Can a UK company certificate show the company’s objects or corporate purpose?

Published 7 October 2026 · Last updated 7 October 2026 · Official fees checked on GOV.UK 7 October 2026 (Companies House, FCDO)

A UK company certificate does not list what the company does unless you ask for the objects as an extra certified fact. Since the Companies Act 2006, a UK company’s objects are unrestricted unless its articles specifically restrict them, so for most overseas “corporate purpose” requests the best evidence is a certificate plus a certified copy of the current articles.

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

If a bank, notary, registry or counterparty abroad asks for your UK company’s “corporate purpose”, “business object” or “objects clause”, first check whether your articles contain one. If they do not, the company’s objects are unrestricted under section 31(1) of the Companies Act 2006 and there is no list of activities to certify. If they do, a certified copy of the current articles shows the wording. Companies House can also include the company’s objects as an additional certified fact on a company certificate. Agree with the recipient which of these it wants before you pay for certification, apostille or translation.

Why overseas recipients ask for corporate purpose

In many civil-law countries, a company’s purpose is a field on the commercial register and appears on the local registry extract. A notary, bank compliance team or registry clerk used to that format will often expect the same thing from a UK company and write “corporate purpose” or “object of the company” on its checklist. The request is reasonable from their side, but the UK register is built differently, and a UK document will not always have a matching box.

The gap usually shows up at three points: when opening a bank account abroad, when registering a branch or subsidiary, and when a notary prepares a power of attorney or a share transfer. In each case the reviewer wants to see that the company is allowed to do what the transaction involves. For most modern UK companies the honest answer is that the law does not limit the objects at all, and the document pack should show that clearly rather than leave a blank the reviewer has to guess about.

What UK company law says about objects

Section 31(1) of the Companies Act 2006 says that unless a company’s articles specifically restrict its objects, its objects are unrestricted. Most companies formed under the 2006 Act on standard model articles therefore have no objects clause.

Older companies are different. Before the 2006 Act took full effect, a company’s objects were set out in its memorandum of association. Section 28 treats those older memorandum provisions as provisions of the company’s articles. So a company formed under earlier law may still carry an objects clause, often a long one, unless it has since removed or changed it.

If a company adds, removes or changes a statement of objects, section 31(2) says it must give notice to the registrar, and the change is not effective until that notice is entered on the register. That matters for timing: a certificate or certified copy ordered before the notice is registered will show the old position.

What Companies House can certify

The GOV.UK Companies House certificates guidance (last updated 17 August 2026) says you can order a company certificate with certified facts, or a certified copy of a document held on the register. Additional certified facts you can request include directors’ names and details, secretaries’ names, the registered office address, the company’s objects, and the summary statement, which used to be called the good standing statement.

The same page says you cannot order certificates with information on people with significant control, shareholders, shareholdings or the statement of capital. If the overseas checklist bundles “purpose, shareholders and capital” into one request, the purpose part can be dealt with through the certificate or the articles, but ownership and capital need other evidence such as the confirmation statement or the company’s own registers.

Three situations and what to order

1. A modern company with no objects clause

This is the most common case. Order the Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Incorporation the recipient asked for, plus a certified copy of the current articles if the recipient wants to see the constitution. Add a short covering note in plain English saying the articles contain no restriction on the objects, so under section 31(1) of the Companies Act 2006 the objects are unrestricted. Ask the recipient to confirm in writing that this answers its corporate-purpose question.

2. A company whose articles restrict its objects

Some companies, including many charitable and community companies, deliberately restrict their objects. Here a certified copy of the current articles shows the exact wording, and you can ask for the objects to be included as an additional certified fact on the company certificate. Make sure the copy is the latest version on the register, not the articles adopted at incorporation; our guide on current versus original articles explains why that matters.

3. An older company with an objects clause in its memorandum

Check the filing history for later changes to the articles. If the old objects clause still applies, the recipient may want both the memorandum and the current articles, because section 28 treats the old memorandum provisions as part of the articles. Our company documents pack brings the certificate and certified constitutional documents together in one order.

SIC codes are not the company’s objects

The public Companies House record shows a nature-of-business entry using SIC codes. Recipients sometimes treat these as the company’s purpose. They are a classification of activity for statistical purposes, not the company’s legal objects, and they do not restrict what the company can do. They can be useful background for a bank’s risk review, but they do not replace the articles. If the recipient insists on SIC codes, a printout of the live register entry may be enough; ask whether it needs to be certified.

UKCOGS prices and official fees

We show our fee and the official fee as separate numbers. All UKCOGS prices are ex VAT.

