This is the identity verification form required by HM Land Registry when a private individual submits a property application without being represented by a conveyancer. It confirms who you are before your application can be registered.
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The ID1 is the official land registry form ID1 — a certificate of identity for private individuals. Its full title is “Certificate of Identity for a Private Individual” and it exists because HM Land Registry cannot register certain property transactions without verifying who the people involved actually are.
Property fraud is a serious and growing problem in England and Wales. The land registry ID1 form requirement exists specifically to address it. Criminals sometimes attempt to sell or mortgage properties they do not own by impersonating the real owner. This requirement acts as a safeguard. By requiring an independent verifier to confirm your identity and attach your photograph, HM Land Registry makes it significantly harder for someone to fraudulently deal with property registered in your name.
When a transaction is handled by a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, this form is usually not required because the conveyancer takes responsibility for verifying their client’s identity as part of their professional obligations. It becomes necessary when individuals act for themselves, when a party is not represented by a conveyancer, or when a conveyancer cannot confirm that identity checks have been completed satisfactorily.
ID1 is not the same as ID2. The ID1 is for private individuals. Form ID2 is the equivalent for companies and corporate bodies. If you are an individual submitting a property application without a solicitor, the ID1 is the correct form. Companies acting without a conveyancer need the ID2 instead.
This requirement applies in a specific set of circumstances. Understanding exactly when it is needed saves time and avoids requisitions from HM Land Registry.
This form is needed if you fall into any of the following categories:
Each individual who needs to provide identity evidence must complete their own separate ID1 form. You cannot share a form with someone else, even if you are both parties to the same transaction.
When you do NOT need the ID1 form: This form is not needed for a voluntary first registration unless the title deeds are lost or destroyed. You also do not need it for charges or leases that are merely being noted on the register rather than registered. The form is also not required where the true value of the land involved in the transaction is £6,000 or less, or where HM Land Registry has issued a facility letter in respect of your identity.
This is the single most common reason these forms are rejected or cause requisitions, and it catches people out more than almost any other requirement. The completed form must be dated and signed no more than three months before the application is lodged with HM Land Registry. Both Section A (completed by you) and Section B or Section C (completed by your verifier) must fall within that three-month window.
In practical terms this means the following. If your property transaction is due to complete in October, do not have the verification done in June. By October it will be more than three months old and HM Land Registry will reject it. Wait until you are confident the transaction will complete within three months of the verification date before booking the appointment with your verifier.
Electronic signatures are not permitted. This is one of the few HM Land Registry forms that cannot be signed electronically in any form. Wet ink signatures are required in both Section A and Section B or C. A form signed digitally will be rejected regardless of the type of electronic signature used.
If a transaction is delayed and the three-month period expires before you lodge the application, you will need a fresh certificate completed and verified from scratch. Plan carefully and do not get the verification done too early. Solicitors commonly advise clients to have the ID1 verified close to the expected completion date rather than weeks in advance.
One of the most common questions people ask is who can verify one. The answer is more specific than many people expect. Not just anyone with a professional title can act as verifier — the form sets out an exact list of approved verifiers.
✓ Approved Verifiers
✕ Cannot Verify
✓ Approved Verifiers
The paralegal exclusion catches many people out. A paralegal working at a solicitor’s firm cannot act as verifier even if they deal with property transactions daily. The verifier must personally hold a current practising certificate as a solicitor, conveyancer, barrister, notary or Chartered Legal Executive. If you are unsure whether a specific person qualifies, ask them directly whether they hold a current practising certificate in one of the approved categories.
Most high street solicitors will provide verification for a modest fee even if they are not acting in the underlying transaction. Chartered Legal Executives at conveyancing firms will also often do this. Some banks and building societies are also approved for specific circumstances.
There are three different identity verification routes. Which one applies to you depends on how the verification will take place. The form you need to complete and the section your verifier fills in depends on the route you use.
The most common route. You attend in person, bring your identity documents and two colour passport photographs taken within the last three months. The verifier inspects your documents, certifies one photograph and completes Section B.
