FAQS

We will note the death of a shareholder on the share register on receipt of an original copy of the death certificate. However, in order to enable us to recognise you as executor to an estate you will need to send us a Court sealed office copy of the grant of probate together with all of the share certificates representing the shareholding of the deceased shareholder. We will register the probate and return the Court sealed office copy of the grant of probate to you together with the endorsed share certificate(s).

The same procedure is required if you have been appointed as an Administrator to an estate, but in this case you will need to send us a Court sealed office copy of the grant of letters of administration.

If the shareholder died without leaving a Will, the value of the shareholding is less than £5,000 and the value of the estate is less than £20,000 then the small estates procedure may be appropriate. Please contact our office for further information.

You should print off and complete the change of address form available for download below. On receipt of the completed form we will amend the share register. We do not require you to send us your share certificate(s).

If you prefer to write to us then your letter should state the name of the company in which you hold shares, your full name as shown on the share certificate, your former address, your new address and two of the following pieces of information: your Investor ID, your share certificate number or the number of shares you hold.

If your change of name is due to marriage then you should send us a certified copy of your marriage certificate together with your share certificate(s). We will record the change of name and return the marriage certificate to you together with the endorsed share certificate(s).

If your change of name is due to divorce then you should send us a copy of your decree absolute and a copy of your birth certificate together with your share certificate(s). We will record the change of name and return the copy of your decree absolute and the copy birth certificate to you together with the endorsed share certificate(s).

If your change of name is by means of a deed poll then you will need to send us a certified copy of the deed poll for registration. We will record the change of name and return the copy deed poll to you together with the endorsed share certificate(s).

A missing share certificate can only be replaced by means of the completion of a letter of indemnity by the shareholder.

If you know the certificate number of, and the number of shares represented by, the missing share certificate you should print off and complete the letter of indemnity available for download below. You will need to insert the name of the company in which you hold shares, the certificate number, the amount and class of shares, your full name and your address. The completed and signed letter of indemnity should be sent to our office together with a cheque for £24.00 in respect of our administration costs. Your cheque should be made payable to Share Registrars Ltd.

If the details of your missing share certificate are not available then you will need to contact our office so that we can inspect the share register. We will then send you a letter of indemnity for your signature. The completed and signed letter of indemnity should be returned to our office together with a cheque for £24.00 in respect of our administration costs. Your cheque should be made payable to Share Registrars Ltd.

If the value of the missing share certificate is greater than £200 then you will also need to arrange for your signature on the letter of indemnity to be guaranteed by a UK bank, insurance or guarantee company. They may make a charge for this service.

You should print off and complete the dividend mandate form and return it to our office for registration.

You should follow the procedure set out above, but you should put “nil” in the box on the stock transfer form which asks how much consideration was paid. The completed stock transfer form should then be sent to directly to our office for registration.

Shares may only be transferred by completion of a stock transfer form. To complete the form you will need to insert the following information:

• The amount of consideration paid for the shares
• The full name of the company in which you hold shares
• The type of shares that you hold e.g. Ordinary Shares of 10p each
• The number of shares in words and figures that you are transferring
• Your signature and, if appropriate, the signatures of any joint holders
• The full names and address of the person to whom you are transferring the shares

If the amount of the consideration is more than £1,000 you may have to pay Stamp Duty. This means you have to send HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) the stock transfer form for stamping, along with your payment. The address of HMRC is set out below.

You pay Stamp Duty at the rate of 0.5 per cent of the value of the chargeable consideration, rounded up to the nearest £5, on each document to be stamped.

If you don’t give any consideration for the shares you should enter ‘Nil’ as the consideration money.

If the transfer is exempt from Stamp Duty or no chargeable consideration is given for the transfer you need to complete one of the certificates on the back of the stock transfer form. The certificate you need to complete depends on the facts.

When to complete Certificate 1

You should complete certificate 1 if both the following apply:

• the consideration you give for the shares is £1,000 or less, and
• the transfer does not form part of a larger transaction or series of transactions where the total exceeds £1,000.

When to complete Certificate 2

You should complete certificate 2 in the following situations:

• if the transfer is exempt from Stamp Duty, for example, transfers in connection with divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership, or
• if the consideration given is not chargeable consideration.
• if the security is traded on a market which is exempt from stamp duty (LSE AIM and High Growth Segment, AQSE Growth Market and Irish Stock Exchange ESM). A list of exempt securities is listed on the Euroclear web site.

You don’t need to send this form to HMRC if you have completed either Certificate 1 or 2, or the consideration for the transfer is nil.

If Stamp Duty is payable you will need to send the completed stock transfer form to:

Birmingham Stamp Office
9th Floor
City Centre House
30 Union Street
Birmingham
B2 4AR

Further information is set out in the Stamp Duty section of the HMRC website. This includes a stamp duty calculator.

You should then send the completed and stamped (if applicable) stock transfer form together with the covering share certificate to this office for registration. We will prepare a new share certificate in the name of the transferee and send you any balance certificate that may be required.

Changes due to coronavirus (COVID-19) measures

Due to the temporary measures put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), you should not post your stock transfer form to HMRC.

Email an electronic copy of your stock transfer form or instrument of transfer (for example, a scanned PDF) to HMRC at stampdutymailbox@hmrc.gov.uk.

The form must be fully completed, signed and dated (use power of attorney if necessary). HMRC will accept e-signatures while coronavirus (COVID-19) measures are in place

The Stamp Duty must be paid before HMRC can process the stock transfer form. If you email a notification without paying the Stamp Duty HMRC will contact you by email before they progress your notification

HMRC cannot acknowledge each individual notification. When they need more information from you or a document is missing or is incorrect they will email you before they progress your submission.

You will need to provide a payment reference so that HMRC can identify your payment. Use your name followed by the payment amount (no spaces), for example: JBrown/240.00.

If you’re a solicitor or adviser making a payment on behalf of your client you can use your client’s reference or matter number as the payment reference.

Your payment could be delayed if you use the wrong reference.

Payments from UK accounts

Use the following details to make a payment from a UK account:

• sort code - 20 11 47
• account number - 73618595
• account name - HMRC STAMPS

Payments from overseas accounts

Use the following details to make a payment from an overseas account:

• account number (IBAN) - GB02BARC20114773618595
• bank identifier code (BIC) - BARCGB22
• account name - HMRC Birmingham Stamp Office

If HMRC do not have any questions and are able to process your transaction, they will send you a confirmation letter by email. You can attach a copy of this email to the transfer when you send it to Share Registrars for registration.