Administrative restoration lets qualifying companies return to the Companies House register without court proceedings. The Registrar of Companies handles the application directly. However, not every dissolved company qualifies for this route. The applicant, strike-off reason, trading position, and dissolution date all matter. Outstanding Companies House obligations can also affect the application. These can include accounts, confirmation statements, penalties, and filing fees. Bona Vacantia requirements can apply where company property passed to the Crown. Sections 1024 to 1028A of the Companies Act 2006 govern this process. Current rules also cover certain newer Registrar strike-off situations. This explains administrative restoration UK requirements. It covers eligibility, applicants, deadlines, documents, Crown consent, and Registrar decisions.
A company qualifies when its applicant and circumstances satisfy the statutory restoration conditions. The applicant must usually be a former director or former member. The company must also fall within an eligible strike-off category. Section 1024 covers qualifying registrar strike-offs. These include companies removed under sections 1000 and 1001. Section 1002A cases can also fall within administrative restoration. Certain registered-office rectification cases have a similar administrative route. Different legal conditions apply to each strike-off category.
For standard section 1000 or 1001 cases, four points matter greatly. The applicant must have the correct relationship with the company. The company must have operated when Companies House struck it off. The application must reach Companies House within six years. Required filings, penalties, and Crown consent must also be addressed. Administrative restoration does not cover every person affected by dissolution. A creditor does not qualify merely because the company owes money. Creditors normally consider court restoration instead. The same can apply to other interested parties. This makes administrative restoration narrower than court restoration.
Yes. A qualifying former director can apply for administrative restoration. The person must have been a director at the relevant time. Companies House guidance recognises former directors as eligible applicants. However, director status alone does not establish full eligibility. The company must also satisfy the applicable restoration conditions. The applicant uses Form RT01 for the application. The form contains a statement of compliance. This confirms the applicant's legal entitlement to apply. It also confirms compliance with the relevant restoration conditions. Companies House can reject an incomplete RT01 application. The correct fee must also accompany the application. The current RT01 application fee is £341. That fee has applied since 1 February 2026.
Yes. A former company member can apply in qualifying circumstances. A member usually means a shareholder in a limited company. The legislation uses the wider legal term "former member." The person must satisfy the applicant requirements under section 1024. The company's circumstances must also meet the restoration rules. A previous shareholding does not make every dissolved company eligible. The strike-off route still matters. The six-year deadline remains important. Outstanding compliance requirements must also be completed. A person who only acted as a creditor has different standing. That person would generally need the court restoration route.
Administrative restoration applies only to qualifying registrar strike-offs and specified rectification cases. Checking the dissolution history should therefore come first. Sections 1000 and 1001 cover common Registrar strike-offs.These provisions concern companies appearing defunct to the Registrar. Missed statutory filings often appear within these cases. The company may have failed to file annual accounts. It may also have missed confirmation statements. A different rule applies after voluntary strike-off. Administrative restoration is unavailable when directors voluntarily requested strike-off. Those cases require consideration of court restoration instead. Current law also covers section 1002A cases.
Section 1002A concerns registration on a false basis. The applicant needs evidence addressing the Registrar's original concern. The evidence must challenge the relevant reasonable-cause basis. Registered-office rectification cases can also qualify. Regulation 23 applies restoration provisions to qualifying Regulation 22 cases. These cases involve additional registered-office requirements. The official Companies House record helps identify the strike-off route. The Gazette history can provide further supporting dates. Route selection should happen before RT01 preparation.
Sections 1000 and 1001 cases require business activity or operation at strike-off.The statutory wording covers two possible positions.The company may have been carrying on business.Alternatively, it may have remained "in operation".This condition applies when the Registrar struck the company off.Trading does not always mean substantial revenue.The wider facts can show continuing company activity.Relevant evidence can include bank transactions and customer invoices.Contracts can demonstrate continuing commercial commitments.
Payroll records can show continuing employment activity.Accounting records can support the company's operational position.No single evidence type proves every case.The company's actual circumstances determine what matters.These examples are evidence, not mandatory RT01 attachments.Applicants should not treat them as a universal document checklist.The same trading test does not govern every restoration category. Section 1002A cases use a different legal condition. Registered-office rectification cases also have specific requirements. The original strike-off reason therefore controls the relevant test.
An administrative restoration application normally has a six-year deadline. The period starts from the company's formal dissolution date. It does not start from the first Gazette notice. It also does not start from strike-off warnings. Section 1024 sets the six-year limit. The application counts when the Registrar receives it. Posting RT01 before expiry does not itself satisfy that rule. Applicants approaching the deadline need careful preparation. Missing accounts can delay the complete restoration pack. A required Bona Vacantia waiver can add another step. Outstanding penalties can also require resolution. The Companies House record should therefore be reviewed early. A separate rule applies following administrative refusal. Court restoration can remain available for 28 days. That period runs from the Registrar's refusal notice.It can apply after the ordinary six-year period ends. This is a narrow exception. It does not extend every administrative restoration deadline.
The application requires RT01 plus documents needed to update the company record. The exact restoration pack depends on the filing history. Companies House does not use one identical pack for every company.The applicant should first identify all outstanding requirements.Typical requirements can include:
Completed Form RT01.
Outstanding annual accounts.