• Certificate of Good Standing, standard: your fee £79, which includes the official Companies House fee of £22.
• Certificate of Good Standing, express: your fee £129, which includes the official Companies House fee of £65.
• Company documents pack: from £249 to £299 depending on contents, with the Companies House fees included and itemised at checkout.
• Certified copy of the articles: buy-now on the order page, where the price is shown before you pay.
• FCDO apostille, if needed: quote-only. The official FCDO fee on GOV.UK is £45 per paper apostille or £35 per e-Apostille, plus courier or postage. Embassy legalisation and translation are also quote-only.

The official Companies House figures come from the Companies House fees list (updated 25 September 2026), which still shows £22 by post and £65 for the same-day service for certificates and certified copies. Certified incorporation documents cost more: GOV.UK lists £44 standard and £130 express.

How it works

1. Confirm the request. Send us the recipient’s checklist wording. We check the live register, whether the articles contain an objects clause and whether filings are up to date.
2. We order from Companies House. For a standard order, Companies House aims to send within 10 working days. For express, orders placed before 11am are sent the same working day. We ask for the objects to be included where that helps.
3. We scan and send on. We then scan and send the documents on within 1 to 3 working days. If an apostille is needed, we quote that stage separately before anything goes to the FCDO.

Eligibility warning

A Certificate of Good Standing depends on the summary statement. GOV.UK says Companies House only issues it if the company is up to date with its filings, and that a private limited company needs at least one director who is a natural person, while a public limited company needs a secretary and at least two directors, one of whom is a natural person. If accounts or the confirmation statement are overdue, file first or ask for a certificate of incorporation without the summary statement. Our free filings checker shows overdue items before you order.

Practical checklist

• Copy the recipient’s exact wording for the purpose request into your order notes.
• Check the current articles on the register for any objects clause or restriction.
• For an older company, check the filing history for later changes to the memorandum or articles.
• Decide whether the recipient needs the objects on the certificate, a certified copy of the articles, or both.
• Confirm apostille, translation, embassy and courier requirements before paying.
• Keep the certificate, certified copies and legalisation evidence together in one indexed pack.

Freshness is a recipient rule

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

Keep the scope clear

Unrestricted objects describe what the company is allowed to do under its constitution. They do not show that it has any licence, permit or regulatory approval it may need for a particular activity, in the UK or abroad. A company certificate is also not proof of ownership, solvency, tax compliance or a director’s authority to sign. If the reviewer asks a question the documents cannot answer, add the separate evidence it requests or get professional advice.

Frequently asked questions

Does a UK Certificate of Good Standing list what the company does?

Not by default. GOV.UK lists the company’s objects as an additional certified fact you can request on a Companies House certificate, alongside directors, secretaries, the registered office and the summary statement. If the recipient wants purpose wording, ask for that fact or add a certified copy of the current articles.

What does it mean if a UK company’s objects are unrestricted?

Section 31(1) of the Companies Act 2006 says that unless a company’s articles specifically restrict its objects, its objects are unrestricted. Many modern UK companies therefore have no objects clause, and there is no list of activities for a certificate to repeat.

My company was formed before the 2006 Act. Does its old objects clause still matter?

It can. Section 28 of the Companies Act 2006 treats provisions that were in an older company’s memorandum, such as an objects clause, as provisions of its articles. Unless the company has since removed or changed them, they can still restrict the objects, so check the current articles and the filing history.

Are SIC codes the same as the company’s objects?

No. SIC codes are the nature-of-business classification shown on the public Companies House record. They describe activity for statistical purposes and are not the company’s legal objects. A recipient asking for corporate purpose may accept SIC codes as background, but they do not replace the articles.

Can I change my company’s objects before ordering the certificate?

A company can amend its articles to add, remove or alter a statement of objects. Section 31(2) says it must give notice to the registrar, and the amendment is not effective until that notice is entered on the register. Order the certificate or certified copy after the change appears on the record, and take legal advice on the change itself.

Can the certificate or copy be apostilled for use abroad?

Yes, where the document carries an original Companies House official signature. GOV.UK says that to legalise a Companies House document with the FCDO it must have the original signature of a British public official, which is why you need a certified certificate or certified copy. UKCOGS handles apostille stages on a quote-only basis.

Will a foreign bank accept a certificate without a purpose clause?

That is the recipient’s decision. Send the certificate, the current articles and a short note that the objects are unrestricted under section 31 of the Companies Act 2006, then ask the recipient to confirm in writing whether the pack meets its checklist. UKCOGS cannot promise foreign acceptance.

Does a translation change what the objects say?

No. A translation should follow the certified English wording. If the articles have no objects clause, the translator should not invent one. Ask the recipient whether it wants the translation done before or after the apostille.

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