# UK Companies House Profile & Filing Status Scraper (`dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status`) Actor

Search UK companies by name or look up specific registration numbers on Companies House: registered address, SIC codes, incorporation date, accounts and confirmation statement due dates, and insolvency/charge flags.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status.md
- **Developed by:** [Dataspryva](https://apify.com/dataspryva) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Lead generation, Developer tools
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.49 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## UK Companies House Profile & Filing Status Scraper

Companies House is the UK government's official registrar of companies. This actor searches it by company name or looks up specific registration numbers directly, returning each company's registration status, registered office address, SIC industry codes, incorporation date, and its accounts and confirmation-statement filing schedule.

### What this actor does

- Searches companies by name or free-text keywords, with optional type and status filters
- Looks up full profiles for specific company registration numbers in one run
- Returns registered office address, SIC industry codes, and jurisdiction
- Returns the accounts and confirmation-statement due/last-filed dates, plus charge and insolvency-history flags
- Only fields Companies House actually has on file for a company are included — nothing is sent as a placeholder

### Authentication

This actor requires a free Companies House API key, passed as the `apiKey` input. Register at [developer.company-information.service.gov.uk](https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk) — registration takes a few minutes. Without a key, the run completes with an empty dataset and a status message explaining how to get one, instead of failing.

### Output per company

- `companyNumber` — unique UK company registration number
- `companyName` — registered company name
- `companyType` — legal type, e.g. `ltd`, `plc`, `llp`
- `companyStatus` — current status, e.g. `active`, `dissolved`, `liquidation`
- `dateOfCreation` — incorporation date
- `dateOfCessation` — date the company ceased, when dissolved
- `registeredOfficeAddress` — address lines, locality, region, postal code, and country
- `sicCodes[]` — Standard Industrial Classification codes for the company's business activity
- `accounts` — `{nextDue, lastMadeUpTo, ...}` accounts filing dates
- `confirmationStatement` — `{nextDue, lastMadeUpTo}` confirmation statement dates
- `jurisdiction` — legal jurisdiction, e.g. `england-wales`, `scotland`
- `hasCharges` — whether the company has registered charges
- `hasInsolvencyHistory` — whether the company has insolvency history on file
- `sourceUrl` — direct link to the company's public profile
- `recordType: "company"`, `scrapedAt`

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | string | `searchCompanies` | `searchCompanies` or `getCompanyDetail` |
| `apiKey` | string | – | Free Companies House API key (required — see Authentication) |
| `searchQuery` | string | – | Company name or keywords (mode=searchCompanies) |
| `companyNumbers` | array | – | UK registration numbers to fetch (mode=getCompanyDetail) |
| `companyType` | string | – (all types) | `ltd` / `plc` / `llp` / `partnership` / `sole-trader` |
| `companyStatus` | string | – (all statuses) | `active` / `dissolved` / `liquidation` / `administration` |
| `maxItems` | integer | `10` | Maximum number of company records to return (1–500) |

#### Example: active technology companies

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCompanies",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
  "searchQuery": "technology",
  "companyType": "ltd",
  "companyStatus": "active",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

#### Example: look up specific registration numbers

```json
{
  "mode": "getCompanyDetail",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
  "companyNumbers": ["01234567", "09876543"]
}
```

#### Example: companies in liquidation matching a keyword

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCompanies",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
  "searchQuery": "retail",
  "companyStatus": "liquidation",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

### Use cases

- **Due diligence** — verify a company's registration status, address and filing history before doing business with it
- **Credit and risk screening** — flag companies in liquidation, administration, or with insolvency history
- **Lead list building** — pull active companies in a sector by searching a keyword with type and status filters
- **Compliance monitoring** — track upcoming accounts and confirmation-statement deadlines for a portfolio of companies
- **Market research** — profile the registered companies within an industry by SIC code

### FAQ

**Is an API key really required?**
Yes — Companies House requires an API key on every request. It's free, and registration only takes a few minutes at the link above.

**What happens if I don't provide an API key?**
The run completes successfully with an empty dataset and a status message explaining how to get a free key, instead of crashing.

**What are SIC codes?**
Standard Industrial Classification codes — the UK government's system for classifying a company's main business activity. A company can have more than one.

**How do I look up a company by its registration number instead of searching by name?**
Switch `mode` to `getCompanyDetail` and list the registration numbers in `companyNumbers`.

**Can I filter to only active companies, or only dissolved ones?**
Yes — set `companyStatus` to `active`, `dissolved`, `liquidation`, or `administration`.

**Which company types are covered?**
The `companyType` filter covers `ltd`, `plc`, `llp`, `partnership` and `sole-trader`; Companies House itself tracks additional, less common legal forms that may appear in results when no type filter is set.

**How current is the data?**
Companies House updates its register as companies file documents, and every run queries it live, so results reflect the current public record.

**Is this affiliated with Companies House or the UK government?**
No. This is an independent, third-party actor built on Companies House's own public API; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Companies House or the UK government.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Operation mode: search companies by name or fetch full detail for specific company numbers.

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Free API key from https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk. Required for all requests. Registration is free.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Company name or keywords to search for (e.g. 'technology', 'consulting', 'Amazon').

## `companyNumbers` (type: `array`):

List of UK company registration numbers (e.g. \['01234567', '09876543']). Used in getCompanyDetail mode.

## `companyType` (type: `string`):

Filter results by company type. Leave blank for all types.

## `companyStatus` (type: `string`):

Filter results by company status. Leave blank for all statuses.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of company records to return.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCompanies",
  "searchQuery": "technology",
  "companyType": "",
  "companyStatus": "",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `companies` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped Companies House company records.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "searchCompanies",
    "searchQuery": "technology",
    "companyType": "",
    "companyStatus": "",
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "searchCompanies",
    "searchQuery": "technology",
    "companyType": "",
    "companyStatus": "",
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "searchCompanies",
  "searchQuery": "technology",
  "companyType": "",
  "companyStatus": "",
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dataspryva/uk-companies-house-profile-and-filing-status"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/isNx6AXG2H4xxNn73/builds/wgIYwYGAdFZX26q8Q/openapi.json