Last updated Oct 14, 2024 and written by Tom Richardson

How Does a Director/Shareholder Change Their Name?

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Changing the name of a limited company director and shareholder is a quick and simple process. In this blog post we shall look at how to do this.

Before we get started, it’s important to note that by ‘changing the name’, we mean that someone has officially changed their name (through marriage for example) – it does not mean changing the actual director or shareholder.

Changing the Director’s name


If your company is on the Company Formation MadeSimple system:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Select ‘My Companies’
  3. Click on the company
  4. Scroll down to the director’s name and select ‘Edit’
  5. Tick the ‘Change’ radio button and then change the name accordingly – then click ‘Save’

The change request is then sent to Companies House where it’s normally accepted within 3 working hours.

If your company is not on the Company Formation MadeSimple system (why isn’t it?!), print and fill out this document (the Companies House CH01: Change the details of a director form) and then post it to Companies House as per the instructions on the document. Once received by Companies House, the change is normally processed within a week.

Changing the Shareholder’s name

This is slightly different. The only way to change a shareholder’s name is to file an annual return – you can either wait until the annual return is due or you can file an early one. Once the return has been accepted, the name will be updated.

Do you have any questions regarding any of the above? Leave a comment and we’ll be in touch.