Filing director and shareholder consent forms

Distributing consent forms for signing

Once you have entered your directors' and shareholders' details, we will email you a consent form for each person to sign and return.

These forms are pre-filled with all the necessary information and can be:

• saved to your computer and emailed to each director and shareholder, or
• downloaded, printed and distributed for signature.

Preparing director and shareholder consents beforehand

If you prefer to prepare consent forms ahead of time, download these blank forms.

Signing consent forms

Directors

Each director must sign a consent form and, in doing so, certify they are not disqualified from being appointed or holding office.

Sometimes we might request additional information to confirm the identity or personal information of a proposed director.

Shareholders

Shareholder consent forms should be signed by the shareholder themselves. In some circumstances, an agent or solicitor may need to sign a form on a shareholder's behalf.

If a shareholder holds shares in more than one share allocation they may need to sign multiple consent forms. The shareholder must sign and return each consent form they receive.

Sometimes we request additional information to confirm the identity or personal information of a proposed shareholder. Where the shareholder is a company with an overseas address, we may request additional proof of identity from a director or other senior representative of the company.

Where an agent is signing

An agent must provide written confirmation of their authorisation to sign on behalf of a shareholder.

A copy of that authorisation must be submitted along with the consent form. The following example shows the authorisation wording we generally consider acceptable.

Where a solicitor is signing

A solicitor who holds power of attorney can sign a consent form on behalf of a shareholder.

In this instance, a certificate of non-revocation must be provided by the solicitor, along with the signed consent form. This certifies that the solicitor has current power of attorney to sign legally binding documents on behalf of the shareholder.

When a shareholder is another company

If the shareholding company has a constitution, that might specify who is authorised to sign on its behalf. We recommend checking the constitution if you are unsure.  In most cases, it is likely a director of the shareholding company can sign the consent.

The consent we email you will show the shareholding company's name and registered office address. The person signing should include their name and title, such as Director, next to their signature.

Time limits for returning consent forms

You must return a signed consent form for each company director and shareholder within 20 working days of submitting your online application for incorporation.

The forms must have been returned and accepted for registration before 5pm on the last working day of that 20-day period.

If all forms are not received by the due date

All information you have provided about your company is deleted from the Companies Register, including director and shareholder details. You must begin the incorporation process again, including paying any fees.

Uploading consent forms

For each consent form you upload, check that:

1. Each consent has been given on the correct form.
2. Each form is complete and signed.
3. The director or shareholder details match those supplied in your incorporation application.
4. You have scanned and saved each consent to your computer.
   • One single-page file per consent
   • Best file type is PDF
   • File size must be less than 20 MB
5. The document image is readable and of good quality.

To use our online services

You must have:

• a RealMe® login
• an online account with us, and
• confirmed your authority with us.

How to upload each consent form

1. Log in.
2. Go to the 'My Unfinished Business' section of your dashboard.
3. Select the company from the 'My Tasks' list.
4. Upload each consent form.

Processing consent forms

During normal business hours, we aim to process consent forms within 1 hour of receipt. Consent forms received outside normal business hours are processed on the next working day.

If we accept your consent form

If we accept your consent forms for registration, we will send you an email confirming this.

When you are incorporating a new company, we will send your Certificate of Incorporation once we have accepted and registered the last consent form.

We will update the Companies Register by adding your signed consent forms to the company's documents history.

If we reject your consent form

If we reject a consent form, we will send you an email advising why and ask you to resubmit the form. We may also ask you to provide additional identification.

A consent may be rejected if:

• the image quality is poor
• the details on the form do not match those supplied in your application on the Companies Register.

If the details do not match you must correct either:

• the details you have entered on the Companies Register, or
• the form.
  You can find the form in your dashboard when you log in.

Correcting director or shareholder details

1. Log in.
2. Select your company from the dashboard.
3. Select the 'Update company details' option, and the 'Complete Coy Application' tab.
4. Select either the 'Directors' or the 'Shareholders' tab
5. Enter the correct details for the director or shareholder.
6. If you are correcting details for a director who is also a shareholder, ensure you select the 'Shareholder' tab to check those details are correct, too.
7. Submit your update.

We will email new consent forms to you.

Other guides in

Company directors

• Resources for new directors
• What it means to be a director
• Who can be a director
• Registering the appointment of a director
• Banned directors
• Updating a director's details

Other help topics