What Is an ID2 Form? A Guide for Companies and Corporate Bodies

An ID2 form is HM Land Registry’s evidence of identity form for a company or other corporate body, published on GOV.UK as “Verify identity: corporate body (ID2)”. It is used for certain applications to HM Land Registry, usually when no conveyancer is acting for the company. A qualified verifier, such as a solicitor, checks the identity of the person representing the company, together with evidence that the company still exists and that the person has authority to act.

What is an ID2 form?

Practice guide 67 on evidence of identity explains that corporate bodies can have their identity “stolen” in the same way as private individuals, so the same fraud-prevention requirements apply.

The current form on HM Land Registry’s Verify identity: corporate body (ID2) page is version 02/26, dated 16 February 2026. The form states that ID forms cannot be signed using any type of electronic signature.

Older guidance may mention form ID4, a separate corporate body form used alongside ID2 when a non-conveyancer verified identity. It was withdrawn on 5 February 2024 and is not accepted for applications lodged on or after 6 May 2024.

When is an ID2 form needed?

HM Land Registry’s ID2 page says a corporate body may need to provide ID2 evidence for:

• transfers (whether or not for value), including transfers and deeds relating to the appointment or retirement of trustees
• leases and charges (mortgages) that are being registered
• discharges on form DS1 and releases on form DS3
• surrenders of leases
• most voluntary and compulsory first registrations where the title deeds have been lost or destroyed, and all other compulsory first registrations

It also applies to a corporate body that is a party to one of these transactions and is not represented by a conveyancer.

A corporate body changing its address also needs to complete ID2. There is a value threshold too: you do not need the form if the value of the land involved in the disposal does not exceed £6,000.

When a conveyancer is acting

Where a company is represented by a conveyancer, practice guide 67 explains that the conveyancer lodging the application gives “confirmation of identity” instead, by giving details of the conveyancer acting for the company.

If the company is unrepresented but the application is lodged by a conveyancer, for example the buyer’s, that conveyancer can either confirm they are satisfied that sufficient steps have been taken to verify the company’s identity or enclose an ID2. ID2 is needed when the application is lodged by a non-conveyancer, or when the lodging conveyancer cannot give that confirmation.

Who can certify an ID2 form?

Only certain people can verify identity on ID2. The main verifier panel in Section B lists:

• solicitors
• licensed conveyancers
• notaries
• barristers
• CILEX Conveyancing Practitioners
• Chartered Legal Executives
• Licensed Probate Practitioners regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers
• overseas lawyers

Each must hold a current practising certificate. The form also states that a paralegal cannot verify identity. A lawyer practising outside the UK must enclose evidence of their authority to practise.

Members of the UK armed forces serving overseas may instead be verified by a serving officer. The officer completes a separate panel in Section B and gives their passport number.

Companies have no equivalent of form ID3. Direction 2 on evidence of identity, effective 5 February 2024, lists ID1 and ID2 for verification by a conveyancer, and ID3, the non-conveyancer route, only for private individuals. Since the same date, non-conveyancers have also been unable to verify identity by video call.

What evidence of identity for a company does ID2 require?

Section A: the company and its representative

Section A asks for:

• the corporation’s name
• its registered number (if applicable) and registered address
• the name and address of the individual representing it
• that individual’s connection with the corporation
• a work telephone number, which must be a landline and not a mobile

Section A, together with the verifier’s Section B or C, must be completed, dated and signed no more than three months before the application is lodged. The verifier completes Section B for an in-person check, or Section C for a check under HM Land Registry’s digital identity standard.

The representative’s personal identity documents

The verifier must inspect either one document from List A or two documents of different types from List B.

List A covers a current valid full passport; a current UK, EU, Isle of Man or Channel Islands photocard driving licence (not a provisional licence); or a current biometric residence permit issued by the UK Home Office to a non-UK national living in the UK (still listed on the form, although GOV.UK says all BRPs have now expired and been replaced by eVisas).

List B includes a UK-issued card supported by an account statement less than three months old, a utility bill less than three months old and a council tax bill for the current year. It also includes a council rent book showing rent paid for the last three months, a mortgage statement for the mortgage accounting year just ended and a current firearm or shotgun certificate.

The card’s supporting account statement, the utility bill and the mortgage statement must be postal statements, not ones sent electronically. Where a List A document is provided, the form does not ask for separate proof of address.

Evidence about a UK company or corporation

For a UK company, the verifier must also see:

• an original company search, dated within the last three months, confirming that the company has not been dissolved
• evidence of the individual’s authority to represent the company

Practice guide 67 adds that the verifier must establish whether the person is a director, the company secretary or an agent such as an attorney. Someone who is neither a director nor the company secretary needs documentary evidence of their authority to act.

