Legal Pages
Companies House registration, legal disclosures, terms & conditions, and legal page obligations.
UK businesses are required to display specific legal information on their websites. The Companies Act 2006 and Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 require your company name, Companies House registration number, registered office address, and VAT number if applicable. Missing these is one of the most common and most easily avoidable issues — and Companies House strike-off action has increased since 2024.
Key facts
- •UK limited companies must display their Companies House registration number and registered office on their website (Companies Act 2006 s.82 + Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 reg. 6)
- •VAT-registered businesses must display the VAT number on any business letter, order form or website used for orders
- •The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires that key product information, price, total cost (incl. delivery) and right to cancel are shown clearly before checkout
- •Failing to comply with the Electronic Commerce Regulations is a criminal offence in the UK (reg. 13), separate from any UK GDPR exposure
- •If you also sell into the EU, German Impressum, French mentions légales and Spanish LSSI rules still apply when you target those markets — they are not 'satisfied' by the UK pages alone
What we check
- ✓Companies House registration number presence (UK)
- ✓Impressum completeness (Germany, Austria)
- ✓Required contact information on legal pages
- ✓Terms and conditions with required consumer rights
- ✓Company registration number display
Legal pages: good vs. bad examples
No Companies House number displayed
A UK limited company website with no visible Companies House registration number. The Companies Act 2006 and Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 require UK companies to display their registration number and registered office on their website.
Companies House number and VAT clearly displayed
A footer or dedicated legal page showing: "Registered in England & Wales: 12345678 | VAT: GB123456789" with the company name matching the Companies House record and links to privacy policy and terms.
VAT number missing on a VAT-registered site
A UK VAT-registered business with no VAT number anywhere on the website, despite taking orders. HMRC requires the VAT number on order-taking pages — and EU customers buying B2B rely on it to apply the reverse charge.
Complete legal / company-info page
A dedicated legal-info page with: full registered company name, legal form (e.g. "Ltd"), registered office, phone, email, Companies House number, VAT registration number and responsible director or editor. Accessible from every page via the footer.
Terms copied from another website
Terms and conditions copy-pasted from a competitor's site with their company name still in places. Besides being unprofessional, copied terms often contain incorrect legal references and miss requirements specific to your business.
Custom terms matching your business
Terms and conditions written for your specific business type, covering your actual products/services, payment methods, delivery terms and complaint procedures. Reviewed periodically and dated with the last update.
Legal info only in the footer
Company registration details hidden in tiny footer text that changes per page. Legal identification must be consistently accessible from every page, typically via a dedicated page linked from the main navigation or footer.
Consistent legal identification
A dedicated legal/imprint page linked from the footer on every page, containing all required identifiers. The same information appears in email signatures and on invoices as required by law.
No Companies House number displayed
A UK limited company website with no visible Companies House registration number. The Companies Act 2006 and Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 require UK companies to display their registration number and registered office on their website.
VAT number missing on a VAT-registered site
A UK VAT-registered business with no VAT number anywhere on the website, despite taking orders. HMRC requires the VAT number on order-taking pages — and EU customers buying B2B rely on it to apply the reverse charge.
Terms copied from another website
Terms and conditions copy-pasted from a competitor's site with their company name still in places. Besides being unprofessional, copied terms often contain incorrect legal references and miss requirements specific to your business.
Legal info only in the footer
Company registration details hidden in tiny footer text that changes per page. Legal identification must be consistently accessible from every page, typically via a dedicated page linked from the main navigation or footer.
Companies House number and VAT clearly displayed
A footer or dedicated legal page showing: "Registered in England & Wales: 12345678 | VAT: GB123456789" with the company name matching the Companies House record and links to privacy policy and terms.
Complete legal / company-info page
A dedicated legal-info page with: full registered company name, legal form (e.g. "Ltd"), registered office, phone, email, Companies House number, VAT registration number and responsible director or editor. Accessible from every page via the footer.
Custom terms matching your business
Terms and conditions written for your specific business type, covering your actual products/services, payment methods, delivery terms and complaint procedures. Reviewed periodically and dated with the last update.
Consistent legal identification
A dedicated legal/imprint page linked from the footer on every page, containing all required identifiers. The same information appears in email signatures and on invoices as required by law.
Related guides
Company website trading disclosures in the UK (2026)
Mandatory website disclosures for UK companies. Companies Act 2006 s.82, E-Commerce Regulations 2002 and the s.83 contract enforcement stick.
ODR Platform Abolished: Remove the Link From Your Website
ODR platform abolished July 2025. If your website still links to the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform, here is what to do.
Companies House number on Google Business Profile?
Companies House number on Google Business Profile: UK law names the website, not GBP. Put it there anyway. Companies Act 2006 s.82-83 explained.
Germany: §5 DDG Replaced §5 TMG, Update Your Impressum
The German TMG was replaced by the DDG in 2024. If your Impressum still references TMG, here is what changed and how to update it.
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