# UK Companies House — Company Search, SIC Codes & Accounts Dates (`wowlab/uk-companies-house-scraper`) Actor

Official Companies House API: look up UK companies by number, name or filters (SIC code, location, status, incorporation date). Status, SIC codes with descriptions, registered address, accounts & confirmation due dates, filing history. Company-level only. $2 per 1,000 companies; not found = free.

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

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 company returneds

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

## UK Companies House — Company Search, SIC Codes & Accounts Dates

Get clean **UK company data straight from the official Companies House API** — by company number, by name, or by **filters (SIC code, town, status, incorporation date)** to build B2B lead lists. One row per company with status, SIC codes **with industry descriptions**, registered office address, **accounts and confirmation statement due dates**, insolvency/charges flags, previous names and recent filing history.

- ✅ **No API key needed** — a built-in key is included (bring your own for huge jobs)
- 🏷️ **SIC codes + plain-English industry names** (UK SIC 2007 condensed list)
- 📅 **Accounts & confirmation-statement dates** incl. overdue flags — perfect for accountants, lenders and B2B sales
- 🔎 **Filter search**: e.g. all active software companies in Manchester incorporated this year
- 🛡️ **Company-level data only** — no director/PSC names, birth dates or home addresses (officers *count* only), so it is easy to use under GDPR
- 💸 **$2 per 1,000 companies** — **not-found / invalid numbers are free**

### Use cases

- **Lead generation** — new companies by SIC code and location (e.g. newly incorporated restaurants in Leeds).
- **Accountants & bookkeepers** — companies whose accounts or confirmation statement are due soon or overdue.
- **KYB / due diligence** — check status (active, liquidation, administration), insolvency history and charges.
- **CRM enrichment** — add official name, number, SIC industry and registered address to your account list.

### Input examples

By number:

```json
{ "companyNumbers": ["00445790", "SC311560", "09446231"] }
```

By name:

```json
{ "searchQueries": ["monzo bank", "brewdog"], "maxResultsPerSearch": 3 }
```

Lead list by filters:

```json
{
  "advancedSearch": {
    "sicCodes": ["62012"],
    "location": "Cambridge",
    "companyStatus": "active",
    "incorporatedFrom": "2025-01-01",
    "maxResults": 100
  },
  "includeFilingHistory": false
}
```

| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `companyNumbers` | — | Company numbers (zero padding added: `445790` → `00445790`). |
| `searchQueries` | — | Names/keywords; current-name matches ranked first. |
| `maxResultsPerSearch` | 5 | Companies per name search (≤1000). |
| `onlyActive` | false | Skip dissolved companies in name searches. |
| `advancedSearch` | — | Filters: `companyNameIncludes`, `sicCodes[]`, `companyStatus`, `companyType`, `location`, `incorporatedFrom`, `incorporatedTo`, `maxResults` (≤5000). |
| `includeFilingHistory` / `maxFilings` | true / 10 | Recent filings (date, category, form type, description). |
| `includeOfficersCount` | true | Active / resigned officer **counts** only. |
| `apiKey` | — | Optional own key (secret field). |

### Output

Real example (shortened), Tesco PLC:

```json
{
  "companyNumber": "00445790",
  "companyName": "TESCO PLC",
  "status": "ok",
  "companyStatus": "active",
  "companyType": "plc",
  "jurisdiction": "england-wales",
  "dateOfCreation": "1947-11-27",
  "sicCodes": ["47110"],
  "sicDescriptions": ["Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating"],
  "addressOneLine": "Tesco House, Shire Park, Kestrel Way, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1GA, United Kingdom",
  "postalCode": "AL7 1GA",
  "accountingReferenceDate": "26-02",
  "lastAccountsMadeUpTo": "2026-02-28",
  "lastAccountsType": "group",
  "nextAccountsDue": "2027-08-26",
  "accountsOverdue": false,
  "lastConfirmationStatement": "2026-06-18",
  "nextConfirmationStatementDue": "2027-07-02",
  "hasCharges": false,
  "hasInsolvencyHistory": false,
  "previousCompanyNames": [{ "name": "TESCO STORES (HOLDINGS) PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY", "effectiveFrom": "1981-12-14", "ceasedOn": "1983-08-25" }],
  "officersActiveCount": 11,
  "officersResignedCount": 63,
  "filingHistoryCount": 8372,
  "filings": [{ "date": "2026-09-16", "category": "capital", "type": "SH03", "description": "Capital return purchase own shares", "pages": 4 }],
  "companiesHouseUrl": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00445790"
}
```

