KYC and AML compliance in the United Kingdom

Identity verification, AML screening, company registry checks and database checks for customers and companies in the United Kingdom, with an overview of its anti-money laundering framework, international listings and financial regulators.

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Checks available in the United Kingdom

Identity verification

Available

Identity documents are verified by reading their data fields and machine-readable zone and checking them for tampering and expiry, with a selfie face match and a liveness check.

How identity verification works

AML screening

Available

Individuals and companies are screened for sanctions, politically exposed persons, adverse media, fitness and probity, regulatory enforcement and insolvency, and monitored at a frequency that follows their risk level.

How AML screening works

Company registry checks

Available

Company search, registry profiles, official registry documents and ownership information from the national registry.

How company checks work

Database checks

Available

A person's details, such as their name, date of birth, address and ID number, are matched against these records, with no document needed:

Address records

How database checks work

International listings and sanctions

FATF lists: Not listed
EU list of high-risk third countries: Not listed
EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes: Not listed
UN Security Council sanctions: No regime in force
EU sanctions: No regime in force
US sanctions (OFAC): No regime in force
UK sanctions: No regime in force
US primary money laundering concern (FinCEN, section 311): Not designated
US state sponsor of terrorism: Not designated
US major money laundering jurisdiction: Named in the US State Department’s 2025 report

Anti-money laundering framework

FATF membership: Member
FATF-style regional body: None: evaluated by the FATF
Financial intelligence unit: United Kingdom Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU)
Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units: Member since 01 Jan 1995
Tax transparency rating (OECD Global Forum): Largely compliant (2018)

Economic indicators

S&P Global Ratings: AA, stable outlook
Fitch Ratings: AA-, stable outlook
Moody's: Aa3, stable outlook
OECD country risk classification: Not classified: a high-income country
World Bank income group: High income
Corporate income tax rate: 25% (2026)
Corruption Perceptions Index: 70 out of 100 (2025)

World Bank governance indicators

Rule of law: 79.5 out of 100
Regulatory quality: 80.6 out of 100
Control of corruption: 78.9 out of 100
Government effectiveness: 77.6 out of 100
Political stability and absence of violence: 70.7 out of 100
Voice and accountability: 81.3 out of 100

Financial regulators

Central bank Bank of England
Financial supervisor Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
Financial supervisor Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Financial intelligence unit United Kingdom Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU)

Documents verified in the United Kingdom

Passport

Verification reads the passport's data page and machine-readable zone and checks that they agree, checks its format, security features and expiry date, looks for signs of tampering, and matches the holder's face with a selfie.

Driving licence

Verification reads the licence's data fields, checks its format, security features and expiry date, looks for signs of tampering, and matches the holder's face with a selfie.

Residence card or permit

Verification reads the card's data fields and, where it has one, its machine-readable zone, checks its format, security features and expiry date, looks for signs of tampering, and matches the holder's face with a selfie.