Which company details are legally required?
Companies House guidance and the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 require a company to disclose its registered name on its websites. Business letters, order forms and websites must also disclose:
- The part of the United Kingdom in which the company is registered: England and Wales, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, as applicable.
- The company’s registered number.
- The address of the company’s registered office.
- The full registered name, including “Limited” or “Ltd” unless the company is lawfully exempt from using that ending.
Use the details exactly as held at Companies House. A brand or trading name can still lead the website, but it does not replace the registered company disclosure.
Where should the information appear?
The rules require disclosure on the website but do not prescribe one universal footer design. Make the details easy to find. A concise site-wide footer is clear; a footer link to an accessible legal or company-information page can hold fuller material where appropriate.
The example shows format only. Replace every item with the company’s verified information and use the correct UK jurisdiction. The registered office is a public address, so do not publish a different operational or correspondence address in its place.
Which common footer items are not universally mandatory?
| Information | When it is relevant | Why it is separate |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy notice | The organisation processes personal data, which most enquiry, account, recruitment and analytics journeys do. | UK data-protection rules determine the information according to the processing. |
| Cookie or storage information | The website stores or accesses information on users’ devices. | Consent and exception rules depend on the technologies and purposes used. |
| VAT number | The business is VAT-registered and the context requires VAT information, such as qualifying VAT invoices. | VAT obligations and price presentation are not the Companies House disclosure list. |
| Terms and cancellation information | The website forms contracts or sells goods, services or digital content, especially to consumers. | Consumer, distance-selling and sector rules depend on the transaction. |
| Regulator or professional details | The company works in a regulated sector or profession. | Sector-specific obligations differ between businesses. |
| Directors’ names | The company chooses to show directors in covered business material. | If directors are named in that context, Companies House guidance says all directors must be listed; a general footer list is not required for every company. |
What privacy information should the website provide?
If the company collects personal data, it must provide appropriate privacy information. The ICO says this includes who the organisation is, why it uses personal data, its lawful basis, retention, sharing and people’s rights, with further items where applicable. The notice must describe the business’s real processing rather than copy a generic template.
Cookies and similar technologies need a separate audit. Read whether your website needs a cookie banner before assuming that every site requires the same interface.
What changes if the company shows prices or sells online?
VAT treatment depends on registration and audience. GOV.UK states that prices aimed at the general public show VAT-inclusive amounts, while business-only material commonly presents VAT separately. VAT invoices have their own content requirements, including a VAT registration number.
A website selling at a distance must provide relevant pre-contract information such as the business identity and contact details, the goods or services, total price, payment and delivery arrangements, and cancellation information where the rules apply. Products, customers and sectors differ, so use the current GOV.UK guidance and obtain professional advice for unusual or regulated activity.
A practical website disclosure check
- Verify
Check the registered name, number, office and jurisdiction against Companies House. - Map
List personal data, device storage, sales, prices and regulated activity. - Publish
Place accurate information where visitors can readily find it. - Review
Update disclosures when the company or website changes.
Probeck’s Website Compliance service can help audit and implement website information. It does not replace tailored legal, tax or regulatory advice.
UK company website information FAQs
Can we show only our trading name?
No. A company can use a trading name, but its website must still disclose the registered company name and the other required company particulars.
Must the details be on every page?
The legislation requires disclosure on the website rather than prescribing a precise page layout. A site-wide footer makes the information consistently easy to find; a clear legal-page link can support fuller information.
Does every limited company need a cookie banner?
No. The answer depends on the storage and access technologies used and their purposes. Some uses require consent and some may fall within an exception.