If you've reached this page, we've probably asked you to upload an image of a government-issued identification document, to help us verify your identity before we can take you on as a client, and also to verify that you are not a "politically exposed person". (Wondering why?)

If we cannot verify you to our satisfaction, or we consider you are, or might be, a "politically exposed person", we will not be able to act for you.

Photo ID

You can either upload a scan of your ID, in PDF, or else take a photo and upload that. Please make sure that your ID is in focus and clearly legible.

Political exposure

We also need you to confirm that neither you, nor any of your company's directors or beneficial owners, are a politically exposed person, or a close relative or close associate of one.

If you, or they, are a politically exposed person, or a close relative or associate of one, decoded.legal will not act for you.

A “politically exposed person” is someone who falls within one or more of the following:

• A foreign person who has held any time in the preceding year a prominent public function outside the United Kingdom, in a state or international institution
• Members of courts of auditors or of the boards of central banks
• Ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and high-ranking officers in the armed forces
• Members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of state-owned enterprises
• Heads of state, heads of government, ministers and deputy or assistant ministers
• Members of parliaments
• Members of supreme courts, constitutional courts or of other high-level judicial bodies

(We will also carry out our own checks, of course.)

I confirm that neither I, nor any of my company's directors or beneficial owners, are a politically exposed person Either I, or one or more of my company's directors or beneficial owners, am a politically exposed person

Submit

❓ Why do I have to do this?

The law requires that, in some situations, we must know who you are before we can give you legal advice. decoded.legal’s approach to this is to check the identity of all clients.

The level of checking we need to undertake depends on the potential risk, and there are certain factors which are considered to be high risk. One example is if you are an individual and are not able to meet us face-to-face. (Yes, this is a rather archaic rule given video conferencing, but it is a rule.)

We will do what we can to make this as painless as possible. If you would prefer not to provide these information, we will not be able to act for you.

Any personal data received from you for this purpose will be processed only for the purposes of preventing money laundering or terrorist financing, unless we have your consent to process it for another purpose.

We retain identity verification information for as long as you are our client and then five years, or else five years from the point you decide you do not want to become a client.

Want more privacy information? Here's our privacy notice for prospective clients.