ID Requirements for Company Formation

Why do we require proof of ID and address?

We are regulated by the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019, London Local Authorities Act 2007, and Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines, which means we must verify the ID and address of customers and certain shareholders.

Don’t worry – 90% of our customers do not need to do anything

We will perform a digital check of your ID and address using the information you have already provided in your company order form.

If we ask you to supply ID – it will take you 5 minutes using your smartphone

For the remaining 10% of our customers who are not eligible for our digital ID check, or where their digital ID check fails, we have teamed up with CREDAS to provide you with a state-of-the-art mobile App to digitally certify and send us your proof of ID and address in just 5 minutes, for no additional cost.

Our ID Team will send you an invitation by email with simple instructions on how to use the App. We recommend that you use your passport as proof of ID.

If we ask you to supply proof of address, you do not need to use the CREDAS App. Instead, we will send you your own link which you can follow to upload your documents easily. We recommend using a bank statement or utility bill dated within the last 3 months.

Is the CREDAS App secure?

Yes. CREDAS is ISO27001 accredited for information security.

Who needs to supply ID

If we need to ask you for ID, we will let you know the names of the people we require it from, so you do not have work this out for yourself. However, for information purposes only, please see who we are legally required to obtain ID from:

• Anyone who purchases a company formation package, an address service, and certain company secretarial services, e.g. transfer or issue of shares, etc.
• All shareholders who own over 25% of a company or LLP.
• Anyone using our Business Address Service, who wishes to have mail forwarded to them.

This is not an exhaustive list and we may require proof of address or ID from other individuals depending on the circumstances.

Upcoming changes

Companies House will shortly be introducing additional ID verification requirements. The current intention is to introduce these requirements for all directors of a company, as well as People with Significant Control.

It is not yet clear when this will be introduced; however, once it has been introduced, we will also require proof of ID and address for directors before we are able to incorporate a company or appoint a director at Companies House.

Requests for further information

To ensure that, in our opinion, we have fully discharged our obligations under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019 and all similar and related legislation, codes and regulations, we may request additional information at any time. Please see clause 22.8 of our terms and conditions for further details.