Used when identity is verified under HM Land Registry’s digital identity standard. The verifier must meet the requirements set out in practice guide 81. This route is available to solicitors, licensed conveyancers, notaries, barristers, CILEX practitioners, Chartered Legal Executives and CLC practitioners.
Where identity is verified by video call, Sections B and C of the form are not used for video call verification. Instead, the verifier completes Form ID5. You still complete Section A of the ID1, but Section B and Section C are left blank and ID5 accompanies the application instead.
For in-person verification under Section B, your verifier must inspect original identity documents. The form sets out two lists. For List A, one document is sufficient on its own. If you cannot produce any List A document, you can use two documents from List B instead — but no more than one of each type.
One document — sufficient alone
Two documents needed — one of each type maximum
No electronic statements. This catches people out regularly. A utility bill or bank statement sent to you electronically and printed at home does not qualify for List B — even if it is printed on paper and looks identical to a postal statement. HM Land Registry specifically requires documents that were posted to you. If all your bills are paperless, a List A document is needed instead, or contact your utility provider or bank to request a postal statement.
This form is divided into two parts: Section A which you complete yourself, and Section B or C which your verifier completes. Both parts must be done no more than three months before the application is lodged. Work through Section A first, then take it to your verifier.
Enter your title (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr, etc.), your full first name or names — not initials, the form specifically states to provide full names — and your surname. Use your current legal name exactly as it appears on your identity documents. If you have recently changed your name, complete the form in your new current name.
Enter your full date of birth in the format DD/MM/YYYY. This is used alongside your name and address to confirm your identity in the Land Registry’s own records.
Enter your full current address including postcode. This must be where you currently live, not a business address or the address of the property being registered.
State how long you have lived at the address in Field 5. If you have lived there for less than five years, you will also need to complete Field 7 with previous addresses.
List every address you have lived at within the last five years, with approximate dates. All panels must be completed except those marked “if any” — this is not one of those panels, so if you have moved in the last five years you must include previous addresses here.
Enter your home landline, work telephone and mobile numbers. Fields 9 and 10 are marked “if any” so can be left blank if not applicable. For Field 8 (home landline), write “none” if you do not have one — do not leave it blank.
Enter the type of application (for example: transfer, mortgage, discharge, first registration), the title number if known, and the address of the property including its postcode. If the title number is not yet known — for example in a first registration application — write “not yet registered” or leave the title number blank.
Read the certificate statement carefully. By signing, you are certifying that the information you have provided is correct to the best of your knowledge and belief, and authorising HM Land Registry to make additional checks to confirm your identity. Sign with a wet ink signature and add the date. Do not use an electronic signature. The date here counts toward the three-month validity period.
Take Section A to your verifier along with your identity documents and two colour passport photographs. The photographs must be on photographic paper, taken within the last three months and show your face clearly. The verifier will:
The verifier does not need to know you. Section B asks the verifier to indicate whether they have known you for at least two years, but this is informational. Even if they have never met you before, they can still verify your identity by inspecting your documents. Not knowing you for two years does not disqualify them from acting as verifier.
A question that comes up regularly is whether verification can be done online. The answer is: partly yes, but not through the ID1 form itself for the verification section.
If your verifier is going to verify your identity by video call, they do not complete Section B or C of the ID1. Instead, you complete Section A yourself, and your verifier completes a separate Form ID5 which is specifically designed for video call verification. Both the ID1 Section A and the completed ID5 are then lodged with the application.
For digital verification under HM Land Registry’s digital identity standard (Section C), the verifier uses an approved digital identity service and completes Section C rather than Section B. This route is described in practice guide 81. It requires one of three identity documents: a valid passport, an EU or EEA biometric identity card, or a UK Home Office Biometric Residence Permit.
What is not possible in any form is signing it electronically. The form states clearly that ID forms cannot be signed electronically using any type of electronic signature. Section A must always bear the individual’s wet ink signature, and Section B or C must be signed by the verifier the same way.
Finding a solicitor to verify your identity. Most high street solicitors will carry out this verification for a fee regardless of whether they are acting in your underlying property transaction. Chartered Legal Executives at conveyancing firms are another option. Expect to pay between £20 and £75 depending on the firm and whether the appointment is in person or digital. When searching for an ID1 form solicitor, always confirm they hold a current practising certificate in one of the approved categories before booking.
