A certificate of good standing is a Companies House document confirming a company has existed continuously since incorporation and faces no strike-off action.
Overseas banks, registries and counterparties ask for it constantly, usually alongside an apostille. Companies House will not issue one for a company with overdue filings, which makes a refusal a useful early warning: whoever asked for the certificate is about to discover the same thing.
Where this comes up
Related terms
- Certificate of incorporation — A certificate of incorporation is the document Companies House issues to confirm a company legally exists, showing its name, number and date of incorporation.
- Confirmation statement — A confirmation statement is the annual filing in which a company confirms that the information Companies House holds about it is correct.
- Strike off — Strike off is the removal of a company from the register so that it ceases to exist, either voluntarily or compulsorily by Companies House.
Check a name
Statutory rules, then the Companies House register. Free, and no email required.
Check a company name All 31 terms