Does a UK Certificate of Good Standing show company charges or mortgages?

14 September 2026

A UK Certificate of Good Standing does not list company charges, mortgages or other security interests on the Companies House register. It is a registered-status snapshot at the issue date. If a bank, counsel or counterparty needs evidence of charges, order certified copies of the relevant filings — or a company documents pack that includes them — rather than expecting the COGS to double as a security schedule.

This Advice Centre guide is practical document information, not legal advice, an immigration opinion, a banking decision or a promise of foreign acceptance. Ask the named recipient for its current written checklist before ordering.

Short answer

Order a Certificate of Good Standing when the checklist asks for current registered standing. Order certified copies of charge-related filings (and any related documents the recipient names) when the checklist asks what security is registered against the company. Do not treat a clean-looking COGS as proof that there are no charges, and do not treat a charges extract as a substitute for good standing.

Why buyers mix standing and charges

Overseas clerks and some UK onboarding teams use loose phrases such as “company certificate”, “clean company” or “no encumbrances”. Those phrases cover different tests:

• Standing — is the company registered and in a position Companies House will certify at issue?
• Charges / mortgages — what security interests appear (or used to appear) on the public register?
• Capital and ownership — share capital, PSC and members detail (see why statement of capital is not on a modern COGS)

A single paper cannot answer all three. That is the same practical limit covered in what “good standing” does not mean: the certificate is useful evidence, not a full due-diligence report.

What a COGS actually covers

A Companies House Certificate of Good Standing supports a formal statement about the company’s registered position at the date of issue. Recipients commonly use it for banking, free-zone, licensing or counsel packs as status evidence.

It does not automatically prove:

• that no charges or mortgages are registered
• that a charge has been satisfied or released
• the ranking, amount or property secured by a charge
• solvency, tax compliance or ability to repay debt
• authority to borrow or grant security

If the written checklist mentions “encumbrances”, “charges register”, “mortgage”, “debenture” or “security search”, treat that as a separate evidence line from good standing.

Where charge information actually lives

Charge and mortgage information for UK companies sits in Companies House filings and related register views — not inside the body of a modern good-standing certificate. Depending on history and the recipient’s wording, relevant evidence may include filings that create, register, satisfy, release or amend a charge, plus certified copies of any specific charge documents the checklist names.

Always start with the company number and the live public record. Names can be similar; numbers are unique. Review recent filings before you pay, as covered in checking filings before ordering a COGS.

COGS vs certified copies vs documents pack

If the recipient wants “status plus security evidence”, plan a COGS and the certified charge materials. A pack is usually cleaner than piecemeal orders with mismatched issue dates. See COGS vs filing history for why a download is not a certificate or certified copy.

When “no charges” still needs separate proof

Some checklists ask for confirmation that there are no outstanding charges. A COGS is not that confirmation. The recipient may still want a certified satisfaction or release filing, a counsel search letter, or its own security search against the company number.

Do not annotate an official certificate to invent a “clear of charges” line. Send the documents the checklist names, clearly labelled.

Freshness and timing

Charge filings and standing certificates age under recipient rules. Many banks use about 30, 60 or 90 days for status documents; security searches may be shorter. Use the document freshness helper before you reorder.

If a satisfaction filing is not yet visible, wait for the live update. Ordering a COGS mid-process does not rewrite the charges picture.

Soft pack for banks and counsel

A cover note that separates standing from security usually works better than a single undifferentiated PDF dump:

• company number and current registered name
• COGS as status evidence (issue date stated)
• each certified charge-related item labelled by filing type and date
• whether each item is original, certified copy, scan or legalised
• the recipient’s written freshness and format rule

Never edit an official certificate to insert charge wording. If the checklist also needs articles, officers or incorporation evidence, add those as separate labelled items rather than overclaiming the COGS.

Official Companies House fees

Check the live GOV.UK Companies House fees table before ordering. Working published figures commonly cited for this Advice Centre are £22 for a standard Companies House certificate and £65 for a same-day certificate. Certified copies of filed documents have their own published lines on the same fees guidance. These are official charges, not an agent’s full service price.

Order through UKCOGS when you want the current COGS, certified copies or a documents pack handled together against a written checklist.

Apostille and overseas use (quote only)

If the pack will be used abroad, the recipient may still ask for apostille or further legalisation of the COGS or certified copies. That is a separate route from Companies House issue. UKCOGS can quote apostille and embassy stages when needed; do not treat legalisation as a buy-now SKU until you have confirmed the destination checklist. An apostille authenticates a signature, seal or status on that document — it does not add a charges schedule or prove that security has been released.

Practical checklist

• Confirm company number and review live filing history before payment
• Map “standing” and “charges / mortgages” to separate evidence lines
• Order a COGS for status; order certified copies (or a pack) for charge filings
• Do not present a COGS as proof of a clear charges position
• Align issue dates where the recipient wants a single pack
• Ask for written freshness, format and legalisation rules

Frequently asked questions

Does a Certificate of Good Standing list mortgages or charges?

No. Treat charge and mortgage evidence as a separate Companies House (or counsel-search) request.

If there are no charges on the register, is a COGS enough?

Only if the checklist asks for standing alone. If it also asks about encumbrances or security, confirm what certified evidence or search letter the recipient wants.

Should I order certified copies of every historical charge?

Order what the written checklist names. Historical satisfied charges may still matter for some reviews; others only care about outstanding security. Ask before you pay for a large set of copies.

Can I use filing-history screenshots instead of certified copies?

Usually not for formal packs. Screenshots help you prepare; certified copies and certificates are the products many banks and counsel expect. See COGS vs filing history.

Do I need incorporation as well as COGS and charge copies?

Often yes for a full onboarding pack. Formation evidence, current standing and security filings answer different questions. Start from the Certificate of Incorporation page if formation is on the list.

Where do I check official fees?

Use the live GOV.UK Companies House fees and certified copies guidance, and re-check before you pay.

For a current Certificate of Good Standing, certified copies of charge-related filings or a multi-document pack matched to a recipient checklist, start from the order page or the UK Certificate of Good Standing service page. Confirm acceptance with the receiving organisation before work begins.