LEI for a public limited company (PLC)

Data as of 13 November 2026 Source: GLEIF

A public limited company usually needs an LEI twice over: as an issuer, because shares or bonds admitted to trading are identified by the issuer’s LEI, and as an investor, whenever it trades financial instruments in its own name.

4,482 UK public limited companies hold an LEI and 55% of them are active.

  • 4,482Entities with an LEI
  • 55%Active LEIs
  • 136New in the last 12 months
  • 1.9%Share of the country’s LEIs

When an LEI is required

For a listed PLC the LEI is part of market plumbing. Trading venues report the issuer’s LEI in their instrument data, and regulatory announcements and filings identify the company by it. That is why exchanges and advisers ask for the LEI early in a listing or bond issue.

An unlisted PLC is in the same position as any other company: it needs an LEI when it trades shares, bonds or derivatives, or when a bank asks for one as a derivatives counterparty.

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, for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland
Registration number
The 8-character company number
Who can apply
A director or the company secretary, or anyone the company authorises with a signed letter of authorisation
Parent company
A PLC that prepares consolidated accounts is normally its own ultimate parent; subsidiaries report the PLC as theirs

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 2,460 (55%)
  • Lapsed 915 (20%)
  • Other 1,107 (25%)

First LEI registrations per year

YearLEIs
2015159
2016416
20171,052
2018363
2019254
2020222
2021320
2022159
2023125
2024146
2025124
2026*124

* 2026 is counted up to 13 November 2026.

Registers these entities are recorded in

Registration authorityLEIs
Companies Register (Companies House), England and Wales4,340
Companies Register (Companies House), Scotland118
Companies Register (Companies House), Northern Ireland13
Financial Services Register (Financial Conduct Authority)6
Business Register (The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce)1
Other registers1
No register recorded3

UK LEI statistics

Frequently asked questions

Does a PLC that is not listed need an LEI?

Not for being a PLC. It needs one when it trades financial instruments or enters into derivatives, exactly like a private company.

Should the LEI be in place before a listing?

Yes. The issuer’s LEI is used in the instrument data that trading venues report and in the company’s regulatory filings, so it is normally obtained before admission.

Do the PLC’s subsidiaries share its LEI?

No. Each subsidiary is a separate legal entity and needs its own LEI if it trades. Their records name the PLC as direct or ultimate parent.

Sources

Other entity types