Citation, extent and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2025.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(3) In these Regulations, “ the Act” means the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Commencement on 18th March 2025

2.  The following provisions of the Act come into force on 18th March 2025—

(a) sections 65 (procedure etc for verifying identity) and 66 (authorisation of corporate service providers), so far as not already in force;

(b) section 68 (allocation of unique identifiers), so far as not already in force;

(c) section 70 (registrar’s power to strike off company registered on false basis), and

(d) section 136(2) (the register of limited partnerships).

Commencement on 1st September 2025

3.  Sections 199 to 206 of, and Schedule 13 to, the Act (failure to prevent fraud) come into force on 1st September 2025, so far as not already in force.

Amendment of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2024

4.  Regulation 3 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2024 (commencement on 1st September 2025)( 3) is revoked.

Amendment of provisions expressed by reference to commencement

5.—(1) In regulation 1(2) of the Register of Overseas Entities (Annotation and Removal) Regulations 2024( 4), for “the day section 170 (administrative removal of material from register) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “4th March 2024”.

(2) In the Registrar (Annotation, Removal and Disclosure Restrictions) Regulations 2024( 5)―

(a) in regulation 1(2)(a), for “the day section 85 (administrative removal of material from the register) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “4th March 2024”;

(b) in regulation 1(2)(b), for “the day section 52 (protection of date of birth information) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “4th March 2024”;

(c) in regulation 17, for “the day section 85 (administrative removal of material from the register) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “4th March 2024”.

(3) In regulation 1(2) of the Registered Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024( 6), for “when section 105 (registered office: rectification of register) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “on 4th March 2024”.

(4) In regulation 1(2) of the Service Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024( 7), for “when section 106 (rectification of register: service addresses) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “on 4th March 2024”.

(5) In regulation 1(2) of the Principal Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024( 8), for “when section 107 (rectification of register: principal office addresses) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes fully into force” substitute “on 4th March 2024”.

(6) In regulation 1(2) of the Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2024( 9), for “when section 1 (the registrar’s objectives) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes into force” substitute “on 4th March 2024”.

(7) In regulation 1(2) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Consequential, Supplementary and Incidental Provisions) Regulations 2024( 10), for the words from “whichever is the later of” to the end substitute “21st March 2024”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations are the fourth commencement regulations made under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (c. 56)(“ the Act”). Regulation 2 commences certain provisions in Parts 1 and 2 of the Act. Regulation 3 brings measures creating a new offence of failing to prevent fraud fully into force in all of the United Kingdom. Regulation 4 amends the third set of commencement regulations which failed to comply with the requirement that guidance must be published before regulations bringing section 199 of the Act into force are made. Regulation 5 replaces references in certain regulations to the commencement of a provision with a reference to the actual date on which the provision came into force.

NOTE AS TO EARLIER COMMENCEMENT Regulations

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

The following provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (c. 56)have been brought into force by commencement regulations made before the date of these Regulations.