LEI for a limited liability partnership (LLP)

Data as of 13 November 2026 Source: GLEIF

An LLP is a legal person in its own right, so it trades under its own LEI rather than under its members’ names. It needs one before a bank or broker can buy or sell shares, bonds, ETFs or derivatives for it.

3,746 UK limited liability partnerships hold an LEI and 48% of them are active.

  • 3,746Entities with an LEI
  • 48%Active LEIs
  • 184New in the last 12 months
  • 1.6%Share of the country’s LEIs

When an LEI is required

LLPs that typically need an LEI are investment and fund-management partnerships, family investment LLPs, property and professional-services LLPs that invest surplus cash in securities, and any LLP that hedges with derivatives.

The members do not need LEIs of their own for the LLP’s trades. A corporate member needs one only if it also trades in its own name.

Legal basis

  • Under UK MiFIR, an investment firm cannot execute a trade in shares, bonds, ETFs or other reportable instruments for a client that is eligible for an LEI and does not have one. The FCA names companies, charities and trusts among the clients this covers. FCA: UK MiFIR legal entity identifiers
  • The rule itself is short: a firm shall not provide a service that triggers a transaction report before it has the client’s LEI. RTS 22, Article 13(2), as kept in UK law
  • Under UK EMIR, both sides of a derivative contract are reported, so every UK counterparty to a derivative needs an LEI. FCA: UK EMIR reporting obligation
  • A private individual investing in their own name does not need an LEI and is identified by a national identifier instead. RTS 22, Article 6, as kept in UK law

What the application needs

Register
Companies House
Registration number
The LLP number, which starts with OC (England and Wales), SO (Scotland) or NC (Northern Ireland)
Who can apply
A designated member, or anyone the LLP authorises with a signed letter of authorisation
Parent company
Asked for only if the LLP is consolidated in a parent’s financial statements

How to apply

  1. Enter the name or registration number in the application form. Where the register is connected, the details are filled in for you.
  2. Check the name, registration number and address, and state whether a parent company consolidates the entity.
  3. Confirm that you may act for the entity, then pay. If a signed authorisation is needed, you sign it online.
  4. The details are checked against the register. Once they are confirmed, the LEI is issued and sent to you by email.

An entity can only have one LEI. Check whether it already has one

Apply for an LEI

In numbers

  • Active 1,787 (48%)
  • Lapsed 915 (24%)
  • Other 1,044 (28%)

First LEI registrations per year

YearLEIs
2015192
2016153
2017866
2018419
2019239
2020177
2021179
2022135
2023169
2024154
2025169
2026*166

* 2026 is counted up to 13 November 2026.

Registers these entities are recorded in

Registration authorityLEIs
Companies Register (Companies House), England and Wales3,443
Financial Services Register (Financial Conduct Authority)180
Companies Register (Companies House), Scotland103
Companies Register (Companies House), Northern Ireland14
Regulated Law Firms (Solicitors Regulation Authority), England and Wales3
No register recorded3

UK LEI statistics

Frequently asked questions

Do the members of an LLP need LEIs as well?

Not for trades the LLP makes. Individual members never need one. A company that is a member needs its own LEI only if it trades in its own name.

Is an LLP treated differently from a limited company?

No. Both are legal entities checked against Companies House; only the registration number differs.

Can an LLP that manages funds use one LEI for everything?

No. The LLP has its own LEI, and each fund or sub-fund it manages is identified separately.

Sources

Other entity types