Thawte FAQ 6a - Organisational documentation requirements for the UK

If you are a registered company (Ltd/PLC/LLP) you do not need to send us any documentation for your company - it would be useful if you could let us know the company registration number. We will check this through the Companies House web site.

If you are registered for VAT - and the registration includes your business name, rather than just being in your own name - then please fax us a copy of your VAT registration certificate or your most recent VAT return. You can blank out any financial information, but we need to be able to see the VAT number, the name and the address. Sending us just your VAT number is unfortunately not sufficient. If your VAT registration does not include your business name, then we cannot use it as proof of your company's existence when you apply for a certificate.

If you are a company but not registered with Companies House nor registered for VAT we will need a letter from your bank to confirm your trading details. Please contact us and we will arrange to get the text of the letter sent out to you.

If you are a charity registered in England or Wales then you do not need to send us any documentation, but please let us know your charity registration number. We will check this through the Charity Commission web site.

If you are a charity registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland then you will need to send us a copy of a letter from the Inland Revenue confirming your charitable status. You can fax this to us.

If you are a Friendly Society you will need to send us your Certificate of Registration as a Friendly Society.

If your organisation was set up by an Act of Parliament or a Statutory Instrument, please send us the name and date of the Act or Instrument. If it is relatively recent we should be able to find it through the HMSO website. If not, we may need to ask you to fax us a copy of the legislation concerned.

If you are a university (or other institution of tertiary education) then we will normally be able to check on you through the UCAS website. If we cannot find a listing for you there, we will contact you for more information.

If you are a school or college (or other institution of primary or secondary education) we will usually be able to check on you through your local education authority website. If we cannot find information for you there, we will contact you for more information. We may also be able to use charity listings for private schools.

If you are an NHS trust we will usually be able to check on you through the NHS website. Please make sure that you are applying for the certificate in the full name of the Trust, as otherwise it can be hard to find details. If we cannot find information for you there, we will contact you for more information.

If you are a local government body or central government department, then we will usually be able to check on you through the Directgov web site. If we cannot find information for you there, we will contact you for more information.

If none of the above apply please contact us and we will work with you to find the best way to verify your information.

Last updated: October 14th 2009
Last checked: October 14th 2009