The Register of Overseas Entities came into force in the UK on 1 August 2022. The register is held by Companies House and requires overseas entities that own land or property in the UK to declare their beneficial owners and / or managing officers.
HMRC has recently published an updated list of the UK-regulated agents who have an agent assurance code and can complete verification checks on beneficial owners of an overseas entity. This is not a complete list nor does Companies House endorse or accept any liability for these agents or for any services they provide.
A UK-regulated agent must complete verification checks on all beneficial owners and managing officers of an overseas entity before it can be registered with Companies House.
They must be based in the UK and supervised under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds Regulations 2017. They can be an individual or a corporate entity, such as a financial institution or legal professional.
After registering, an overseas entity will receive a unique Overseas Entity ID to give to the land registry when it buys, sells, transfers, leases or charges UK property or land.
