# Companies House Scraper (`powerbox/companies-house-scraper`) Actor

Search UK Companies House by name or number and export company profiles, officers, and filings.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/powerbox/companies-house-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [PowerBox](https://apify.com/powerbox) (community)
- **Categories:** Agents
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.99 / 1,000 results

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

Look up companies in the UK Companies House public register by **name** or **company number**. Each Dataset row is one company profile — registration number, status, type, registered office address, incorporation date, SIC / nature of business, and optionally officers and filing history.

Useful for KYC, due diligence, lead enrichment, and monitoring UK company records.

### Features

- Batch company-name search and exact company-number lookup
- Profile fields: name, number, status, type, address, incorporation date, accounts / confirmation-statement summaries, SIC codes
- Optional officers (directors / secretaries and appointment details)
- Optional filing history
- Works **without** an API key via the public register; optional official REST API key for API-mode fetches
- De-duplication by company number and a `maxCompanies` ceiling
- Optional Apify proxy support

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `companyNames` | array | — | Company names to search |
| `companyNumbers` | array | — | Exact company numbers |
| `apiKey` | string (secret) | — | Optional Companies House REST API key |
| `maxCompanies` | integer | `50` | Max unique companies |
| `maxResultsPerName` | integer | `10` | Max search hits kept per name |
| `includeOfficers` | boolean | `true` | Fetch officers |
| `includeFilingHistory` | boolean | `false` | Fetch filing history |
| `maxOfficers` | integer | `50` | Cap officers per company |
| `maxFilings` | integer | `25` | Cap filings per company |
| `requestDelayMs` | integer | `300` | Delay between requests |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | — | Optional proxy settings |

At least one company name or company number is required.

#### Example

```json
{
  "companyNames": ["ADIDAS (U.K.)"],
  "companyNumbers": ["01075951"],
  "maxCompanies": 5,
  "includeOfficers": true,
  "includeFilingHistory": false
}
```

### Output

One Dataset item per unique company, including:

- `company_name`, `company_number`, `company_status`, `company_type`
- `registered_office_address`, `incorporated_on`
- `accounts`, `confirmation_statement`, `nature_of_business`
- `url`, `search_query`, `search_type`, `source`, `data_mode`
- `officers` when requested; `filing_history` when requested

#### Example row

```json
{
  "url": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01075951",
  "company_name": "ADIDAS (U.K.) LIMITED",
  "company_number": "01075951",
  "registered_office_address": "The Adidas Centre, Pepper Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire., SK7 5SA",
  "company_status": "Active",
  "company_type": "Private limited Company",
  "incorporated_on": "10 October 1972",
  "nature_of_business": [
    "46410 - Wholesale of textiles",
    "46420 - Wholesale of clothing and footwear"
  ],
  "officers": [
    {
      "name": "HUGHES, Rosemary",
      "role": "Secretary",
      "status": "Active",
      "appointed_on": "7 May 2019"
    }
  ],
  "search_type": "company_number",
  "source": "company-information.service.gov.uk",
  "data_mode": "public_html"
}
```

### Notes

- Source: UK Companies House public register (`find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk`) and optional official REST API
- Free API keys are available from the Companies House developer hub when you prefer API mode
- Respect fair-use expectations; keep volume and concurrency reasonable

# Actor input Schema

## `companyNames` (type: `array`):

Company name strings to search (e.g. ADIDAS (U.K.), British Broadcasting Corporation).

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

UK company numbers (6–8 alphanumeric characters, e.g. 01075951, RC000057). Each is an exact profile lookup.

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

Optional free API key from the Companies House developer hub. When set, profile/officers/filings use the official REST API. Leave empty to use the public register (search JSON + HTML pages).

## `maxCompanies` (type: `integer`):

Upper limit on unique companies delivered in this run (1–500).

## `maxResultsPerName` (type: `integer`):

Maximum search hits to keep per company name (1–100).

## `includeOfficers` (type: `boolean`):

When enabled (default), fetch company officers / people appointments.

## `includeFilingHistory` (type: `boolean`):

When enabled, fetch recent filing-history rows for each company.

## `maxOfficers` (type: `integer`):

Cap on officers saved per company (1–200).

## `maxFilings` (type: `integer`):

Cap on filing-history rows saved per company (1–100).

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Pause between register requests. Keep this conservative for public HTML mode.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional Apify proxy settings. Usually not required for the public register.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "companyNames": [
    "ADIDAS (U.K.)"
  ],
  "companyNumbers": [
    "01075951"
  ],
  "maxCompanies": 50,
  "maxResultsPerName": 10,
  "includeOfficers": true,
  "includeFilingHistory": false,
  "maxOfficers": 50,
  "maxFilings": 25,
  "requestDelayMs": 300
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "companyNames": [
        "ADIDAS (U.K.)"
    ],
    "companyNumbers": [
        "01075951"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("powerbox/companies-house-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 = {
    "companyNames": ["ADIDAS (U.K.)"],
    "companyNumbers": ["01075951"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("powerbox/companies-house-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 '{
  "companyNames": [
    "ADIDAS (U.K.)"
  ],
  "companyNumbers": [
    "01075951"
  ]
}' |
apify call powerbox/companies-house-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,powerbox/companies-house-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/FjFNwMvREOVsLhdHD/builds/x0oZaq7c6jJ7b45MZ/openapi.json