EP1 and EP2 Forms Northern Ireland: What You Need to Register an EPA

When an attorney in Northern Ireland needs to register an Enduring Power of Attorney with the Office of Care and Protection, two forms control the entire process: the EP1 (Notice of Intention to Register) and the EP2 (Application for Registration). Mistakes on either form mean the OCP rejects your application, you lose the £189 fee, and you start again from scratch.

Here is what each form does and how to complete them correctly.

Form EP1: Notice of Intention to Register

Before you can file anything with the court, you must serve Form EP1 on specific people to give them a chance to object to the registration.

Who Gets an EP1 Notice

Three categories of people must receive the EP1:

1. The donor (your parent) — notice must be served personally, by hand. Posting it is legally invalid. If serving the notice would cause the donor serious distress, you need a medical exemption from a doctor — you cannot simply skip this step
2. At least three statutory relatives — served by first-class post, selected from the legal hierarchy: spouse or civil partner first, then children, parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. If a category has multiple people (for example, five siblings), every person in that category must be notified — not just three
3. Non-applying co-attorneys — if the EPA appoints joint and several attorneys but only some are applying for registration, the others must receive EP1 notices

The 35-Day Clock

Once the last EP1 notice is served, a mandatory 35-day waiting period begins. During this window, any notified person can lodge an objection with the OCP. The attorney can still use the donor's funds for immediate necessities — food, utility bills, existing care home fees — but cannot execute major transactions like selling property or liquidating investments.

Form EP2: Application for Registration

As soon as the final EP1 has been served, you compile and submit the EP2 application bundle to the Patients' Section of the Office of Care and Protection.

What Goes in the EP2 Bundle

The application package must contain:

• Completed Form EP2 signed by the applying attorney(s)
• The original executed EPA document — not a copy
• The £189 registration fee paid by cheque made payable to "NICTS"

The fee may be waived if the donor receives means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, if the HSC Trust fully funds their care home placement, or if the residential property is their only asset.

What Happens After Filing

If no objections are lodged during the 35-day period and the Master of the High Court is satisfied the paperwork is correct, the OCP registers the EPA and returns the sealed original to the attorney. From that point, the attorney has full statutory authority to manage the donor's property and financial affairs.

If the OCP finds errors — incorrect notices, missing signatures, wrong fee amount — the application is rejected. You must correct the errors, pay a new fee, and re-serve EP1 notices, restarting the 35-day clock.

Common EP1 and EP2 Mistakes

• Serving EP1 on the donor by post instead of in person
• Notifying only three relatives when a category (like children) contains more than three people
• Submitting a photocopy of the EPA instead of the signed original
• Making the cheque payable to the wrong entity
• Filing the EP2 before all EP1 notices have been served

Each of these errors adds weeks or months to the process — and while the application is pending or restarted, the attorney's powers to manage the donor's assets are severely restricted.

Other EPA-Related Court Forms

Two additional forms exist for less common situations:

• Form EP3 (£326 fee): used when the court directs a specific action regarding a registered EPA, such as revoking it or removing an attorney
• Form EP4 (£33 search / £17 certified copy): used to search the register or obtain a certified copy of a registered EPA

Get Help With the Full EPA Registration Process

The Northern Ireland Enduring Power of Attorney & Controllership Kit includes step-by-step registration guidance, the correct EP1 notification sequence, and a checklist to ensure your EP2 bundle is complete before you file.

See more Northern Ireland guides →