Company director search: how to find a company's directors
Directors aren't in the ABN register's public details (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)), so look the company up here first to get its ACN. The result then tells you which ASIC extract names its directors, and what it costs.
Your answer appears here
Who are its directors?
The company and its ACN first, then which ASIC extract names its directors, and what it costs.
- Company and ACN
- The company on the ABN register and its ACN
- ASIC route
- The ASIC extract that names its directors, and its price
- ABN and status
- Active or cancelled, and since when
- Entity type
- Whether it's a company that has directors at all
Each record links to its official entry on abr.business.gov.au.
Unofficial. Reads the Australian Business Register's public web services. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the ABR, the ATO, ASIC or the Australian Government. How it works.
Updated . Rules checked against asic.gov.au, abr.gov.au and abr.business.gov.au; each source below shows the date it was read.
Where director details are, and where they aren't
| Where you look | Directors? | Cost, as listed on 25 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| ABN record (ABN Lookup and this site) | No: associate details aren't public (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)) | Free |
| ASIC's free company search | No: "Personal information is not available in the free search of the companies register" (ASIC: Personal information shown on the business names and companies registers (opens in a new tab)) | Free |
| ASIC current company extract | Yes: each director's and secretary's name, date of birth and appointment date (ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)) | $10 online (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)) |
| ASIC current and historical company extract | Yes, with previous directors (ASIC: Current and historical company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)) | $21 online (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)) |
| ASIC personal name extract (Form 963) | The other way round: the companies a person is or was an officeholder of (ASIC: 963 Application for information about a specific personal name (opens in a new tab)) | $27 by post (ASIC: 963 Application for information about a specific personal name (opens in a new tab)) |
Company director search, step by step
- Get the company's ACN. Type its name or ABN in the box at the top. A name search lists the matching companies, and each record shows its ACN.
- Search the ACN on ASIC Connect. On ASIC Connect (opens in a new tab), search within Organisation & Business Names (ASIC: Company and organisation registers (opens in a new tab)). An ACN brings up one company, so you don't buy the wrong one's extract.
- Buy the current company extract. $10 online (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)). It lists the directors and the secretary, if there is one, with their dates of birth and appointment dates (ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)). ASIC emails it to you (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)).
- Need past directors too? Buy the current and historical extract instead, $21 online (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)). It adds previous directors (ASIC: Current and historical company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)).
For everything else ASIC's register shows about a company, and its other fees, see ASIC company search.
Extracts bought through ASIC's website don't contain officeholders' residential addresses. ASIC says law enforcement agencies, government departments and those who need the addresses for regulatory compliance and business purposes still have access (ASIC: ASIC updates information available through purchased extracts (opens in a new tab)).
Search by a director's name
To find the companies a person is linked to, ASIC's search runs the other way: from the person. ASIC lists its person searches as paper only (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)). You send Form 963 (opens in a new tab) by post to ask for a name search, and choose what comes back (ASIC: 963 Application for information about a specific personal name (opens in a new tab)):
| Product | What you get | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 963C Preliminary search report | The full list of matches for the name, with each person's full name and birth details | $12 |
| 963A Extract | One person from that list: their name and birth details, each organisation's name, number and current status, the roles they held and the dates they were appointed and ceased | $27 |
The preliminary report lists every match with birth details, and the extract covers one person picked from that list, so you can find the right person when the name is common. ABN Lookup suggests a business information broker when you need more than the registers give, and notes that ASIC keeps a list of them (ABN Lookup: ABN Lookup FAQs (opens in a new tab)): see ASIC's list of information brokers (opens in a new tab).
Check a director isn't banned
ASIC Connect also searches the people part of ASIC's banned and disqualified register, which lists those disqualified or banned from roles in corporations, financial services or the credit industry (ASIC: Search ASIC registers (opens in a new tab)). A disqualified person extract costs $13 by mail (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)).
Some people can't be officeholders at all. ASIC says you can't be one while you are bankrupt or under a personal insolvency agreement, or for 5 years after a conviction for offences such as fraud or dishonesty (5 years after release if you were jailed) (ASIC: Company officeholders (directors and secretaries) (opens in a new tab)).
