ID1 Form Verification Near You

The following legal professionals are those which have traditionally been authorised to do it:

Solicitor, Barrister, Notary Public, Chartered Legal Executive or Licensed Conveyancer.

At the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown however, the Land Registry introduced the ID3 Form (for individuals) and ID4 Form (for companies).  These can be completed by certain non-law professions, such as a teachers, doctors, dentists and chartered accountants.

The ID3 and ID4 are classed as being temporary to help address the difficulty of attending a law firm during the pandemic, but Land Registry has not (yet) withdrawn the use of them.

A full list of the qualifying professions able to complete the ID3 and ID4 Forms can be found in Land Registry’s guidance notes.

This temporary introduction of ID3 and ID4 Forms has increased the options for getting your identity verified.  Although in practice it seems the use of these forms limited, likely because ‘non-law’ professionals aren’t familiar with Land Registry’s ID forms/requirements.

A final point to mention, is that people often think it might be possible to do ID1 Form verification at the Post Office.  Unfortunately, it’s not.  The Post Office offers proof of ID/document certification and ‘EasyID’ services, but neither of these meet Land Registry’s identity verification requirements.

In order to process any application, Land Registry requires all parties’ identities have been professionally verified*. 

In most cases, Land Registry relies upon the acting solicitors to certify they’ve verified their clients’ identities. However, it is sometimes the case that one of the parties doesn’t have a solicitor or conveyancer representing them. In this situation, completing Form ID1 or ID2, whichever being relevant, is used instead.

A common scenario is a “transfer of equity”, or as sometime called, “coming off the deeds”.  The person signing to “come off the deeds” hasn’t anything to gain by paying for full legal representation, so can complete an ID1 Form instead.

There’s conflicting information on this. Land Registry’s guidance states 3 months, but on the Form ID1 Land Registry itself, it states 6 months.  The period of validity runs from the date the form is dated, until the date it’s lodged with Land Registry.

So it’s helpful if the verification is not carried too early in the course of the conveyancing transaction.  Otherwise, by the time the application to change the title of the property is lodged with the Land Registry, the completed form could have expired.

HM Land Registry has issued official Written Guidance and also made Video Guidance available on YouTube.

Both ID1 & ID2 Forms require the following:

A current valid full passport OR a current UK, EU, Isle of Man or Channel Islands photocard driving licence (not a provisional licence).*

AND a passport sized photograph of you taken within the last three months.**

*If you don’t hold a passport or photo driving licence, there are other ID documents which Land Registry will accept.  Just read through Section B of the forms. It’ll be best to check with the lawyer in advance that such alternatives will be acceptable.

**If you’re doing it by video call, you won’t need a passport photograph.  The solicitor will instead take a screenshot of you for attaching to the ID5 Form.

Further requirements for ID2 Form only:

An original company search dated within the last three months which confirms your company has not been dissolved AND
evidence of the company’s authority for you to represent it. This is usually a letter from the company signed by a director or company secretary confirming authority.*

*For non-UK companies please see full info in Section B of ID2 Form. 

Yes. In March 2020, in response to Covid-19, Land Registry introduced a new ID5 Form to counter the difficulty for people being able to attend solicitor offices to get their identification verified. Despite Land Registry saying this is only “temporary”, to date it continues to be a perfectly valid method. 

On the video call the solicitor will complete and sign an ID5 Form verification.  That’s instead of completing Section B of the ID1 or ID2 Form (which are completed for face to face verifications). You’ll still need to complete Section A in the normal way. 

There is HM Land Registry ID5 Guidance available.

For a dedicated reliable ID1/ID5 service, offering the lowest fee, take a look at the Featured Solicitor.