This form is not submitted alone. It is always lodged as part of a wider HM Land Registry application bundle, accompanying the AP1 and the relevant transaction documents.
Fill in all 14 fields, sign and date with a wet ink signature. Check the date — this starts the three-month clock.
Contact a solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive or other approved verifier. Confirm they hold a current practising certificate. Ask about their fee in advance. Gather your identity documents and two recent colour passport photographs.
Take the completed Section A, your identity documents and your photographs to the appointment. The verifier will complete Section B, inspect your documents and sign one photograph. For digital or video call routes, different processes apply as described above.
Include the completed form in your application bundle alongside the AP1 and all other required documents. The ID1 is listed in Panel 5 of the AP1. Submit the whole bundle to HM Land Registry within three months of the date the ID1 was signed and verified.
The ID1 form is not open to public inspection. Unlike most documents lodged with HM Land Registry which can be inspected under section 66 of the Land Registration Act 2002, the ID1 form and any supporting identity evidence are automatically exempt from public inspection under rule 133 of the Land Registration Rules 2003. Your personal and identity information will not be visible to anyone searching the register.
No. A paralegal cannot verify an ID1 form regardless of their experience or the firm they work for. The form specifically lists the categories of approved verifier and paralegals are not among them. Only a qualified solicitor, licensed conveyancer, notary public, barrister, CILEX Conveyancing Practitioner, Chartered Legal Executive or CLC regulated Licensed Probate Practitioner with a current practising certificate can act as verifier. If you use a paralegal and submit the ID1, HM Land Registry will raise a requisition and the application will be held until a properly verified replacement is provided.
Generally no. When you are represented by a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, they take responsibility for verifying your identity as part of their professional obligations under anti-money laundering regulations. Your solicitor will usually carry out their own identity checks internally and confirm this in the relevant panel of the AP1. You only need an ID1 if you are not represented by a conveyancer, or if your conveyancer cannot confirm they are satisfied with the identity verification steps that have been taken.
If more than three months pass between the date the form was signed and verified and the date you lodge your application, the document is no longer valid. HM Land Registry will raise a requisition requiring you to provide a new certificate completed and verified within the three-month window. This means starting the process from scratch including a new verification appointment. Property transactions that experience unexpected delays are particularly vulnerable to this and it is worth factoring into your planning if you know completion may be delayed.
There is no fixed fee set by HM Land Registry. Individual verifiers set their own charges. Most high street solicitors charge between £20 and £75 for ID1 verification. Some conveyancing firms offer this service at a fixed low fee as a standalone service. Digital verification may carry a different fee structure depending on the digital identity service used. Always confirm the fee before attending the appointment.
No. List B specifically requires postal statements for credit card statements, utility bills and mortgage statements. A statement that was delivered to you electronically — even if you have printed it — does not qualify. The verifier must see a document that was physically posted to you. If you have gone paperless for all your accounts, your options are to produce a List A document instead, or to contact your bank or utility provider and request they send you a postal statement. Some providers will do this on request even if you are otherwise on paperless billing.
Identity verification by video call is possible but uses a different process from the standard ID1. If verification takes place by video call, the verifier does not complete Section B or C of the ID1. Instead, you complete Section A yourself, and your verifier completes a separate Form ID5. Both are then lodged with the HM Land Registry application. Practice guide 67 sets out the full requirements for video call verification.
No. The ID1 is for private individuals. Form ID2 is the equivalent certificate of identity for a company, limited liability partnership or other corporate body. If the applicant is a company acting without a conveyancer, ID2 is the correct form. If the applicant is an individual acting without a conveyancer, ID1 is the right one. Using the wrong form will result in a requisition.
Yes. Yes. The form can be used to provide evidence of identity for a person who has changed their name where the change is confirmed by deed poll, statutory declaration or statement of truth. The form must be completed in the person’s current name, not the name previously held. This is commonly needed when updating the register following marriage, divorce or a formal deed poll change, particularly where the transaction involves someone who is not represented by a conveyancer.
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