If your limited company has been struck off the Companies House register, it no longer legally exists — its bank accounts are frozen and anything it owned passes to the Crown. The good news: in most cases the company can be restored. Here’s how restoration works in 2026, the two routes available, and which one applies to you.
Why companies get struck off
The most common reasons a company is removed from the register:
- Missed filings — the company failed to file its annual accounts or confirmation statement, and Companies House struck it off after warnings went unanswered.
- Voluntary strike-off — the directors applied to dissolve the company, sometimes only to realise afterwards that it still held an asset, or that they needed it again.
- Lost correspondence — statutory mail went to an old registered office address and the warnings were never seen. (A professional registered office prevents exactly this.)
What happens to the company’s assets?
Once dissolved, everything the company owned — money in the bank, property, equipment, even its name — becomes bona vacantia (“ownerless goods”) and passes to the Crown. For companies whose registered office was in Northern Ireland, this is dealt with by the Crown Solicitor’s Office in Belfast. The Crown can sell or disclaim those assets, so the sooner you act, the better the chance of recovering them intact.
Route 1: Administrative restoration
The simpler and cheaper route — but it’s only available if all of the following apply:
- The company was struck off by Companies House (not voluntarily dissolved by its directors);
- The application is made within 6 years of dissolution; and
- The company was trading or in operation at the time it was struck off.
The application is made to Companies House, outstanding accounts and confirmation statements must be brought up to date (with any late filing penalties paid), and a bona vacantia waiver letter is needed from the Crown’s representative — in Northern Ireland, the Crown Solicitor’s Office. Once restored, the company is treated as if it had never been struck off.
Our fee: from £450. We handle the application, the outstanding filings and the waiver letter for you.
Route 2: Restoration by court order
If the company was dissolved voluntarily, or doesn’t meet the administrative criteria, restoration requires an application to the High Court — in Northern Ireland, the High Court of Justice in Belfast. The application generally must be made within 6 years of dissolution (different rules apply where restoration is needed for a personal injury claim — talk to us about your circumstances).
Court restoration involves engaging with both Companies Registry and the Crown Solicitor’s Office before the hearing, so it takes longer and costs more than the administrative route. We quote each court restoration individually based on the circumstances.
Which route do I need?
- Struck off by Companies House for missed filings, within the last 6 years, trading at the time → administrative restoration.
- Voluntarily dissolved, or outside the criteria above → court order.
- Not sure? Send us the company name and number and we’ll tell you — no charge for the answer.
How long does it take?
Administrative restorations typically complete within a few weeks once the paperwork and waiver letter are in place. Court restorations depend on court listings and the Crown Solicitor’s response, so allow several months. Either way, starting promptly protects the company’s assets and name.
We’ve been restoring companies since 1994
The Company Shop has handled restorations for Northern Ireland companies for over 30 years — we know the process, the Companies Registry and the Crown Solicitor’s Office requirements inside out. Visit our Company Restoration service page, call our Belfast team on 028 9055 9955, or send us an enquiry and we’ll confirm which route applies to your company.