STEP 6

Apply for registration

To access the online application form you must first register with the Charity Commission.

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Your answers are automatically saved as you complete the online application.

You can save and come back to it at any time within three months of starting it, which gives you plenty of time!

Here’s a quick checklist of things you will need:

the name of your charity
your bank or building society details (if required)
your most recent accounts
the names, dates of birth and contact details of your trustees
proof of income (e.g. a recent bank statement as a scanned image).

You will also be asked to submit (upload) a declaration of eligibility and responsibility form and your governing document (as a pdf file).

Ask your trustees to fill in their names and signatures on the declaration of eligibility form. They need to sign by hand – electronic signatures will not be accepted! There is room for up to four trustees to put their names on a single form. If you have more than four trustees, you’ll need another form.

More on your application

You will have chosen your governing document template by now. It’s mostly all written for you. Before you submit, make sure you:

read and check it carefully
fill in the gaps
delete the options you don’t want (by hand).

Once you’ve uploaded the required documents you can submit it all to the Charity Commission.

Once you’ve submitted your charity registration application, it will take the Charity Commission some time to process and review. You should receive a response within 12 weeks.

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The common reasons for unsuccessful applications are as follows.

Answers on the online application are not provided in full.
People don’t use the correct model governing document.
The charity’s purposes are not clear enough.
Charity purposes don’t seem to be for public benefit.
The charity’s purposes are new or unusual and might need some further supporting information.

A successful application

If the Charity Commission decides your organisation is a charity and should be registered, it will:

Add your charity on the register of charities – your charity’s register entry should appear on the public register within 48 hours of you being notified of this decision
Email your charity number to your charity’s main contact
Email each trustee, a list of online guidance relevant to their role as trustee

An unsuccessful application

The Charity Commission will confirm to you in writing the reasons your application was rejected. You can either:

Re-apply when you have addressed the reasons for rejection
Ask the Charity Commission to review its decision to reject your application
Log a complaint and appeal to the Charity Tribunal

Register your charity