FAQs

We have been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to operate personal pension schemes since November 2022. You can verify MES Financial Services Limited on the FCA Register using our firm reference number.

We do not publish client reviews or testimonials for our advised proposition. This helps us stay within the rules that apply to financial promotions and client communications.

Our FCA firm reference number is 805568. You can use this number to confirm our authorisation on the FCA Register.

We do not accept applications from jurisdictions that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) lists as high risk. Applications from FATF grey list jurisdictions may be considered with enhanced due diligence, and all other jurisdictions follow our standard anti-money laundering and know your customer checks.

Yes, your client can make both personal and employer contributions to their SIPP. Tax relief on personal contributions follows HMRC rules and depends on the client meeting the conditions for UK tax relief.

Our SIPP permits standard investments such as cash, listed shares, investment trusts, REITs, exchange traded funds, exchange traded commodities and authorised or recognised collective investment schemes. Where the investment is traded, it must be on a regulated venue such as a stock exchange or multilateral trading facility. Investments can go down as well as up.

We accept transfers from defined contribution, personal and workplace pension schemes, and we can accept defined benefit or final salary transfers where advice supports a transfer. We do not accept insistent client transfers, and we use Origo where possible to help speed up the process.

We do not accept transfers of the State Pension. For other pension arrangements, whether a transfer is possible depends on the type of scheme and its rules.

Transfers typically complete in two to eight weeks when Origo is used and the ceding scheme responds promptly. More complex cases, or transfers from multiple schemes, can take longer. You and your client can see live status updates in the MES Platform.

We do not currently offer separate SIPP variants under the labels MES DFM SIPP or MES US Expat SIPP. Our focus is the MES SIPP delivered through the MES Platform, with the same core administration and permitted investment approach described in our product literature.

We do not promote a SIPP specifically designed for US-connected clients or US expats. Any information we provide must follow UK financial promotion rules and may be restricted depending on the client’s circumstances.

We do not currently offer discretionary fund manager options within the SIPP. The MES Platform supports trading in our permitted investment range, and we may add DFM options in future.

Yes, your client can hold cash in the SIPP for extended periods. Any interest rates or terms will depend on the cash arrangements available on the MES Platform at the time.

Yes, the MES Adviser SIPP is for retail clients and only permits standard, FCA-recognised investments. We do not allow non-standard assets such as unlisted shares, unregulated collective investment schemes, overseas property or other illiquid or high-risk investments. This restriction helps reduce exposure to assets that can be harder to value and sell.

The MES Platform supports holdings in GBP, USD, EUR and AUD. Availability of currency features can depend on the specific account setup and platform functionality.

We do not offer specialist investment options that sit outside our standard permitted investment range. International clients can use the same list of permitted investments, provided the assets are FCA-recognised where relevant and traded on a regulated venue.

Yes, the MES Platform allows you to set up model portfolios and rebalancing. How you use these tools should reflect the client’s objectives, risk profile and capacity for loss.

Yes, clients can appoint their own financial adviser or investment manager. We record the appointment and permissions so instructions can be managed and administered appropriately.

We complete firm-level due diligence before onboarding an adviser firm for expat business. This typically includes a company check, a signed Terms of Business and supporting documentation.

Yes, we accept electronic signatures on our documentation to help speed up processing. We will still complete the required identity and verification checks.

When submitting a new SIPP application we need the client’s personal details, any transfer details, and beneficiary nominations. We also require certified identity and address evidence dated within three months, and we run secure electronic verification to support our checks.

For clients based abroad, we require certified documentation and we apply anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) checks. We also use a secure electronic verification service to confirm identity in a safe and controlled way.

SIPP accounts are opened instantly on the MES Platform, subject to the client passing our AML and KYC checks. If verification fails, we will tell you what is needed next to progress the application.

We can request transfers from multiple pension schemes into a single SIPP, using electronic transfer routes where possible. Our new business team coordinates the requests and keeps you and your client informed of any scheme-specific requirements.

Yes, you can track transfer progress online. The MES Platform provides live updates so you and your client can stay up to date.

Common causes of delay include incomplete paperwork, extra AML checks, and slow responses from the ceding scheme. We help reduce delays by flagging requirements early and providing live updates in the MES Platform so you can respond quickly where information is needed.

