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Form ID5 is not a form you complete yourself. It is a certificate given by a conveyancer confirming that a person’s identity was verified by way of an online video call.
It exists because HM Land Registry allows identity to be verified remotely as well as face to face. Where that happens, the conveyancer completes an ID5 instead of section B or C of the ID1 or ID2, and the ID5 is kept with and lodged with that form.
So if you have been told you need an ID1 and you cannot get to an office, the ID5 is what makes the video route possible. We can verify your identity by video call and complete both, wherever you are in England and Wales.
When you need an ID5
Two things have to be true.
First, an ID1 or ID2 must be required. HM Land Registry needs evidence of identity where a party to a registrable transaction is not represented by a conveyancer. Form ID1 is for a private individual and form ID2 is for a corporate body. If you have instructed a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act for you, they deal with this and you will not need to complete an ID form yourself.
Second, the verification must be by video call rather than in person. If you attend an appointment face to face, the verifier completes section B or C of the ID1 or ID2 and no ID5 is needed. If the verification happens over a secure video call, form ID5 replaces that section.
So the ID5 is triggered by the method of verification, not by the type of transaction. An ID form is required for:
transfers of a registered estate or charge
surrender of a registered lease
the grant of a lease
compulsory first registration, where the triggering event was on or after 10 November 2008
registering a legal charge
a paper discharge or release
voluntary first registration where the title documents have been lost or destroyed
altering the register after a change of name
A lease or charge that is merely being noted does not need identity evidence.
Who completes and signs form ID5
The conveyancer who carried out the video verification completes and signs the ID5. You complete section A of the ID1, or the equivalent on an ID2, and we do the rest.
Verification by online video call is restricted to conveyancers, and to Chartered Legal Executives and CLC-regulated licensed probate practitioners, whom HM Land Registry treats as able to verify identity even where they are not conveyancers. It is not open to the other professions that can sign a form ID3.
HM Land Registry withdrew the ability for those other professions to verify identity by video call in February 2024. Where one of them verifies identity, HM Land Registry accepts only the current version of form ID3 and only verification carried out in person, for applications lodged on or after 6 May 2024. So if you are being offered a remote identity check by someone outside the groups above, it will not satisfy HM Land Registry.
One related point for anyone dealing with a Form LL restriction: only CILEX Conveyancing Practitioners, rather than all Chartered Legal Executives, can give the certificate that complies with it.
How the video appointment works
Before the call. Download form ID1 from the gov.uk website and complete section A. Have your identification and two identical passport-sized colour photographs, taken in the last three months on photographic paper, ready. Tell us the application you need it for and any deadline.
On the call. We use a secure video service. We check your identification and satisfy ourselves as to your identity, and we capture a screenshot of you during the call. HM Land Registry requires that screenshot, and it should only be of the person whose identity is being verified. A printed colour copy must be uploaded with the ID5 which accompanies the ID1 or ID2.
After the call. We complete and sign the ID5, and it is lodged with your ID1 or ID2. We keep a copy of your identity evidence and the form, because HM Land Registry may contact us after it receives the application.
What to have ready
You need form ID1 with section A completed, two identical passport-sized colour photographs taken in the last three months on photographic paper, and either one document from list A or two from list B, with no more than one of each type.
List A, one of:
current valid full passport
current UK, EU, Isle of Man or Channel Islands photocard driving licence, not a provisional one
current biometric residence permit issued by the Home Office to a non-UK national resident in the UK
List B, two of, no more than one of each type:
a credit card bearing the Mastercard or Visa logo, an American Express or Diners Club card, or a debit or multi-function card bearing the Maestro, Mastercard or Visa logo, issued in the United Kingdom and supported by an account statement less than three months old
a utility bill less than three months old
a council tax bill for the current year
a council rent book showing the rent paid for the last three months
a mortgage statement for the mortgage accounting year just ended
a current firearm or shotgun certificate
The card statement, the utility bill and the mortgage statement must be postal statements. Statements sent electronically are not accepted. This is the list for verification in person, which is section B of the form. Section C, used for digital verification, has a shorter and different list.
