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Petitioning for a Supplemental Charter

Introduction

Generally speaking, the process of applying and petitioning for a Supplemental Charter, or Supplementary Charter in Scotland, is similar to the process of applying for a Charter for the first time, without the need for a memorandum, or Statement of Intent.

However, as with Charter grants, the Privy Council Office should be approached informally at an early stage so that we can give advice or steer on the likely chances of success of a formal Petition.

Bodies should note that where their proposal includes a change of name, or the grant of an individual Chartered designation, that we would expect to see evidence of internal and external consultation. The external consultation should be with both Chartered and non-Chartered bodies who may have a view on the proposals.

We publish separate guidance on individual Chartered designations which should be read in conjunction with this guidance, if there is an intent to confer individual Chartered designations for the first time.

Preliminary Steps

The fact of a formal Supplemental/Supplementary Charter application will be published by this office on our website and in The Gazette. This is to allow other interested individuals or organisations to comment or to lodge counter-petitions.

Because the process of Petitioning for a Charter is thus a public one, and can also be expensive in terms of the preparation of the formal documents, this Office encourages institutions to have taken soundings among other bodies who may have an interest, in order to minimise the risk of a counter-petition. Any proposal which is rendered controversial by a counter-petition is unlikely to succeed.

At the preliminary stage, the Privy Council Office will consider the submitted documentation and may provide early advice on further detail that Privy Council Advisors would expect to see. This is entirely dependent on the content of the application; and the information provided at this early stage, so your dedicated caseworker at the Privy Council Office will be able to give further advice when bodies make their initial enquiry or submission.

At this stage if the draft Charter and by-laws are available, they should be sent by email along with the memorandum.

Any documentation submitted to this Office will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Informal Process

After any initial consultation with the Privy Council Office is complete, the next (informal) step would be for the body to submit a draft of the proposed Supplemental/Supplementary Charter and Byelaws along with a letter, note or memorandum covering the reasoning behind the application along with evidence of any consultations (if applicable). Copies of the existing Charter should also be supplied at this stage, for reference.

These draft documents will then be checked by the Privy Council Office before being referred to Advisors with a policy responsibility for the area concerned, for any informal comments. This stage usually takes around 4 – 8 weeks, but this is merely an indicative timeline and bodies should note that the actual informal considerations could take longer.

The Privy Council Office will then liaise with the applicant body and the relevant government departments until there is a draft version of the Charter and Byelaws that all parties are content with.

Formal Petition

After the conclusion of the informal process, the body may proceed to petition for a Supplemental/Supplementary Charter. An application should be made in the form of a Petition, which should commence:

“To The King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council.

The Humble Petition of …………….

Sheweth as follows:-”

and it should conclude:

“Your petitioners therefore most humbly pray that Your Majesty may be graciously pleased in the exercise of Your Royal Prerogative to grant a Supplemental/Supplementary Charter to Your Petitioners in the terms of the draft herewith submitted or in such other terms as may to Your Majesty seem proper.

And Your Petitioners will ever pray, etc.”

The Petition should state the authority (e.g. resolution of a meeting of members) under which it is submitted and should contain sufficient information to enable the Privy Council to make a recommendation to His Majesty. This information should always include:

  1. the date of the body’s foundation and date of incorporation by Royal Charter;
  2. details of past achievements and extent and character of present activities;
  3. size and composition of, and existing qualifications or requirements for membership;
  4. financial position; and
  5. the reasoning behind the proposed grant should also be stated.

The Petition should be submitted in the name of the body concerned and be under its corporate seal duly attested.

Any formal Petition which has been referred by His Majesty in Council, to a Committee of the Privy Council for consideration and report, will be gazetted for a period of eight weeks, inviting representation for or against the granting of the Supplemental/Supplementary Charter. The gazette notice will also be published on this website along with a copy of the formal Petition itself.

At the end of this eight week period, the Committee will make a recommendation on whether or not to advise His Majesty to grant a Supplemental/Supplementary Charter.

At this stage, an Order in Council is made at a Privy Council meeting formally confirming the Committee’s advice and His Majesty’s decision, acting on the advice of the Privy Council.

Supplemental Charter Grant and Printing

Should the Committee advise that His Majesty grant a Supplemental/Supplementary Charter, following the Privy Council meeting at which the Order of Grant is formally approved, the printing and proofing process will then begin.

The Privy Council Office will liaise with bodies to arrange the completion of payment authorisation form, which confirms the person responsible for processing the payment of the printing, when the time comes.

On receipt of a completed payment authorisation form, the Privy Council Office will liaise with the printers to obtain a quote for the printing of the Charter as well as a first proof. These proofs are checked internally by the Privy Council Office before being sent to bodies for a proof check and for final approval.

When a body approves a Supplemental/Supplementary Charter for printing, it can then take up to 3 weeks for the Charter to be printed and delivered to the Privy Council Office.

At this stage, the Crown Office arranges to take delivery of the Charter, ready for the application of the Great Seal. The Privy Council Office will then send a letter to bodies with contact details for the Crown Office, along with a number of A4 paper copies of their Supplemental/Supplementary Charter.

Bodies will then liaise directly with the Crown Office for the sealing process and once sealed, the Crown Office will be in touch with bodies to arrange for them to collect their sealed Charter.

Costs

For every Supplemental/Supplementary Charter, the body will be asked to pay for the cost of printing the formal documents. No charges are made by the Privy Council Office, but fees are payable to the Crown Office in respect of sealing the Charter.

As of April 2026, bodies should budget to pay around £500 per page for the printing of the Supplemental/Supplementary Charter; and approximately £700 in costs to seal the Charter at the Crown Office. However these figures should be used as indicative estimates only; and a final quote will be provided once a body reaches the printing stage of the process.