Register a UK LEI Number in minutes, not days

LEIs can only be issued by approved LEI Issuers. These organisations are accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), which oversees the Global LEI System. Learn more: What is an LEI Number

Under UK MiFIR, investment firms cannot execute a trade on behalf of a client that is eligible for an LEI and does not have one, so any company, fund, charity or trust that trades financial instruments through a UK firm needs one. Under UK EMIR, all UK counterparties to derivative trades need an LEI to meet their reporting obligations. The Bank of England also requires LEIs in CHAPS payments between financial institutions. LEIs are widely used in KYC and KYB checks, cross-border trading and payments. Individuals acting in a personal capacity do not need one, as LEIs are for legal entities.

A UK limited company needs an LEI if it trades financial instruments such as shares, bonds or derivatives through a broker or investment firm, or enters into derivative contracts. Many banks and payment providers also ask for one. A company with none of these activities is not required to hold an LEI, but can register one at any time.

RapidLEI charges £50 for one year, £135 for three years (£45 per year) or £200 for five years (£40 per year), plus VAT. Pricing is all-inclusive and covers the GLEIF fee, entity verification and publication, with no hidden fees. Multi-year plans lower the annual cost and renew automatically, so your LEI does not lapse. See LEI Price.

Most RapidLEI LEI Numbers are issued in minutes. If your entity data needs extra checks, such as parent or fund relationships, it can take a little longer, but we still typically issue on the same day.

Choose a 1, 3 or 5 year plan, create your RapidLEI account and enter your company name or Companies House number. We retrieve your verified data from Companies House, you confirm the details and pay, and your LEI is published to the Global LEI Index, usually the same day.

For most UK companies no documents are needed, because we retrieve verified data from Companies House. For some entities, such as trusts or funds, supporting documents may be requested to confirm the legal name, address and authorised representatives, for example a trust deed or HMRC documentation.

RapidLEI is accredited by the GLEIF to issue Legal Entity Identifiers to registered companies and subsidiaries, non-profit organisations, sole proprietors, international branch offices, as well as funds and trusts. 

Next steps: Register an LEI for a Fund

Knowledge Base: Understanding LEI for funds and trusts

An LEI is valid for one year and must be renewed to stay active. A lapsed LEI is publicly visible in the Global LEI Index and can cause transactions and reports to be rejected. RapidLEI multi-year auto-renewal prevents lapses, and a lapsed LEI can be reactivated at any time to restore its active status.

After an LEI is issued, it remains valid for one year and must be renewed annually to keep its active status in the Global LEI System. Our multiyear options keep the LEI active for up to five years without yearly renewals. If an LEI is not renewed, it lapses, which can cause transactions to be rejected or penalties for non-compliance. RapidLEI recommends choosing multiyear to avoid that risk, and a lapsed LEI can be renewed at any time to restore its active status.

Only the accredited issuer that manages an LEI can renew it. If your LEI is with another issuer, transfer it to RapidLEI first. Transfer is free, keeps the same LEI number and runs within GLEIF rules with no gap in coverage. Once your LEI is with RapidLEI, you can renew it up to 60 days before expiry from your RapidLEI account.

Yes. You can transfer an LEI to RapidLEI whether it is current or lapsed, then renew it in the same order. Your LEI code does not change; only the issuer managing it does. See transferring lapsed LEIs.

Yes. An LEI is a global identifier recognised in every jurisdiction that uses the Global LEI System, so the same LEI meets UK and EU requirements, including MiFIR and EMIR reporting on both sides. You do not need a separate LEI for each country.

Use the free LEI Search tool to find out the current status. It connects to the Global LEI Index and, depending on the result, points you to register a new LEI, renew, reactivate a lapsed one, or transfer an LEI held with another issuer.

We create you a secure LEI account so that only you can manage, renew or transfer your LEI once it is issued. After you enter your details we send a one-time link to confirm your email address, an industry best step for a financial services product that protects your record.

Yes. RapidLEI has been a GLEIF-accredited LEI Issuer since June 2018 and sits alongside issuers such as Bloomberg, the London Stock Exchange Group and Euronext. RapidLEI is accredited to issue in over 150 jurisdictions and manages LEIs for 450,000+ legal entities, the largest LEI Issuer globally. The company is headquartered in the UK and has satellite offices in the Nordics.

The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) was established in 2014 by the Financial Stability Board and the G20 and is overseen by the Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC). The GLEIF maintains the operational integrity of the Global LEI System and works with accredited LEI Issuers to keep the LEI a public good accessible to all. Its work includes overseeing data quality, setting issuance standards, and promoting use cases such as cross-border trade and payee identification. Learn more: What is the GLEIF?