Memorandum and articles in United Kingdom
A memorandum and articles of association, filed with Companies House, records the constitution a United Kingdom company adopted on incorporation: its objects where retained and the articles governing shareholders and directors. Companies House issues a certified copy within two working days. Where a signing deadline is close, order the apostille alongside the document, not after it arrives.
What this document shows
A memorandum and articles of association is a United Kingdom company document filed at the corporate register and issued as two linked parts. The memorandum is retained as a historical record of the subscribers who agreed to form the company and does not change after incorporation. The articles are the current constitution and are updated whenever the company files a fresh version; a certified United Kingdom extract of either part, or of both together, can be ordered depending on what a matter requires.
Companies House registers companies incorporated in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland alike, and issues the certified copy from the same filing regardless of which part of the United Kingdom the company calls home. The document identifies which register holds the original filing, so a reader checking a company incorporated in Scotland receives a certificate referencing the correct part of the register.
Under the law in force in United Kingdom, a certified copy ordinarily carries the following fields:
- Company name and any previous names recorded at incorporation
- Registered office jurisdiction within the United Kingdom
- Statement of objects, where the company chose to retain one
- Classes and rights attaching to share capital
- Provisions on the appointment and removal of directors
- Rules for general meetings and for amending the articles
Where a company has adopted model articles without amendment, the certified copy says so rather than reproducing the full model text; a reader relying on the document for a specific clause should check which version is referenced. The document is a snapshot: it reflects what was on file at the date the certificate was issued, not what a director currently intends. Where the register indicates that model articles apply without modification, the certified copy names the specific model rather than attaching model text separately, keeping the document proportionate to what was actually filed.
What it does not show
A United Kingdom memorandum and articles document does not show who currently owns or controls the company. Beneficial ownership is held in a separate record at the same authority, and a compliance officer working from constitutional documents alone will not find it there.
The document does not show whether the company has granted a charge over its assets, whether it is subject to insolvency proceedings, or whether it has outstanding litigation. Each of those sits in a different part of the same corporate register, or in a separate court record, and none of them is reconstructed from the articles.
It does not show the current identity of directors or shareholders as at today's date; for that a separate current filing or officer record is needed, dated independently of the constitutional document. Where the access regime for a related register is not open to a foreign applicant without a local step, that is confirmed separately rather than assumed from this document.
The document also does not show the company's financial position: turnover, assets or liabilities are filed separately as annual accounts, on their own schedule, and are not reproduced inside the memorandum and articles. A reader who needs both a constitutional snapshot and a financial one should order them as two separate items, since combining them into a single certified extract is not how the register is structured.
Nor does it show earlier versions of the articles superseded by a later filing; only the version currently in force is certified, and a historical version must be requested separately where the register retains it.
How it is obtained
The register that holds this document is open, and a search of the register itself is free of charge under United Kingdom practice. What is charged for is the handled route: identifying the correct company, ordering a certified copy in the form a receiving authority expects, and arranging any apostille or translation around it, not the underlying information.
REGISTRUM confirms the exact company and the version of the articles on file before an order is placed, since a company may have restated its articles more than once and the wrong version is the most common reason a document is rejected on arrival. Once the company is confirmed, the request is submitted to Companies House and the certified copy is returned to REGISTRUM for onward delivery, apostille or translation as instructed.
Issuing authority: Companies House. Source: Companies House · retrieved 31 August 2026
Official fee for a certified copy: £22 (fee as at 31 August 2026), the authority's own fee for this document.
Normal turnaround for a REGISTRUM-handled order: two working days from confirmed instruction.
Language of issue: English; no separate English version is needed, since the register itself operates in English.
Access for a foreign applicant: the access regime for this register is being confirmed against the primary source; where a local step is required, that is stated before an order is accepted, not after.
Reuse: the certified copy is supplied for the use stated in the order and may not be relicensed or resold separately.
Where the access regime for this register is confirmed as open without a local representative, that confirmation is given in writing at the time of order, not assumed from general practice; where a local step turns out to be required, the order is not taken until that step is resolved. The reuse terms apply per document ordered: a certified copy obtained for one matter is not carried across to a second matter without a fresh order, even where the underlying company has not changed.
Price, timeline and add-ons
The fee for this order is confirmed before payment, together with the delivery date; no price is fixed on this page ahead of that confirmation. An apostille, a certified translation, courier delivery or a rush service can each be added to the same order; each extends the standard turnaround by a period confirmed at the time of order, and each is priced separately from the base document.
If the document does not exist in this jurisdiction or cannot be obtained for you, we say so before you pay and we do not take the order.
How long does a memorandum & articles / constitutional documents from United Kingdom take?
A REGISTRUM order for this document is normally delivered within two working days of a confirmed instruction. An apostille, a certified translation, courier delivery or a rush service can be added to the same order, and each extends the standard turnaround by a period confirmed when the order is placed, not estimated in advance.
Will a United Kingdom document be accepted abroad without an apostille?
Acceptance is a decision for the receiving authority, not for the register or for REGISTRUM. An apostille confirms the origin of the certificate; it does not oblige a foreign body to accept it. Where a closing date is fixed, ordering the apostille alongside the document, rather than after it arrives, removes one common cause of delay.
What does a memorandum & articles / constitutional documents in United Kingdom not show?
It does not show current ownership, control, charges over assets, insolvency status or litigation. Each of those is held in a separate record, sometimes at the same authority and sometimes in a separate court record, and none of it is reconstructed from the constitutional document itself.
Is a certified copy different from a document downloaded directly from the register?
A certified copy carries an authentication from the issuing authority that a plain download does not. Some receiving authorities specify a certified copy for filing or evidential purposes; others accept a plain extract. Where the intended use is not yet fixed, stating it at the time of order avoids paying twice.
Can this document be ordered for a company that has since changed its name?
Yes; the order is matched to the company's registered number rather
REGISTRUM obtains and delivers official records issued by public registers and licensed registered agents. This page describes what those records contain and how they are obtained. It is not advice on the legal effect of any record. To order, write to info@registrumfirm.com.