Annual Validation - Companies
Please note: These guidance notes are not intended to be definitive legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. The interpretation of legislation is a matter on which the Guernsey Registry cannot advise and entities/individuals need to form their own independent view on compliance with the legislation. Independent legal advice is advised where there is any uncertainty.
Changes to information required on annual validations
Following the passing of The Companies (Annual Validation) (Amendment) Regulations, 2023 there have been some changes to the information required to be submitted on the Annual Validation.
These changes include the requirement to indicate if the company holds any high value assets with a market value of over £5m, and some amendments to commercial and business relationship questions are framed.
Further information on the changes is available here:.
Company annual validation form - questions and options list (Jan 2024) [512kb]
All Guernsey companies must file an annual validation with the Registry between 1 January and the last day of February (except companies incorporated in December the previous year).
The annual validation contains the details of the company as they were on 31 December. All annual validation submissions are made via the Online Services Portal.
The annual validation fee depends on the classification of the company. See here for the company fee schedule.
You may wish to consider whether your company should be passing waiver resolutions exempting the company from the requirements to have its accounts audited and/or hold an AGM. Further information on how to pass and file these resolutions is available here: Resolutions & Waivers
If a company wishes to be removed from the register, the appropriate process (e.g. voluntary strike off or voluntary winding up) must be followed prior to 31 December, otherwise it will be necessary to file and pay for the annual validation the following January/February.
Where a company files its annual validation late, or fails to file an annual validation at all, the company will be guilty of an offence and will be liable to a civil penalty. Companies will not be struck off until the civil penalty process has been completed. Further information on civil penalties is available in the guidance note below.
You will need the following to file the annual validation submission:
1. Log in details for the Online Services Portal - guidance on how to login and set up multi-factor authentication: Introduction to the Online Services Portal [5Mb]
2. Become an authorised filer for the company (not applicable to CSPs or regulated presenters) - Authorised Filer Guidance [3Mb]
3. Payment method (credit/debit card, Registry credit account)
The guidance notes on this page give further information relating to Annual Validations. Should you need any more information please contact us.
| Guidance Note | Description |
|---|---|
| Company Annual Validation [4Mb] | General guidance on how to submit a company annual validation. |
| Authorised Filer [3Mb] | Step-by-step guidance on becoming an authorised filer. |
| Annual Validation Questions [512kb] | List of all possible questions and options on the company annual validation form. |
| Limited companies - Civil penalties for failure to file annual validation [282kb] | Information on civil penalties for failure to file company annual validations. |
