If you lose your certificate of incorporation for a limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP), it is relatively easy to get a new one. Below, we explain the different ways you can get a replacement copy of a lost certificate of incorporation.
1. Through your company formation agent
If you registered your company through an online company formation agent, you may be able to obtain a digital copy from them. At Rapid Formations, our clients can simply download a PDF copy of their lost certificate of incorporation by signing in to our Online Admin Portal. Scroll to the bottom for more information.
2. By searching your emails
If you formed your company online, whether through an agent or directly at Companies House, you would have received a digital certificate via email immediately after incorporation. Simply search your emails using the keywords “Certificate of Incorporation”, “Companies House”, or the name of your company formation agent.
3. Via Companies House Service
A file copy of your certificate of incorporation is available to view online on the Companies House register. To find your file copy, you should:
- Visit Companies House Service
- Enter your company name in the search bar
- Select your company from the list of search results
- Click on the ‘Filing history’ tab
- Scroll down to the oldest entry, which should be listed as ‘Incorporation’, and click ‘View PDF’.
- The first page of this PDF document will be the file copy of your certificate of incorporation
4. Order a certified copy from Companies House
You can order a certified copy of your certificate directly from Companies House for just £15.00. Simply call their contact centre on +44 (0)303 1234 500 to request this. A same-day option is also available for £50.00.
What is a Certificate of Incorporation?
Companies House issues a certificate of incorporation to all limited companies and LLPs as soon as they are registered. This document confirms that the company or LLP has been legally incorporated as per the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 or the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2000.
You will have to provide your certificate on a number of occasions, such as:
- applying to open a business bank account
- applying for a loan or funding
- selling/transferring shares to new investors
- selling the company
What information does a Certificate of Incorporation contain?
A certificate of incorporation contains a number of important details about a limited company (or LLP), including:
- Registered company name
- Company registration number (CRN)
- UK jurisdiction of registration – England and Wales, Wales only, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
- Company structure – limited by shares, limited by guarantee, limited liability partnership, etc.
- Company law under which the entity is registered – i.e. Companies Act 2006, LLP Act 2000
- Date of incorporation
- The situation of the registered office address – England and Wales, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
- Issuing Registrar – Cardiff, Edinburgh, or Belfast
- Official seal of the Registrar of Companies (Companies House)
- UK Royal coat of arms
Get a replacement of your lost Certificate of Incorporation from Rapid Formations
Customers who form a company through Rapid Formations can download a free copy of their lost certificate of incorporation at any time. Simply sign in to your client account on our website and follow these steps:
- In the ‘Customer Dashboard’ page, select ‘My Companies’
- Click ‘View’ beside the company whose certificate you are looking for
- Select ‘Documents’ on the menu tab
- Click ‘Download’ for the certificate of incorporation to download a PDF copy
If you register a company through Rapid Formations, you can also purchase a hard copy of your certificate of incorporation for just £10.00. Simply sign in to your online client account and head to the ‘Shop’ to purchase.
Rapid Formations Online Client Portal
Rapid Formations’ free Online Client Portal is available to all UK-registered limited companies and limited liability partnerships. Our sophisticated Software Filing system allows you to access and manage company details online, report changes to Companies House, and file confirmation statements.
You can also download digital copies of incorporation documents or order paper copies, including a replacement of a lost certificate of incorporation.
Existing customers are automatically registered for this service during the company formation process. Non-clients can register free of charge at any time to take full advantage of the benefits. Simply visit Rapid Formations homepage and create a new account by clicking ‘Login’ on the top right-hand corner.
hi my name is tsebiso i registered my company but my email address was wrong so i did’nt find my document how can i do to find company certificate and other documents?
No problem. What is the name of your company?
You can send this to mathew@rapidformations.co.uk if you’d rather not post it here.
Regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
thank you for this post was very helpful, especially using the keyword in email search.
We’re glad you found this article useful, Mohammed.
Regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
If someone steal our Company Certificate can they able to do a scam in our Company Name should we worried about that unless they don’t have any proof one scammer some how got my Company certificate what should i do
Thank you for your kind enquiry, Usman.
