United Kingdom public records and research resources.
How to use this page
A curated research starting point. Sources listed below are public-record gateways and official registries we have evaluated for reliability and active maintenance.
Use each link to access the source directly. Lawful basis, professional purpose, and compliance with each source’s terms remain the user’s responsibility.
For investigative work in a specific matter, contact us through the channels below.
A curated index of UK national public registers, court databases, and research starting points relevant to corporate, regulatory, and legal research in the United Kingdom.
This page covers UK national sources. The UK is a single jurisdiction for many federal-level matters but is composed of three legal systems — England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — for court records, land registration, and certain regulatory regimes. Where Phase 1 sources cover the whole UK, they are listed here. Devolved sources will be added in Phase 2.
For sanctions and watchlist sources, see International Sanctions & Watchlists.
Corporate filings
Companies House
Type: Corporate filings register. · Maintained by: Companies House (UK statutory registrar).
Cost / access: Free, no registration. Document downloads free.
Useful for: Verifying UK-registered companies, limited liability partnerships, and certain other entities; annual accounts, confirmation statements, director appointments and resignations, persons with significant control (PSC) information, and charges register. One of the strongest free corporate-registry resources globally.
Limitations: PSC information is self-reported and not independently verified by Companies House. Filings can lag; recent appointments may not appear immediately. Historical documents older than the early 2000s may require additional steps.
Official link: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
FCA Register
Type: Financial services authorisation register. · Maintained by: Financial Conduct Authority.
Cost / access: Free, no registration.
Useful for: Verifying FCA-authorised firms and individuals, permissions held, disciplinary history, and approved-person records.
Limitations: UK financial-services regulation only. PRA-regulated firms appear here and on the Bank of England’s record.
Official link: register.fca.org.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Insolvency
Individual Insolvency Register
Type: Personal insolvency register. · Maintained by: Insolvency Service.
Cost / access: Free, no registration.
Useful for: Identifying current personal bankruptcies, debt relief orders, and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Limitations: Current cases only; historical records are removed three months after discharge or annulment. Scottish bankruptcies (sequestrations) are administered separately.
Official link: www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/eiir · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Accountant in Bankruptcy (Scotland)
Type: Scottish insolvency register. · Maintained by: Accountant in Bankruptcy (executive agency of the Scottish Government).
Cost / access: Free public search.
Useful for: Scottish sequestrations (personal bankruptcy) and protected trust deeds.
Limitations: Scotland only.
Official link: www.aib.gov.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Courts and case law
BAILII — British and Irish Legal Information Institute
Type: Aggregated case law and legislation for the British Isles. · Maintained by: BAILII (academic, not-for-profit).
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Consolidated full-text search across UK, Ireland, and Commonwealth jurisdictions — Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Crown Court, tribunals, and Scottish and Northern Irish courts. Often the fastest starting point for UK case-law research.
Limitations: Coverage of lower-court materials and tribunals varies. Sponsored by the legal community.
Official link: www.bailii.org · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
UK Supreme Court — Decided Cases
Type: Final-court judgments database. · Maintained by: Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Final-appeal judgments for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and certain Scottish matters.
Limitations: Final-appeal jurisdiction only.
Official link: www.supremecourt.uk/decided-cases · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Find Case Law — UK National Archives
Type: Court and tribunal judgments database. · Maintained by: The National Archives.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Newer source for UK court and tribunal judgments, with structured metadata and machine-readable formats. Complementary to BAILII; coverage is growing.
Limitations: Newer service; historical coverage is being added over time.
Official link: caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Land and property
HM Land Registry — Land and Property Information
Type: Registered land and property records. · Maintained by: HM Land Registry.
Cost / access: Per-record fee (currently £3–£7 per title). Online account required.
Useful for: Registered title information for England and Wales — ownership, registered charges, and title plans.
Limitations: England and Wales only. Scotland (Registers of Scotland) and Northern Ireland (Land Registry of Northern Ireland) are separate. Unregistered land is not in the system.
Official link: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Intellectual property
UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
Type: Patents, trademarks, and designs register. · Maintained by: Intellectual Property Office.
Cost / access: Free search. Paid filing.
Useful for: UK-registered patents, trademarks, designs, prosecution history, and ownership transfers.
Limitations: UK-registered rights only. EU rights (EUTM, RCD) sit with EUIPO; international rights via WIPO.
Official link: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Charities and not-for-profits
Charity Commission for England and Wales
Type: Charity register. · Maintained by: Charity Commission.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Verifying registered charities, governing documents, trustees, annual accounts, and regulatory inquiries.
Limitations: Registered charities in England and Wales only. Scotland (OSCR) and Northern Ireland (CCNI) are separate.
Official link: register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Government, regulatory, and procurement
Legislation.gov.uk
Type: Consolidated UK legislation register. · Maintained by: The National Archives.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Current and historical UK legislation (Acts, statutory instruments), with consolidated versions and amendment histories.
Limitations: UK-wide statutes are here; UK case law applying or interpreting them is in BAILII and Find Case Law.
Official link: www.legislation.gov.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
Find a Tender Service
Type: UK public procurement register. · Maintained by: UK Cabinet Office.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: High-value public contract awards, tender notices, and counterparty histories with UK public sector since 2021.
Limitations: High-value contracts only; below-threshold procurement may sit on contracting authorities’ own portals.
Official link: www.find-tender.service.gov.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
London Gazette
Type: Official journal of record. · Maintained by: The Stationery Office on behalf of the Crown.
Cost / access: Free.
Useful for: Insolvency notices, statutory notices, corporate restoration, public-sector appointments, naturalisations, and other matters of public record.
Limitations: UK statutory notices only. Search is keyword-based; structured filtering is limited.
Official link: www.thegazette.co.uk · Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.
What’s coming in Phase 2
Registers of Scotland, Land Registry of Northern Ireland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI), Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service judgments, Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service register (Scotland), Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS), and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) data-protection register and enforcement decisions.
Disclaimer
General information only. This directory is provided for general information and professional research purposes only. It is not legal advice, financial advice, or due-diligence advice. Information found through any third-party source is not verified by Transglobal Intel Net.
Third-party sources. Transglobal Intel Net does not control, certify, or guarantee the accuracy, currency, or completeness of any source listed. Links are provided as starting points. Each source is maintained independently by its respective authority.
Access conditions. Some sources require payment, registration, lawful-purpose attestation, or local professional access. Users are responsible for compliance with each source’s terms of use and with applicable law.
Not a Transglobal service. Listing a source in this directory does not constitute an endorsement, a recommendation, or a Transglobal service. The directory is a reference index, not an investigative product.
Lawful use only. Users must have a lawful basis for any search undertaken. Users are responsible for compliance with privacy law, data-protection law, anti-stalking law, and any other applicable framework in their jurisdiction.
Reservation. Transglobal Intel Net may add, remove, or modify entries without notice. Outdated entries are reviewed quarterly and updated as resources change.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-24.