Organise beneficial ownership, approvals, risk controls and corporate secretarial records so the company can explain who controls decisions and how material changes were authorised. Identify the immediate shareholders and the people who ultimately own or control the entity under the applicable requirements.
Map ownership beyond the first layer
Identify the immediate shareholders and the people who ultimately own or control the entity under the applicable requirements. Corporate ownership chains need supporting documents and a record of unresolved questions. A UBO update should connect to actual evidence; it should not be a guess based only on the name appearing on the CR.
Record decisions and controls
Maintain an authority matrix for signing, spending, appointments and material transactions. Corporate secretarial administration should connect resolutions to the supporting documents and subsequent register changes. Risk and AML control needs vary by business and regulatory status. An enquiry can identify gaps without representing that a generic policy pack makes the company compliant.
Escalate specialist structures
Trust, foundation and family office structuring can involve legal, tax, regulatory and cross-border questions. Scope coordination with qualified, appropriately licensed specialists and identify the jurisdictions concerned. The output should be a clear brief and evidence trail, not an unsupported claim that a structure delivers tax savings, confidentiality or regulatory protection.
Specific enquiries within this scope
Choose the task that matches your situation. Availability, responsible providers and any required professional permissions must be established in the written scope.
Treat economic-substance review as a separate compliance question connected to the company's actual activities and current reporting framework. A CR activity change may be a reason to reassess applicability, rather than proof that a filing is due. Keep the transaction history and operating evidence available for qualified review; registry renewal alone does not satisfy substance obligations.
A registry update should reflect genuine ownership and control rather than simply reproduce a proposed nominee's name. Identify the current records, intended change and beneficial-owner implications before submitting anything. Qualified legal review must address the arrangement and disclosure obligations. Registry administration cannot validate concealed control, cure an unlawful arrangement or make a nominee appointment automatically permissible.
An ISO certificate may name a legal entity, address and operational scope that no longer match updated company records. Ask the certification body what review or change process is needed before continuing to rely on it. Registry administration can identify mismatches; it cannot amend a certificate, approve a scope extension or establish continuing conformity.
For a company owned through a trust or fiduciary arrangement, identify who can authorise registry instructions and which records demonstrate control. Compare the current disclosure with the proposed transaction before filing. Licensed specialists should resolve interpretation and duties. Registry assistance does not constitute trustee service or exempt the company from required ownership and controller disclosures.
Scope to agree in writing
- Beneficial ownership evidence map
- Decision authority register
- Control gap discussion record
- Specialist structuring brief
Prepare for the enquiry
- Ownership and control chart
- Constitutional documents
- Existing policies and resolutions
- Jurisdictions and regulated activities
Before you take the next step
Why keep resolutions after an amendment is approved?
The updated record shows the result; the resolution and supporting documents explain how the decision was authorised. Both may be relevant to banks, auditors, counterparties or a future transaction review.
What belongs in an authority matrix?
Record who can sign contracts, approve spending, operate bank mandates and authorise corporate changes. Link the powers to the supporting resolution, delegation or constitutional provision.
Does a generic AML manual establish compliance?
No. Applicable duties depend on activity and status, and controls must be operated. Review the actual risks, responsible persons, evidence and specialist requirements rather than retaining a template alone.
Continue your planning
Regulated-sector preparation
Build a permission register for financial services, fintech, funds, crypto-related activities and real estate enquiries before presenting commercial registration as authority to operate.
02Accounting, VAT and tax coordination
Organise bookkeeping, VAT, tax coordination and audit preparation around the legal entity so transaction records and statutory details tell the same business story.
03CR renewal and company amendments
Create one ownership map for CR, sector licence, address and permit obligations while preserving the separate authority rules and evidence each renewal requires.