Free links we use
every working week.

These are the official registers we turn to first when an instruction involves a UK company, director or individual.

• Companies House: Find and update company informationCompanies House (GOV.UK)Free UK company, officer and filing history search.
• Individual Insolvency RegisterThe Insolvency ServiceBankruptcies, IVAs and debt relief orders in England and Wales.
• The Gazette: insolvency noticesThe GazetteThe official public record of corporate and personal insolvency notices.
• Search probate records and willsHM Courts & Tribunals ServiceEngland and Wales, from 1858 onwards.
• Financial Services RegisterFinancial Conduct AuthorityCheck whether a firm or individual is authorised and regulated.

Useful for checking a party’s litigation history before or after service.

• Find Case LawThe National ArchivesFree court judgments and tribunal decisions, England and Wales and UK-wide.
• CourtListener RECAP ArchiveFree Law ProjectFree US federal dockets and filings collected from PACER.
• PACER: find a caseU.S. CourtsOfficial US federal court records. An account is required and some fees apply.

Free tools for checking companies and structures outside the UK and the US. For service abroad, see our own Hague Matrix and service checklist.

• OpenCorporatesOpenCorporatesFree company search across many jurisdictions worldwide.
• Offshore Leaks DatabaseICIJWho is behind more than 810,000 offshore companies, foundations and trusts.

Name searches are generally available online. Some registries ask you to open an account, and copies of documents usually carry a fee.

• Companies Office of JamaicaGovernment of JamaicaSearch by company or business name, or by registration number.
• Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO)Government of BarbadosSearch by name, registration number, category or date.
• Companies Registry OnlineRegistrar General, Trinidad and TobagoAvailable around the clock once you create an account.
• Cayman Islands General RegistryCayman Islands GovernmentCompany searches here carry a fee.

Two dependable free tools for checking what a website once said, and for learning sound open-source methods.

• Wayback MachineInternet ArchiveArchived versions of websites, often useful for past addresses and trading names.
• Online Investigation ToolkitBellingcatA respected, free guide to open-source investigation tools.