Charities & Social Enterprise UK-wide

Registration rules for trade unions, political parties and charities

What a membership organisation must register depends on what it is. Trade unions list with the Certification Officer and file a statutory annual return. Political parties that contest elections register with the Electoral Commission and report donations. Organisations established for exclusively charitable purposes — including most religious congregations and many membership bodies — register with the charity regulator for their nation. Work through the section for your kind of organisation.

Guide summary

If you run a trade union, you must register with the Certification Officer and file an annual return. If you run a political party, you must register with the Electoral Commission and report donations and loans. If you run a charity, you must register with your nation’s charity regulator once your income is over £5,000.

  • Register trade union with the Certification Officer
  • Get a certificate of independence if you meet the test
  • File annual return for trade union with accounts and membership data
  • Register political party with Electoral Commission to field candidates
  • Appoint a registered treasurer for the political party
  • Report donations and loans above thresholds to Electoral Commission
  • Register charity with the Charity Commission if income over £5,000
  • File annual returns and accounts for your charity
  • Register with OSCR in Scotland or Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
  • Check the membership organisations compliance checklist for shared duties
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This guide covers the registration regimes that attach to specific kinds of membership organisation, on top of the shared duties in run a compliant membership organisation. Work through the section for what you are — an organisation can sit in more than one section.

Trade unions: list with the Certification Officer

A trade union may apply for entry on the Certification Officer's list and, if it meets the independence test, a certificate of independence — and trade unions, listed or not, file a statutory annual return covering accounts, membership and any political fund. This regime covers Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own Certification Officer.

If you are an employer dealing with unions rather than running one, see working with trade unions.

Political parties: register with the Electoral Commission

An organisation that wants to field candidates under a party name must register with the Electoral Commission, appoint a registered treasurer, keep proper accounting records, and report donations and loans — donations from impermissible sources are prohibited. This applies UK-wide.

Charitable bodies: register with your charity regulator

An organisation established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit — including most religious congregations and many membership bodies — may need to register with the charity regulator for its nation: the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland, and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

The detailed charity guides cover the rest: register a charity with the Charity Commission, register with OSCR, trustee duties and charity accounts using SORP.

Next steps

Make sure the shared duties in run a compliant membership organisation are in place, then confirm everything with the membership organisations compliance checklist.