Appoint or change a corporate director or secretary (AP02, AP04, CH02, CH04)

A corporate director is a company, LLP or other body that is appointed as a director, instead of an individual. Companies House uses four forms for corporate officers. AP02 appoints a corporate director. AP04 appoints a corporate secretary. CH02 changes a corporate director's details. CH04 changes a corporate secretary's details.

Forms AP01 and AP03 are for individuals only. If you are appointing a person, this is the wrong route. Use the individual director or secretary service instead.

Companies House asks you to file online where you can. Paper forms take longer to process, and a company in the PROOF (Protected Online Filing) scheme must not use the paper form.

The company must tell Companies House within 14 days of appointing an officer or of a change to an officer's details. The date on the form is the date the appointment or change took effect, not the date you file.

Yes, for now, but not on its own. Every company must have at least one director who is a natural person. A company cannot have only corporate directors.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 will restrict corporate directors further. Companies House's transition plan says only UK corporate entities with legal personality will be able to act as corporate directors, the corporate director must have a board made up only of individuals, and all of those individuals will need to verify their identity. No start date has been announced. We check the rules in force on the date we review your filing.

Identity verification for corporate directors themselves has not started yet. Companies House says it will introduce it at a later date. Any individual directors of your company still need to verify their identity under the current rules.

A private company does not have to have a company secretary. If it chooses to appoint one, the secretary can be an individual or a corporate body.

See also: Companies House identity verification guide

• The company authentication code. It is used to file for the company.
• The full legal name of the corporate body or firm being appointed.
• Its principal office address. This appears on the public register. It must be a physical address, not a PO Box (unless part of a full address), DX or LP number.
• The date the appointment took effect.
• For a UK-registered limited company, its Companies House registration number.
• For any other body or firm, its legal form and the law that governs it, plus the register it is on and its number in that register, if it has one.
• Confirmation that the corporate body has consented to act as director or secretary. The form asks the company to confirm this.
• For AP02 or AP04, the completed form must include the authenticator’s printed name. We verify their permitted capacity. It does not require a handwritten signature. We check every applicable section before payment.
• The board decision or other approval for the appointment, as your company's articles require.
• For a corporate secretary, confirmation that the appointment does not breach auditor independence. Public-company appointments also need the directors’ competence assessment, actual statutory qualification basis and supporting evidence.

CH02 and CH04 only change the details of a corporate officer who is already on the register. They cannot be used for a new appointment.

For CH02 or CH04, choose the current corporate director or secretary and upload the complete approved change notice. Include the current registered name, actual change date and every changed name, physical principal office, legal form, governing law and applicable register/state and corresponding number. Different effective dates require separate filings. The authenticator gives a printed name, without a handwritten signature; we verify their permitted capacity and the actual changed contents before payment. All CH02 and CH04 information is public; presenter contacts are optional.

Typical changes are a new name for the corporate body, a new registered or principal office address, or updated register details. Give the date the change took effect and only the details that changed.

For corporate officers registered in the EEA, Companies House needs the name, registered or principal office address, legal form and governing law, and register and registration number if applicable. These requirements do not affect an officer that is a UK registered limited company.

• Appointing an individual director or secretary. That is AP01 or AP03.
• Changing an individual director's or secretary's details. That is CH01 or CH03.
• Ending a corporate officer's appointment. That is TM01 for a director or TM02 for a secretary.
• Registering a corporate owner as a person with significant control. That is a separate PSC filing.
• Advising whether a corporate director is right for your company, or drafting board minutes and consents.

See also: who is a person with significant control

Find your company, say whether this is a corporate director or secretary, and whether it is an appointment or a change. Upload the completed form and the approved supporting documents. We check that the right form is used, that the entity details are complete and consistent, and that the company will still have at least one individual director.

If anything is missing or unclear, we ask before filing, and nothing goes to Companies House until you approve it. The corporate officer appears on the register once Companies House accepts the form. A receipt or a payment is not proof of acceptance, so check the register afterwards.

• Using AP01 for a company or firm. AP01 is for individuals only.
• Using CH02 or CH04 to make a new appointment.
• Leaving the company with no individual director.
• Giving the legal form but not the governing law, or the register but not the registration number.
• Using a PO Box, DX or LP number as the office address.
• Filing without confirming the corporate body has consented to act.
• Missing the 14 day deadline because the board decision was not passed on.