Lost certificates

If a share certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, you should contact us by phone or in writing. We will then place a restriction on the certificate(s) to prevent these from being used fraudulently. You'll need to tell us about any certificates you still hold so we can identify which share certificate(s) is/are missing.

If you are a sole shareholder based in the UK and the value of missing shares is less than £10,000, you may be entitled to use the Telephone Express Service to obtain a new certificate. You will require a UK Debit Card, and all calls will be recorded.

For all other shareholders, before we can provide you with a duplicate certificate, you will need to complete and return the Letter of Indemnity form that we will send to you.

You can contact us in any of the following ways:

The Letter of Indemnity process is required to minimise potential financial loss caused by any misuse of the original certificate(s) and indemnifies our client companies, and us, against this risk.

Once we receive the completed Letter of Indemnity form and any required fees, we will then issue a duplicate certificate. Further information, as to why we require a completed Letter of Indemnity, can be found in our guidance notes.

You will need to be in possession of your share certificate(s) if you want to transfer or sell your shares. If your share certificate becomes lost or stolen, you will need to obtain a replacement by completing a Letter of Indemnity Form. For further information about the Letter of Indemnity process, please click on the video link below.

Countersignature and Administration are key components of the Letter of Indemnity service. The fee that we will charge you will depend on a number of variables such as: the value of the shares; whether we are able to provide and offer you the countersignature service, and the company in which the shares are held. 

The countersignature is still required for the Telephone Express Service, and will be arranged by us.

The countersignatory, an authorised UK bank or insurance company that is a member of the Association of British Insurers, takes on any possible liability, of the certificate being used fraudulently, and protects the company against any losses. This is why a Countersignature Fee is often charged.

If a Countersignature Fee is required, and if we are able to arrange for the Letter of Indemnity form to be countersigned on your behalf, a Countersignature Fee will be quoted within the letter that we send to you, or quoted on the telephone call. If you elect to use this service, we will arrange for the countersignature through RSA Group plc.

The current standard Countersignature Fees are shown below:

Please note: We are unable to provide countersignature if the shares are valued over £100,000. If this is relevant to you, the options will be given in the letter that we send to you.

The Administration Fee is the amount we charge for the administration work involved in producing the Indemnity, arranging any countersignature and for placing a restriction on the original certificates. If an Administration Fee is required, this will be detailed in the Letter of Indemnity form, and the accompanying letter, or will be quoted on the telephone call.

The current standard Administration Fees are shown below:

Please note: The value of shares is calculated at the time that the Letter of Indemnity is issued. This value determines the cost of any required fee.

We do offer a paid for share valuation service. The fee is dependent on the value and number of holdings you require the valuation for. Please be aware that we will only provide a Share Valuation for the shareholding(s) that you detail in your request. We will not automatically detail all holdings and these will need to be stated in your request for us to 1) Provide a Share Valuation Quote and 2) To provide the Share Valuation. The Share Valuation will only include shares of the companies for whom Equiniti act as Registrars.

Any company-specific fee variations will be quoted during the call or in our letter to you.

If you find your share certificate(s) before the Letter of Indemnity is processed, you will need to advise us as soon as possible. If the Letter of Indemnity has not been processed, the restriction will be removed from the certificates.

A “cooling off” period of 14 days is implemented once a certificate has been reported lost. During this period if you locate your certificate then the restriction will be removed without charge. If your certificate is located after this period then a Found Certificate administration fee may apply.

If you are a sole shareholder based in the UK you may be entitled to use the Telephone Express Service to report your certificate Found. You will require a UK Debit Card should any fees be payable, and all calls will be recorded.

For all other shareholders, please send us written confirmation at the address above.

If a lost certificate is found after a replacement certificate has been issued, you will need to send the old certificate to us at the address above. Please note that any already paid Letter of Indemnity fees will not be refunded.

The current standard Found Certificate Fees are shown below: