ID1 form: proving your identity to HM Land Registry without a conveyancer

ID1 form at a glance

Get the form itself from HM Land Registry: Form ID1 on GOV.UK (version dated 16 February 2026). We explain it here; we do not reproduce it.

Who is form ID1 actually for?

HM Land Registry asks for proof of identity whenever land changes hands, is mortgaged or is leased, so that nobody can register a deal in someone else’s name. When a conveyancer acts for a person, that conveyancer confirms the identity on the application, and no ID1 is needed for them. Form ID1 fills the gap for anyone in the deal who has no conveyancer.

That happens more often than people expect:

• A gift with no conveyancer. Two parents give their home to a child and the child sends the application. HM Land Registry’s own example asks for an ID1 from each parent, from the child, and from anyone else who sends the application for them. The parents sign the transfer deed; the ID1s go in with it.
• A transfer of equity done without a firm. Each owner coming off, and each one going on, needs an ID1.
• One side has a conveyancer, the other does not. If a conveyancer is sending the application, they may be able to confirm they are satisfied with that person’s identity. If they cannot, or the person with no conveyancer sends it themselves, that person needs an ID1.
• An attorney signs. The owner, the buyer and the attorney each fill in their own ID1.

A company uses form ID2 instead. The other forms you may meet are listed in all conveyancing forms.

Who is allowed to sign section B of an ID1?

Not everyone with a professional title can verify an ID1. HM Land Registry lists who can, and it rejects or queries forms signed by anyone else. The verifier does not have to be acting in your deal: any eligible person can do it.

HM Land Registry contacts verifiers to check that a form signed in their name is genuine, so the verifier keeps a record and a copy of your photo. Since 5 February 2024, doctors, accountants and the other ID3 verifiers cannot check identity by video call. HM Land Registry’s guide to completing ID1 and ID2 has the full list.

What ID and photos do you take to the appointment?

For an in-person check the verifier must see originals. Take either one item from list A, or two different items from list B. Copies and screenshots are not accepted.

The form still lists a biometric residence permit, but all of these have now expired (GOV.UK), so take a passport or photocard driving licence instead.

The card statement, utility bill and mortgage statement must be paper ones that came in the post, not printed emails or downloads. Take two identical colour passport-size photos on photographic paper, taken within the last 3 months, with your face clearly visible. The verifier signs and dates the back of one and keeps the other. If the application goes online, a colour scan of the front and back of the photo goes with it.

Can an ID1 be done by video call or online?

Yes, but not with a doctor, accountant or other ID3 verifier. It has to be a conveyancer, a Chartered Legal Executive or a CLC-regulated Licensed Probate Practitioner. There are two routes:

• Video call. A conveyancer checks your identity on a secure video call and takes a screenshot of you during the call. They then complete form ID5 instead of section B, and the ID5 travels with your ID1. Doctors, accountants and the other ID3 verifiers lost the video option on 5 February 2024.
• Digital identity check. A conveyancer, Chartered Legal Executive or CLC-regulated Licensed Probate Practitioner can verify you under HM Land Registry’s digital identity standard (practice guide 81) and complete section C. That route accepts a passport, or an EU or EEA biometric identity card that meets the EU passport-chip standard.

Whichever route is used, section A is still signed by hand. Since 16 February 2026 the form says it cannot be signed with any kind of electronic signature.

I live outside the UK. Who can verify my ID1?

Living abroad does not take you out of the rule. HM Land Registry says inconvenience, including living overseas, is not a reason to skip the ID form.

First ask whether a UK conveyancer can verify you, in person on a UK visit or by video call. If that is not possible, a lawyer or notary public qualified to practise in the country where you live can complete the verifier’s section. They must:

• say which country they are qualified in and confirm they are qualified there,
• give the name and address of the body they are registered with,
• attach written proof of their right to practise, with a certified translation into English or Welsh if it is in another language.

On this route a full ID1 is always needed. A UK conveyancer sending the application cannot simply confirm they are satisfied with your identity instead.

How long is a signed ID1 valid?

Three months. Section A and the verifier’s section must both be signed and dated no more than three months before HM Land Registry receives the application. The clock runs from the earlier of the two signatures. If a transfer is delayed past that point, the person signs a fresh ID1 and has their identity checked again. Put the date you or the verifier signed (whichever was first) into the checker above, and it shows the last day the application can arrive.

A temporary 6-month allowance ended on 28 February 2023. Old forum answers that say six months are out of date.

When is an ID1 not needed?

• The person has their own conveyancer in the deal: the conveyancer confirms the identity.
• The true value of the land involved is no more than the limit printed on the form. A valuation certificate from someone qualified (for example a RICS-qualified estate agent, surveyor or auctioneer) can go in instead. HM Land Registry can still ask for an ID1.
• A lease or mortgage is only being noted on the register, not registered.
• A voluntary first registration, unless the deeds have been lost or destroyed.
• The person has an HM Land Registry facility letter. These are for a small number of people who deal with HM Land Registry often, cover land up to a set value, and last 12 months.
• The person is acting as a trustee in bankruptcy, liquidator or court-appointed deputy, who sends proof of appointment instead. The person or company they act for still needs identity evidence.

ID1, ID2, ID3 or ID5: which identity form is which?

All four come in Welsh. ID4 was withdrawn in February 2024.

What happens if the ID1 is wrong or missing?

For now HM Land Registry does not reject an application just because identity evidence is missing. It sends a request for the missing information (a requisition). If the evidence does not arrive, it can cancel the application, and the registration does not happen. A form signed by someone who cannot verify, an old photo or a form over three months old can be rejected, and the application held up until a correct one arrives. The application itself is explained on the AP1 page.

The ID1 itself carries a warning: if you dishonestly give information you know is, or might be, untrue or misleading, meaning to make a gain or cause a loss, you may commit fraud under section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Is the ID1 different in Wales?

No. HM Land Registry registers land in England and in Wales, and the same ID1 is used in both. There is a Welsh-language version, ID1w, and an overseas lawyer’s papers can be translated into Welsh instead of English. Form ID3’s list of verifiers includes Members of the Senedd as well as MPs. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own land registers and their own rules, which this page does not cover.

We act for buyers and sellers in Wales: 59 of our 980 website quote requests were for a home in Wales (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026).

We are your conveyancer. What do we check instead?

When you instruct us, we check your identity ourselves, so you do not need an ID1: the application names us as your conveyancer. The same goes for everyone we act for on a transfer of equity: our process there starts by checking everyone’s identity and, where one owner pays the other, where the money comes from.

If someone on the other side of your deal has no conveyancer, they will need their own ID1 (or ID2 for a company).

Our fees can be higher if anyone involved is abroad, or if more identity or source-of-funds checks are needed. For a transfer of equity, we give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us.

HM Land Registry charges nothing for the ID1 form itself. The registration fee is paid on the application it goes with. Work out that fee with our Land Registry fee calculator.

What happens next

• AP1: the application the ID1 goes in with
• TR1: the transfer deed
• Transfer of equity: adding or removing an owner
• Selling a house with us
• More conveyancing forms, explained