Anti-Money Laundering Policy and Information

UK law requires company service providers (which includes virtual office providers) to comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and gather certain information about new clients before services begin.

We are really proud of our adherence to the AML regulations, and we take our responsibilities seriously, all whilst maintaining a straightforward set-up process. All of our customers are subject to the same standard checks, without exception. Our packages are pretty flexible, but our rules don’t bend. This ensures we retain a high reputation at all of our Virtual Office addresses, which, in turn, protects the integrity of your business.

We have a team dedicated to our compliance functions, who streamline the process and are there to help at every step. They’re efficient – 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!

New Client Form

The process, simply put…

What information do you require?

Our New Client Form covers a few questions about your business to help us understand what you do, the business ownership structure, and your reason for requiring a virtual office. The questions themselves will only take 5 minutes to complete, but it is important you aren’t too brief, and all your answers are accurate.

Alongside the questions, we require you to identify the owners of your business and provide their photo ID and proof of address in order for us to verify their identity. The individuals who we require information for are often referred to as the ‘Ultimate Beneficial Owners’ (UBOs) or ‘Persons with Significant Control’ (PwSC) of the business. If you’re a sole trader, as the owner of the business this would be you. For Limited companies, this is usually those individuals who have 25% or more shares/voting rights in the company. This beneficial ownership can be held directly or indirectly (via another entity). If your company structure is more complicated, and isn’t clearly identifiable via Companies House records, we may contact you to obtain further information.

You may have a company structure without shareholders, or have no identifiable shareholders with 25% or more ownership in which case we may instead require information for the individuals who hold the most senior management positions in the company (often this includes the Directors) – contact us if you’re unsure.

If you’re a charity, we normally require information on your Chair, and two other trustees.

We can usually obtain proof of incorporation from Companies House or The Charity Register, however if your company is registered overseas or this information is not publicly available, we may also request this from you.

What documentation do you need for the identified UBOs?

We ask you to supply two documents, a copy of their photo ID and residential proof of address (POA), as well as appropriate contact details for them. The ID and POA can’t be the same document, and there are certain guidelines of what we can and can’t accept so please ensure you read on to check if your gathered documents meet the requirements.

Please note, if the individual(s) resides overseas their documents will need to be certified by a professional or notarised by a notary (depending on the country they are resident in). Further information on this is found below.

Acting on behalf of the customer?

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;

Photo ID
Proof of residential address
The relationship to the customer

Additional supporting documents

Occasionally, we may be unable to verify some of your information, or the details presented require further information to complete our checks. Please don’t be alarmed if we need to complete additional verification, it is not an indication of wrongdoing. It could be as simple as you’ve only recently moved house, or there is a slight discrepancy with your documentation. We may need to have a quick chat to satisfy our checks, where you can let us know anything you think might be relevant!

If we are unable to verify you at the address you have provided, we may issue 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.

The instances above are rare, but we like to be transparent about all eventualities!

Are you or your business based overseas?

The rules and requirements may differ slightly for overseas residents and/or businesses. Please click HERE for the correct information and steps to follow.

We’re pretty flexible, but our rules don’t bend!

Photo ID

We can accept one of the following:

Passport
Photocard full driving licence
UK Biometric Residence Permit
National ID cards (applicable to non-UK residents only)

You must ensure:

The ID has at least 3 months remaining until expiry
All four corners of the document are visible
The photo or scan has no glare/distortion
All information is legible
If you are a non-UK resident, the document copy has been appropriately certified/notarised

We can’t accept:

Provisional driving licences
Expired documents

Proof of address

Acceptable documents include:

Utility bill dated within the last 3 months (gas, electricity, water, broadband, landline telephone or satellite TV)
Council tax bill for the current tax year
Current account/Building society bank statement dated within the last 3 months
HMRC self-assessment letters or tax demands for the current financial year
Current year’s Mortgage statement issued by a recognised lender or current signed tenancy agreement.
A full photocard driving license with no less than 3 months until expiry (if not already used as photo ID)

Take note

You must ensure:

All four corners of the document are visible
The document displays the full name of the individual and their residential address
If you reside at more than one address, documents are supplied for both addresses
If you are a non-UK resident, the document copy has been appropriately certified/notarised and is accompanied by an English translation by an official sworn translator (if applicable)

We can’t accept:

Mobile phone bills
Payslips
Undated documents

Overseas residents and businesses

The rules and requirements may vary slightly for non-UK residents and/or businesses.

Please click HERE for the accurate information and steps to follow if the following applies to you:

Any of the owners are residents outside of the UK
The business is registered outside of the UK

Note that your documents must be properly certified or notarized and, if applicable, accompanied by an English translation from an official sworn translator.

Existing clients

It is important that we continue to hold up-to-date information on your business and its UBOs. We do perform ongoing monitoring checks post-activation; however, please let us know if any of the integral details change. This may include:

A change to the residential address of a PwSC
A change to the mail forwarding address
A change in company structure, such as the appointment of a new PwSC

If you request certain changes to your account, we may require updated documentation, we will let you know if this applies.

Additional Information: Including specific circumstances and restricted use

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.

Read in full here.

Non-refundable sign-up fees – why do we charge?

On your first invoice will be a one-off non-refundable £30 + VAT sign-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.

Please note, submitted documentation found to be fraudulent or altered in any way will be reported to the relevant legal authority.

Additional companies

Many business owners have multiply companies and we are more than happy to facilitate them! The 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.