Director requirements in England & Wales
What England & Wales requires of a board and who may supply a director.
Summary
- Is the provider licensed
- yes
- Is arranging an appointment caught
- yes
- Is nominee status public
- no dedicated nominee register - but a beneficial owner above the PSC threshold must be declared publicly even where the shares are held through a nomineeThe PSC register is public and records anyone holding more than 25 per cent of shares or voting rights, or exercising significant influence, whether held directly or through a nominee. The United Kingdom does not require nominee shareholders themselves to be identified as such. Since 18 November 2025 officer records also carry an identity verification status. Bsource
- Resident director required
- noCompanies Act 2006 ss. 154-155: private company at least one director, public at least two, and at least one director must be a natural person. No residency condition is imposed. Bsource
Governing provision
The licensing position above is recorded in the firm's verified register under entries DL-001, DL-002. The primary texts behind it are listed in the Sources section below.
No entries for this jurisdiction are pending verification.
Regulator
HMRC / Companies House
Advisory perimeter
medium — do not complete appointment formalities
Liability of the appointed person
Not yet confirmed against a primary source. This entry is published once the position has been verified.
Sanctions
Not yet confirmed against a primary source. This entry is published once the position has been verified.
Last reviewed: 2026-08. Source status: CONFIRMED.
Related jurisdictions
Related practices
Sources
Every statement above is tied to an entry below. Confidence A means a primary text or a regulator statement. Confidence B means a consistent professional source, or a conclusion drawn from the absence of a provision.
- B alternative route — No resident director is required in this jurisdiction, so no substitute arrangement arises. Derived from JF-001
- A natural person director required — Companies Act 2006 s. 155(1): a company must have at least one director who is a natural person. legislation.gov.uk
- B nominee status public — The PSC register is public and records anyone holding more than 25 per cent of shares or voting rights, or exercising significant influence, whether held directly or through a nominee. The United Kingdom does not require nominee shareholders themselves to be identified as such. Since 18 November 2025 officer records also carry an identity verification status. Companies House register analysis, Kyckr registry guide
- B resident director required — Companies Act 2006 ss. 154-155: private company at least one director, public at least two, and at least one director must be a natural person. No residency condition is imposed. legislation.gov.uk