Change description : 2026-06-15 06:00:00: Sections 1 and 8 have been amended to take account of a new Notice having been given under rule 54C of the Land Registration Rules 2003 and the anticipated publication of a new Practice Guide dealing with electronic dispositions under section 91 of the Land Registration Act 2002. [Guidance and regulation]
This guide provides information about when HM Land Registry will accept electronic signatures. It is aimed at conveyancers, and you should interpret references to ‘you’ accordingly.
Sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3.1 and 5.2 have been amended to clarify that when using conveyancer-certified electronic signature, the electronic document stored in the signature platform represents the original deed or document. It is not acceptable to create a copy of the electronic document (either by printing or storing electronically outside the platform) and add the date to this copy instead of dating the electronic document in the platform. Section 12 has been updated to include two points to remember when using conveyancer-certified electronic signatures.
27 August 2024
The guide has been amended to reflect how applications should be made using our digital systems.
15 July 2024
Sections 2.2 and 3.2 have been amended to remove the requirement for Mercury signatures and conveyancer-certified electronic signatures that all the conveyancers involved agree to their use; and the term ‘other electronic signatures’ has been replaced by ‘simple electronic signatures’.
15 April 2024
Section 3.3 has been updated to provide more guidance on amending deeds with conveyancer-certified electronic signatures; in addition, several minor amendments have been made to other parts of the guide for clarification purposes.
30 January 2023
Section 3.2 has been amended to clarify that an individually regulated conveyancer must give the certificate mentioned in STEP 7.
16 January 2023
Section 9 has been added following the withdrawal of practice guide 80.
15 August 2022
The table in Appendix 1 has been updated to confirm that HM Land Registry will accept consents, certificates and application forms signed electronically by non-conveyancers as long as these documents are lodged by a conveyancer (see also practice guide 19). Conveyancers can now sign statements of truth in their own name using all forms of electronic signature. Statements of truth signed in this way must be lodged by a conveyancer.