Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 – Changes to Confirmation Statements and other matters from 4 March 2024

The first new measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 are due to come into force on 4 March 2024.

These changes include a requirement from 5 March 2024 for all companies when filing their next Confirmation Statement (form CS01) to:

1. supply a registered email address for correspondence – Companies House will use this email address to communicate with the company, but it will not be available on the public record; and
2. confirm that the intended future activities of the company are lawful.

If Grunberg & Co already assists you with your Confirmation Statement filings, then rest assured that we will file your next statement in accordance with the above changes.

If you file your Confirmation Statement yourself, be aware that the filing process will require you to add a registered email address and agree to the statement about the company operating for lawful purposes before you will be permitted to complete the filing.

If you need any assistance with conducting your next Confirmation Statement filing, then please get in touch with us and our specialist Company Secretarial Team will be able to assist you.

Other new measures which come into force from 4 March 2024 also include:

• a prohibition on using a PO Box address as a company’s Registered Office address;
• greater powers to query information provided to Companies House and request supporting evidence;
• stronger checks on company names prior to the incorporation of new companies;
• a requirement for all companies to confirm they’re forming the company for a lawful purpose when they incorporate, and to confirm its intended future activities will be lawful on each subsequent Confirmation Statement;
• the ability to annotate the register when information appears confusing or misleading;
• taking steps to clean up the register, using data matching to identify and remove inaccurate information; and
• sharing data with other government departments and law enforcement agencies.

Other measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, such as identity verification of directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs), will be introduced in the coming months once further legislation enters into force.

We will continue to provide further updates as each new change comes in. However, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our dedicated Company Secretarial department.