18/12/2019

If you’re a new client, or you haven’t used our services for a while, Beswicks Legal are obliged to carry out identification checks to satisfy our firm’s regulatory requirements.

These are also known as anti-money laundering (AML) checks.
For each person we act for, or take instructions from, we are required to obtain two items of identification: –

  1. Photo identification, and
  2. Address identification

Your photographic identification will need to be certified as a true likeness, so it is important that you attend our firm’s offices with your original evidence of identification to allow us to take our own copies and certify your documents accordingly.
Acceptable items of identification are:

List 1 – Photo identification

  • UK passport
  • Photo driving licence
  • National identity card
  • European Union state ID card
  • ID card issued by electoral roll office for Northern Ireland
  • Firearms certificate

List 2 – Address identification

  • Utility bill (dated within the last three months)
  • Old style driving licence
  • Current year’s council tax demand, letter or statement
  • Latest issued mortgage statement (not older than 13 months)
  • Instrument of a court appointment
  • Inland Revenue tax notification
  • State pension
  • Housing benefit
  • Tax credit
  • Current bank statement (dated within the last three months)
  • Current credit or debit card statement
  • Educational grant/other grant

You cannot use one form of identification for both name and address.

If you intend to instruct us in your capacity as a company (including a UK LLP) that is not listed on a regulated market (such as the London Stock Exchange), a copy of your company’s certificate of incorporation is required and individual ID for each individual dealing with the transaction and all other individuals (or entities) with 25% or more of the shares or voting rights in the company.

Further evidence may be required, should you wish to instruct us in any other capacity.

We thank you in advance for your kind assistance in helping us deal with these regulatory requirements.