The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, becoming the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (the “Act”).

Companies House have announced the first set of changes due to be implemented on 4^th March 2024 which are:

• Registered office address – companies will no longer be able to use a PO Box
• An email address must be registered with Companies House on incorporation, or at the next Confirmation Statement for existing companies
• Lawful purpose statement must be provided to Companies House on incorporation, or at the next Confirmation Statement for existing companies
• Companies House will have powers to challenge or remove existing information from the registers

A company’s registered email address will not be on the public register but will be used by Companies House to communicate with the company, so it is important that an appropriate email address is registered.  Druces Company Secretarial services will include the provision of a registered email address in our registered offices package of services

From 1^st May Companies House are increasing their filing fees.

Other measures under the Act, such as identity verification, will be introduced over the next 1-2 years, so watch this space for future updates.

If you would like any further information, or are concerned about any of these changes, please do not hesitate to contact us.