A company registration number is a unique sequence of numbers that Companies House issues to every newly incorporated UK limited company. Usually abbreviated as ‘CRN’, it is sometimes referred to as a Companies House Number.
Your CRN will consist of 8 numbers or 2 letters followed by 6 numbers. It will be displayed on your certificate of incorporation, all statutory mail sent from Companies House, and on the public register of companies.
You cannot choose or change your company registration number. It will be computer-generated on a sequential basis, depending on your country of incorporation and the type of company you set up.
- Companies formed in England and Wales have 8-digit CRNs
- Scottish companies are given 6-digit CRNs with the prefix ‘SC’
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are issued with 6-digit CRNs prefixed with the letters ‘OC’
- Scottish LLPs have 6-digit CRNs prefixed with the letters ‘SO’
Your CRN is classified as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), which makes it easier for Companies House to store, publish, and freely exchange registered company data with the general public, other government agencies, and non-governmental bodies.
Find your CRN using Companies House WebCHeck
To view your company details on the public register, including your company registration number, simply enter the registered name of your business in the bright yellow section on WebCHeck. Your details will appear on the screen, with your CRN displayed on the left-hand side of your company name.
When will I use my company registration number?
Generally, you should expect to provide your CRN in the following situations:
- Changing your company name
- Changing your registered office or SAIL address
- Adding or removing a company director or secretary
- Changing the details of directors and secretaries
- Filing annual confirmation statements
- Filing annual accounts
- Registering for business taxes
- Paying Corporation Tax
- Filing Company Tax Returns
- Filing copies of resolutions
- Increasing share capital
- Issuing share certificates
- Issuing dividend vouchers
- Changing your accounting reference date (ARD)
You must also display your company registration number on all forms of business stationery, including:
- Official letters, faxes, and emails
- Compliments slips
- Order forms
- Invoices and receipts
- Company websites
About our services
In addition to our online company formation and company address services, Rapid Formations provides Software Filing through a secure Online Admin Portal. You can view your company details (including your CRN), report changes to Companies House, download incorporation documents, and file annual Confirmation Statements and company resolutions. This facility is available free of charge to clients and non-clients.
Thanks
Thank you Tobias.
Kind regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Hi how can find business partnerships registration number online it’s not available in company house website.
Regards
Thank you for your enquiry, Tariq.
If you company has been incorporated as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), Limited Partnership (LP) or private limited company (LTD), your company number will be present on Companies House’s website, here: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/
However, if your business partnership has not been incorporated, you will not have a company registration number, as these are only provided once a company has been incorporated by Companies House.
I hope this information is of assistance.
Kind regards,
Rachel
Hi
Is it necessary to change registration number of the company when this company changes it name ??
Dear Yousef,
Thank you for your message.
A company’s Registration Number never changes during its life and you do not have any option to change it.
Best regards,
Rapid Formations Team.
Hi Rachel,
I was just wondering, is a ‘Registration Number’ the same as a ‘VAT Number’ when it is displayed on a letterhead, or are they two different things?
Thanks
Gill
Hi Gill,
They are both different numbers. All companies are given a unique resignation number by Companies House. A VAT number, on the other hand, is issued by HMRC only when a company has been registered for VAT. If you require a VAT number, you can easily register your company online – a VAT number will be issued to you within 1-14 days.
You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration/overview
I hope this clarifies matters, but please do get back in touch if you have any more questions!
All the best,
Rachel
Hello Rachel,
First of all, thank you very much for your informative article. I was quite pleased to have stumbled upon in while seeking information regarding this topic. Would you be so kind as to inform me whether or not I would need to seek receiving a CRN as an American LLC doing business via a .co.uk website? I noticed that most of my competitors as well as my London based associates have a CRN in their website’s footer.
Any information on the topic of creating a new web based venture in the UK from the US would be greatly appreciated. I would prefer to do some due diligence before speaking with my UK associates. Thank you for your time and attention.
Hi there,
You can only get a company registration number by incorporating a limited company or limited liability partnership with Companies House in the UK. It should be possible for you to register your existing LLC in the UK, but I would advise speaking with an accountant to find out exactly what your options are – we are not accountants so we cannot offer any specialist advice in this instance.
All the very best,
Rachel
Hi Heidi,
No, you do not need a company registration number if you are a sole trader. You can only get a company registration number by incorporating a company at Companies House.
As a sole trader, you need to be registered with HMRC for Self-Assessment. You will then complete a Self-Assessment tax return at the end of every tax year and pay Income Tax and National Insurance on your earnings.
Take a look at this link for more information about sole traders: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader/overview
I hope this helps. Best wishes,
Rachel
Hi Rachel thank you so much for your help, it was really appreciated can 🙂
Hi I am trying to find out who owns three pubs in London, vague I know so I asked for the registered company number and was given 167634286, nine numbers! I am chasing non payment of invoice dating back to 1 March 2015 and the pubs concerned are The Rose, 35 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TL and The Duke & Duchess, 2 Creed Lane, EC4V 5BR. The invoices have been emailed, statements sent, reminders, every month since, the company accounts person ‘Anita’ will not give me any information about when payment will be made, asked for owner contact details, she refuses to help and put the phone down, and now will not answer at all. Said she did not have the cheque book, although they do not need a cheque book, to pay. The Owners name is John O’Donnell, and thus far that is all the information I have managed to glean from anyone. No managers around ever in the pubs and when I do speak to them, they can’t help or make some excuse not to pay, say the owner will be back on such a day, and I don’t hear back. Is there anything you can suggest?
Hello Sarah
Thank you for your message.
I note the number you have been given is not a company incorporation number and therefore I cannot give any advice. It may be that the number is a vat number (as UK vat numbers are 9 digits) and you can check these details out at http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vatRequest.html
If the businesses you are trying to contact are Limited Companies you can search the company details on Companies House website at the following link https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/ The directors and ownership details will be available there.
Kind Regards
So If I go from LLP to Ltd, does my number change?
Dear Ivelina
Thank you for your message. The information on the blog above is for people in your situation where they do not have a residential UK address. The banks are aware that you will not have this information and will ask for other information to allow them to proceed with an application on your behalf.
Kind Regards
Hello Shirley
Thank you for your message.
It is not possible to convert an LLP to a limited company. In order to change a business from a company to an LLP, you will have to register a new company then dissolve the LLP.
If you would like more information on this subject please read our blog attached – https://www.rapidformations.co.uk/blog/blog/can-i-change-a-limited-company-to-a-llp/