How to check whether a director is banned

Official registers in the UK, Australia and Singapore show current bans, but each has gaps, so check the right register and the date.

In the UK, the Companies House disqualified directors register covers bans given by the courts, the Insolvency Service, the Competition and Markets Authority and others, and can show the reason, start date and number of disqualifications.¹
The register can be searched by name on the Companies House service. Entries list the legislation used, start and end dates, and the companies concerned. Match on full name and company, not on surname alone.²
The government says details are removed automatically when a ban ends, so an absent name does not prove a person was never banned. The Insolvency Service also publishes disqualifications from the last 3 months with reasons.³
For Northern Ireland disqualifications the government says to contact the Insolvency Service in Northern Ireland. Competition disqualification orders can be found through the CMA case finder, and the separate bankruptcy and insolvency register can also show whether someone is banned.¹
In Australia, choose Banned and Disqualified on ASIC Connect and enter the family and given names. Some bans, such as court enforceable undertakings and ORIC disqualifications, may not appear.⁴
In Singapore, ACRA does not notify people of disqualifications. Status can be checked through a company's Business Profile or a person's People Profile, both for a fee.⁵
For US SEC officer and director bars, the SEC announces many settled bars in its litigation releases. For example Litigation Release No. 26450 names each defendant and the length of each bar.⁶

Sources

GOV.UK, Search for disqualified company directors (14 November 2017)
Companies House, Search the register of disqualified officers
GOV.UK, Company director disqualification (29 January 2016)
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Banned and disqualified registers (14 October 2025)
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), Singapore, When a director can or must leave office (22 October 2026)
US Securities and Exchange Commission, Litigation Release No. 26450, SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgments Against Two Former FTX Executives and a Former Alameda Executive (19 December 2025)