How to search for disqualified company directors

Directors who do not meet their legal responsibilities can be disqualified (banned) from being a director. The Insolvency Service will investigate a director's conduct and then may seek to have the director banned.

Anyone can report a company director's conduct as being 'unfit'. 

People are also banned from being the director of a company if they’ve any:

• bankruptcy orders ('undischarged bankrupts')
• debt relief orders
• bankruptcy restrictions

There are several options available to search for disqualified company directors.

The Register of Insolvencies Scotland

You can search Scotland's Register of Insolvencies from the Accountant in Bankruptcy. The register has the details of individuals in Scotland subject to:

• bankruptcy (‘sequestration’) orders
• bankruptcy restriction orders

The Individual Insolvency Register England and Wales

You can search the Individual Insolvency Register for England and Wales. This includes details of individuals in England and Wales subject to:

• bankruptcy orders
• debt relief orders
• bankruptcy restriction orders  

The Insolvency Service Directors Disqualification Outcomes Register

You can search the Insolvency Service Directors Disqualification Outcomes Register which lists for the last 3 months:

• directors disqualified in England, Wales and Scotland
• details of bankruptcy restrictions and debt relief orders for individuals in England and Wales.

For any records over 3 months, contact the Insolvency Service, insolvency.enquiryline@insolvency.gov.uk.

For these individuals it provides full details of:

• their name
• their date of birth
• their last known address
• why they were banned
• the period of disqualification

Companies House

You can search the Companies House register. This gives details of all directors in the UK and will show if a director has any disqualifications listed against them. It shows:

• their name
• their address
• their date of birth
• their nationality
• their last registered address
• when the disqualification began and ends
• how many disqualifications they've had
• why they were disqualified
• the names and numbers of their companies