Scottish companies and Certificates of Good Standing

Published 21 September 2026 · Last updated 19 October 2026 · Official fees checked on GOV.UK 19 October 2026 (Companies House, FCDO)

A company registered in Scotland orders its Certificate of Good Standing from Companies House in exactly the same way as a company in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. There is no separate Scottish product, no separate Scottish fee and no Scottish equivalent of the FCDO. Companies House charges £22 for standard dispatch or £65 for express, and the "good standing" wording is the summary statement added to the company certificate (source: GOV.UK Companies House ordering guidance, checked 19 October 2026).

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 your company number starts with SC, it is registered in Scotland. Order a company certificate with the summary statement from Companies House, check the filings first so the statement can be issued, and add an FCDO apostille only if the overseas recipient asks for one. The route, the fee and the turnaround are the same as for an English company.

Is there a separate Scottish category?

No. Companies House keeps the register for all three UK jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. A Scottish company appears on the same Find and update company information service, is ordered from the same "More" tab, and gets the same choice of certified facts: the summary statement, directors, secretaries, the registered office and the company's objects. Shareholders, people with significant control and the statement of capital cannot be added, whichever jurisdiction the company is in.

So there is no need for an English-law certificate, a Scottish court document or a local authority attestation to prove a Scottish company exists. A bank or lawyer abroad who asks for a "Certificate of Good Standing" for a Scottish company is asking for the same Companies House certificate.

How to spot a Scottish company on the register

• Company number prefix: companies registered in Scotland have numbers that begin SC. Scottish LLPs begin SO. A plain eight-digit number is normally a company registered in England and Wales.
• Registered office: a company registered in Scotland keeps its registered office in Scotland. It can move address within Scotland, but it cannot move its registered office to England and remain registered in Scotland.
• Jurisdiction: the company overview on the register shows where the company is registered, which is the detail overseas reviewers sometimes check against the certificate.

Quote the full number, prefix included, on the order and on the recipient's paperwork. A dropped "SC" is one of the quickest ways to get the wrong entity, or a number that matches nothing.

Check the register before you pay

Companies House only issues the summary statement if the company is up to date with its filings. For a private limited company it also needs at least one director who is a natural person; a public limited company needs a secretary and at least two directors, one of them a natural person. If accounts or the confirmation statement are overdue, you get a certificate without the good standing wording, which most banks then reject.

Run the free filings check first. It also helps with groups: a Scottish address may belong to one subsidiary among several with similar names, so match the exact legal name and number before ordering.

When Scottish law matters

Scots law is a separate legal system, which matters for property, contracts and how documents are signed. A Certificate of Good Standing does not answer any of those questions. If a transaction needs a legal opinion on capacity or signing authority, that is a job for a Scottish solicitor, and the certificate is only one piece of supporting evidence.

Overseas use and apostilles

The FCDO Legalisation Office apostilles UK public documents, and a Companies House certificate for a Scottish company is one of them. The apostille confirms the signature or seal on the certificate; it does not certify Scots law, solvency or that the recipient will accept the pack. The official FCDO fee is £45 for a paper apostille or £35 for an e-Apostille. Some countries then want embassy legalisation or a sworn translation on top.

UKCOGS sells the Companies House certificate itself as buy-now. Apostille and embassy stages are quote-only, so ask for a quote if the recipient needs them.

Label the pack

State the exact legal name, the full SC number, the registered office and the issue date. Keep the COGS separate from the certificate of incorporation and the articles so a reviewer can find each one. If the recipient sets a maximum age, write it on the cover note; about 90 days is a common habit, not a universal rule. The document freshness helper works out the window.

Practical checklist

• Use the exact registered company name, number and company type.
• Review the live Companies House record and recent filing history.
• Ask the recipient what the document must prove, how recent it must be and whether it accepts paper or electronic format.
• Confirm apostille, translation, embassy and courier requirements before paying.
• Keep the order confirmation, issued document and legalisation evidence together.
• Index the pack without claiming that a certificate proves ownership, solvency or authority unless it actually does.

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 Restricted Urgent where the relevant conditions apply. Certification, translation, courier, postage and any later embassy stage can be separate. Do not describe a provider as an FCDO partner unless current official terms expressly support that wording.

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 or counterparty 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? Does the bank or authority need the complete pack uploaded in one session? Will it accept a scan for preliminary review and request originals later? Is a courier address different from the registered office? These details affect timing and can prevent a correctly issued document being sent to the wrong place. 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

Do Scottish companies need a different COGS?

No. A company registered in Scotland gets the same Companies House company certificate with the summary statement as any UK company, for the same £22 standard or £65 express fee.

Does a Scottish office prove trading location?

No. The registered office is the official address on the register. The company may trade somewhere else entirely, and a certificate does not prove where it does business.

Is a COGS proof of Scottish compliance?

Only in a narrow sense. The summary statement confirms continuous existence and that no strike-off action is currently under way. It is not a tax, financial or legal assessment of the company.

Can a Scottish company use an e-Apostille?

Often, yes. The FCDO can issue an e-Apostille (£35) on an eligible electronic document, but the recipient decides whether it accepts electronic format. Ask before you order, because a paper apostille costs £45.

Is 90 days law?

No. About 90 days is a common recipient habit, not a legal expiry. Banks and authorities set their own age limits, so ask for the rule in writing.

Does a Scottish company number look different?

Yes. Companies registered in Scotland have numbers beginning SC, and Scottish LLPs use SO. Quote the full number, prefix included, on the order and on the recipient's paperwork so the right entity is matched.

Is the Companies House fee different for a Scottish company?

No. GOV.UK lists one fee for every UK company: £22 standard and £65 express for a certificate, or £44 and £130 for incorporation documents (checked 19 October 2026).

Can a Scottish company move its registered office to England?

Not while staying registered in Scotland. It can change its address within Scotland, but the jurisdiction on the register stays the same, so the certificate will still show a Scottish company.

Ready to order? See the Certificate of Good Standing service, apostille and legalisation information, the order page, or request a quote for apostille work. Service prices and delivery times are separate from official fees, and the receiving organisation makes its own decision.