"]`). Paginates automatically up to `maxResultsPerQuery`. **Direct lookup by number** — provide `companyNumbers` (e.g. `["00445790", "00102498"]`). Fetches the full company profile for each number. More precise — returns one record per number. **Both modes** — combine `searchQueries` and `companyNumbers` in the same run. Results are deduplicated by company number. ### Officers Set `fetchOfficers: true` to include the list of current and past directors and secretaries. This makes one additional API call per company — will use more of your rate limit quota on large runs. ### Use cases - **KYC / due diligence** — verify UK counterparty legal status, registration, and directors - **B2B lead generation** — find companies by SIC code or name - **Compliance screening** — identify dissolved or liquidated entities - **Beneficial ownership** — extract officer lists for corporate structure mapping - **Market research** — map UK company types, sectors, incorporation trends ### Data source **Companies House** — official UK government company registry, maintained by the Department for Business and Trade. Data is authoritative and updated in near-real-time from company filings. ### Pricing **Pay-per-result (PPE):** | Event | Rate | Trigger | |---|---|---| | `company-record` (base) | **$5.00/1K** | Every company record returned | | `officers-fetch` (add-on) | **$2.00/1K** | Records with officers when `fetchOfficers: true` | Officers premium fires only when officer data is actually returned. No monthly subscription. **Worked examples:** | Run | Records | Officers? | Cost | |---|---|---|---| | 100 company search results | 100 | No | **$0.50** | | 1,000 company search results | 1,000 | No | **$5.00** | | 500 companies with officers | 500 | Yes | **$3.50** ($2.50 base + $1.00 officers) | ### FAQ **Do I need a proxy or API key?** You need a free **Companies House API key** (5 minutes to get at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk). No proxy needed — the official API works from any IP. **What output formats are available?** JSON, CSV, and Excel — all via the Apify dataset. Download directly or pipe into n8n / Make / Zapier. **Can I schedule this to run daily?** Yes. Set up a scheduled run in the Apify console to monitor new incorporations, officer changes, or status updates for a watched list of companies. **What if a search returns empty results?** Empty queries return zero records and are not charged. Check that your search term matches a known UK company name or use a direct `companyNumbers` lookup for precision. ### Notes - A free Companies House API key is required — get one at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk (5 minutes) - Rate limit: 600 requests / 5 minutes per key (generous for typical use cases) - Officers (`fetchOfficers=true`) doubles API calls — budget accordingly - `parse_confidence` is always 1.0 for records with a valid company number and name; it deducts for truly malformed responses - Live validation requires a CH API key — set `COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY` in the environment and run `scripts/probe.py` to verify ### vs. Competitors | Feature | This Actor | opencorporates-scraper (Store) | SerpApi / web scrapers | |---|---|---|---| | Data source | Official CH REST API | HTML scraping CH | HTML / SERP | | Proxy needed | No | Yes ($$$) | Yes ($$$) | | Officer list | Yes (`fetchOfficers` toggle) | Partial | No | | parse_confidence | Yes (1.0 for valid number) | No | No | | Real-time data | Near-real-time (gov filings) | Stale / cached | Stale | | Cost | **$5/1K** | ~$3-5/1K + proxy | $3-8/1K + proxy COGS | ### Use with AI agents (MCP) An agent calls this tool to **look up UK company registration status, address, SIC codes, and officers mid-conversation** — e.g. "is Barclays PLC still active?", "who are the directors of company 00445790?", or "find all active FinTech companies named 'Monzo'". Point your MCP client at this tool: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=bovi/companies-house-uk", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ```` Minimal agent input (name search): ```json { "apiKey": "", "searchQueries": ["Barclays"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 5, "activeOnly": true } ``` Direct lookup by company number (most precise): ```json { "apiKey": "", "companyNumbers": ["00445790", "00102498"] } ``` Example output row an agent can reason over directly: ```json { "company_number": "01026167", "name": "BARCLAYS BANK PLC", "status": "active", "company_type": "plc", "incorporation_date": "1971-10-13", "locality": "London", "postal_code": "E14 5HP", "country": "England", "sic_codes": ["64190"], "officers_count": null, "profile_url": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01026167", "parse_confidence": 1.0, "warnings": [] } ``` Reliability for agents: data comes from the **official UK government Companies House API** (not HTML scraping), so results don't break on website redesigns. Every record includes a stable `company_number` for de-duplication and joining across runs. Data quality is tracked via `parse_confidence` (1.0 = fully clean record; deducts for missing critical fields) and machine-readable `warnings`. A free Companies House API key is required — obtain one in ~5 minutes at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk. ### Integrations Built for KYC analysts, M\&A associates, and B2B sales teams enriching UK company status, directors, and SIC codes — the JSON/dataset output drops into the tools you already run, no glue code: - **n8n / Make / Zapier** — trigger a run or pipe every new dataset item into 500+ apps (Google Sheets, Airtable, Slack, HubSpot, your database) with no code: [n8n](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/n8n), [Make](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/zapier). - **Webhooks** — fire your own endpoint the moment a run finishes, to push results straight into your pipeline ([docs](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/webhooks)). - **MCP server** — expose this actor as a tool to Claude, Cursor, or any [MCP client](https://mcp.apify.com) so an AI agent can pull this data mid-conversation ([guide](https://blog.apify.com/how-to-use-mcp/)). - **API & SDKs** — fetch the dataset as JSON, CSV, or Excel through the Apify REST API or the Python / JS SDKs. See all [Apify integrations](https://apify.com/integrations). # Actor input Schema ## `apiKey` (type: `string`): Your free Companies House API key. Obtain one at https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk/get-started — sign in, create a 'Live' application, copy the key. Used as HTTP Basic Auth username (password is blank). Rate limit: 600 requests per 5 minutes — sufficient for thousands of companies per run. ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): One or more company name search terms. Each is searched separately; results are ranked by relevance and deduplicated by company number. Example: \["Rolls Royce", "Barclays", "Monzo"]. Use this OR companyNumbers — or both together. ## `companyNumbers` (type: `array`): Companies House registration numbers for precise direct lookup. 8-character strings, zero-padded (e.g. '00445790' for BP plc, '01026167' for Barclays Bank). Returns one full profile per number. More precise than name search — use when you already have the company number. ## `maxResultsPerQuery` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of company records to return for each name search query. The API paginates at 100 per page; set 0 for no limit. Keep this low (10–50) when searching common names to avoid returning hundreds of irrelevant companies. ## `fetchOfficers` (type: `boolean`): When true, fetches the list of current and past officers (directors, secretaries, persons with significant control) for each company. Makes one additional API call per company — increases run time and API quota usage proportionally. Set false (default) when you only need company identity and status. ## `activeOnly` (type: `boolean`): When true, only companies with status 'active' are included in the output. Dissolved, liquidated, or struck-off companies are silently dropped. Useful for KYC/compliance checks where you only care about live entities. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [ "Rolls Royce", "Barclays" ], "companyNumbers": [ "00445790", "01026167" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20, "fetchOfficers": false, "activeOnly": false } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): Dataset containing Companies House Uk records (company\_number, name, status, company\_type, incorporation\_date, locality, postal\_code, country, sic\_codes, officers\_count, profile\_url, parse\_confidence). # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQueries": [ "Rolls Royce", "Barclays" ], "companyNumbers": [ "00445790", "01026167" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("bovi/companies-house-uk").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchQueries": [ "Rolls Royce", "Barclays", ], "companyNumbers": [ "00445790", "01026167", ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("bovi/companies-house-uk").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchQueries": [ "Rolls Royce", "Barclays" ], "companyNumbers": [ "00445790", "01026167" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20 }' | apify call bovi/companies-house-uk --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=bovi/companies-house-uk", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "UK Companies House Scraper — Official API, Officers & SIC", "description": "Search UK companies by name or number via the official Companies House API. Returns company number, name, status, type, incorporation and cessation dates, and full registered address. Optional officers/directors enrichment. No proxy. Free API key required. Pay per result.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "hQj5X5PCpofe1WqsV" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/bovi~companies-house-uk/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-bovi-companies-house-uk", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/bovi~companies-house-uk/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-bovi-companies-house-uk", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/bovi~companies-house-uk/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-bovi-companies-house-uk", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "apiKey" ], "properties": { "apiKey": { "title": "Companies House API key", "type": "string", "description": "Your free Companies House API key. Obtain one at https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk/get-started — sign in, create a 'Live' application, copy the key. Used as HTTP Basic Auth username (password is blank). Rate limit: 600 requests per 5 minutes — sufficient for thousands of companies per run." }, "searchQueries": { "title": "Search queries (company names)", "type": "array", "description": "One or more company name search terms. Each is searched separately; results are ranked by relevance and deduplicated by company number. Example: [\"Rolls Royce\", \"Barclays\", \"Monzo\"]. Use this OR companyNumbers — or both together.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "companyNumbers": { "title": "Company numbers (direct lookup)", "type": "array", "description": "Companies House registration numbers for precise direct lookup. 8-character strings, zero-padded (e.g. '00445790' for BP plc, '01026167' for Barclays Bank). Returns one full profile per number. More precise than name search — use when you already have the company number.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxResultsPerQuery": { "title": "Max results per search query", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of company records to return for each name search query. The API paginates at 100 per page; set 0 for no limit. Keep this low (10–50) when searching common names to avoid returning hundreds of irrelevant companies.", "default": 20 }, "fetchOfficers": { "title": "Fetch officers (directors)", "type": "boolean", "description": "When true, fetches the list of current and past officers (directors, secretaries, persons with significant control) for each company. Makes one additional API call per company — increases run time and API quota usage proportionally. Set false (default) when you only need company identity and status.", "default": false }, "activeOnly": { "title": "Active companies only", "type": "boolean", "description": "When true, only companies with status 'active' are included in the output. Dissolved, liquidated, or struck-off companies are silently dropped. Useful for KYC/compliance checks where you only care about live entities.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```