Business owner search: who's behind an ABN
- A company
- Its owners are its members, who hold its shares. ASIC's current company extract lists the share structure and members (ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)).
- A sole trader
- The ABR says a sole trader is "the only owner of the business" (ABR: Sole trader (opens in a new tab)), so the entity name on that ABN record is the owner.
- A partnership or trust
- The ABN record shows the entity's legal name. Details of its associates, such as partners and trustees (ABR: What you need for your ABN application (opens in a new tab)), aren't public (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)).
- A business name
- ASIC's business names register shows who holds a registered business name, free, with the holder's ABN (ASIC: Business names register (opens in a new tab)). See business name search.
How up to date ASIC's director list is
Companies must tell ASIC about changes to officeholder details, most of them within 28 days (ASIC: Company officeholders (directors and secretaries) (opens in a new tab)). So an extract shows what the company has told ASIC, which can trail a change by a few weeks.
ASIC's rules on who a company needs (ASIC: Company officeholders (directors and secretaries) (opens in a new tab)):
- a proprietary company must have at least one director, and at least one director who normally lives in Australia;
- a public company must have at least 3 directors, and at least 2 who normally live in Australia;
- a proprietary company doesn't need a secretary; a public company needs at least one who normally lives in Australia;
- officeholders must be at least 18.
Questions people ask
Can I find a company's directors for free?
Not from an official register. The ABN record keeps associate details private (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)), and ASIC's free company search has no personal information (ASIC: Personal information shown on the business names and companies registers (opens in a new tab)). ASIC's current company extract names the directors and costs $10 online, as listed on 25 October 2026 (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)).
How much does an ASIC director search cost?
As listed on 25 October 2026: $10 online for the current company extract, $21 for the current and historical extract, and $27 by post for a person's name extract (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab)).
Can I search ASIC by a director's name?
Yes, by post. ASIC lists its person searches as paper only, and Form 963 is how you ask for a name search to see whether a person is associated with any companies (ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab); ASIC: 963 Application for information about a specific personal name (opens in a new tab)). The details are under search by a director's name.
Why doesn't the extract show the director's address?
ASIC removed officeholders' residential addresses from company extracts bought through its website, citing privacy and safety, identity theft and cyber-crime (ASIC: ASIC updates information available through purchased extracts (opens in a new tab)). Addresses can still appear in other documents the public can buy. A director whose safety is at risk can ask ASIC to hide their residential address, including in documents already lodged, but ASIC doesn't hide officeholders' names or dates of birth (ASIC: Hide a residential address on the companies register (opens in a new tab)).
Does ABN Lookup show directors?
No. Associate details are among the ABN details that aren't public (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)). The ABN record shows the company's legal name, entity type, ACN, GST, state and postcode (ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab)).
Who owns a company?
Its members, who hold its shares. ASIC's current company extract lists the share structure and the members (ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)); for each class of shares in a proprietary company, ASIC records the top 20 members by shareholding (ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab)).
What is a director ID?
It's a number every director must apply for before they are appointed (ASIC: Company officeholders (directors and secretaries) (opens in a new tab)).
Sources
Every rule on this page comes from the official pages listed here. Each was read on the date shown, and the Updated date at the top is when this page was last checked against them.
- ABR: Your ABN details on the ABR (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026, page updated 5 August 2024.
- ABR: What you need for your ABN application (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026, page updated 14 November 2022.
- ABR: Sole trader (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026, page updated 14 November 2022.
- ABN Lookup: ABN Lookup FAQs (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Personal information shown on the business names and companies registers (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Company and organisation registers (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Search fees (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Current company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Current and historical company extract (ASIC's example, February 2026) (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: ASIC updates information available through purchased extracts (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Hide a residential address on the companies register (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: 963 Application for information about a specific personal name (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Search ASIC registers (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Company officeholders (directors and secretaries) (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.
- ASIC: Business names register (opens in a new tab) Read 25 October 2026.