# Companies House Scraper – UK Company Search API (`fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper`) Actor

Companies House scraper for UK company search via official API: status, SIC, incorporation date, registered address. Free API key. No officer DOB. MCP-ready.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Pablo Navarro](https://apify.com/fluyeporlaweb) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Developer tools, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 companies

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/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

## Companies House Scraper – UK Company Search API

**Companies House scraper** for **UK company search** via the official API: **name, number, status, SIC codes, incorporation date and registered office address**. Uses your free Companies House API key for live search, or the public **Free Company Data Product** bulk dump when no key is set. No officer dates of birth or residential addresses.

### What does it do?

- Search by company name or exact company number.
- Status, type and incorporation date.
- Up to four SIC codes.
- Registered office address (public register address only).
- Link to the official Companies House company page.
- Officers / PSC personal details are **not** included (no full DOB, no home addresses).

### Use cases

- **KYB / compliance**: verify a UK company number and status before onboarding.
- **Lead gen (B2B)**: enrich UK company lists with SIC and registered office.
- **Research**: track new or active companies matching a name via Companies House search.
- **AI agents**: look up a company via Apify MCP with your free CH key (JSON).

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `apiKey` | Free API key from the Companies House Developer Hub (Basic auth username). Leave empty to use the monthly Free Company Data Product bulk dump instead. |
| `query` | Search by company name (API) or substring match on bulk dump. Example: Tesco |
| `companyNumbers` | Exact UK company numbers (8 chars, zero-padded). Example: 00445790 |
| `companyStatus` | Optional status filter. Example: active |
| `maxItems` | Max companies to return. Example: 50 |

Example input:

```json
{
  "companyNumbers": [
    "16092999",
    "00445790"
  ],
  "maxItems": 5
}
```

### Output

Real output (sample from a prior run on 27 Oct 2026, Europe/Madrid):

```json
[
  {
    "companyNumber": "16092999",
    "companyName": "!ABRIDGE TAX LTD",
    "companyStatus": "active",
    "companyType": "Private Limited Company",
    "dateOfCreation": "2024-11-21",
    "sicCodes": [
      "62020 - Information technology consultancy activities"
    ],
    "registeredOfficeAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "82 GREAT NORTH ROAD",
      "addressLine2": "GREAT NORTH BUSINESS CENTRE",
      "locality": "HATFIELD",
      "postalCode": "AL9 5BL",
      "country": "UNITED KINGDOM"
    },
    "addressSnippet": "82 GREAT NORTH ROAD, GREAT NORTH BUSINESS CENTRE, HATFIELD, AL9 5BL, UNITED KINGDOM",
    "url": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16092999",
    "source": "Companies House Free Company Data Product",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/)."
  }
]
```

Export as JSON, CSV or Excel, read through the API, or send to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n or webhooks. You can also run this Actor from AI agents through the Apify MCP server.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$3.00 per 1,000 companies plus $0.00005 per run start.** There is no extra platform usage charge beyond Apify’s normal platform fees if any apply to your plan.

### FAQ

**Do I need an API key?** Recommended for live search. Create a free key at the Companies House Developer Hub. Without a key the Actor falls back to the monthly Free Company Data Product (bulk CSV), which is slower and not real-time.

**Is commercial use allowed?** Yes. Companies House publishes register data under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (acknowledge the source).

**Personal data?** This Actor returns company-level public register fields only. It does **not** return officer/PSC dates of birth or residential (home) addresses.

**Rate limits (API mode)?** Companies House allows about 600 requests per 5 minutes per API key. The Actor paces requests and backs off on HTTP 429.

**Can AI agents use it?** Yes. Call it through the Apify API, or from Claude, Cursor or any MCP client via the Apify MCP server.

### Data source and license

Source: [Companies House REST API](https://developer.company-information.service.gov.uk/) and/or the [Free Company Data Product](https://download.companieshouse.gov.uk/en_output.html). Register data is available under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) — copy, publish, distribute, adapt and exploit commercially with attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0." Not affiliated with Companies House or the UK Government.

This Actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by the data source. You are responsible for using the data in line with the source's license and terms.

# Actor input Schema

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

Free API key from the Companies House Developer Hub (Basic auth username). Leave empty to use the monthly Free Company Data Product bulk dump instead. Example: your-ch-api-key

## `query` (type: `string`):

Search by company name (API) or substring match on bulk dump. Example: Tesco

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

Exact UK company numbers (8 chars, zero-padded). Example: 00445790

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

Optional status filter. Example: active

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

Example: 50

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "companyStatus": "",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper").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 '{}' |
apify call fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fluyeporlaweb/companies-house-uk-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/atY4oREfBTaxgoIGa/builds/YBEacc5J9vAW6zv65/openapi.json