We are really proud of our adherence to the UK Anti Money Laundering laws, which requires us to obtain certain information about you and your company. Every customer is subject to the same checks, and this ensures our commitment to you that the reputation of your Virtual Office address is maintained. We have a team dedicated to our compliance with the relevant legislation, who ensure the set up process is as quick & simple as possible. We aim to activate your account within 24 hours of receiving the completed form. Take a look at our guidance and when you have gathered the relevant information, click the form below to submit!
Please read below & upload here!
We require documentation for the Ultimate Beneficial Owners of the business. For PLC, C.I.C and Limited companies, this would be the Persons with Significant Control (PwSC) of the company. If there are no PwSC, we would require documentation for the shareholders. If there are no shareholders, we would require documentation for at least 3 officers (or all officers if there are less than 3).
For charities, we would require the documentation for at least 3 trustees (or all trustees if there are less than 3).
If you are supplying documentation on behalf of the named customer, we will need to be satisfied that you are a properly authorised representative. In some instances, we may require the following from you;
We require a copy of their Photo ID and residential Proof of Address. If they reside overseas, the documents will need to be certified or notarised.
If you wish to check the UK government guidelines on what’s accepted please do so here.
One of the following:
We CANNOT accept a Provisional Driving Licence
ID requirements:
Please note, submitted documentation found to be fraudulent or altered in any way will be reported to the relevant legal authority.
All 4 corners of the document are visible
Shows the full name of the individual and full address
Written in English or accompanied by an English translation (by an official Sworn translator)
We CANNOT accept Credit Card Statements, statements from online-only banks or Mobile Phone Bills as Proof of Address.
Occasionally, we may be unable to verify part or all of your information. There can be several reasons behind this so please do not be alarmed!
It could be as simple as you live with your parents or you’re in a house share, or perhaps just moved into a new home. Or it could be a discrepancy with your documentation. We may need to have a quick chat to satisfy our checks, where you can let us know anything that you think might be relevant!
If we are unable to pick you up at the address you have provided, don’t worry – but we may need to conduct further verification. This involves us sending a letter to you containing a unique code, which once received you will need to confirm to us along with supplying an additional proof of address document. This provides us with a link to your home address and allows us to activate your account!
Say cheese! If we are unable to verify identity information, we sometimes ask you for a selfie holding the ID you have supplied to us.
Take Your Photo HereONLY submit when requested!
The instances above are rare, but we like to be transparent about all eventualities!
EU residents: Certified
If you live outside the UK, your proof of ID and proof of address documents must be Certified.
What should a certified document look like?
Upon viewing the original and photocopied documents, the professional person or authority should certify the copy by:
Writing: “Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me” on the document
Signing and dating the document
Printing their name under the signature
Adding their occupation, address and telephone number
Stamping the document with their personal or professional stamp
Who can certify documents?
Bank or Building Society Official
Official Councillor
Minister of Religion
Dentist
Chartered Accountant
Solicitor/ Lawyer or Notary
Teacher or Lecturer
Local Town Hall
Doctor
Police Officer
The person you ask should not be related to you, living at the same address or in a relationship with you. We may not be able to accept certification from owners/employees of the company applying for the virtual office with us.
The certification must be present on the actual document to be validated successfully and must be on both the proof of ID and proof of residential address.
Non-EU residents: Notarised
If you live outside both the UK and EU, your proof of ID and proof of address documents must be notarised by a notary public and be accompanied by the relevant official stamp and signature of the notary.
What should a notarised document look like?
Upon viewing the original and photocopied documents, the professional person or authority should notarise the copy by:
Writing: “Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me” on the document
Signing and dating the document
Printing their name under the signature
Adding their occupation, address and telephone number
Stamping the document with their personal or professional stamp
What are notarised documents?
Notarised documents are like certified ones, however they will be signed and dated by a notary public.
(This may be called something different depending on the country you are in)
A notary is a person authorised to perform certain legal formalities, especially to draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents for use in other jurisdictions. The person you ask should not be related to you, living at the same address or in a relationship with you. We may not be able to accept notarisation from owners/employees of the company applying for the virtual office with us.
Some examples of notary publics are:
Embassies
Solicitors registered as a notary public
The notarisation must be present on the actual document to be validated successfully. It must be on both the proof of ID and proof of residential address.
On your first invoice will be a one-off £30 + VAT set-up fee and here’s why.
As we have already mentioned, we are really proud of our adherence to the UK Anti-Money Laundering laws which require us to obtain certain information about you and your company. We use advanced systems to verify all clients and with our gold standard of checks, you can appreciate it costs VHQ a penny or two! Therefore, we do need to cover these costs with a set-up fee.
The £30 is worth the investment for you to know you are only sharing your address with other reputable businesses – we believe the set-up fee is ‘worth its weight in gold’.
Our work begins as soon as an order is received, we begin by analysing the company structure and background ahead of supporting documents being submitted.
Customers wishing to register a virtual office for a business situated outside of the UK will incur a non-refundable account set-up fee of £100.00 excl. This charge is applied due to the additional steps required when completing Customer Due Diligence and Anti-Money Laundering checks as set out in the relevant guidelines.
This non-refundable set-up fee will be charged for any and each additional company you wish to register, but only if there is a differing beneficial ownership. This fee is applied to cover the additional due diligence required for separate beneficial owners, and is charged at the standard £30.00 excl. per UK registered business and £100.00 excl. per overseas business.
ASIC current company extract
Articles of Association
Copy of Constitution on the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises Register
Beneficial owners must be identified via the NPLE Register, under Sole Owner of the Capital.
Shareholder Agreement/certified list
Certified list
Certified list of the company’s beneficial owners
The Veřejný rejstřík entry
Registration entry on the CVR
Entry on the PRH business register
Verified letter from notary confirming beneficial ownership OR Up-to-date Company articles of Association displaying share structure/beneficial ownership OR Shareholder meeting report
List of shareholders provided by the Unternehmens-Register
Certified list of beneficial owners, with full names, addresses and nationalities
Company registration report from the Registro delle Imprese
Articles of Association from the Registre de Commerce et des Societes
Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association
Company Extract of Registration with the KvK
Registration entry on the NZBN Register
Registration entry on the Brønnøysundregistrene
Certified list or the shareholder agreement
Verified letter from notary confirming beneficial ownership
CRO Annual Return
NTRO report
S.R.O. Company Entry
Details of UBOs can be found on AJPES under ‘Partners & Equity Interests.’
Certificate of Incorporation
Deed of Incorporation on the Registro Mercantil OR Notarial Deed of Update
Memorandum of Association with the Bolagsverket
Cantonal Register Entry
Articles of Association
To avoid any delays to your service, it’s important that we continue to hold up to date information for you and your business.
If you are an existing customer please let us know of any changes, particularly if any of the following has occurred:
If one of the above applies to you, or if we have been in touch requesting updated documentation, you can upload this below!
Existing Client UploadThe above is for existing clients ONLY, if you are a new client and this is your first submission please click below!
New Client Form
Franchise Agreement Verification
For clients who operate as franchises, we need a copy of your franchise agreement. This essential document outlines key aspects of your franchisor-franchisee relationship, including the geographical areas you cover, the division of royalties, and any annual fees.
We understand the importance of confidentiality, so please feel free to redact any sensitive information before sharing the agreement with us.
For clarity and formal verification, the agreement should be presented on letterhead and include dates and signatures from both parties.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
As part of our onboarding process, it's essential to verify that all care workers are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). To ensure a smooth and timely onboarding experience, please provide the necessary documentation confirming your CQC registration. This includes your registration number and any official certification or authorisation from the CQC. Providing these details promptly will help prevent any delays in your onboarding process and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
As part of our onboarding process, we need to verify that certain professionals, including accountants and anyone required to be registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), have the necessary registrations. If your business falls under this category, please provide the relevant documentation, such as registration numbers or certificates. If your business is not required to register with the FCA, kindly explain why this is the case in your onboarding forms. Providing this information promptly will help avoid any delays in the onboarding process.
V5 & DVLA
Please note that we do not permit our addresses to be used for V5 vehicle registration documents. Any post received from the DVLA will be returned to the sender. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in the cancellation of your service with us. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter to ensure compliance with our terms of service.
Additional Information
These are just a few examples of the verification steps we may require. There could be additional circumstances necessitating further verification. If you believe you or your business may have unique requirements, please contact us for guidance before placing your order. Please note that our setup fees are non-refundable, and if you are unable to provide the necessary documentation, these fees will still apply.
How to Set up a Limited Company
GOV.UK have a Step by Step Guide on how to set up a limited company, appoint directors and shareholders or guarantors, and register for tax.
What's an ‘Appropriate Address’ for a Company Registered Address?
There are new rules for registered office addresses which mean companies must, at all times, have an ‘appropriate address’ as their registered office.
An address is an ‘appropriate address’ if, in the ordinary course of events:
- A document addressed to the company, and delivered there by hand or by post, would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company.
- The delivery of documents there is capable of being recorded by the obtaining of an acknowledgement of delivery.
- PO box addresses are no longer permitted for the purpose of a companies Registered Address.
Good news all Virtual HQ's building are compliant as an ‘appropriate address’, all with a physical reception to receive and handle post.
