Your companies house certificate of incorporation is the document that legally confirms your business exists. Without it, you cannot open a business bank account, sign certain contracts, or — critically for many small businesses — run Google Ads under a verified business identity.
This article explains exactly what the companies house certificate of incorporation is, what information it contains, how to obtain or replace it, and why it matters when you start spending money on paid advertising.
What Is a Companies House Certificate of Incorporation?
The companies house certificate of incorporation is the formal document issued by Companies House when a limited company is registered in the United Kingdom. It confirms that the company has been legally incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 and is a separate legal entity from its owners.
The certificate includes four core pieces of information: the company's registered name, its company registration number (CRN), the date of incorporation, and the type of company — typically a private company limited by shares. These four details are what third parties, banks, and advertising networks will ask you to verify.
It is worth being precise about what the certificate does not do. It does not prove solvency, confirm trading status, or guarantee that the company has filed accounts. It is purely a confirmation of legal existence at the point of registration.
For day-to-day purposes, the certificate is a one-time document. Once issued, it does not need renewing. If your company's name changes, however, Companies House issues a new certificate reflecting that change — the original certificate still stands as a historical record of the original name.
How to Get Your Companies House Certificate of Incorporation
If you registered your company online through the Companies House web filing service or through a company formation agent, you would have received a digital PDF certificate within 24 hours of incorporation. That PDF is the official document — there is no legal distinction between a digital and a printed version.
If you registered by post, you received a physical certificate. Many business owners misplace this during the chaos of starting a company, which is understandable — at the time it feels like admin, not an asset.
To obtain a copy, you have two routes. First, you can download a certified copy directly from the Companies House website by searching for your company and requesting official documents. A certified copy carries a small fee, typically a few pounds, and is accepted by banks and financial institutions as equivalent to the original. Second, if you used a company formation agent, most will hold copies on file and can reissue them on request.
For any business planning to run Google Ads or apply for business credit in 2026, having a readily accessible digital copy of your certificate is worth doing now rather than scrambling for it later.
| Document Detail | Where to Find It | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Company Registration Number | Top of certificate | Required for bank accounts, VAT registration, ad accounts |
| Date of Incorporation | Top of certificate | Used by lenders and credit checks |
| Company Type | Body of certificate | Confirms limited liability status |
| Registered Name | Top of certificate | Must match exactly across all official documents |
| Certified Copy Source | Companies House website | Accepted in place of original |
Why the Certificate Matters for Business Advertising
This is the connection that most articles on this topic overlook entirely, and it is the reason this subject is relevant to paid search. When you set up a Google Ads account as a limited company, Google's verification processes — particularly for certain ad formats and spending thresholds — will ask you to confirm your business identity. Your company registration number, which appears on your companies house certificate of incorporation, is often the document you reference.
Beyond Google's own verification, agencies and AI-managed ad accounts typically require proof of business identity before taking on management. When we ran our agency for nine years, the number of businesses that stalled their own ad campaigns because they could not locate their certificate of incorporation — or did not realise their company name had to match exactly across their ad account, their website, and their registered details — was a consistent friction point.
A mismatch between your trading name and your registered company name can cause payment issues, suspension flags, and in some cases prevent you from appealing ad account decisions. Getting this right at the start costs nothing. Getting it wrong mid-campaign can cost you real money in paused ads and lost conversions.
If you are managing paid search yourself or working with an AI-managed Google Ads service, ensuring your account details match your registered company information is one of the first operational steps worth confirming.
Certificate of Incorporation vs Other Company Documents
Business owners often confuse the certificate of incorporation with several other documents that Companies House produces. They serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
The memorandum of association is a separate document that records the founding members' intention to form the company. The articles of association set out the internal rules governing how the company operates. Neither of these is the same as the certificate of incorporation, though all three are created at the point of registration.
A certificate of good standing is a different document again — it confirms that a company is up to date with its filing obligations and is in good standing with Companies House. This is sometimes confused with the incorporation certificate but is a more recent snapshot of compliance, not a founding document.
