APPLICATION FAQS
If you’re in the process of applying for membership, and you’ve run up against a query, you may find the answer in these FAQs.
What do you do with the personal information I provide on my application form?
The membership contact details provided by you to us will be used by us to contact you in the future. Once you’re in membership they may also be published or supplied to other Members or third parties on request for marketing purposes. Information held by us may be provided to law enforcement bodies or other persons for regulatory purposes.
Why do you want me to supply you with two email addresses?
Much of our communication with you as a Member will be by email and so we need an email address for this purpose. We’ll also publish an email address for your company. This will help other Members and consumers to find and contact your business. You have the option of submitting two different email addresses for this purpose. If you only provide one email address, this will be both used by us and published. You must provide at least one email address with your application.
Since I sent in my application, my trading commencement date has been put back. Do you need to know about this?
Yes, it’s important that you tell us if this date has changed. You can write to us - Membership Department, ABTA Ltd, 30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ - or send us an email.
What’s your definition of a reporting accountant?
If you're required to provide us with audited accounts, then the reporting accountant must be a registered auditor.
If you aren't required under the Companies Act or otherwise to be subject to an audit, then the reporting accountant must be an independent qualified accountant and the individual or the individual's firm must be a member of and hold a current practising certificate from one of these supervisory bodies:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
The Association of Authorised Public Accountants
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
The Association of Accounting Technicians
The Association of International Accountants
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators
The Institute of Financial Accountants
Is a share premium account classed as share capital?
Yes. If shares are issued at a premium, the resulting share premium account will be treated as share capital for our purposes.
Are redeemable shares acceptable?
Yes, but you'll be required to give an undertaking not to redeem any shares without giving 12 months’ prior notice and receiving ABTA’s written consent.
Are loans from directors or parent companies acceptable in lieu of share capital?
No. Loans are always treated as liabilities and not as additions to capital and reserves.
What’s your definition of a controlling director?
For the purposes of our rules, a controlling director is one who directly or indirectly controls 5% or more of a company’s shares, as defined by Section 624(3) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.
Do intangible fixed assets count as net assets?
No, you’ll need to exclude these from the £30,000.
Are current assets pledged as security for bonds classed as working capital?
No - current assets pledged as security for bonds or otherwise will be disallowed when arriving at the working capital position, as will overdrawn directors’ loan accounts, debtor balances falling due after one year and amounts due from connected undertakings which haven’t arisen in the course of arm’s-length trading.
Do you need to inspect my premises?
You may be visited by one of our inspectors. They won’t give you prior notice of their visit, but they’ll identify themselves on arrival.
When can I start using the ABTA logo?
You can use the logo from the point at which your company’s admitted to membership until your membership terminates. There are a few rules that apply to use of the logo. We’ll tell you about these when you’re a Member, and show you how to download the logo from our site.
I’ve been told that my application has lapsed. Why is this?
If you send in an incomplete application, and you don’t provide us with the information or documents that we need in order to process it, we’ll eventually lapse your application. We won’t normally lapse an application until 12 months have passed, and we’ll always write to you to let you know if your application is about to lapse. Remember that your membership application fee is non-refundable. If you decide to apply again at a later date, you’ll need to pay this fee again.
I applied to join ABTA and my application was refused. Can I appeal against this decision?
Yes, you can take your case to the Appeal Board, which includes at least two independent people, from outside the travel industry. You'll need to give notice of appeal, in writing, within 14 days of the date of the notification of refusal. You'll also need to send us a non-refundable fee of £100.00 + VAT. You can attend the hearing and represent yourself, or do this via your legal representatives. For further information, see Enforcement & Appeal on the Industry Standards page of this site.
