Legal background Register of Overseas Entities
The Register of Overseas Entities was established by Part 1 of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 (ECTE Act) and requires overseas entities owning land in the United Kingdom to register information about themselves and their beneficial owners.
	Part 1 of the ECTE Act was largely commenced on 1 August 2022. It contains provision for a six-month transitional period in which all overseas entities who hold land acquired on or after 1 January 1999 in England and Wales, or 8 December 2014 in Scotland were required to register with Companies House.
	The ECCT Act’s amendments to the ECTE Act address issues identified post-implementation (such as the contents of the register and the meaning of "registered overseas entity"), and alignments with similar provisions in Companies legislation (such as relating to false statement offences). These amendments also increase the information requirements and will make the Register more effective and robust.