Appoint a company secretary
A private company doesn’t need a secretary, but if it appoints one, Companies House must be told within 14 days with form AP03, or AP04 for a company acting as secretary. Only a service address is published; no date of birth or home address is needed. Fileyear files the form and prepares a board minute.
- Prepared for you, checked by you
- Pay only when you’ve checked it
- Not HMRC or Companies House
How it works, start to finish
- The change happensA resignation, a new director, a move
- Fileyear prepares AP03Checked against the register
- You approveWithin 14 days. Sent to Companies House through Fileyear, with your approval, using your company’s own logins
- Register updatedUsually within a day
What’s included
Fileyear does
- Form AP03 (or AP04), filled in and checked
- A board minute for your records
- The 14-day deadline
You do
- Enter the secretary’s name and service address
- Sent to Companies House through Fileyear, with your approval, using your company’s own logins
How it works
Add the secretary
Name, service address and the date.
Submit
Within 14 days of the appointment. No government fee.
The rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | AP03 for a person, AP04 for a company |
| Deadline | Within 14 days of the appointment |
| Required? | No: a private company doesn’t need a secretary |
| Government fee | None |
Questions directors ask
Does my company need a secretary?
No. Private companies haven’t needed one since 2008, unless their articles say so. Directors take on the secretary’s jobs.
Does a secretary need to verify their identity?
Identity verification applies to directors and people with significant control, not to secretaries.
Can a director also be the secretary?
Yes. A sole director can be the secretary too, though something that needs a director and the secretary can’t be done by the same person acting as both.
Can a company be the secretary?
Yes. Tick the box that the secretary is a company, and Fileyear files AP04 with its name, registered office and registration details.
Guides for this filing
Related filings
Appoint a company secretary, prepared for you
Enter your company and Fileyear prepares it. You only pay once you’ve checked it.