If the name on your document differs from the name you now use, bring the document that records the change, such as a birth or marriage certificate or a deed of change of name.
Two rules that catch people out
An ID5 cannot be signed electronically. HM Land Registry has confirmed that these forms cannot be signed using any form of electronic signature. So the verification happens over video, but the certificate itself has to be signed by hand and lodged, which catches people out.
It has a three-month shelf life. Completed parts of form ID1 or ID2, and form ID5 where appropriate, must be dated and signed no more than three months before the application is lodged. If your transaction is delayed beyond that, the verification has to be done again. It is worth timing the appointment against when the application will actually go in, rather than getting it done as early as possible.
Completed forms ID1, ID2 and ID5 are not open to public inspection, and normally a person may not apply for an official copy of them.
ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID5: which is which
The forms are easy to confuse, and asking for the wrong one causes delay.
ID1 is identity evidence for a private individual who is an unrepresented party to a registrable transaction.
ID2 is the equivalent for a corporate body.
ID3 is a certificate of identity for a private individual who cannot have their identity verified by a practising conveyancer. It is verified by an approved professional, in person only, and both you and the verifier must hold a current valid full passport from the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and the verifier must have known you for at least a year. If either of you does not hold one, form ID1 must be used instead.
ID5 is the conveyancer’s certificate that verification was carried out by online video call. It accompanies an ID1 or ID2 and replaces section B or C of it.
ID4, the former corporate equivalent of ID3, was withdrawn in February 2024 and is no longer accepted.
ID1, ID2 and ID3 identify a person. ID5 certifies a method. That is the distinction to hold on to.
The requirements are set out in HM Land Registry’s Practice Guide 67 on evidence of identity, which is updated from time to time.
Our fees
Our fee for completing an ID1 form is £90 plus VAT, which is £108. Our fee for an ID2 form is £160 plus VAT, which is £192. You can pay by cash, card or cheque.
Our fee covers completing the form and identifying you for HM Land Registry. It does not include advice on the transaction itself, and we do not witness your signature on any other documentation.
ID5 form: frequently asked questions
Do I need an ID5 as well as an ID1?
If your identity is verified by video call, yes. The ID5 replaces section B or C of the ID1 and is lodged with it. If you attend in person, you need only the ID1.
Can I complete the ID5 myself?
No. The ID5 is the conveyancer’s certificate, signed by the conveyancer who carried out the verification. Your part is section A of the ID1.
Can the ID5 be signed electronically?
No. HM Land Registry has confirmed that these forms cannot be signed using any form of electronic signature, even though the verification itself takes place by video.
How long is it valid for?
The ID1 or ID2 and the ID5 must be dated and signed no more than three months before the application is lodged.
Do you offer in-person appointments as well?
Yes. We hold appointments at our office in Orpington as well as by video. If you attend in person, no ID5 is required.
Can you do this if I live abroad?
Where the person is resident outside the UK, section B of the ID1 or ID2 can be completed and signed by a lawyer or notary qualified to practise in their country of residence, and an ID1 or ID2 will always be required. Tell us where you are and we will tell you which route applies.
I have a solicitor acting on my purchase. Do I still need this?
Usually not. Evidence of identity in this form is required where a party is unrepresented. If you have instructed a conveyancer, they deal with identity verification as part of the conveyancing process.
Is this the same as having a document notarised?
No. Notarisation is for documents to be used abroad and is carried out by a notary. HM Land Registry ID forms are for use in the UK. Our notarial services page covers the former, and our business notarial services page covers company documents.
Book a video ID appointment
Tell us which form you have been asked for and when the application needs to be lodged, and we will confirm what to bring and when we can see you.
Book online, or contact Megan Robinson, our notarial assistant, on 01689 887844 or at megan.robinson@cwj.co.uk.