For a UK corporation that is not a company, the verifier needs evidence that the corporation still exists and of the individual’s authority to represent it.

Evidence about a non-UK company

For a company or corporation incorporated outside the UK, ID2 asks for evidence that it is one and the same as the registered owner or estate owner (where it is the transferor, landlord, borrower or lender), plus evidence of the individual’s authority to represent it.

For an unrepresented foreign corporate body, practice guide 67 gives an example of what it expects: a letter from a lawyer authorised to practise in the country of incorporation, confirming that the body still exists and that the representative is authorised to act.

How the ID2 form differs from ID1 and conveyancer certificates

The ID1 form for individuals asks for personal details and addresses for the last five years, while ID2 centres on the corporation and the person acting for it.

Form or route	Who it is for	Who completes it	What it covers
ID1	Unrepresented private individuals	Individual (Section A); verifier (Section B or C)	Personal details, address history, identity documents
ID2	Unrepresented corporate bodies	Company representative (Section A); verifier (Section B or C)	Company details, representative’s identity, company evidence
ID5	Anyone whose ID1 or ID2 is verified by video call	A conveyancer or other listed professional, such as a solicitor	Certificate of video verification, lodged with ID1 or ID2 and a colour screenshot
Confirmation of identity (AP1, FR1, DS2)	Represented parties, or unrepresented parties where the lodging conveyancer can confirm identity	The conveyancer lodging the application	Details of the party’s conveyancer, or confirmation that sufficient steps were taken to verify an unrepresented party

How ID2 verification by video call works

Video verification is only available through a conveyancer or another professional listed on form ID5, such as a Chartered Legal Executive. The ID2 form says that if the verifier is checking identity by video call, they must not complete Section B or C and must complete form ID5 instead. Direction 2 makes ID5 mandatory here, and it must accompany the ID2.

A remote ID2 verification typically runs like this:

1. The company’s representative completes Section A of ID2, then signs and dates it by hand.
2. The representative gives the verifier their List A or List B documents, plus the company evidence.
3. The verifier holds a video call with the representative to verify their identity.
4. During the call, the verifier takes a colour screenshot of the representative.
5. The verifier completes and signs form ID5 in place of Section B or C.
6. The ID2, the ID5 and a printed colour copy of the screenshot go to HM Land Registry with the application, within three months of the forms being signed.

Our guides to what an ID5 form is and how ID verification works cover the certificate and the wider process in more detail.

Overseas companies and the Register of Overseas Entities

Verifying a representative who lives abroad

Where a representative lives overseas and a UK conveyancer cannot verify them, the guidance on completing forms ID1 and ID2 allows a lawyer or notary qualified in their country of residence to complete the verifier section. Evidence of that lawyer’s or notary’s authority to practise must be enclosed.

The overseas entity ID

Since 1 August 2022, overseas entities that own UK land or intend to acquire it must, unless exempt, register with Companies House on the Register of Overseas Entities. Practice guide 78 on overseas entities explains that Companies House gives each one a unique overseas entity ID (OE ID).

Under Schedule 4A to the Land Registration Act 2002, HM Land Registry cannot register an overseas entity as proprietor of a qualifying estate unless it has first obtained an OE ID. Applications without a valid OE ID are rejected. Practice guide 67 applies identity requirements to foreign corporate bodies too, so check the current guidance on both.

Companies House identity verification for directors and PSCs

Company identity verification for Land Registry purposes sits alongside a wider Companies House change. Companies House confirmed that identity verification would roll out from 18 November 2025, making it a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) from that date.

• New directors must verify their identity to incorporate a company or be appointed.
• Existing directors confirm they have verified when they file their next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period.

The official guidance to verify your identity for Companies House explains the GOV.UK One Login and Authorised Corporate Service Provider routes. Check Companies House for your own due date.

Practice guide 67 states that it deals only with the evidence of identity HM Land Registry needs, not checks required by regulators or other legislation. Treat a Companies House verification and an ID2 as separate checks unless current HM Land Registry guidance says otherwise.

How IDVerification can help

IDVerification provides solicitor-verified remote identity checks for HM Land Registry purposes, completed over a short video call. For companies, our ID2 Forms Verification package costs £99 including VAT and covers the ID2 check and a completed ID5 form, prepared in line with HM Land Registry practice guide 67. Bulk or multiple checks are available on request.

You can compare packages on our pricing page, read how it works, or book your video ID check. In most cases, verification is completed within 24 hours of receiving your documents and video verification. If a conveyancer is already acting on your transaction, check with them first whether you need ID2 at all.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always check the latest HM Land Registry guidance or ask your conveyancer about your transaction.