Outstanding confirmation statements.
Relevant filing fees.
Applicable late filing penalties.
Outstanding fines or financial penalties.
Bona Vacantia consent where required.
Additional evidence for section 1002A cases.
Registered-office evidence for relevant rectification cases.
Companies House guidance requires the company record to be brought current. Required penalties must also be dealt with before restoration. This area requires careful deadline analysis. Accounts already overdue before dissolution can attract penalties. Companies House normally disregards the dissolved period when calculating lateness. Different treatment applies when accounts became due during dissolution. Companies House states those accounts avoid late penalties upon restoration. That distinction can materially change the restoration cost. The company record should therefore be reviewed period by period. The RT01 form also contains the statement of compliance. That statement confirms the applicant's right to apply. It also confirms satisfaction of the applicable legal conditions. The current Companies House RT01 fee is £341. An incorrect fee can result in rejection.
Bona Vacantia consent is required when company property has vested in the Crown.Dissolution can transfer company property and rights to the Crown. This can include money held in company bank accounts.Other assets and legal rights can also become Bona Vacantia.The applicant must obtain written consent from the relevant Crown representative. Companies House refers to this as a Bona Vacantia waiver letter.Section 1025 places responsibility for obtaining consent on the applicant.The relevant Crown representative depends on the company’s circumstances. Different arrangements apply across some UK jurisdictions and Duchy areas.The standard Bona Vacantia waiver currently costs £64. This fee is separate from the £341 Companies House RT01 fee.A Bona Vacantia waiver does not restore the company itself. It only satisfies the relevant Crown-consent requirement.The applicant must still meet every other administrative restoration condition.
Companies House can reject applications that miss statutory or filing requirements.The wrong restoration route creates a common problem.Voluntary strike-off cases cannot use administrative restoration.An ineligible applicant also prevents this route.The applicant must qualify as a former director or member.The six-year deadline creates another strict restriction.Companies House must receive the application within that period.An incomplete filing record can also stop restoration.Outstanding accounts may still require delivery.Confirmation statements may remain outstanding.Required penalties or financial penalties may remain unpaid.A required Bona Vacantia waiver may also be missing.The RT01 application itself can contain incomplete information.An incorrect application fee creates another rejection risk.Companies House expressly states that incomplete applications face rejection.Special strike-off categories create further requirements.Section 1002A cases require supporting evidence.Registered-office rectification cases require relevant address information.Section 1000 and 1001 cases require operational eligibility.A route review can identify these problems before filing.That review reduces avoidable correspondence with Companies House.
The Registrar reviews the application and decides whether all requirements are satisfied.Companies House checks the RT01 and supporting material.It also checks relevant company-record requirements.The Registrar then issues a decision.Successful restoration returns the company to the register.The company regains its existing corporate identity.The law generally treats it as continuously existing.It is treated as if dissolution had not occurred.That legal effect can help with company property.However, restoration does not guarantee automatic asset recovery.
Banks and payment providers can require further checks.Crown-held property can also need separate recovery steps.Restoration does not erase existing company obligations.HMRC matters can still require separate work.Other compliance requirements can remain outstanding.A refused administrative application does not always end matters.Court restoration can remain available in suitable circumstances.A specific 28-day route applies after qualifying refusal.Court restoration remains a separate legal procedure.
Administrative restoration UK rules provide a direct route for qualifying companies.However, eligibility depends on the company's actual history.The applicant must qualify.The strike-off route must fall within the permitted categories.The six-year deadline must remain open.Relevant company records must be brought up to date.Applicable penalties must also be addressed.Bona Vacantia consent can create another requirement.Sections 1000 and 1001 cases require operational eligibility.Section 1002A cases use a different statutory condition.Registered-office rectification cases have separate requirements.The correct approach starts with the Companies House record.That review establishes the route before costs and documents accumulate.A complete administrative restoration application then gives the Registrar required evidence.
Yes. Administrative restoration avoids court proceedings when the company qualifies.A former director or member can apply in eligible cases.The relevant statutory requirements must still be satisfied.Voluntary strike-off cases require the court route instead.
Companies House currently charges £341 for an RT01 application.Additional costs depend on the company's circumstances.The standard Bona Vacantia waiver currently costs £64.Outstanding filings and penalties can add further costs.
No. Administrative restoration only applies to specific qualifying circumstances.The applicant must have the correct status.The company's strike-off route must also qualify.The statutory deadline must remain open.Applicable restoration conditions must then be completed.
No. Creditor status alone does not permit an administrative restoration application.Section 1024 restricts applications to former directors and former members.A qualifying creditor can instead consider court restoration.
Yes, when those accounts are needed to update the Companies House record.The exact periods depend on the company's filing history.Outstanding confirmation statements can also require submission.Applicable penalties and fees must also be addressed.
No. Restoration does not guarantee automatic recovery of every company asset.Restoration returns the company to legal existence.However, banks can require their own verification process.Crown-held assets can also require further recovery action.The asset position should therefore be checked separately.
A company-record review can identify the correct route before RT01 preparation starts.companyrestorationuk reviews the dissolution route and Companies House history. We can identify outstanding accounts and confirmation statements. We can also check penalties and Bona Vacantia requirements. This helps separate eligible administrative cases from court restoration cases.
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