Register an overseas entity — OEID and late registration, handled by a regulated UK agent

Who must register on the Register of Overseas Entities?

Any company or similar legal entity governed by the law of a country outside the UK that owns, or wants to acquire, a qualifying interest in UK property or land. The qualifying dates differ by nation: England and Wales — freeholds and leases over seven years acquired on or after 1 January 1999; Scotland — on or after 8 December 2014; Northern Ireland — on or after 1 August 2022.

The jurisdiction of the entity makes no difference — British Virgin Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, US LLCs, European companies and every other non-UK entity are all in scope. What matters is the UK property interest.

What is the Overseas Entity ID and why does it matter?

Registration ends with Companies House issuing the entity an Overseas Entity ID (OEID). HM Land Registry requires a valid OEID before it registers an overseas entity as the proprietor of UK property — so a purchase cannot complete without one, and lenders will not complete a charge.

The OEID then stays valid only while the entity files its annual update statement on time. Registration is the start of a recurring compliance cycle, not a one-off filing — which is why we track the deadline for every entity we register.

The entity never registered — what now?

Entities that already owned qualifying UK property had to register by 31 January 2023. That deadline has long passed, but the duty to register never lapses: an entity that should be on the register and is not commits an ongoing offence — by the entity and every officer in default, with fines that can accrue daily — and its property is effectively frozen in the meantime: no sale, no long lease, no mortgage.

The way out is to register now. Companies House accepts late registrations, and completing one unfreezes the property and stops the breach getting worse. This is work we do regularly: the free check recognises a late registration, quotes it as such, and the whole engagement — verification of the beneficial owners included — runs online from there.

Why does registration need a UK verification agent?

Before an overseas entity can register, the identity of every registrable beneficial owner and managing officer must be verified by a UK agent supervised under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 — and the checks are only valid if completed no more than three months before the registration is filed.

TaxStats Ltd is such an agent: an ACCA-regulated accountancy practice and a Companies House Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP AP006589). Each owner completes their check remotely by smartphone, wherever in the world they are, and we confirm the verification to Companies House under our agent assurance code.

How the registration works with us

Four steps, all online. 1) The free two-minute check confirms the entity needs to register and gives standard cases an itemised quote immediately. 2) You sign the engagement letter and pay online. 3) Each beneficial owner verifies by smartphone; we complete the statutory checks. 4) We prepare and file the registration and Companies House issues the entity's OEID. Entities with trusts in the structure or protected-status owners are routed to the Companies House paper process — the steps are the same, the filing route differs.

What does registering cost?

Two parts, always itemised. The Companies House registration fee is a statutory fee we pass on at cost as a disbursement — it is shown separately in your quote. Our professional fee depends on the entity's circumstances: how many beneficial owners, whether the registration is late, whether a trust or protected status is involved. The free check asks exactly those questions and shows standard cases the full itemised quote straight away — no sign-up, no obligation.