2018

We would like to bring the following changes to our international product offering to your attention.

Gibraltar Credit Check​: Gibraltar Police have introduced a new ‘Vetting Application Form’. Authorities will no longer accept the old forms. A new instruction and application form is now in place to reflect this change.

Bermuda Criminal Check: Due to unforeseen circumstances the Police vetting office is currently taking longer to complete newly submitted applications. This comes due to finding asbestos in some of fireproof filing cabinets that house Police criminal records. Police are working on a timeline for full restoration of standard service turnaround times and here at Verifile we are monitoring the situation to make sure that all the new applications get processed as quickly as possible, however some delays may be expected.

Costa Rica Criminal Check​: Costa Rica Judicial Registry of the Executive Directorate of the Judiciary have slightly changed the application forms and will no longer accept the old forms. The new application forms are now in place to reflect this change..

Austria Credit Checks: We are pleased to announce that we are now able to offer a new Credit check in Austria. This new report will provide a wealth of information:

• Overview
• Creditworthiness Rating
• Negative Events
• Personal Information
• Directorships, Profession, Earning Capacity
• Sociodemographic Data
• Address Changes
• Payments
• Land Registry Information

The new price for this check has had a substantial reduction of £47 with a quicker turnaround time and the reports will be ready in just 1-3 days, which is 10 days faster than previously offered.

Ukraine Directorship Search: ​We have re-introduced this check and are sourcing this directly from the authorities in Ukraine. This is available for you to order from today, with a reduction in price of £33. This also means we have a quicker turnaround time and the reports will be ready in 3-5 days, which is 10 days faster than previously.

Spain Criminal Check: Ministry of Justice is now only accepting the “application form 790” in Spanish. Authorities will no longer accept the English version of this form. A new instruction and application form is now in place to reflect this change.

Cyrpus Credit (Bankruptcy) and Directorships Checks: A new instruction is now in place to reflect a change in requirements. Going forward Cyprus ID number or Passport number will be required to run the search.

If you would like us to send you current documentation for any of the checks listed, please request via​ service@verifile.co.uk.

You may remember from our April newsletter that AccessNI, the government agency issuing criminal certificates for Northern Ireland, are modernising their IT system. We can now share further details of changes to their service.

• If you use the AccessNI service you must create a new NI Direct account and link this to your existing AccessNI account. For guidance on this process, please click here (you will need to log in first. If you do not have an account please register for one)
• Using a new NI Direct account, digital certificates will largely replace paper certificates from 17 July 2018.
• Candidates can opt to receive a paper certificate and can choose where the paper certificate is sent to.
• We recommend that you encourage your candidates to request a paper certificate.
• Paper certificates will always be issued if there are convictions.
• When the candidate's digital certificate is issued to them, they can view and share the certificate to an email address.
• When the candidate shares the certificate, the certificate can be viewed for up to 3 days.
• Status updates available to you via the AccessNI portal will remain the same as before. For example, applications will show as 'Certificate issued' when the check is finished.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have expanded their current 'Senior Managers and Certification Regime' to include a wider range of regulated firms.  This regulation, which sets out clearly defined conduct rules for senior managers, aims to protect consumers and replaces the existing ‘Approved Persons Regime’.

The objective is to raise standards across the industry and ensure that each individual takes responsibility for their actions. For certain firms, they must adhere to the ‘enhanced tier’ which means that every function of the business has an allocated and responsible senior manager.  Organisations must also produce and maintain a ‘responsibilities’ map.  The regulation comes into force on 9^th December 2018.

In response to demand from the financial services sector, there is also a plan from the FCA to create a new 'Directory for Financial Services Workers'. This directory will be  a public register and will assist Financial Services register/directory checks:

https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/consultation-papers/cp18-19-introducing-directory

Anyone working in a controlled function and any person with a significant interest in the business should be included, for example, persons with significant control as defined by Companies House.  These inclusions are currently open to consultation and within the PDF there is a link to a response page where anyone can offer their opinion: 

https://www.fca.org.uk/cp18-19-response-form.