Certificate of Good Standing vs Companies House filing history

14 October 2026

A Certificate of Good Standing and a Companies House filing history are related but different UK company documents. A COGS provides a current status snapshot, while filing history lets a reviewer inspect filed accounts, confirmation statements and other submissions over time.

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

The right document depends on the recipient’s question. If it wants concise evidence that a company is currently registered and appears in good standing, it may ask for a COGS. If it wants to see when accounts, confirmation statements, charges or officer changes were filed, it needs the filing history or specified certified copies. One document does not replace the other, so ask the receiving organisation before ordering a pack.

What a filing history contains

The Companies House filing history is a timeline. It can show filing dates, document types, accounts, confirmation statements, officer appointments and resignations, people with significant control information and charges, depending on the company record. It is useful for tracing events and locating a source document. A web-page view or download may not be the same as a certified copy, so check the recipient’s evidence standard.

What a COGS adds

A COGS is designed to answer a narrower, present-focused question. It can state information about the company’s current registered position at issue, subject to the certificate’s wording and official process. It is easier for an overseas reviewer to index than a long list of filings. It does not narrate every historic filing, and it does not certify commercial performance, solvency, beneficial ownership or authority to sign.

Why recipients ask for both

A bank might use a COGS to confirm current status and review filing history to see whether information is consistent. A foreign registrar may require the COGS as the formal certificate but ask for articles or an incorporation document as support. If both are requested, do not assume a screenshot of the online register satisfies the certified-document part. Ask whether history must be official, certified or merely available for review.

How to compare dates and names

Use the company number as the primary identifier, then compare exact legal name, registered office and officers. A recent filing may not yet be reflected in every document or may have been submitted under a previous name. Note the issue date of the COGS and the date range shown in the filing history. If a recipient has a freshness policy, around 90 days is common, but the written requirement controls.

Practical checklist

• Use the company number rather than a trading name.

• List the exact question the recipient wants answered.

• Order a COGS when current status evidence is requested.

• Obtain relevant filing-history documents when events must be reviewed.

• Check whether online copies, certified copies or apostilled documents are required.

• Keep an index explaining what each item is intended to prove.

Official fees and sources

Check the live GOV.UK guidance on ordering certified copies and certificates from Companies House before ordering. The current working figures for this batch are £22 for a standard Companies House certificate and £65 for a same-day certificate. These are official charges, not an agent’s full service price. Where legalisation is needed, the live GOV.UK document legalisation guidance lists £45 for a paper apostille, £35 for an e-Apostille, £40 for Next-Day and £100 for Urgent/Restricted Urgent where the relevant conditions apply. Certification, translation, courier, postage and any later embassy stage can be separate. UKCOGS does not claim FCDO partner status; use current official terms when describing any service.

Freshness is a recipient rule

There is no universal 90-day legal expiry for every Certificate of Good Standing. About 90 days is a common recipient habit, but a bank, authority, registrar or clerk may specify 30, 60, 180 days or a document issued after a particular filing. An apostille authenticates the relevant signature, seal or status; it does not refresh company information. Check the recipient’s written rule and the live Companies House record before presentation.

Questions to settle before payment

Ask the receiving organisation to confirm the exact document title, the legal entity, the maximum document age and the accepted delivery format. Ask whether it wants an original, a Companies House certified copy, a solicitor-certified copy or an electronic file. If the document will be used outside the UK, ask whether an apostille is enough or whether translation, embassy legalisation or local filing follows. Put the reply in the order file; a short written answer is more useful than an assumption based on a similar transaction. Also check the practical hand-offs: who will receive the certificate, whether a portal accepts the original electronic file, whether paper will be requested later and whether the courier address differs from the registered office. Keep tracking information and delivery confirmation with the final pack.

Keep the scope clear

A company certificate is one piece of evidence. It should not be described as a guarantee of incorporation history, ownership, financial health, tax compliance, authority to sign or permission to trade unless the document and recipient specifically establish that point. If a reviewer asks a question the certificate cannot answer, add the separate evidence it requests or obtain professional advice. Clear wording protects the client from relying on a document for a purpose it was never designed to meet.

Frequently asked questions

Is a filing history a Certificate of Good Standing?

No. Filing history is a record of submissions; a COGS is a separate current-status certificate.

Does a COGS include every company filing?

No. It is not a substitute for a complete filing history.

Can I send a filing-history PDF to an overseas bank?

Only if the bank confirms it accepts that format and document.

Which document is more recent?

Compare issue and download dates with the recipient’s written freshness rule.

Can both documents be apostilled?

Potentially, but eligibility and the recipient’s required format should be checked first.

UKCOGS can help coordinate the relevant document route. See the Certificate of Good Standing service, apostille and legalisation information, order page or request a quote. Service prices and delivery times are separate from official fees, and the receiving organisation makes its own decision.