Skip to content
Glossary

Notifying the FCA about ARs

A principal must tell the FCA before an AR starts, whenever its details change, and promptly when the relationship ends. Each event has its own form in SUP 12, submitted through FCA Connect.

A new AR

  • The “Add an appointed representative or tied agent” form (SUP 12 Annex 3) must reach the FCA no later than 30 days before the AR starts regulated activities (SUP 12.7.1R(3)).
  • Notify only once due diligence is complete (SUP 12.7.2BG). Any Form A for an approved person is submitted and assessed alongside, and the FCA says an appointment can take up to 90 days where one is needed.

Changes

  • A change to the category of regulated activities: the change form (SUP 12 Annex 4) at least ten days before it takes effect (SUP 12.7.7R(4)).
  • Any other change to notified information: within ten business days of the change (SUP 12.7.7R(2)).
  • If the conditions for the appointment are not, or are likely not to be, met: as soon as the firm has reasonable grounds to believe so, with the remediation steps or the termination date (SUP 12.7.8R).

Termination

  • The termination form (SUP 12 Annex 5) no more than ten business days after the decision to terminate (SUP 12.8.1R).
  • Tell the AR in writing that it will no longer be exempt, complete obligations to customers, notify any other principals and ensure an orderly wind-down (SUP 12.8.3R).

Common misconceptions

“Ten days' notice of a new AR is enough.”
One FCA web page says ten calendar days, which conflicts with the rule. SUP 12.7.1R(3) requires 30 days. Ten days is the lead time for changing an AR's activities.
“Termination is notified once the contract ends.”
The clock starts at the decision to terminate.
“An inactive AR can stay on the Register until its contract expires.”
The FCA criticised exactly this in April 2026, along with suspensions that had no documented reason, duration or conditions for reinstatement.

In Merrin

Merrin prepares each filing from the reviewed record, field by field in the FCA's order, and warns when a lead time is running short.

FCA filings

Sources

Checked against these sources on . This is general information, not legal advice.

See what your team could stop doing by hand

Walk through onboarding, monitoring and reviews with your own oversight process in mind.

Schedule a demo