All fields: `companyNumber, companyName, status, companyStatus, companyStatusDetail, companyType, subtype, jurisdiction, dateOfCreation, dateOfCessation, sicCodes, sicDescriptions, registeredOfficeAddress{premises, addressLine1, addressLine2, locality, region, postalCode, country, poBox}, addressOneLine, postalCode, locality, accountingReferenceDate, lastAccountsMadeUpTo, lastAccountsType, nextAccountsMadeUpTo, nextAccountsDue, accountsOverdue, lastConfirmationStatement, nextConfirmationStatementDue, confirmationStatementOverdue, hasCharges, hasInsolvencyHistory, hasBeenLiquidated, registeredOfficeIsInDispute, undeliverableRegisteredOfficeAddress, previousCompanyNames, officersActiveCount, officersResignedCount, filingHistoryCount, lastFilingDate, filings[], companiesHouseUrl, source, retrievedAt`.

Dataset views: **Companies** (one row per company — export to CSV/Excel) and **Filing history** (one row per filing).

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Company returned | **$0.002** ($2 per 1,000) |
| Actor start | $0.00005 |
| Not found / invalid number / empty search | **free** |

### Speed & limits

- Companies House allows **600 API requests per 5 minutes** per key. Each company uses 1–3 requests (profile + optional filings + officers count), so expect ~200–600 companies per 5 minutes. The Actor paces itself and automatically waits when the limit is reached — it never fails because of it. Turn off filings/officers count for maximum speed, or add your own `apiKey`.
- Name search returns at most 1,000 results per query; filter search up to 5,000.

### Privacy / legal

Data comes from the **official Companies House public data API** (Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). This Actor deliberately returns **company-level data only**: no names, birth dates, nationalities or addresses of directors, secretaries or persons with significant control, and filing descriptions are returned without the personal-name values. SIC descriptions: Companies House condensed SIC 2007 list (GOV.UK, OGL v3.0). Not affiliated with Companies House.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Companies House account?** No. **Can I get directors' names?** No — by design this Actor returns only company-level data. **Scottish / NI / LLP numbers?** Yes (`SC…`, `NI…`, `OC…`, `SO…`).

# Actor input Schema

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

UK company registration numbers, e.g. 00445790 or SC311560. Leading zeros are added automatically (445790 → 00445790).

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Company names or keywords. Companies whose current name matches are returned first.

## `maxResultsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

How many companies to return for each name search.

## `onlyActive` (type: `boolean`):

Skip dissolved/closed companies in name-search results.

## `advancedSearch` (type: `object`):

Optional. Build a company list by filters, e.g. {"sicCodes":\["62012"],"location":"Manchester","companyStatus":"active","incorporatedFrom":"2025-01-01","maxResults":100}. Keys: companyNameIncludes, sicCodes\[], companyStatus (active, dissolved, liquidation, administration...), companyType (ltd, plc, llp...), location, incorporatedFrom / incorporatedTo (YYYY-MM-DD), maxResults (≤5000).

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

Latest filings (date, category, type, description). Officer names are never included.

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

How many recent filings to include.

## `includeOfficersCount` (type: `boolean`):

Number of active and resigned officers (counts only — no names or personal data).

## `outputFailed` (type: `boolean`):

Add a row for numbers that were not found (never charged).

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Lookups run in parallel within the 600 requests / 5 minutes Companies House limit.

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

Optional. A built-in key is used by default. For very large jobs add your own free key (developer.company-information.service.gov.uk) to get a dedicated 600 requests / 5 min.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "companyNumbers": [
    "00445790"
  ],
  "searchQueries": [
    "monzo bank"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerSearch": 5,
  "onlyActive": false,
  "includeFilingHistory": true,
  "maxFilings": 10,
  "includeOfficersCount": true,
  "outputFailed": true,
  "maxConcurrency": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per company.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Counts, API calls and not-found numbers (never charged).

# 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 = {
    "companyNumbers": [
        "00445790"
    ],
    "searchQueries": [
        "monzo bank"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("wowlab/uk-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 = {
    "companyNumbers": ["00445790"],
    "searchQueries": ["monzo bank"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("wowlab/uk-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 '{
  "companyNumbers": [
    "00445790"
  ],
  "searchQueries": [
    "monzo bank"
  ]
}' |
apify call wowlab/uk-companies-house-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,wowlab/uk-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/GaBUKg9H0a6lN4Bgx/builds/lekNc6cFeFgyjNjWE/openapi.json