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Start by identifying the company’s legal name, registration jurisdiction and closure route, then check its official registry and contact the people or organizations likely to hold the records. A public registry may have filings and dissolution information without holding the company’s invoices, customer files, contracts or correspondence. Who has those records—and whether you can obtain them—depends on how the business closed, the record type and your authority to request it.
First identify the company and the records you need
Search for the legal entity, not just the brand or trading name used with customers. Gather what you can before contacting anyone:
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- The exact legal name, registration number and former names.
- The country or state where it was registered, plus any other jurisdiction where it operated.
- The approximate closure date and, if known, whether it was dissolved, wound up, sold, merged or simply stopped trading.
- The type of records sought, such as registry filings, employment records, tax documents, contracts, accounting files or customer correspondence.
- Your connection to the company and why you are entitled to request the particular records.
These details help distinguish a company’s public filing history from its private working files. They also help a registry, liquidator or other custodian locate the right entity. The National Archives’ company guide says company research can reveal matters such as registered office, status and former names.
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For a company registered in England and Wales, search Companies House’s company information service and its dissolved-company search. A registry record can help confirm legal identity, former names, status and visible filings. It is not a complete archive of the company’s operations.
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In a notice published on 12 May 2026, Companies House said dissolved-company records were then retained for 20 years, after which selected records would be transferred to the appropriate Public Records Office and others destroyed under the stated policy. The same notice said destruction and transfer had been paused while Companies House reviewed that retention period; searches and requests for records not available online could continue during the pause, with a fee for requests. This is a time-specific notice, not a guarantee that the pause or policy will remain in place. Check Companies House’s live services before relying on it.
If the company was registered elsewhere, use that jurisdiction’s official company register and relevant national, state or local archive. The UK process and retention schedule should not be assumed to apply in another country.
Trace custody based on how the business closed
There is no single custodian for every closed company’s records. The National Archives explains that custody can differ by closure route, and some company material may have been destroyed.
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Solvent voluntary winding up
For a company wound up voluntarily while solvent, the National Archives says the company’s own records remain the property of former directors. Contact former directors or the person they identify as holding the files. Being able to locate a record does not by itself establish that you have a right to receive it.
Insolvency, liquidation or receivership
For an insolvent company, the National Archives says its books and papers become the property of creditors, with a receiver or liquidator representing a registered company. If an insolvency practitioner or official receiver handled the case, ask who now has custody, whether the records still exist, how to make a request, and whether fees or proof of identity or authority are required.
The Insolvency Service’s technical guidance for Official Receivers, updated 20 April 2026, describes identifying the nature and whereabouts of company records and arranging their custody or collection. That guidance concerns official receivers; it does not give every former customer, employee or other stakeholder a general right to obtain an account or file.
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Merger, sale or successor business
Ask a continuing or successor business whether it received the particular records you need. A merger, asset sale or transfer of operations does not, by itself, establish that the buyer is the legal successor for every record category. The answer depends on the transaction and applicable law.
Business that simply stopped trading
If the company ceased trading without a known formal closure process, start with the registry status and former directors, then check for a successor, creditors, service providers or relevant archive. Do not assume that a dormant-looking website, expired domain or unanswered email means records were formally transferred or destroyed.
Request records from a cloud or hosted-service provider promptly
Look for account notices, invoices, domain records, bookkeeping software references, backup alerts and former administrator contacts to identify the provider. If a subscription lapsed, contact the provider as soon as possible and ask whether the account or data can still be accessed, restored or preserved.
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The Insolvency Service says a lapsed subscription does not necessarily mean immediate erasure: a provider may retain data for a period, but the duration varies and is not specified in the guidance. The sooner you ask, the better the chance of learning whether anything remains. Be prepared to establish your authority. A former employee, customer, director, liquidator and successor may have different rights to the same dataset. Do not use credentials that are not yours or attempt to bypass access controls.
Ask an archive when records may have been deposited
Search the national archive catalogue and relevant local or county archives, particularly for a long-standing or locally significant business. Ask whether the repository holds the company’s own working records, government registry material, or only a catalogue entry pointing elsewhere.
The National Archives says company records may be deposited in a public record office or local county archive. It also cautions that its company holdings are often government records about registration and dissolution rather than the businesses’ own files. An archive search can therefore identify useful public material without locating operational records.
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Preserve any records you lawfully obtain
Keep the material intact and document how it came into your possession. This is especially important if it could relate to a dispute, investigation or regulated recordkeeping duty.
- Record the custodian, date received, format, source and any restrictions communicated with the files.
- Keep the original paper and digital records unchanged. Make working copies for review rather than annotating paper originals or editing digital originals.
- For sensitive material, maintain a basic log of access, downloads and copies made so there is an audit trail.
- Keep more than one protected copy of important digital files, including a separate backup where appropriate.
- Limit sharing of employee, customer, financial or medical information. Confirm applicable privacy and confidentiality rules before transferring or publishing it.
- If the files may be evidence, relate to litigation, or contain regulated records, consult the responsible liquidator, regulator, lawyer or records professional before modifying, destroying or disclosing them.
The Insolvency Service’s Official Receiver guidance says digital records should not be altered and paper records should not be annotated. The Federal Trade Commission’s business guide recommends a written policy specifying what information must be kept, how it is secured, how long it is retained and how it is securely disposed of when no longer needed. A storage device can hold a separate copy of files you have lawfully obtained; it cannot restore access to data still held behind a closed company account or registry.
Retention periods depend on jurisdiction and record type
“How long are company records kept?” has no single answer. The examples below concern different records and legal regimes; none sets a universal retention period for all files of a closed business.
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|---|---|---|
| Dissolved-company registry records, England and Wales | Companies House said on 12 May 2026 that records of dissolved companies were then retained for 20 years before selected records were transferred to the appropriate Public Records Office. | The same notice said destruction and transfer were paused during a review. It concerns registry records, not all company working files; check the current policy. |
| Certain VAT records after deregistration, UK | HMRC’s VAT Traders’ Records Manual, updated 16 January 2025, describes a general six-year limit for deregistered traders’ records. | Exceptions include transfer of a going concern and liquidation. This is guidance about VAT records, not every company record. |
| Certain employee medical and exposure records, United States | An OSHA interpretation dated 17 February 1999 discusses transfer of records to a successor employer or, when there is no successor, transfer to NIOSH or advance written notice of intended disposal in the circumstances covered by the rule. | It addresses specific regulated employee records, not general business files. Verify the current regulation and the record category before acting. |
These examples cannot establish how long a particular private record survives. That depends on the record’s custodian, the closure route, jurisdiction, applicable rule and any investigation or proceeding still open.
What to include in a request
A concise request can help a custodian decide whether it holds relevant material and what it needs from you. Include:
- The company’s legal name, registration number and former names, if known.
- The specific record categories and approximate dates you are seeking.
- Your relationship to the company and the reason for the request.
- Any relevant case, account or employee identifiers that you are entitled to provide.
- A request for the custodian to explain its access process, identity or authority requirements, fees, format and any restrictions.
Do not send unnecessary personal or confidential information in an initial inquiry. A custodian may need evidence of authority before disclosing records, and access rights vary by role, jurisdiction and record type.
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