For advertising purposes, specifically, what most third parties want is the registration number and incorporated name from the companies house certificate of incorporation — not the full memorandum or articles. Knowing which document is being asked for saves time.
Understanding your company documents also matters when you are thinking about how much you should be spending on Google Ads relative to your business stage and turnover, since some ad spend thresholds trigger additional verification requirements.
What Happens If Your Company Name Changes
When a company changes its registered name, Companies House issues a new certificate of incorporation on change of name. This document looks similar to the original but carries the new name, the same company registration number, and the date the name change took effect.
The original certificate does not become invalid — it remains a historical record. But for all current business purposes, including advertising accounts, contracts, and bank mandates, the most recent certificate reflecting the current name is the document you should be using.
This matters for Google Ads specifically. If your account was set up under a former company name and your billing details or business verification reflects the old name, there can be discrepancies that flag for review. Updating your Google Ads account to match your current registered name, and having the change-of-name certificate available if asked, prevents unnecessary disruption.
For businesses managing Google Ads manually, this is the kind of housekeeping that gets missed. When Overtime manages an account, part of the onboarding process involves checking that account details align with registered business information — the sort of operational detail that sounds minor until it causes a campaign to pause at the wrong moment.
How to Verify a Certificate of Incorporation
Companies House maintains a public register called Find and Update Company Information, which is accessible at no cost. Any person can search for a company by name or registration number and confirm that the company exists, its current status, its registered address, and its incorporation date.
This means the companies house certificate of incorporation is, in effect, a publicly verifiable document. The information it contains is not confidential. Any supplier, client, or advertising network that wants to verify your company's existence can do so in seconds.
For businesses on the receiving end — if you want to verify that a supplier or partner is genuinely incorporated — this same search confirms whether they are active, dormant, or dissolved. A dissolved company's certificate still exists on record, but the company itself has no legal standing.
From an advertising standpoint, understanding this verification infrastructure helps when working with paid search management services that require proof of business identity before activating campaigns.
Putting Your Documents in Order Before You Advertise
Before a small business commits meaningful budget to Google Ads, there is a short list of administrative steps that prevent problems later. Locating and saving a digital copy of your companies house certificate of incorporation is on that list, alongside confirming your VAT number if applicable, checking that your Google Ads billing details match your registered business name, and verifying your business address is consistent across all accounts.
None of this is complicated, but it is the kind of detail that founders deprioritise in favour of getting campaigns live quickly. The cost of doing it properly upfront is an hour of time. The cost of sorting out a suspended account mid-campaign, when you are losing clicks and revenue, is considerably higher.
If you are ready to run Google Ads properly — with your business identity confirmed and your account details correctly aligned — Overtime's AI agent for Google Ads handles the ongoing management: adjusting bids, pausing underperforming keywords, reallocating budget, and sending you regular summaries of what changed and why. You can also read more about what a paid search service actually does and how Google pay-per-click management works for SMEs before making any decisions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What information appears on a companies house certificate of incorporation?
The certificate shows the company's registered name, its unique company registration number, the date of incorporation, and the company type. These four details are what banks, lenders, and advertising networks use to verify your business identity.
How do I get a copy of my companies house certificate of incorporation if I have lost it?
You can download a certified copy from the Companies House website by searching for your company and requesting official documents. The fee is small and the certified digital copy is accepted by banks and financial institutions as equivalent to the original.
Why does my companies house certificate of incorporation matter for Google Ads?
Google's business verification processes require your company registration number and registered name to match across your ad account and billing details. A mismatch can trigger reviews or account suspensions, particularly as your spend increases or you apply for certain ad formats.
What is the difference between a certificate of incorporation and a certificate of good standing?
A certificate of incorporation is a founding document confirming your company was legally registered. A certificate of good standing is a more recent document confirming your company is currently up to date with its Companies House filing obligations. They are not interchangeable.
Should I update my Google Ads account if my company changes its registered name?
Yes. When Companies House issues a new certificate of incorporation on change of name, your advertising accounts, billing details, and business verification documents should all be updated to reflect the new name. Leaving outdated information in place can cause payment issues and compliance flags.