PSC Register Lookup
Look up the Persons with Significant Control (PSC) for any UK company. See who owns or controls the business, their nationality, and type of control.
What Is a Person with Significant Control (PSC)?
A Person with Significant Control (PSC) is someone who owns or controls a UK company. Since 2016, most UK companies must identify and report their PSCs to Companies House. This information is publicly available - it forms the UK's beneficial ownership register and helps combat money laundering, tax evasion, and corporate fraud.
How to Find Out Who Owns a UK Company
Enter a company name or number to see all registered Persons with Significant Control. The result shows each PSC's name, nationality, country of residence, and the nature and extent of their control - for example, "holds between 25% and 50% of shares". This is the definitive public source for UK company beneficial ownership information.
Who Qualifies as a Person with Significant Control?
A person (or entity) is a PSC if they meet one or more of these conditions:
- Hold more than 25% of the company's shares
- Hold more than 25% of the company's voting rights
- Have the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors
- Exercise significant influence or control over the company
- Exercise significant influence or control over a trust or firm that itself meets any of the above
What PSC Information Is Made Public?
The public PSC register shows each PSC's full name, date of birth (month and year only), nationality, country of usual residence, and the nature and extent of their control. Residential addresses are not shown on the public register - only a correspondence address if provided. In rare cases where a PSC faces a serious risk of violence, their details may be protected.
PSC Exemptions: Which Companies Are Excluded?
Some companies are exempt from PSC requirements:
- Companies with shares traded on a regulated market (e.g. the London Stock Exchange Main Market), as these already meet separate transparency requirements
- Companies on certain prescribed markets (e.g. AIM) in limited circumstances
Most private limited companies, LLPs, and unlisted entities must maintain a full PSC register.
Why PSC Data Is Used for Due Diligence and KYC
- Due diligence - verify who really owns and controls a company before signing contracts, making investments, or onboarding as a customer
- KYC and AML compliance - regulated businesses (banks, accountants, solicitors, estate agents) are required to identify beneficial owners as part of Know Your Customer and anti-money laundering checks. The PSC register is a primary reference source.
- Investor research - understand a company's ownership structure before investing or acquiring
- Credit decisions - assess the people behind a business when extending trade credit
Related Company Ownership and Compliance Tools
- Company Director Search - find all UK company directors and officers by name
- Free Company Search - look up any UK company on the Companies House register
- Registered Office Checker - find a company's official registered address
- VAT Number Checker - verify UK VAT registrations against HMRC
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Person with Significant Control (PSC)?
A PSC is an individual - or in some cases an entity - who owns or controls a UK company to a significant degree. Since 2016, most UK companies have been required to identify their PSCs and report them to Companies House. The information is publicly available and was introduced to make company ownership more transparent.
Who qualifies as a Person with Significant Control?
Broadly, a person is a PSC if they hold more than 25% of a company's shares, more than 25% of its voting rights, have the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or otherwise exercise significant influence or control. Control held through a trust, nominee, or another entity can also bring someone within the PSC definition.
How do I find out who owns a UK company?
Look up the company using this PSC tool - enter the company name or number to see all registered Persons with Significant Control, including their names, nationalities, countries of residence, and the nature of their control (for example, owning 25% to 50% of shares). This is the authoritative public source for UK company ownership information.
Is PSC information publicly available?
Yes. The PSC register is part of the public Companies House record. Anyone can look up a company's people with significant control for free, with no registration required. The information typically includes names, nationalities, countries of residence, and the nature and extent of the control held.
What is the difference between a PSC and a director?
A director is appointed to manage and run the company on a day-to-day basis and has specific legal duties. A PSC is someone who owns or controls it at a structural level - through shares, voting rights, or influence. One person can be both, but they can also be one without the other. A large shareholder who plays no operational role is still a PSC.
Can a company be a PSC of another company?
Yes. If a company owns more than 25% of shares or voting rights in another company, or otherwise controls it, the owning company is listed as a PSC - technically called a Relevant Legal Entity (RLE). In this case the RLE appears on the PSC register in place of an individual.
What does 'nature of control' mean on the PSC register?
Nature of control describes how a PSC holds their control. Companies House uses standard categories: ownership of more than 25% of shares, ownership of more than 25% of voting rights, right to appoint or remove the majority of directors, significant influence or control, or similar rights held through a trust or firm. A PSC can hold more than one type of control simultaneously.
Can a PSC be anonymous or kept private?
In rare circumstances, a PSC can apply to have their information protected if making it public would put them at serious risk of violence or intimidation. This protection is granted by Companies House on a case-by-case basis. Otherwise, PSC information is always publicly available.
What is beneficial ownership and how does it relate to PSC?
Beneficial ownership refers to who ultimately benefits from owning an asset, even if the legal title is held by a nominee or another entity. The PSC register is the UK's main beneficial ownership register for companies - it is designed to reveal the real people who own or control UK businesses, rather than just the legal title holders.
Are any companies exempt from the PSC register?
Some companies are exempt, primarily those whose shares are admitted to trading on a regulated market (such as the London Stock Exchange Main Market), because they already meet other transparency requirements. Most private limited companies, LLPs, and other Companies House entities must maintain and publicly report a PSC register.
What is a Relevant Legal Entity (RLE) on the PSC register?
A Relevant Legal Entity is a company or other legal entity that holds a controlling interest in another company and is itself subject to transparency requirements. Instead of an individual PSC, the RLE is listed - giving a chain of ownership that still leads back to the individuals who control the RLE. This prevents companies from hiding behind corporate structures.
How often is the PSC register updated?
Companies are required to update their PSC information whenever there is a change - for example, when a new PSC acquires a controlling interest or when an existing PSC changes their level of control. Updates must be filed at Companies House promptly, typically within 14 days of the change occurring.
Can a company have no PSC?
Yes. Some companies genuinely have no PSCs - for example, where no single individual or entity holds more than 25% and no one exercises other forms of significant control. In this case the company must file a statement that there is no PSC. A company cannot simply leave the PSC register blank without explanation.
Why is PSC information used for KYC and AML checks?
Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations require businesses to identify and verify who they are dealing with, including the ultimate beneficial owners of corporate customers and suppliers. The PSC register is an important public source for this - it lets regulated businesses check who ultimately controls a company as part of their compliance process.