Closed and closing companies in United Kingdom: who can license the records

While the company is in a formal process

• In administration or liquidation, the officeholder controls the company's assets and decides whether to license its records.
• In a members' voluntary liquidation, the liquidator appointed by the members holds that authority.

After dissolution or deregistration

• Once a company is dissolved, its remaining property generally passes to the Crown as bona vacantia (Companies Act 2006, s.1012).
• Nobody can usually license those records unless the company is first restored to the register.

Personal data

• Personal data stays covered by UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 whoever holds it.
• Employee and customer data must be removed or properly de-identified before anything is shared.

Where to check status

Companies House shows status, dissolution dates and officeholder appointments; The Gazette publishes insolvency notices.