What are a company’s statutory registers?

By law, every limited company in the UK must keep certain statutory records and ensure that records subject to inspection requirements are available when required.

The most important statutory register that companies must now maintain themselves is the register of members, which contains details of the company’s shareholders.

Since changes introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, companies no longer have to maintain their own registers of directors, directors’ residential addresses, secretaries or people with significant control (PSCs).

But what exactly are statutory registers, which ones do companies still need to keep, and what happens if you fail to comply? Below is a brief guide.

Register of members

Under the Companies Act, companies must keep a register of their shareholders (members).

This should include the member’s name and address, together with details of the shares they hold, including the number and class of shares and the amount paid or considered as paid on them.

The date when the individual became a member, and the date when they ceased to be one, should also be recorded.

The register of members must be kept at the company’s registered office or at a notified Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL).

From 26 January 2026, private companies can no longer elect to keep their register of members solely on the central Companies House register. Companies which previously used that option must now maintain their own register of members.

You can read the current Companies House guidance on changes to company registers.

Inspecting the register of members

A company member can ask to inspect the register of members free of charge. Other members of the public can also request access, although a prescribed fee may apply.

It’s also possible to ask for a copy of the register for a fee.

Anyone asking to inspect or obtain a copy of the register must provide certain information, including their name and address, the purpose for which the information is sought, the name of any organisation they are acting for, and whether the information will be passed to another person.

Upon receiving a request, the company has five working days either to comply or to apply to the court if it believes the request is not being made for a proper purpose.

If the court agrees that the request is not for a proper purpose, it can direct the company not to comply.

If the company simply refuses a valid request or fails to comply without obtaining a court order, the company and any officer in default can commit an offence.

You can read the relevant inspection rules in Sections 116 to 119 of the Companies Act 2006.

Do companies still need a register of directors?

No – not as an internal statutory register.

From 18 November 2025, companies no longer have to keep their own register of directors.

However, this does not mean director information has disappeared. Companies must still notify Companies House of appointments, resignations and relevant changes, and make sure the information held on the public register is kept up to date.

Companies House still records information about directors, including their name, service address, nationality, date of birth and country of residence, subject to the rules on what information is made public.

Directors must also comply with the newer Companies House identity verification requirements.

What about directors’ residential addresses?

Companies also no longer have to maintain a separate internal register of directors’ residential addresses.

Directors must still provide Companies House with their usual residential address, but this is normally kept off the public register unless it is also used as the director’s public service address.

See our guide to directors’ service addresses for more information.

Do companies still need a register of secretaries?

No. From 18 November 2025, companies no longer have to maintain an internal register of company secretaries.

A private company does not normally have to appoint a secretary, although it can still appoint one. Where a secretary is appointed, the relevant details must still be supplied to Companies House and kept up to date.

Read our guide to what a company secretary does.

What happened to the PSC register?

Companies no longer need to maintain their own internal Persons with Significant Control (PSC) register.

This requirement ended on 18 November 2025.

Companies must still identify their PSCs, provide the required information to Companies House, and keep that information up to date when changes occur.

PSC information is therefore still an important part of the Companies House regime – it is simply no longer duplicated in a separate company-maintained statutory register.

The company’s Confirmation Statement remains one of the ways the company confirms that information held at Companies House is accurate, but PSC changes should be reported when they happen rather than waiting for the next annual statement.

What company registers were abolished?

To summarise, from 18 November 2025, companies no longer need to maintain their own registers of:

• Directors.
• Directors’ residential addresses.
• Company secretaries.
• People with Significant Control (PSCs).

The register of members remains a company-maintained statutory register, and from 26 January 2026 it can no longer be kept solely on the central Companies House register.

This is one of a number of changes introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Where should you keep the register of members?

The register of members can be kept electronically or on paper.

It must be kept at either:

• The company’s registered office, or
• A notified SAIL address.

The important thing is that the register is accurate, up to date and available for inspection in accordance with the Companies Act.

You can read the current official guidance on company and accounting records at GOV.UK.