Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023

65 Procedure etc for verifying identity

(1) The Companies Act 2006 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 1059A (scheme of Part 35), in subsection (3), at the appropriate place insert—

• “sections 1110A and 1110B (identity verification),”.

(3) In section 1087 (material not available for public inspection), in subsection (1), after paragraph (gb) (inserted by section 66 of this Act) insert—

“(gc) any document delivered to the registrar under regulations under section 1110B;”.

(4) After section 1110 insert—

“Identity verification

1110A Meaning of “identity is verified”

(1) For the purposes of this Act an individual’s “identity is verified” if—

(a) the individual’s identity has been verified by the registrar in accordance with regulations under section 1110B, or

(b) a verification statement in respect of the individual has been delivered to the registrar,

and the individual has not, since then, ceased to be an individual whose identity is verified by virtue of regulations under subsection (6).

(2) A verification statement is a statement by an authorised corporate service provider confirming that it has verified an individual’s identity in accordance with regulations under section 1110B.

(3) A verification statement must also specify the authorised corporate service provider’s supervisory authority or authorities for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations.

(4) The Secretary of State may by regulations make further provision about the contents of verification statements (including provision amending this section).

(5) Where a person is required or authorised by any other provision to deliver a statement to the registrar that an individual’s identity is verified, that statement may be delivered at the same time as the verification statement by virtue of which the individual becomes someone whose identity is verified under subsection (1)(b).

(6) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for circumstances in which someone ceases to be an individual whose identity is verified.

(7) The provision that can be made under subsection (6) includes—

(a) provision to confer a discretion on the registrar;

(b) provision that someone ceases to be an individual whose identity is verified unless, within a specified period of time—

(i) their identity is reverified by the registrar in accordance with regulations under section 1110B, or

(ii) an authorised corporate service provider delivers to the registrar a statement: (A) confirming that it has reverified the individual’s identity in accordance with regulations under section 1110B, (B) specifying the authorised corporate service provider’s supervisory authority or authorities for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations, and (C) containing anything else required by the regulations.

(8) Regulations under this section are subject to affirmative resolution procedure.

(9) In this section—

• “Money Laundering Regulations” means the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/692);

• “supervisory authority” means an authority that is a supervisory authority under the Money Laundering Regulations (see regulation 7 of those Regulations).

1110B Verification requirements

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for and in connection with verification or reverification of an individual’s identity for the purposes of this Act by the registrar or by an authorised corporate service provider.

(2) The regulations may, in particular, make provision about—

(a) the procedure for verifying or reverifying an individual’s identity, including the evidence required;

(b) the records that a person who is or has been an authorised corporate service provider is required to keep in connection with the verification or reverification of an individual’s identity.

(3) The regulations may create offences in relation to failures to comply with requirements imposed by virtue of subsection (2)(b).

(4) The regulations must provide for any such offence to be punishable—

(a) on conviction on indictment, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine (or both);

(b) on summary conviction—

(i) in England and Wales, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court or a fine (or both);

(ii) in Scotland, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (or both) and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding one-fifth of the statutory maximum;

(iii) in Northern Ireland, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (or both) and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding one-fifth of the statutory maximum.

(5) The provision that can be made in regulations under this section includes provision conferring a discretion on the registrar, including provision conferring power to impose requirements by registrar’s rules.

(6) Regulations under this section are subject to affirmative resolution procedure.”

(5) In Schedule 8 (index of defined expressions), at the appropriate place insert—

“identity is verified

section 1110A”.