Register of Overseas Entities

What is the Register of Overseas Entities?

The Register of Overseas Entities was created under the Economic Crime (Transparency & Enforcement) Act 2022 and is held at Companies House. The purpose of the Register is to provide greater transparency of UK property and land ownership in an effort to deter economic crimes.

Who needs to register as an Overseas Entity?

Companies registered outside of the UK that own or want to buy, sell, lease or transfer UK property or land must declare its beneficial owners and or/managing officers.

What documents are required?

To add your overseas company to the Register of Overseas Entities, we are required to verify the company and its ultimate beneficial owner(s) and/or managing officers.

For more detail on the documents required, please see our helpful Guide to Overseas Entity Verification.

Registration process

1st Choice Incorporations can authenticate your registration and file your application online with Companies House. Once the application is submitted a response will be received within 2-3 working days.

Upon successful registration, the entity will be provided with a unique Overseas Entity ID to be provided to the Land Registry. The details on the Register must be reviewed and confirmed annually with Companies House.

Penalties

Anyone found to be non-compliant with the Economic Crime (Transparency & Enforcement) Act 2022 will be committing a criminal offence, liable for a fine of up to £2,500 a day or a 5-year prison sentence, in addition to restrictions on what they can do with land or property they own or wish to purchase or sell.

Next Steps

Please contact us today to receive a quote for this service or for more information.