The Register of Overseas Entities came into force in the UK on 1 August 2022 through the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022. The register forms a key part of the government’s strategy to tackle global economic crime.
Since 1 August 2022, overseas entities who want to buy, sell or transfer property or land in the UK must register with Companies House and tell us who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.
This also applied retrospectively to overseas entities who bought property or land on or after:
- 1 January 1999 in England and Wales
- 8 December 2014 in Scotland
The register has been established to improve transparency around the ownership and control of overseas entities that own UK land. This information is publicly available on our Find and update company information service.
Anyone who does not comply will face serious consequences, including:
- restrictions on selling, leasing or raising charges over their land
- financial penalties
- prosecution
There’ll be changes to the access and protection of trust data held on the Register of Overseas Entities throughout 2025.
- From 28 February 2025, entities can apply to protect their trust member details if they meet the necessary criteria.
- From 31 August 2025, information related to trusts on the Register of Overseas Entities will be made available on request.
Read more about applying to protect your details on the Register of Overseas Entities.