Register of Overseas Entities – A Guide

Register of Overseas Entities - A guide to our services

Here at Edward Young Notaries & Lawyers we offer a fully managed Register of Overseas Entity service to enable you to meet the obligations of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022.

We are a firm of Notaries and have the necessary skills set and expertise in verifying information and documents.   

We are used to verifying company information emanating from overseas including where there isn’t a public Companies Registration Office. Our firm was established in Mayfair in 2004 and acts for a wide range of clients including constituent companies of the FTSE 100, large multinational corporations, leading charities and private individuals.

We are registered at Companies House as a ‘relevant person’ in accordance with the legislation and are acting for law firms, corporate service providers, accountants and property owners since the register became live back in September 2022.

Register of Overseas Entities - How our service works

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Step 1 - Information Gathering

You provide the information using our online data capture form.



Edward Young Notaries & Lawyers will provide help in identifying the beneficial owners and/or managing officers of the entity.

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Step 2 - We verify the information

Primarily using technology, we will conduct the necessary due diligence checks to verify the material and papers supplied in relation to the entity and the beneficial owner.

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Step 3 - Registration

The verification stage must be carried out by a ‘relevant person’ based in the UK.  


We are registered as a ‘relevant person’ at Companies House and will submit the application and liaise with Companies House until an Overseas Entity ID number is obtained.

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Step 4 -  Annual update

The register must be updated on an annual basis, we will diarise to contact the entity in a year’s time to ensure registration is updated.

Our fees (VAT is charged in addition, where applicable). 

We charge a fixed fee of £1,200 for fully managed service with a one to one case manager.  

This includes:

  • Information gathering
  • Advice to managers to help identify reporting requirements and necessary evidence provision
  • Verification of evidence supplied in respect to entity
  • Verification of evidence supplied in respect to up to two beneficial owners
  • Completion of registration with Companies House and obtaining Overseas Entity ID
  • Companies House fee of £100 is a separate disbursement in addition to our fees
  • We offer discounts to group companies and multiple registrations emanating from a single source. Please contact us to discuss.

    Additional items

  • Provision of Service address for up to two individuals - £150 per year
  • Verification of additional beneficial owner/manager - £150 each
  • Fast Track service - £500
  • Preparation of s12 Notice (information request notice) £125
  • Trust surcharge £1,000
  • Please visit our Register of Overseas Entities data collection page to begin the process…

    or please contact us if you have any questions.  All our initial consultations are free and non-committal. 

    If you’d like an old fashioned telephone call, please feel free to call us on 020 7499 2605.

    Important notes

    We assume in good faith that all the information provided to us is provided in good faith and is accurate.  If the overseas entity’s information is not available in a public registry then the Registered Agent must supply us the the details of the company including the ownership structure.  

    We will carry out individual checks using electronic identity checks where possible.  A confirmation of entity test will also be provided using electronic means and a ‘liveness’ test will be carried out on the beneficial owners if they are individuals in line with the requirements of the legislation.

    It is the entity’s obligation to provide us with the pertinent information and for us to independently verify the information.

    Our Terms and Conditions for our Registration of Overseas Entities service can be found here: Terms & Conditions

    FAQ's

    Q: Do you cover all jurisdictions?

    Yes, except where a country appears on the UK sanctions list. Click here to see the list.

    Q: What if the entity is registered in a jurisdiction which does not have a public registry?

    As notaries, we are used to verifying documents and facts not only in the United Kingdom but around the world.  We have extensive experience in obtaining company information from territories without a public register.

    Where an entity is registered in a country without a public register we will obtain the relevant information from the entity’s Registered Agent.

    Q: Do you take on new clients in relation to this work?  

    Yes. We are aware that some professional service firms are not offering this service to non-existing clients. We are notaries and are duty and regulatory bound to accept instructions from businesses and members of the public.

    Q: Do you have the correct processes in place to ensure the registration is completed in a timely manner?

    We have invested in producing our own, process driven, internal application to obtain, process and store the required information for verifying. 

    Q: What is the deadline for completion of registration of overseas entity?

    The deadline is 31 January 2023.

    Q: Are there penalties for non-compliance?

    Yes, and they are severe!

    Company officers are criminally liable for non-compliance with up to  £500 per day fines and a term of imprisonment for up to 5 years.

    Entities are liable for £2,500 per day fine effective from 1 February 2023.  

    There is also an effective asset freeze for land owned by a non-registered overseas entity (no dealings at the Land Registry will be possible without an Overseas Entity ID). Learn more here.

    Q: What is a ‘s12 notice’?

    A s12 notice is a notice which must be served on the beneficial owners by the managers of the entity. We cannot serve the notice for you but we can supply you with the relevant wording so that you comply with the relevant parts of the legislation

    Q: My overseas entity has a charge registered against a UK property. Do I need to register?

    No. There is no need to register when there is a charge. The requirements fall due on title.