Companies House protection applications move to post

Directors, limited liability partnership members and people with significant control (PSCs) seeking protection for their details at Companies House must now apply by post.GOV The application instructions replace the online route previously available to company directors and PSCsGOV, with payment by cheque or postal order payable to Companies HouseGOV.

Applicants should request a paper form from the secure registers team, which will advise on the process and supply the correct forms. Companies House accepts only the coloured paper it provides. The application, supporting evidence and correct fee must go to the PO Box address shown on the form. Applications without the correct fee will be rejected, and a Companies House credit account cannot be used.

The standard protection application costs £100. A PSC’s combined application to protect both their identity and home address also costs £100. An abbreviated application costs £15 where home-address protection is already in place, avoiding the need to provide evidence again. Existing protection carries across only within the same type of corporate body: moving between a company and an LLP requires a full application.

Companies House also now states that it will refund the application fee if protection is refusedGOV, replacing the previous non-refundable policyGOV. Following refusal, home-address information becomes available to credit reference agencies after the appeal period has passed. Where protection of all PSC information was sought, the guidance says that information becomes publicly available from 42 days after the refusal notice date.

The application route serves people facing a serious risk of violence or intimidation, including risk to someone living with them, because of company or LLP activities. For a director applying under the address-disclosure regulations on that ground, the test is a reasonable belief in that serious risk, and supporting evidence must accompany the application. Useful evidence can include a police incident number or documentary evidence of threats or attacks.

Home-address protection prevents disclosure to credit reference agencies; protection of all information is available only to PSCs. Specified public authorities, including the police, can still request information. A home address cannot be protected through this process if it is the company’s or LLP’s registered office. Companies and LLPs must continue submitting PSC information even where it is protected.

Companies House recommends applying before registering the personal information where possible. It says processing takes at least 30 days, with complex cases taking up to a year, and information is protected while the application is processed.

The legal framework is the Companies Act 2006, sections 243, 790ZF and 1088, and regulations made under those powers, including the Companies (Disclosure of Address) Regulations 2009.