What do I need to do?
Bereavement services
It’s really important that you complete any forms or documentation clearly and accurately to help us respond and complete your requests as quickly as possible for you.
If you are applying for a grant of representation, please send us a copy or scanned image if the value of the holding is less than £20,000. For holdings over this value, please send us the original document or sealed office copy once it has been issued.
The grant of representation must be issued in the country that the company late shareholder held shares in was incorporated. For example, if the company was incorporated in the UK then we would require a UK grant of representation. The country the late shareholder lived in does not impact the country the grant of representation is issued in.
Once we receive the grant of representation, we will update your loved one’s account with the names and address of the Legal Representative(s), as detailed in the grant of representation.
The named Legal Representative(s) will then be able to transfer the shares by completing a stock transfer form.
UK Small Estates Form (pdf) Alternatively, the Legal Representative(s) can sell the shares by contacting our specialist dealing team, or by using a high-street broker.
Once the grant of representation is registered, the named Legal Representative(s) can also request any outstanding dividend payments to be reissued. Please note there may be a fee applicable for this service.
If your loved one’s estate does not require a grant of representation, our small estates service may be more suitable for you.
The small estates service
Our small estates service may be more suitable for you if the value of your loved one’s investment is less than £20,000.
This is outlined in our flow chart located on our ‘What do I need to know’ page and does not require a grant of representation.
To use this simple service, please fill in a small estates indemnity form. You can download a small estates indemnity form.
Once the form has been completed, please send it to us along with the death certificate and any applicable fee.
Once received, we will process the document and update your loved one’s shareholding with the individual(s) named as the legal representative(s) in the small estates form within five working days. We will return the original death certificate as soon as we can.
You, or whoever the named legal representative(s) is, will then be able to transfer the shares by completing a stock transfer form.
Alternatively, the legal representative(s) can sell the shares using our specialist dealing team, or through a high-street broker.
Once the small estates form is registered, the named legal representatives can also request any outstanding dividend payments to be reissued. Please note there may be a fee applicable for this service.
Transferring shares
Certificated holdings
You can transfer the shares from your loved one’s account into the name of one or more of any beneficiaries by completing a stock transfer form. There is no fee to use this service.
Please complete the stock transfer form and return it to us along with the valid share certificate. Once we’ve received and validated the transfer process, it will take up to two working days to complete. When this has been done, we will create a new account and send a new share certificate to the new shareholder.
If you can’t find your loved one’s share certificate, please follow our letter of indemnity process. Please note there may be fees for replacing this document.
If you decide you would rather not transfer the shares, all future communications and payments will be addressed to ‘the late shareholder’.
Nominee share holding
If the late shareholder held their shares electronically in our nominee service this means no share certificate was issued. To transfer the shares, you will need to complete a nominee transfer form and return it to us completed. You can request a form by emailing us at Nominee.Enquiries@linkgroup.co.uk or by calling us on 0800 181 4702.
If you decide you would rather not transfer the shares, all future communications and payments will be addressed to ‘the late shareholder’.
Selling shares
The shares can be sold using either a high-street bank or broker.
Alternatively, you can contact our specialist dealing team.
If you choose to sell the shares, you will need your loved one’s valid share certificate. If you can’t find this, please follow our letter of indemnity process. Please note there may be fees for replacing this document.
Requesting a replacement share certificate
You will only need your loved one’s valid share certificate if you wish to either sell or transfer the shares.
If you can’t find the valid share certificate, you can request a replacement share certificate by completing a letter of indemnity process. This will need to be signed by all named legal representatives.
Once you have signed and returned the form to us, we will issue a new share certificate. Please note there may be a fee for this service, based on the value of the shares.
To initiate the letter of indemnity process please call one of our specialist team on 0800 181 4702
Please see below more details about the fees that may be applied. These depend on:
- The value of the estate
- Whether you have share certificate(s) within your possession
- What you’d like to do with your shares
We charge fees to cover the administration costs involved in completed the associated tasks
Link Group is a trading name of Link Market Services Trustees Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and which is also authorised to conduct cross-border business within the EEA under the provisions of the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive. Registered office: Link Group, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street,
Leeds LS1 4DL Registered in England and Wales No. 2729260.