How to Update a Director or Shareholder at Companies House After a Deed Poll [2026 Guide]

Who needs to update Companies House

• Anyone recorded as a director of a UK company who has changed their name by deed poll (file form CH01).
• Anyone recorded as a company secretary of a UK company (file form CH03 — change of secretary details).
• Anyone recorded as a person with significant control (PSC) — usually a person who holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights (file form PSC04).
• Anyone recorded as a registered shareholder whose name appears on the company's constitutional documents or share register (covered by the company's internal share register; the public Companies House record reflects this through later confirmation statements).

If you hold shares in a UK company that is itself the registered owner of land or assets, you should also update your HM Land Registry title and notify your business insurer (see our insurance guide).

Step-by-step — director name change (CH01)

1. Sign your deed poll first in front of two independent witnesses.
2. Sign in to Companies House WebFiling at gov.uk/webfiling with your company authentication code and email address.
3. Select the company from your WebFiling dashboard and choose "Change a director's details (form CH01)".
4. Enter your updated name exactly as it appears on your deed poll — first name(s), surname and any middle names you use.
5. Submit the form. Filing is free and confirmed by email. The public register typically updates in 24–48 hours.
6. If you are also a PSC, file form PSC04 in the same WebFiling session (change of details for a PSC).
7. Confirm the next confirmation statement (CS01) shows your new name. If your next statement is filed before the CH01 is processed, both filings sit on the register together.

Shareholder name changes

Companies House only shows members (shareholders) on the company's annual confirmation statement (CS01), not on every share transfer. To update your name as a shareholder:

1. Ask the company's director or company secretary to update the internal statutory register of members with your new name and the date of the change.
2. The internal register is the legal record of share ownership — a stamp and entry signed by an officer of the company is enough.
3. At the next confirmation statement (CS01), the updated shareholder name appears on the public register.
4. If you also need to update the registered name on share certificates, ask the company to reissue the certificate(s) showing your new name.

Common mistakes

• Updating the director record but forgetting the PSC register — both must reflect your new name.
• Updating Companies House but not your business bank account, business insurance or HMRC PAYE record.
• Filing by post when filing online saves 7–8 working days of waiting.
• Forgetting to update confirmation statement CS01 at the next check-in — your new name should be on the register before the next CS01 filing.
• For multi-company directors, forgetting to file CH01 for EACH company where you are a director.

Official source

Frequently asked questions