Disqualified Directors Register

Why does Companies House maintain a Disqualified Directors Register?

The Secretary of State must do so, under section 18 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. The Secretary of State has delegated this responsibility to the Registrar of Companies.

Can I obtain a copy of a disqualification order from Companies House?

No. The courts do not submit copies of disqualification orders to Companies House. Court officials extract information from the orders in order to complete prescribed forms, which are then used to notify Companies House of a person’s disqualification.

I’ve checked the Disqualified Directors Register and the person I am interested in is not on the register – what does this mean?

One of the following three things:

• the person is not and has not been disqualified;
• the person was disqualified in the past but the disqualification order has since lapsed (a register of lapsed disqualification orders is not maintained);
• the person is disqualified but we have not yet received official notification from the courts.