In general terms, a scammer could theoretically purport to represent your company using a Certificate of Incorporation; however, the Certificate of Incorporation itself does not hold much power, as the general public and most suppliers etc will not ask for it. A bank in a non-UK country would require the Certificate of Incorporation to be apostilled prior to accepting it as proof of the company’s existence. Unfortunately, as the Certificate of Incorporation is a historic document which cannot be altered, and therefore as long as the company exists, the scammer would be able to use the copy they have obtained.
We trust this information is of use to you.
Kind regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Thanks for the helpful article, I’m new to the business world and this will certainly help in time
Thanks Sam – glad you found this article useful.
Regards,
Rachel
thanks for the info just been asked for this by new business landlord! great help
Thank you for your comment, Stuart. We are glad you found this information useful.
Kind regards,
Rachel
Can you confirm me, that a certificate of incorporation doesn’t need to have a stamp Apostilla anymore? I should bring this certificate ina bank and I was sure it needs an Apostilla, but my accounter doesn’t want to hear about it:(
Thanks!
Dear Sonja,
Thank you for your message.
We cannot advise on the need or otherwise for an Apostille as it is the choice of any organisation whether they require Apostilled documents for their own purposes.
Best regards,
Rapid Formations Team.
Someone assisted me to register a company, therefore the company was successfully registered whereby I received a company registration number. The problem I’m experiencing is that the person who helped me is holding on to my certificate (i’m the sole owner of the company) I would appreciate your assistance as to how do i acces or get another certificate
Dear Steven,
Thanks for your message.
Can you confirm what certificate you are referring to? If it is the Certificate of Incorporation then you can download it for free from Companies House website if you type in your company name at the following link https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/
Once you have accessed your account, you can find the information for your company under the sub-heading “Filing History”. You will then see a list of all filed documents for your company and there will be an option to download your company’s documents.
Kind Regards
I filled out my LLC paperwork myself and am filing with the state of Oklahoma. How/when do I get a certificate of incorporation
Hi Sherry,
We only deal with company formation in the UK, so I’m afraid I don’t know anything about the process in the US.
Best wishes,
Rachel Craig
Hi Daniel,
I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. Why is someone using your certificate of incorporation?
Rachel
the company name has been changed and i didnt yet get new certificates no allotment no,also i have lost the certificate what should i do? I know the folio no.
Dear Hareesh
Thank you for your message.
With a company name change you would receive a Certificate of Name Change. If you did not receive this certificate you can download it from the Companies House Beta website – please see link https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/ and type in the company name or number and then go to the Filing History section and download the relevant document.
Kind regards
A copy of our Certificate of Incorporation has been requested and I’m unable to find.
Following the instructions you gave to Tim I was able to get to the information on our company but unable to locate an IN01 within the list of documents.
Is this because we registered pre-Web by post? If so, can I still apply by email or do I have order via phone?
KR’s
Dear Trevor
Thank you for your message.
I think the only reason an IN01 would not be available would be due to the age of the company. Companies House will be able to find the old document and send it to you –though there will be a small charge for this.
Kind regards
Our original formation documents were lost by the bank that we were trying to open an account at. They claim that they moved offices around and the documents somehow got misplaced. Should we worry about someone trying to use them? Our concern is that someone will use them to establish credit or other financial support and then we will be held liable for that financial obligation.
Kind Regards
Dear Tricia
Thank you for your message
I think you should purse this matter with the bank as the have made the mistake. I do not expect that anyone will try to make changes to your company details or use them for any other support as institutions are usually looking for proof of the officers behind the company and no one else would have this.
If you are in any doubt I would advise speaking to a lawyer.
Kind Regards
I have lost my certificate of incorporation – twice! I don’t want to ask my accountant for another copy as she will think i’m more stupid then I look! How do I get a replacement?
Hi Tim
Thanks for your message.
You can order a new Certificate of Incorporation to receive e-mail or by post. To order it by e-mail you would go to a section of Companies House called “Webcheck”. You would find your company details and enter the page where it shows the company name, and when the company accounts and Annual Return are due and to the right there is an option to “order information on this company”. You would choose that and on the next page, you would see the list of all documents which have been submitted to Companies House for the company and you would go right to the bottom and order the document called “IN01”. The first page of this document is the Certificate of Incorporation. The cost would be £1 for this document.
If you want the document to be printed and posted out to you, you can order it by contacting Companies House on 0303 1234 500. The cost for standard delivery of the document (usually 5-7 working days) is £20. If you want the document delivered with Companies House express service the cost would be £60.
Kind Regards