Our fees include set-up, annual administration, dealing and custody charges. The latest charges are published on our SIPP Fees and Charges page and apply based on the services used.

We benchmark our charges against other expat-friendly SIPP providers and aim to keep our fees competitive for the service provided. Any comparison depends on what each provider includes and the client’s circumstances.

No, we do not charge extra fees based solely on the client’s country of residence. All clients are charged on the same fee basis.

Yes, we facilitate initial, ongoing and ad-hoc adviser charging. Adviser charges are only taken with recorded client consent and in line with the scheme rules.

Our regulated activities are carried out by MES Financial Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA. FSCS protection may apply, but eligibility and compensation limits depend on the nature of the claim and the circumstances.

We handle complaints under our complaints procedure in line with FCA rules and the Consumer Duty. If a complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, it can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

We comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 to protect personal data. We use measures such as encryption, access controls and regular audits, and we only use data for contractual and regulatory purposes.

You can verify our registration by checking the FCA Register for MES Financial Services Limited. Our FCA firm reference number is 805568.

We measure adviser satisfaction through surveys and feedback requests. We use this input to identify improvements to our service and processes.

We apply FCA requirements regardless of where the client lives. This includes robust AML and KYC checks, secure verification, and regular reviews of our processes for overseas business.

Before recommending the MES SIPP, advisers should confirm the client is a retail client and assess suitability, including objectives, risk and capacity for loss. Advisers should also complete AML and KYC checks, confirm source of funds where relevant, and ensure the client understands our permitted and restricted investments.

Our Investment Committee reviews the investments available on the platform for retail suitability and liquidity. This helps ensure the available investment universe remains aligned to our standard investment approach.

Our Investment Committee reviews the investments available on the platform for retail suitability and liquidity. This helps ensure the available investment universe remains aligned to our standard investment approach.

We do not currently provide an automated notification service if an investment becomes non-standard or high-risk. The SIPP only permits standard investments, and advisers should monitor the client’s holdings and suitability on an ongoing basis.

Advisers should ensure they are appropriately authorised or licensed for the jurisdiction where the client is resident. We can support a two-adviser arrangement where an FCA-regulated adviser opens the SIPP and agency is later transferred to an overseas adviser, subject to our checks.

If adviser business volumes reach an agreed level, we can provide a dedicated Key Account Manager. This is intended to support ongoing servicing and communication for higher-volume relationships.

We can provide service level expectations covering areas such as new account opening, issuing transfer requests, and income or uncrystallised funds pension lump sum (UFPLS) payments. We can also include response times for general enquiries so you have clarity on day-to-day servicing.

You have access to our technical support team for complex or unusual cases. We also subscribe to Aries Insight for technical references and audited calculations where needed, and our Knowledge Hub includes guides and product literature.

We provide a Knowledge Hub with product literature, tutorial videos and an Adviser Handbook. These resources cover onboarding, investments, withdrawals and ongoing servicing.

We review our SIPP products at least annually. We also make updates when regulation changes or when improvements are needed to maintain compliance and service quality.

We send email updates when there are material regulatory or process changes that affect advisers and clients. We also keep our Knowledge Hub guidance updated.

Yes, clients living overseas can take benefits from the MES SIPP, using the same options as UK residents. The tax position can differ by country and depends on the client’s circumstances.

Yes, benefits can only be paid to a bank account in the client’s own name. We cannot pay to FX brokerage or intermediary accounts for onward transfer after currency conversion, and payments must go directly from the pension scheme to the client.

Yes, advisers can manage drawdown for clients living abroad. The same withdrawal options and administration approach apply as for UK-resident clients.

Pension withdrawals may be taxable under UK rules and may also be taxed in the country where the client lives. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and any applicable double taxation agreement, so local tax advice may be appropriate.

We support advisers by providing guidance on UK pension rules, tax considerations and benefit options for clients returning to the UK. We also provide supporting resources through our Knowledge Hub and technical support.

On death, benefits can be paid to beneficiaries as a lump sum or through beneficiary drawdown, subject to UK pension and tax rules. Overseas beneficiaries may also have local tax considerations, and tax rules can change over time.