How to remove your personal information in the UK

How to use it

1. 1

   Opt out of the open electoral register

   There are two versions of the register. The open register (called the edited register in Northern Ireland) is sold to anyone who wants a copy. To leave it, use the register to vote service, even if you're already registered, or contact your electoral registration office (the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland if you live there). GOV.UK's open register page links to both. It's free and you can do it at any time.

   What it does: takes you out of the version anyone can buy.

   What it doesn't do: take you off the full register, which is still used for elections, crime prevention, credit checks and jury summoning. Copies already sold aren't recalled either.

2. 2

   Register with the Telephone Preference Service

   Registering your landline or mobile with the TPS is free. The ICO's nuisance calls page explains it and is where you report marketing calls that carry on anyway.

   What it doesn't do: stop a company you once agreed could call you. Tell that company directly to stop. Scam calls go to Report Fraud (Police Scotland if you're in Scotland), and silent or abandoned calls go to Ofcom.

3. 3

   Go ex-directory and keep reverse look-ups off

   Ask your phone provider to make your number ex-directory. According to the ICO's guidance on directories, directory publishers must give you a clear, free chance to opt out, need your express opt-in before anyone can search by your number to find your name and address, and must correct or remove an entry when you ask.

   What it doesn't do: recall printed directories that are already out. Only future editions and online versions change. Being ex-directory doesn't stop marketing calls either; that's what the TPS is for.

4. 4

   Ask people-search sites and other companies to erase your data

   Send an erasure request under the UK GDPR to each organisation that lists or holds your data. You don't have to use special words, but a written request gives you proof. Our UK erasure request template is ready to copy. If you don't know what a company holds, send a subject access request first.

   Where an organisation made your data public, it must take reasonable steps to tell others to erase links to it or copies of it. Our guides walk through the process for companies that operate in the UK, including LocateFamily.com, LexisNexis, Equifax, LiveRamp and Cognism.

5. 5

   Object to direct marketing in the same letter

   You can object to direct marketing at any time, and the organisation can't refuse. The erasure template already includes the objection. Expect the company to keep your name on a suppression list; that's how it makes sure it doesn't contact you again.

6. 6

   Directors and PSCs: remove your home address from Companies House filings (£34 per document)

   If you are or were a director, LLP member or PSC, form SR01 removes your home address where it was used as a correspondence or registered office address. It can also remove your signature, your business occupation, or the day of your date of birth on documents filed before 10 October 2015.

   It costs £34 for each document listed, so an address that appears in 5 filings costs £170. If you still hold the position, you'll need to give a replacement address. If your home was the registered office of a live company, the company has to change its registered office first; for a dissolved company you must wait 6 months before applying.

   What it doesn't do: remove your name. The form only covers the details above, in the documents you list and pay for.

7. 7

   At risk because of the company's work? Stop Companies House sharing your address (£100)

   Companies House doesn't publish home addresses or full dates of birth on the register as standard, but it does share them with credit reference agencies. A protection application under section 243 (directors and LLP members) or section 790ZF (PSCs) stops your home address going to credit reference agencies. A PSC at serious risk of violence or intimidation can apply to keep all their PSC details off the public register.

   It costs £100, or £15 for an abbreviated application if you already have protection. Since 11 August 2026 it's a paper form paid by cheque or postal order, because Companies House withdrew the online service. Evidence such as a police incident number helps. Decisions take at least 30 days and up to a year, and your details are protected while you wait.

8. 8

   If your safety is at risk, register to vote anonymously

   Anonymous registration is the only way to keep your name and address off both versions of the register. The Electoral Commission's guidance explains the form: you say why your safety, or that of someone in your household, would be at risk, and attach a court document for your protection or an attestation signed by an authorised person.

   It lasts one year, so you reapply every year, and documents that are still valid can be reused for up to 5 years. To vote in person in England you'll need an Anonymous Elector's Document.

9. 9

   Complain to the organisation, then the ICO

   If a company doesn't reply within a month or you're unhappy with the answer, make a data protection complaint to the company itself. Since 19 June 2026 it must acknowledge your complaint within 30 days. If you're still not satisfied, complain to the ICO through its data protection complaints page. Keep your original request and every reply.